[ad_1]
Olympic bronze medal guard Matthew Dellavedova (calf), Cleveland Cavaliers draft pick Luke Travers (concussion) and NBA champion import Ian Clark (hamstring) have all been ruled out for Sunday’s sold out Throwdown at John Cain Arena.
Young centre Ariel Hukporti (knee) will play, but isn’t at 100 per cent, paving the way for star big man Jo Lual-Acuil Jr to make his first start since wrist surgery delayed his United comeback, following a season in China.
Coach Dean Vickerman is relishing the challenge of shuffling the decks to find a makeshift rotation that works, with Tanner Krebs and Kyle Bowen likely to join the starting five and United to lean heavily on point guard Shea Ili to initiate the bulk of its offence.
Rookie point guard Flynn Cameron will also get a chance to show his potential running the United attack while Ili rests, while Vickerman is set to unleash a three-headed monster of Lual-Acuil Jr, Hukporti and injury replacement centre Rob Loe to combat Phoenix heavy hauler Alan Williams and new arrival Daniel Johnson.
Code Sports understands Hukporti (213cm) and Loe (211cm) will play stretches together, presenting a unique challenge at both ends. The Kiwi stalwart, initially convinced to come out of retirement while Lual-Acuil Jr recovered from his injury, is a knockdown three-point shooter and a load around the basket. But he will need to rely on all his smarts — and plenty of help — to keep tabs on smaller and more mobile Phoenix superstar Mitch Creek.
Relentless defenders Dellavedova and Ili held Perth superstar Bryce Cotton to 5/17 shooting in last week’s overtime loss and, without the former and the long and athletic Travers, United will have a big task on its hands to contain Phoenix scoring guards Gary Browne and Will Cummings.
The absence of Travers (G-F, $266,100) is a huge blow for NBL SuperCoaches, too, given he is the most-owned player in the game at nearly 50 per cent.
The highly-anticipated rivalry between two teams which, at least on the surface, share a healthy dislike, represents a fascinating game of chess between Vickerman and former understudy Mike Kelly who, with ex-Adelaide 36er Johnson arriving as an injury replacement for Gorjok Gak, has a full squad at his disposal.
Kelly said regardless of United’s make-up, he is hyper-focused on how his squad presents itself and handles the strategic uncertainty of the opposition.
“As much as you traditionally prepare for another team and scout another team, their players and what they run but, getting our whole group back apart from Gorjok, we’ve focused on us and how to play as a team and get a bit better on the defensive end every game and I think that’s what we’ll do again, against United,” Kelly said.
***South East Melbourne Phoenix v Melbourne United, Sunday, 2pm, John Cain Arena. Watch on Kayo Sports and ESPN.
[ad_2]
