[valentine]

  NOW LOOK AT THESE extremely bold statements of mine at the time, comparing him to chris paul in TWO different posts. back then people argued wether or not this kid had what it takes TO GET DRAFTED….

i compared him to chris paul only to find this article comparing the these two.  YET ANOTHER BOLD PREDICTION OF MINE!!!!!!

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\/\/\/\/ old quotes before the article was even written \/\/\/

"1st rounder for me, since long time ago. this kid can do it all!!! shows a good passing instinct, displaying nba caliber passes and can score from anywhere, anyhow in the court. gets to the line. showcasing no chink in his armor other than size, which is 6’0 ft. this guy will be special and is michigan’s best player already. he reminds me of college chris paul with less passing skills and the stealing tendencies…"

"he’s not explosive vertically but he is quick and does have a first step. his physical abilities remind me of chris paul in college, and his style of play a little as well. he shoud saty in school one more year and practice more on his handles and finishing thru contact."

.

 

 

History proves Trey Burke can seriously improve his draft stock by staying

 

 

 

 

In his first year of college ball this player averaged 14.8 points, 5.9 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game, and took home hardware as the best freshman in the toughest conference that year. But instead of going to the NBA, he opted to return for his sophomore season in search of a national title. He measures in at just 6’0" and weighs 175 lbs.

In his first year of college ball this player averaged 14.8 points, 4.6 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game, and took home hardware as the best freshman in the toughest conference that year. But instead of going to the NBA, he opted to return for his sophomore season in search of a national title. He measures in at just 5’11" and weighs 180 lbs.

The two examples above are pretty much identical, and hopefully it was clear enough (without looking up the stats) that at least one of these represents Michigan’s soon-to-be-sophomore point guard Trey Burke (he’s No. 2), who blew us all away by deciding to come back to Ann Arbor for another season. But mystery player No. 1, and what he managed to accomplish by coming back to college for a second year, is the ultimate key here, and stands as the single greatest proof that Trey Burke can fly up draft boards with a strong sophomore campaign.

The identity of No. 1 after the jump…

You might know the first player as NBA superstar Chris Paul out of Wake Forest, the man who went No. 4 overall to the New Orleans Hornets in 2005. Interestingly enough, Paul did so after a sophomore season in which he actually shot worse from the field (from 49.6% to 45.1%), barely upped his scoring average (14.8 to 15.2), had a lower ORating (125.0 to 122.9), and even turned the ball over more frequently (2.6 TO/game to 2.8). By some measures, you could even say Paul regressed in year two.

The questions about Paul’s frame and whether he’d be able to hold up in the NBA over time were very real, but his abundance of talent, elite court vision, and veteran’s understanding of how to use his lack of size to his advantage overshadowed virtually every red flag out there.

For Burke, things aren’t that much different. Being considered a fringe first round prospect after one year equates to absolutely nothing now that he’s back for another. Even by turning in a comparable season statistically you have to imagine that Burke’s name will be firmly locked into the first round by this time next year.

The added exposure he’ll receive from heading into a season unanimously viewed as one of the best in the sport, when he was an unknown commodity as a freshman, cannot be overstated in the least. Preseason accolades. Award watch lists. Magazine covers. All that stuff adds up real quick. Talent is still important, sure, but the marketing of that talent plays a bigger role than some realize in today’s game.

None of this is to say that Trey Burke is automatically the next Chris Paul. It’s merely to suggest that the parallels between the two at each point in their respective careers give us clear evidence that Burke can be. The main difference between the pair is that Paul entered college as the No. 9 prospect in America (Scout.com), while Burke was 85 spots higher at No. 94. Burke wasted little time showing people that he was ridiculously overlooked as a prep player, but fully needed his stellar freshman season to prove this much to NBA brass and decision-makers. Paul, however, didn’t.

Paul stayed for another year to squash concerns about his size and show that he was a top ten pick worthy of being handed the keys to an NBA franchise right away. Burke came back to also eliminate concerns over his height (which are largely dependent on the odd perception of being 5-foot-anything as being an automatic red flag), and also to prove that he’s worthy of being a first round lock that an NBA team will gladly bring along slowly as a future starter.

It’s easy to fall into the ignorant trap of thinking that Burke returning to school is going to end up costing the kid in the long run. In truth, when you eliminate the perception of each player based on his high school ranking, there’s really not much of a difference between Paul and Burke after one year of college basketball. Do you really believe that another season filled with clutch shots, nifty passes, and 29-foot bombs from the outside is somehow going to make Burke less desirable to NBA teams? Please. Burke is either going to stagnate and stay exactly where he is now, or climb at a rate tied directly to his level of exposure and statistical production. There’s simply not a fall-off-the-cliff scenario for a player this talented.

We know Burke still has plenty to prove in year two before anyone grows the balls to slot him as lottery pick, but he’s absolutely in the mix, much like Paul was heading into his own second season. And with more talent on the inside to feed the ball to, it’s plausible that Burke’s assist numbers will be on the rise, representing a scenario that should only further entice NBA scouts and general managers.

The kid came back to Michigan to compete for a national championship, and from what we’ve seen thus far it will be impossible to count him out. But despite what you might have heard, Burke’s draft stock can absolutely soar with a strong sophomore season. And we have a current NBA All-Star to thank for providing the blueprint for why it might just happen. . By Dave Ryan

[ChewyParticipant]

"chris paul with less passing skills and the stealing tendencies.."

If we are taking away passing and steals, the two things that put Paul at an elite level, then pretty much any 6’0 and under guard can be prepared to CP3.

I love Trey, but I won’t buy a CP3 comparison until someone can produce at the NBA level. There are too many small guards that can dominate college. You could throw out CP3 comparisons almost every year for some college kid.

[F_S]

well the cant be exactly the same player. i think some similarities are there

and i don’t think i can compare a rookie to chris paul every year.

lets also throw in the fact that trey burke plays in a tougher conference than chris paul did.

[Beard13Participant]

 cp3 is a rare breed. I’m surprised he became this good at the next level

[SiggyParticipant]

 I dunno about a CP3 comparison but there are some similarities.  Both are short, but have strong, sturdy builds and low centers of gravity that allow them to drive, keep their defender on their hip without getting bumped off their lines (Burke actually has slightly better size given his better length).  Both have nasty handles and an ability to keep their dribble alive in traffic. Both have/had an almost preternatural ability to run PnR at the college level. Both are super high intangibles players with leadership, poise, intense competitiveness and an ability to dial in during tight situations.  Outside of having nasty handles, does any of the above apply to someone like Ryan Harrow, who’s consistently mocked above Trey?  It wasn’t too long ago that people were classifying Harrow as a small, skinny streetball player trying to learn the structured game.  Is he that much different now?

I do think that CP3 at Wake was a quicker player both laterally and from a static position, so that gives him a huge advantage in a number of areas.

I also think it’s ridiculous to see Trey mocked in the 2nd round.  No PG in college runs a high level offense like he does.  Maybe Flip Pressey, but Trey’s got size and shooting ability over Flip.  He is the best returning PG in the college game and judging by his performance this summer at various skills camps, he’s put in the work to make another big leap.  This kid is already really good and driven.  Currently he’s the 8th PG taken in .net’s mock, behind the likes of Ian Miller and Canaan ( both who have poor PG instincts).  I think that’s silly.  I think he’s another example of a player who had little hype coming out of HS, so he has to go above and beyond to prove his worth.  With projects like Ian Miller, Deonte Burton and Ryan Harrow, you can only hope they develop on court intelligence, PG instincts, ability to run an offense, etc. Trey has that ability and all those intangible qualities RIGHT NOW.

[F_S]

yes…

[river09Participant]

Yes, they’re both 6′. Yes, they both scored 14ppg their freshman years. Yes, they averaged in the same ballpark in assists and T/O.

Burke is much more of a score first PG who will first try to create his own shot or get to the rim or decide before he starts his move he’ll pass.. Never looking for both opportunities at the same time. Chris Paul has that ability to try to score and look to pass at the same time. It’s a rare sort of vision that hardly ever comes along, more instinctual than experience. I don’t see that from Burke. 

 

It goes beyond their instincts too they’re playing styles are so completely different (unlike what you said, we’ll just disagree at this point I don’t see it at all) and you did omit a rather key stat between these two guys’ freshman years… Chris Paul was the essense of control at Wake always making sure he was in control of the pace and flow of the game, it was uncanny for a freshman. CP3 took less than 8.8 shots a game at a 49% clip his freshman year, never forcing shots up unless he absolutely needed to. Never relying on solely his athleticism he has always played with more savvy than his opponents. Burke in contrast, took 12 shots a game at 43% constantly taking many shots with a high level of difficulty. To his credit, he can hit those shots better than most players. He’s a great college player, but I think it’s way too early to compare him to one of the best in the game at the position.

 

I am certain that he will continue improving but I don’t see him developing PG skills near to CP3’s caliber. I think he’ll become much more of a scorer in college and assists to stick around where they were last year. Which in turn might actually hurt his draft appeal, teams might see him as another 6′ guard who thinks he’s a SG. We’ll see. If I must compare him to an NBA player I see him more in the Jameer Nelson mold right now (which isn’t a unfair comparison). 

 

[river09Participant]

NOW LOOK AT THESE extremely bold statements of mine at the time, comparing him to chris paul in TWO different posts. back then people argued wether or not this kid had what it takes TO GET DRAFTED….

Sorry F_S, nothing personal, but posts like this really rub me the wrong way.

You could have just made your argument as to why you think Trey Burke is as good as CP3, briefly mentioned you had thought this for awhile and included a link to the article to help convince people who read it. But I feel like you tried to drag me (and anyone else who reads this) through the dirt over this for arguing with you that comparing a freshman in college with at times questionable shot selection to a top 5 PG in the world isn’t valid. I didn’t appreciate it. 

When Trey Burke carries a very borderline NBA team to the playoffs on his back and puts up multiple 20ppg 10apg 2.5+spg seasons by all means you have my permission to throw it in my face. 

 

[Lebron’s HairlineParticipant]

I’m a big fan of trey but just comparing his freshman numbers to cp3 doesnt make sense. Do you realize how many pro prospects and a solid all around team that Burke had compared to Paul? Look up the 2004-2005 wake forest roster then look at the 2012-2013 roster and tell mehow many names you recognize on wake forest compared to Michigan

[SiggyParticipant]

 CP3’s team his freshman yr was more talented than Burke’s team. The Wake team that CP3 joined won the ACC the year prior to his arrival.  They were minus Josh Howard but otherwise returned everyone else.

Hold up, I’m not even sure what your point is. 

[SiggyParticipant]

 I wouldn’t classify Burke as either pass first or shoot first.  He’s a PG who looks to make the correct play.  He doesn’t play in modes or have trouble blending playmaking with scoring.  He took 12 shots a game (which btw isn’t that much) because he had to. Michigan was the typical overachieving Beilein team. They had a couple of seniors who could shoot, 1 raw big man (after Horford went down) who needed to be  spoon-fed, no depth and Tim Hardaway Jr, who’s a good athlete, but was mired in a shooting slump for the majority of the season, has weak ball-handling and shot creating ability.  Trey was THE best shot creator on the team so when things broke down or the clock was winding down, the onus was on Burke to get a shot.

It speaks volumes of his decision making ability that a coach like John Beilein, an old school stickler for details who runs a complex system, would tweak his system for a freshman PG.  It’s very similar to the changes that Coach K made in his system to accommodate Kyrie Irving. UM ran more pro sets, flat 1-4 sets and PnR than the typical Beilein coached team, not just because of Trey’s ability to handle and score, but because of his ability to run a team and consistently make good decisions with the ball in his hands.  That being said, Beilien still runs a lot of old school continuity where a ton of player movement, screens and counters are utilized. A PG can’t just go shot hunting in a system like that without first running the offense through it’s progressions.

[Author]

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