Breakers Get Fined

The NBL office has 1200 of these coming its way!

The New Zealand Breakers have been fined "around" $6000 for approaching two Brisbane Bullets, CJ Bruton and Dillon Boucher, while still under contract.

Now I do not have a problem with the NBL policing this breach, rules are rules, but a consistency needs to be reached when fining clubs.

Remember the "mad house" situation of both the Sydney Kings and the Brisbane Bullets this off season? Who would have really known what was happening in each camp?

Call me naive, but were the Breakers the only club to approach any of Bullets or Kings players during this time? I will take an educated guess and say no.

Are the Breakers found guilty because their franchise won the race to sign these guys? Yes. Once again I'll use my grey matter and say CJ did not have the Breakers at the top of his wish list when he decided he wanted out of BrisVegas.

Somehow the management of the Breakers made New Zealand look like a franchise on the move (maybe Europe since CJ went there) and a great place to raise a young family in CJ's eyes.

So who is really the guilty party in this situation? No doubt if Bruton and Boucher are still contracted to the Bullets the Breakers are guilty. I'm no legal eagle but if any club that has made contact with a player or coach while still under contract should also be found guilty.

How do you go about policing this? Can you police it?

It is a situation that is part and parcel of the industry. All professional sports have these indiscretions. The Breakers are not the first team to be guilty of this and they will not be the last.

The message to this story, JUST DON'T GET CAUGHT WITH YOUR HAND IN THE COOKIE JAR.

In other NBL news, Boti Nagy weighs in on BreakerGate. More on the Bruton/Boucher fiasco. Bullets still chasing Ebi Ere. Crocs looking to other Vanderjagt.

Around the NBA:

Avery done with Mavs but has options. Suns coach to Mavs? Kevin Durant will be ROY. Agent Zero done for season. Paul Pierce 25K lighter in the pocket. Pau Gasol glad to be a Laker. Ball Don't Lie blog..just some fun stuff to read.

Highlights from today's NBA Playoffs