Basketball On The Internet.

THE decision by the Bullets' NBL head coach Andrej Lemanis to take up a lucrative coaching role in Japan's B-League next season opens the door for Brisbane to act now and appoint his assistant CJ Bruton as his successor.

The team has been erratic all season, its best form showing it is capable of a title run but its worst also revealing it would be lucky to stay out of the league's bottom third.

While they remain a mathematical chance to still reach the Final Four, realistically it is unlikely unless BJ Johnson is an immediate world-beater and Lemanis can conjure some sort of team spirit for more than just consecutive games.

When we first broke the news Lemanis would be departing, we listed existing coaching candidates who might be ripe for the Brisbane job. But, frankly, current assistant coach Bruton (right) is the most obvious and glaring option.

It makes perfect sense, CJ the first person signed by the Bullets' organisation when it was revived and has done an extended coaching apprenticeship, including coaching Southern Districts Spartans in the QBL or NBL1 North.

He has played under quality coaches such as Lemanis, Brian Goorjian and Brendan Joyce, has a close association with Toronto Raptors' NBA championship-winning coach Nick Nurse and, from all accounts, enjoys a strong rapport with the Bullets' playing ranks.

It's not as if untried assistant coaches haven't thrived of late in the NBL. Check out how Adam Forde is going at Sydney. Or Simon Mitchell at South East Melbourne.

And Dean Vickerman hasn't done too shabbily since moving one seat over from his days as Lemanis' main assistant.

What a seemless transition it would be at Brisbane for Bruton to be elevated and bring a fresh perspective to the program.

This wouldn't be any contrived Mick Malthouse-Nathan Buckley type succession plan that imploded at Collingwood in the AFL either. But a coordinated plan.

With Bruton as the heir apparent, the club even could move him to the main role toward the end of this season, especially if the playoff dream is irreparably shattered.

Brisbane has played some listless basketball in recent weeks, not coincidentally since the word about Lemanis' departure first filtered out. Imagine what it potentially could do to this team to know Lemanis' successor is in place and to even have him audition live this season?

Seems like a no-brainer, especially given his genetics.

* * *

YES, we forecast it for you a month ago and reminded you again this week before Brisbane yesterday announced that Lemanis would be moving on next season to take up a three-year gig in Japan.

To be clear, we have nothing but respect for Lemanis in taking up a great opportunity to coach in Japan's lucrative B-League and wish the man who took Australia to its highest height - up to now - at the FIBA World Cup, and in Rio matched the Boomers' finest Olympic result, nothing but continued and ongoing success.

We also have little more than, I humbly confess, sad contempt for the various news reporting services yesterday rushing to quote unnamed "sources" as per usual or crediting others with something we told you here as early as April 7 (below) and reiterated two days ago, BEFORE the Bullets' big reveal.

And this was our report this week:

We don't normally blow our own bags here but we do like to see credit given where credit is due because some of us - even in retirement - still retain reliable and genuine sources.

We were roundly criticised when we told you Will Magnay would not be with the Bullets this season but was NBA-bound, yet no retractions were ever profferred when it happened. (And now he's officially a Wildcat!)

We broke on Twitter that Southside and Sydney championship-winner Leilani Mitchell would be with Bendigo in next season's WNBL long before it was announced and we're sitting on another huge brewing story that will rock one club to its foundation.

This website no longer is in the business of breaking stories but we still can and will at times. It's just not a driving desire or part of our mission anymore. And when we do break something, it's never intended to embarrass those in the media industry who may well feel chagrined at missing a breaking story.

Hopefully they may soon grow out of the need to lash out unrepentantly and realise it's just the nature of the game. All we do here is our honest and humble best.

THANKS ANDREJ.