Injuries to pivotal New Zealand Breakers players Tom Abercrombie and Alex Pledger are likely to force them out of the start of the NBL season.
Abercrombie is to undergo surgery on Friday to remove a hernia that has been niggling him for some time.
The athletic forward will almost certainly miss the Breakers' opening game away to Perth Wildcats on October 10 and could be sidelined for further games.
A Breakers spokesman told AAP it had taken medical staff time to identify the cause of pain, which had been exacerbated by overuse.
Tall Blacks teammate Pledger, whose 2013-14 season was ruined by injury, is still recuperating from foot surgery and requires further scans following soreness at training.
Both players sat out the Breakers' 96-91 pre-season loss to the Sydney Kings in Christchurch on Tuesday.
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