United said Goulding will be a “game-time” decision for Throwdown XIII against South East Melbourne Phoenix on December 12,but team officials admit it’s too soon to know if Goulding’s hamstring could need more time to heal beyond next week.
The United captain may also stay in Melbourne to work on his recovery instead of taking the trip to Sydney,but the team is still making its decision about that.
Goulding is a key piece of United’s bid for back-to-back championships and will form part of a blue-chip backcourt alongside fellow Tokyo Olympian bronze medallistMatthew Dellavedova. An NBA championship winner with the Cleveland Cavaliers,Dellavedova will make his debut for United on Sunday.
Loading
Goulding had been set to enter the new season in fine touch,having poured in 26 points in a pre-season loss to the Phoenix on Sunday.
United have options to replace Goulding in the starting line-up,but none have the same scoring potency as the three-time championship winner and NBL’s scoring champion of 2014.