Deadline passes, Wildcats double down

The Perth Wildcats have thrown “ultimate belief” behind their current roster, committing to their group for the remainder of the season.

Despite having the opportunity to replace the injured David Duke Jr before the deadline, tip-off of Friday night’s matchup with Illawarra, the club is backing the roster that has them sitting at 14-10.

“The longer we went through this week, the more confidence we had in where he’s (Duke Jr) at with his rehab,” GM of Basketball Operations Danny Mills said on ESPN.

“It’s definitely not something that we think is going to be season-ending. It’s going to be sooner rather than later, which is really exciting.”

Duke Jr is recovering from an elbow issue, while emerging point guard Jaron Rillie succumbed to a hamstring injury this week, leaving the Wildcats in a precarious position.

Earlier in the week, Fox Sports reported the club was in discussions with NBA veteran Brandon Knight, before later confirming that “no deal has eventuated”.

Mills said the Wildcats have full faith in getting Duke Jr back to full fitness ahead of a potential Finals campaign.

“There were a couple of guys that were really interesting, but at the end of the day we feel really confident with this group,” he said.

“We have ultimate belief in this group. We love this team.

“We made the decision, basically today, we’re sticking with this group and this is the team we think we can get to the end (Championship Series).”