Cadee: NBA boost for 36ers but United still the one

• Tory Brown Jr spent six years in the NBA with Washington, the LA Lakers, Chicago, Minnesota and Detroit
• Adelaide could sign another import after Bryce Cotton became a naturalised Australian
• They sit at 11-3 after wins against Tasmania and SEM in the last round

Former Los Angeles Laker Troy Brown Jr is the perfect fit to provide a major boost to the championship aspirations of the Adelaide 36ers but for Jason Cadee, it's not enough to put them ahead of the league-leading Melbourne United.

The 36ers added Brown Jr to a roster already featuring five-time MVP Bryce Cotton, All-NBL First Team contender Zylan Cheatham and versatile big man Nick Rakocevic and have gone 3-0 since the former NBA wing's arrival - beating Cairns, Tasmania and the South East Melbourne Phoenix.

Cadee, who retired as a 36er, said the 6'5" 26-year-old brought great balance to a roster, which already sits second on the ladder.

"I've known for basically all year long they were going to bring someone in at some point because they were waiting on Bryce to get naturalised," Cadee said on the latest edition of 'Cut to the Jase'.

"So they bring in Troy Brown Jr and there were two ways this could have gone, right? There's the conversation that they don't have a natural point guard but then you look across and they've got uh Flynn (Cameron), Isaac White, DJ, Bryce Cotton, they got Keanu Rasmussen.

"They've got a number of guys who are all basically combo guards. So the other one was like, well, do you bring in like a 3/4 who can maybe carry and do some different things? That's the way they've gone. I think it makes the most sense for their group right now.

"I think from what I saw from a guy who just hopped off the plane 48 hours before (against Cairns), I think they've got a good one because he showed the ability to be able to bring it down and set some stuff up and I think his length and athleticism is is kind of a perfect fit for that group.

"I think in the future, kind of the rounds after the FIBA break, it'll be really interesting to see what their group's like."

Adelaide already boasted a star-studded roster to tip-off the season and looked like the second-best team behind United before Brown Jr's addition. But some, including 2001 NBL champion and commentator Damon Lowery, questioned whether they had enough firepower to compete for a title.

Many of those experts, Lowery included, have adjusted that opinion since the latest 36ers signing but does Cadee believe it's enough to put them over the top of United?

"No, not right now," he said.

"I just don't think they're there yet. I think Melbourne know who they are and I mean, if you look at Adelaide, they've moved DJ, who was one of our focal players last year and the start of the year and even the year before that, they've moved him to the bench.

"Which I actually had a conversation with him prior to that saying 'you should ask for it' because I think it would have actually helped him find more of a rhythm. But what I didn't envision is then they play him I think 17 minutes and 15 minutes.

"I don't think that's the answer for them to win the whole thing. So that's why I say I think we're seeing Mike and the coaching staff figuring it out in real time around what it looks like because he needs to get I think DJ's minutes need to be up mid- 20s when it really counts."

United sit atop the NBL ladder with a 13-2 record while Adelaide have an 11-3 record.