Rival coach praises savvy veteran ‘ninja’ CJ Bruton
THE WAY Joey Wright tells it, Breakers veteran CJ Bruton is like some ninja warrior just waiting for the moment to land the lethal blow.
And if the Gold Coast Blaze coach is any judge of hoops pedigree – which he is reputed to be – then he is expecting Bruton to be one New Zealand Breaker who takes his game to another level at playoff time, which is just around the corner.
The aftermath of Thursday’s quality 109-93 NBL victory over the Gold Coast Blaze turned into a Bruton tribute as the 36-year-old combo guard was lauded by friend and foe alike.
It was Bruton’s 450th NBL game (his 113th with the Breakers) and his first since he had inked a fresh two-year deal with the club that will keep him in Auckland until the end of his career.
The three-times Olympian, who has been slowed by knee injuries and Father Time this season, hinted at a return to something resembling his sniping best when he chipped in with 14 points in 23 minutes off the bench.
Bruton made five of his eight shots, four of his six triples, and generally did his bit in dousing a Blaze side that had it all to play for as they battle for one of the other three playoff spots still up for grabs.
Wright, who coached Bruton with the title-winning Brisbane Bullets of 2006-2007, said the Breakers had been smart to sign the savvy veteran for another two years because he was far from done influencing games at this level.
‘‘It’s not just about what you do out there as far as points and that stuff,’’ said Wright who conceded his side’s defence had been a major disappointment. ‘‘You get a guy like CJ in your organisation and you welcome them as long as they want to be there. He is never going to pull from your group, he’s going to help them, he’s going to work with the young guys, he’s going to talk to the sponsors.
‘‘He’s just a great guy to have around he’s one of those guys who should be a player, then a coach, then a GM. He just needs to be around the game.’’
Wright admitted the Breakers were blessed to have a pair of influential 36-year-olds like Bruton and Dillon Boucher.
‘‘Dillon is going to do what Dillon does – I don’t care if it’s the first game of the year or the championship game, Dillon is going to run around and grab and hold and rebound. All that stuff he does is invaluable.
‘‘But CJ will rise. CJ just waits for the moment. He waits and waits and waits, then he sees the moment. I can tell when CJ is going to shoot two plays ahead. He feels the momentum and you better believe next time he gets squared off he’s going to shoot the ball.’’
Wright and Bruton go way back – so far that Bruton even reserves his best glares for his old friend. ‘‘He shot one and looked at me before it went in I wanted to kick his ass,’’ smiled Wright.
None of this is news to Breakers coach Andrej Lemanis who approved the new contract and understands just what he’s getting with those ageing legs and experienced head.