Melbourne United star Matthew Dellavedova has been given the green light to return to NBL action after recovering from his latest bout of concussion.
Dellavedova sat out four games over the last fortnight as Melbourne medical staff took a cautious approach to his rehabilitation, following a head knock on October 15.
But the NBA championship-winning guard has returned to full training this week and declared himself "100 per cent" fit to take on the Perth Wildcats on Monday.
"There's always concern but I actually felt pretty good the next day and got a good night's sleep," Dellavedova said on Thursday.
"I actually came good pretty quick.
"I was on the running track, which is not my favourite surface, and I was a little sore from running around on that.
"But I was getting into stuff (basketball practice) pretty much straight away."
Dellavedova had hoped to return last round but was held back by medical staff.
"I played two-on-two last Friday and was trying to talk them into letting me play on Sunday, but the medical staff here is great and took great care of me," Dellavedova said.
"I just wanted to get a few more training sessions in ... I feel excited and ready to go."
Melbourne coach Dean Vickerman was relieved to see Dellavedova, who has battled concussion in the past, progress quickly through his medical tests.
"He's out there playing relentless, like it never happened," Vickerman said on Thursday.
"That's the confidence that you've got to build back in yourself ... to trust your body to go and play the way that you want to play, and he's right there."
Vickerman hasn't yet committed to starting Dellavedova against Perth, and could yet limit the star guard's minutes.
But that will depend on the team's requirements, with fellow guard Ian Clark still working his way back to full fitness after a leg knock that kept him out of the last-start win over Illawarra.
Luke Travers hurt a knee in that game but has recovered and will be fit to take on his former team Perth for the second time.
Vickerman expects Jo Lual-Acuil Jr and Tanner Krebs to be fit after they were kept away from the main group at training on Thursday because of illness.
Melbourne (8-1) have eight days to prepare for the Perth (2-5) clash after a busy period of six games in 16 days.
But the ladder leaders aren't resting on their laurels.
"The only game that we've lost this year we had a full week of preparation, so it's how we manage that as a coaching staff," Vickerman said.
"We need to take a little breath and make sure bodies are right after six games in 16 days but you also don't want to back it off so much that people need to rev it back up again.
"We'll try to keep it at a solid level through this week with little shorter, sharper sessions."
