Basketball: Johnson may miss Tigers

Kerron Johnson could miss tomorrow's meeting with Melbourne after sitting out training today with a shoulder injury. Photo / Getty

Breakers point guard Kerron Johnson is in doubt for tomorrow night's visit of Melbourne after today sitting out training with a shoulder injury.

Johnson picked up a bump during last week's win over Townsville and a decision has yet to be made regarding his availability for the encounter with the Tigers at the NSEC.

"He practised early in the week and there was some discomfort, so we've kind of rested him since then,'' said coach Dean Vickerman. "We've still got to seek some more medical advice to see if he's ready for the game, but we expect him to play.''

Johnson's availability will become clearer later this afternoon after the American meets with a surgeon for a consultation. The shoulder has some swelling but an MRI was inconclusive about the cause of the problem, leaving the club in search of more information.

If Johnson is unable to take the court against the fourth-placed Melbourne (4-4), the Breakers (3-6) will turn to a young man and a veteran to fill the void.

Corey Webster has this season seen significant time at the point when Johnson has taken a spell on the bench, with CJ Bruton also filling the position in various rotations.

"As a coaching staff, we believe Kerron's going to play, but obviously the contingency is CJ and Corey,'' Vickerman said. "[They're] the two obvious ones that demand more minutes in that scenario. I think they're both ready for it, if needed.''

Vickerman could not confirm who would start in the eventuality of Johnson's absence, with both Bruton and Webster having their drawbacks.

While the six-time Australian NBL champion has plenty of experience in the position, Bruton, at 37, has seen his minutes steadily reduce in recent seasons. Webster, 24, would be able to pick up the majority of the load but, a natural shooting guard, he is still finding his way running the point.

"He's still a natural two-guard and we really need him to play point guard right now,'' Vickerman said. "We want him to see all the options and deliver it and I think he's gotten better at that over the last year - being able to find passes and have a balance between scoring and finding others.''

Mika Vukona was another limited in practice today, after sustaining a knock to his shoulder which stiffened up his neck, but Vickerman was confident he would be fine by game time.

It probably goes without saying, after being unable to string together two wins all season, but the defending champions will be desperate for a win against the Tigers. Next week sees the Breakers visit the league-leading Perth (9-1), kicking off a stretch which sees six out of seven games on the road.