United are certainly taking this season off after going all out last season. I would be surprised if their roster this season is on even half what last season's roster was.

With Vickerman there they're probably still a chance to make the playoffs but unlikely unless they make a few serious changes during the season.

White is Day to Day at the moment. I've read that he has a fitness test.
This will be a huge in.
Melbourne will fight Perth for 4th, and if Perth don't play at home in the 2nd half of the season they will be in trouble

Agreed it appears Agada's not the best fit. But I haven't seen enough yet, so I'll withhold judgment for now.

It's clear United's put the chequebook away, signing old guys who weren't wanted elsewhere in Newley and Prewster.

United's #1 imports have always been NBL superstars they poached from other teams (Long, Trimble, Prather, Hopson) or guys with seriously impressive international resumes (Ware, Kennedy). Agada has neither. He had a good year last year in Israel, but has spent the majority of his career in the Spanish 2nd division.

The interesting thing will be how long United persists with the budget roster (not necessarily budget by NBL standards, just budget by United standards). If they fall into a poor early record and Agada's struggling, will they pull the pin and bring in a more reputable replacement? I suspect they will but time will tell.

Or, might they bring in a short term replacement for 6 weeks while White recovers? Another option.

Really surprised they signed Dalton to the full roster.
He contributed zero in Brisbane and is getting less minutes than a DP (Okwera) in the front court. Will be surprised if he lasts the full season.

If they release him and Agada, potentially two spots up for grabs

They also cheaped out on signing an injury replacement for Jack White too.

This roster has always felt like it was created to turn JLA into a superstar (and perhaps is getting paid accordingly) as he has everything at his disposal to show how great he could be but it's bloody risky to rely on a spark off the bench to carry a team... I think they are taking their fan base for granted as this squad and their (potential) roster rebuild mindset is disgusting and yeah I'd be more excited as a Taipans fan as Tahjere looks exciting than United right now.

The problem is actually Delly, as sad as it is to say. They would have thrown an absolute bag at him but they're not necessarily going to get output that warrants the price. Is Delly better than any of the import point guards this season? I'd guess not. He's a name, and that will bring crowd interest, but if he doesn't provide anything tangible that name will grow old super quick.

And because they spent on Delly the rest of the roster is pretty poor. Agada as the only import? Why? This team is going to rely too much on Goulding to be a real contender and without some roster changes they wont be going back-to-back.

I'm confident that Delly will be a great asset under pressure and in the finals, and will bring more fan interest. However, what worries me from what I’ve seen so far is that too much goes through Delly already. If United took advantage of his abilities without depending on them, I’d be happier. There are a number of guys on the roster who can dribble and run, so why aren’t United going for more of a fast transition approach instead of some of the plodding half-court offense that just wasn’t needed when there were better options?

As for JLA being a focus of the team and a possible NBA prospect, tell them they’re dreaming. He doesn’t have the physical control and coordination needed to be either of those. Close to the basket and unguarded out on the 3-point line, he’ll hurt other teams; I still think his weakness is when he has to put the ball to the floor to create something.

And because they spent on Delly the rest of the roster is pretty poor.

White back in round 3

Delly rumour is $700K a year

delly is 1m or more

Unlikely, he got a 3 year deal from them with NBA out clauses each year and at the time he signed with them all the talk was the deal was for $700K per year.

With JLA I think he was the best backup big in the league, but is only mediocre as a starter. Nice touch and good spot up big, but best used as a boost off the bench for 15-20 mins a night with instructions to shoot at will while he's on the court, rather than a guy you want dominating the offense for 30 mins a game.

United have talent to win games. Delly had some moments when he started attacking the basket in the 2nd half vs Sydney and that really has to be his game - he should never look to shoot an open 3 again unless the shot clock is about to sound. Agada I think will be better but is more of a solid #2 import, and United look like they still need a #1 import type talent to go next to him.

With how strong Perth/Hawks/Sydney/Phoenix look ... it's definitely hard to slot United in there as a serious top 4 contender unless a lot goes right for them.

That's the one issue I have with so many bandwagon fans the name isn’t enough they need more talent then this.

Yeah but these casuals think because Delly was in the NBA he's some type of offensive star coming back down to the NBL level. Facepalm.

I find it very hard to believe they're paying Delly 700k

He's simply not worth that much, and United's owners aren't casual sports fans who flick across NBA highlights with a beer in hand. They're actually putting together an NBL roster.

No shit he's not worth $700k!
United fans should wish it’s only that much, I’ve heard the 1 million dollar mark mentioned as well by people who should know.

A lot of people said Bogut was on 1mil too

They forgot to mention it was 1mil over 2 years. 500k per year.

I hope they're not even paying Delly that much.

"I'm confident that Delly will be a great asset under pressure and in the finals, and will bring more fan interest"

Even I might buy a ticket to watch Delly play.

"Delly is no Damo...."
"Honestly Delly would struggle and NBL 1..."

Clown

Whilst I think delly too has dropped off, is it not possible that we're overreacting as it’s only been one game and they don’t even have Goulding?

They're in the mix, absolutely

They played Sydney in Sydney- championship favourite, without CG, White or Barlow, and Ili missed a chance to tie the game with under 10 seconds left. In isolation that's a fairly good result!

Defensively they look tough as nails. They'll compete every night.

I think United fans have high expectations, after 4 straight years going very close to the title (2 titles, 1 runner up, 1 Game 3 semi final loss by 2 points after being absolutely destroyed by refs)

Right now, with this roster Perth, SEM and Illawarra all look better than us. Sydney potentially too (based on talent assembled, not their first game).

Hence why these early discussions are of interest to people.

In Delly's defence...
[not an MU fan but Delly does have a BRONZE on our behalf. I'll stick up for him for now. And, I don't have to pay him!]

1st real game of NBL. Doesn't know his players/coach yet. It took Broekhoff half a season to get going. Magnay, too.

CG's absence. With the lack of any other MU shooter hitting the mark, and threatening Sydney's D, Delly and JAL were seen as the only possible threats and both were well contained. CG's return should change that.

Equal favourite at $4

2 teams are $4 and 2 are $4.50 (United is $8.50 and $9 with Sportsbet and TAB), so there's no clear favourite as such

But when you delve into the detailed betting with TAB, eg least likely to miss top 4, minor prem etc, that broad overview shows they're the leader of the 4 with the bonus

With the bookies *

Drewy says Delly is highest paid in NBL.

Guess I was wrong on this one.