Adelaide 36ers coach Joey Wright says Melbourne United's star-studded squad is the best he's ever seen in the NBL, but he's adamant his players won't fear them.
United will start the season as title favourites after luring two-time Championship winner Casey Prather from the Wildcats to join star imports Casper Ware and Josh Boone.
United also possess Boomers duo Chris Goulding and David Andersen in what is arguably the most formidable line-up the NBL has ever seen.
"I've been around since '94. I don't think anybody's seen a list as strong as what Melbourne has put on the floor," Wright said.
"To do that within the salary cap is great. I think it's great for the league. More people want to come out and watch."
The 36ers will face Melbourne in their season opener in Adelaide on Thursday night.
Wright says his players won't go into their shells against the star-studded outfit.
"We've never backed down from anyone. We won't back down on Thursday either," Wright said.
Adelaide finished on top of the ladder last season before bombing out to Illawarra in the semi-finals.
The 36ers are tipped to finish near the bottom of the ladder this season after losing star imports Jerome Randle and NBA-bound Terrance Ferguson.
Experienced guard Shannon Shorter, centre Ronald Roberts and shooting guard Ramone Moore will fill Adelaide's three import slots this season.
Roberts is set to miss Thursday's match with a knee complaint.
Wright said the club will assess Roberts' injury further before putting a timeline on his return.
Randle won last season's MVP award after averaging 21 points and 5.3 assists per game.
Wright is confident his team's new trio of imports can cover for the loss of Randle.
"We had about 25-30 points out of our imports last year," Wright said.
"We're looking to better that this year."
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