Prather must prove he’s up to return

MELBOURNE United coach Dean Vickerman has confirmed import Casey Prather could be passed fit for tomorrow night’s blockbuster against Perth Wildcats.

The mouth-watering contest would be the ideal launching pad for Prather to tune up for the NBL playoffs after sitting out eight weeks with a dislocated elbow. But Vickerman warned the 26-year-old must compete at playoff-standard intensity and physicality on the practice court to get the ultimate tick of approval.

After completing 25-30 minutes of scrimmage on Tuesday, Prather will be asked to repeat the dose today in the “toughest practice” of the week.

“The real test is tomorrow,” Vickerman said.

“(We need to know) is he 100 per cent, is he, right now, willing to dive on the floor and do the things that you do in playoff basketball, before we make any type of decision.

“It’s one of those situations where if it’s not right you leave it to the FIBA window.”

Under strict NBL import rules, United must release replacement player Carrick Felix when Prather gets medically cleared.

United star Josh Boone said uncertainty around the FelixPrather decision had no bearing on performance.

“We’re comfortable with either one of those guys,” Boone said. “We know Casey was an MVP candidate before he went down, he was great for us.

“Carrick has been part of this really great run that we’ve had and he’s filled a really good role for us playing defence, blocking shots, getting rebounds, and just being all over the floor.”