KEY POINTS:
The New Zealand Breakers will still pursue the signatures of CJ Bruton and Dillon Boucher despite being fined for breaching Australian National Basketball League rules.
The Breakers were yesterday fined $A5000 ($6083) for breaching league rules regarding approaches made to contracted players.
The fine - for "subverting the player transfer rules"- comes after the Breakers held discussions with Australian representative Bruton and former Tall Black Boucher, despite the pair still having contracts with the Brisbane Bullets.
The Breakers last month lauded the signing of Bruton and Boucher, when they stressed that contract details were still being finalised and were subject to ANBL approval.
Breakers general manager Richard Clarke, who acknowledged his organisation inadvertently broke ANBL rules, said the club still wanted to sign Bruton and Boucher.
Clarke said it was now up to the players to formalise their release from the Bullets so they were classified as free agents.
Once that occurs, the Auckland-based club can formally approach the players and agree terms.
"Dillon's agent is working through his release right now while CJ believes he has been released and now needs to just get that formalised," said Clarke.
"We will sit tight, let the players work through that, and we'll talk to the players again once they have resolved that with the Bullets."
Clarke said the club had not knowingly breached the rules but accepted errors had been made and the status of the players interpreted incorrectly.
" This is a unique situation in terms of the Bullets ownership situation and the different messages being received," he said.
"We believed we were acting appropriately, but accept the ANBL assessment of how the rules have been breached."
A NBL interim chief executive officer Chuck Harmison said the decision to fine the Breakers was a difficult one given the complex issues surrounding the breach.
"Quite clearly, the on-going sale of the Bullets license and discussions held with the contracted team members by the Brisbane ownership led to a certain amount of confusion amongst the other clubs as to the process they needed to undertake to negotiate with Bullets players," Harmison said.
"The fact remains, however, that a breach of our rules has taken place, even if it was inadvertent."
- NZPA
