Color him gone, at least from the University of Michigan. Trey Burke has played his last game there. Yes, Burke and his fellow Wolverines made it all the way to the finals only to come up a bit short against Louisville in the NCAA final game, but Burke's gotta go.
Why? Because he'd be crazy not to. As the reigning AP national collegiate player of the year, who did nothing but enhance his already sparkling resume during the NCAA tournament -- Burke's NBA draft stock will never be higher.
What team he'll land with in the pros or whether he can be effective at that level of competition is anybody's guess, but it's his time to find out. Yes, returning to Michigan, a team with so many promising underclassmen that will get better, and might very well compete for a national title again next year, would be a noble cause on Burke's part. But it would also be foolish.
Despite their talent, Michigan is far from a lock to even return to the Final Four next year, let alone win a championship, even if Burke was still in the maize and blue fold. And other than the good old college spirit, which went out the window in favor of megabucks with the likes of Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas a long time ago, and has continued with numerous other "one/two and dones" over the years, what would be the point of Burke even trying?
The only upside for Burke would be helping to bring a national championship to Ann Arbor. Sure, he would be a "big man on campus", but he's already that and, last time I looked, such status didn't pay so well. Plus, there's always the risk of suffering a serious injury, which could possibly be career-ending. One never knows what fate may have in store. To boot, does anyone seriously think Burke has any designs whatsoever on completing the scholastic requirements necessary to get a degree? And even if he did -- what would that sheepskin be worth in the long run?
Likely not as much as what's staring Burke in the eyes right now. The NBA. No, there's no guarantee he'd be a top 5 lottery pick, because "big men" usually get preference over guards. But even if Burke fell to a #10 overall draft pick, the neighborhood where he's currently projected to go -- it would definitely be in his best interest to make himself available at the "next level".
Though NBA rookie contracts are now governed by the collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players' union, which prevent even more obscene amounts of money being thrown at an unproven commodity, they also present a fairly lucrative pay scale to a player such as Burke. Even at a #10 pick for whatever team, Burke would likely make in the vicinity of $2,000,000 for each of his first three years under such a contract -- guaranteed. Even if he's a bust in the NBA, with a little common sense, he's financially set for life. No national championship for, or degree from, even a prestigious university like UM comes with that sort of gift wrapping.
His upside can't possibly get any higher than it is now, and there's too much to risk by sticking around in college for another year.
Burke may not have announced it yet -- but color him gone. He may be a lot of things, but he's not crazy.
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