We have been all calling for Trey to play more for some time, and following the West Coast trip where he was finally given extended minutes and a longer look from Horny, he delivered by closing out 3 games for wins (all our wins on the trip).
Burke is the type of point guard that Horny has always coveted--the kind of point guard he had when he was successful in Phoenix with Eric Bledsoe--a quick, scoring point guard who can break down the defense, excel in pick and roll, get in the paint and create his own show when the offense breaks down. He also pushes the pace, which Horny always implores his guards to do. He has exceeded expectations thus far and has shown with his time in the G league, that he can now both run an offense and score (with improved defense). He gives the team a dimension at the point that no one else on the roster could bring and makes all the players better getting them easy shots (especially the bigs).
Now here's the problem: If Burke starts playing starter minutes, along with Timmy, Lee, KP and Beas, we will win a lot more games. Although we will win a lot more games, I don't believe we will win enough games to make the playoffs. We will be just outside the fringes of making the playoffs, which is a disaster for our lottery standings this year.
Remember, this is the last draft where losing records will carry as much weight for a better pick with a deep class of elite prospects and we own our pick.
Is it better to lose more games at this point and get a better lottery pick for our future, or is it better to win more games, with Burke, and risk winning enough games to still not make the playoffs but not get a high lottery pick.
I think this is the dilemma that the franchise faces right now. Burke was a great find by Perry and kudos to him, when many had given up on him. And he has a future on this team as a rotation player. But will he cost us too many wins this year?
1/27/2018 8:29 PM