Good evening, and a very merry Trey Burke-filled holiday season to you all.
Welcome back to our season-long NBA draft look-back that is the Treybazz Rubio coverage, our little way of reminding Wolves fans that Burke could call Target Center home, but that management went with Rubio and Muhammad is what they have to show for it.
As we continue to compare these three paths, we remind you to sit down while reading this, for should you look at Burke’s numbers standing up you could get weak-kneed, pass out, and hit your head on something on the way down.
We’re not in the business of hurting Wolves fans physically, just psychologically in a season that continuously looks more disappointing.
Bring on Burke, set up Shabazz, run with Rubio, here’s where they stand.
TREY BURKE: Since we last joined you Dec. 10, Burke has averaged 14 points and six assists per game.
Over that seven-game span, Utah has doubled their win total on the season, now sitting at eight wins, and Burke dropped a career-high 30 points on Orlando last week in a road win for the Jazz.
What Burke needs to stop doing, is having games like last Friday, where he went 1-for-8 from the field against Atlanta. He did the same thing four days earlier against Miami, so while you see the good results in the overall numbers, the inability to have sustained success continues to hurt.
Still, the Salt Lake Tribune loves him, as does Michael Jordan apparently.
SHABAZZ MUHAMMAD: The Wolves rookie out of UCLA has also had seven games since we last came to you.
The difference between Muhammad and Burke? Shabazz has played in zero of them.
RICKY RUBIO: The frustration level with Rubio’s shooting is starting to spill over to other outlets.
The brick machine’s struggles came up in NBA power rankings today, while the Pioneer Press went after Rubio hard on the shooting front Monday.
In Minnesota’s last seven games, Rubio is shooting 29 percent from the floor, a miserable 20-of-68.
Some speculate Rubio’s confidence is gone since he is averaging just 8.5 shot attempts per game, while others are starting to ask the bigger question of Ricky ever reaching his potential.
SUMMARY:
The Jazz are 7-9 with Burke in the starting lineup, just 1-13 when he doesn’t start. Shabazz is a no-show, as is Rubio’s jumper.
We’ll check in next year, have a great holiday, and you never know, perhaps a new year will bring a new, sharpshooting Spanish sensation.
