Raps' journeyman no joke
Brunson ready to give his all for T.O.
By STEVE BUFFERY -- Toronto Sun
To some bitter, possibly lonely, person on the Internet, Raptors guard Rick Brunson is nothing more than a joke.
There's a website dedicated to Syracuse, N.Y. native (rickbrunson.com), which can be described as less than complimentary. The site essentially makes fun of Brunson's tenure as an NBA journeyman, suggesting that the seventh-year pro is nothing more than a butt-slapping, trash-talking bench jockey.
On the site are various fictional headlines devoted to Brunson, including: Rick Brunson Bigger Than Jesus, and, Raptors Sign Rick Brunson, Clinch NBA Championship.
Humerous stuff. Unless, of course, you're Rick Brunson.
But to coach Kevin O'Neill, Brunson's place on the team is certainly no joke. The first-year head coach has nothing but praise for his veteran guard, who is working out this week with the team's younger players at the Air Canada Centre's Flight Deck practice facility. O'Neill is not only expecting Brunson to stick with the Raptors, but to provide valuable leadership to the squad in spelling off Alvin Williams and Milt Palacio at point guard. O'Neill knows Brunson from when the two were together on the 2000-01 New York Knicks.
"Guys like that add a lot to your team that might not show up on boxscores or in games," O'Neill said. "Rick will end up being a valuable member of this team. He can help our practises, he can play hard all the time, he really knows the game, it's the best shape he has ever been in his life."
O'Neill said that Brunson, who averaged 3.5 points per game in limited minutes as an NBAer, has developed a maturity during his six seasons in the league, with different five teams, the Raptors being his sixth. The former Temple University standout is a strong defensive player who brings a lot of energy off the bench during games.
"You know he's going to be the first guy on this court every single day, and the last guy to leave," O'Neill said, of Brunson's work ethic. "He's going to outwork anybody who's here. And the more guys you have like that, the better it is for your team."
For his part, Brunson said he is happy to get another chance to play in the NBA, especially under a coach who knows what he brings to the game.
"Kevin knows I'm a defensive player, a guy who's not going to turn the ball over, a guy who's going to run his system and do what's asked of me to the best of my ability," said Brunson, who sees his whistle stop tour of the league as a valuable learning experience.
"People look at that as a negative," he said. "I've been on four or five teams, tried out for another six or seven teams ... you learn what to do and what not to do. I think that helps me mentally and physically."
