Well, here we are.
The 2013 NBA season is in full swing, and its a big year for your Timberwolves.
Kevin Love is back, Kevin Martin is here, Nikola Pekovic is locked up, and Corey Brewer version 2.0 graces Target Center (already better than version 1.0).
The one thing about the Wolves offseason that is a question mark? Did they make the right choices in the NBA Draft.
Let’s recap.
Minnesota originally held the No. 9 pick, with which they selected Michigan point guard Trey Burke.
They then traded Burke to Utah, receiving the 14th and 21st picks, with which they selected UCLA forward Shabazz Muhammad and Louisville center Gorgui Dieng.
The reason for the trade is point guard Ricky Rubio, who is firmly entrenched as one of the building blocks in this Minnesota organization.
Now you’re caught up, and this is where the great debate will rage. Was it the right thing to do to trade Burke and keep Rubio while selecting Muhammad, or will the Wolves live to regret throwing Trey to the curb.
Last time we came to you, Burke was cleared to return to basketball activities after recovering from his broken finger suffered in the preseason.
Burke was expected to be reevaluated Nov. 26, but made a surprise return to the Utah lineup last night, his regular season debut.
Back home, the Wolves were busy battling the Clippers, here’s how things went on the night Burke first touched an NBA floor.
TREY BURKE: Burke came off the bench for the Jazz, and was excellent, scoring 11 points in just 12 minutes of game action on 5-of-8 from the field.
It was a 105-98 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, and Utah is now a shiver-inducing 1-12 on the year.
The record means nothing but good things for Burke though, as he should see plenty of time with only John Lucas III, a non-descript journeyman point guard, as the starter at the one last night.
RICKY RUBIO: While Burke was busy draining jumpers, Rubio was getting outplayed by the best point guard in the game, Chris Paul.
Paul dropped 16 fourth quarter points on the Wolves, sending Minnesota to a 102-98 loss.
Rubio was 0-for-5 from the field in the second half, and was out-assisted by Paul 11-6.
Rubio finished with five points in 35 minutes, less than half of what Burke managed in 12 minutes.
SHABAZZ MUHAMMAD: Shabazz was inactive for the fourth straight game with a sprained ankle. Even before his injury, he had played only 20 minutes COMBINED this year, just nine more than Burke in his season debut.
SUMMARY:
It’s just one game, but an undoubted statement from Burke not only in New Orleans, but in this increasingly interesting BMTN-created matchup.
We’ll let you know how things unfold as warranted, but with Burke at this pace, it may be more and more frequent.
