Baseless Speculation: Could Brundidge Return if Burke Leaves?
If Burke decides to go pro, is there any possibility that CB might change his mind and stay with Michigan? It seems like his main gripe was playing time (somewhat understandable if he thought he was going to be relegated to 5-7 minutes a game behind Burke for his whole career), but if if Burke left CB would seem to be the near-undisputed starting PG for 2012-13.
Is there any precedent for a player announcing he's transferring and then changing his mind? Would JB take him back? Should he? The conventional wisdom is obviously "once he's gone, he's gone" but I wonder if this particular situation might warrant an exception.
March 27th, 2012 at 11:38 AM ^
Sam Webb's take is that this would not happen b/c the team could never trust Brundidge not to leave at any given moment if he didn't like the way things were going.
March 27th, 2012 at 11:49 AM ^
Team chemistry is definitely a huge deal, and that would be hurt by CB coming back. But would absolutely and without question hurt the team more than having no PG on the roster except walkons and maybe a 2 or 3 star freshman? That's what I'm wondering.
March 27th, 2012 at 12:01 PM ^
CB as our starting PG doesn't seem like a good option in any case.
March 27th, 2012 at 12:16 PM ^
March 27th, 2012 at 12:27 PM ^
We are talking about a player who played a total of 44 minutes all season and shot 12.5% from the floor. He wasn't just beneath Burke's level, he was beneath almost any scholarship player's.
ur gonna judge a kids potential on 8 shots????
The kid played 44 minutes all season, at a position at which we had paper-thin depth. That tells you how much confidence Beilein had in him.
Paper thin? That is a bit disingenuous. First off Brundidge isn't a PG, secondly he was playing behind the best freshman point guard in the country and then couldn't unseat 2 senior guards with a wealth of experience. Novak and Douglass were basically 4 year starters.
I'm sure Brundidge had a disappointing season by his standards but the road to playing time was not an easy one. There is no shame in being unable to supplant Burke, Douglass and Novak.
Do you think Beilein wanted to play Burke 35-40 minutes a game as often as he did? I doubt it, but it seems like he couldn't trust anyone else, after Akunne went down.
March 27th, 2012 at 12:13 PM ^
March 27th, 2012 at 12:17 PM ^
Brundidge (who I don't mean to criticize at all) wants to be in college but not at Michigan. Burke, obviously, wouldn't be joining another college team. I think, if you're a part of the Michigan program, it seems like one guy is rejecting Michigan while another guy is going on to (hopefully for him, if he chooses to leave) a better place in the basketball world.
March 27th, 2012 at 11:52 AM ^
This particular situation does not warrant an exception. It would warrant an exception if Brundidge showed promise as a backup at either guard position this season. He never made a meaningful play if memory serves me correctly. I'm not bashing him or saying he is a bad player, as it's entirely possible that he will work out in someone else's system, it just won't be Coach Beilein's.
March 27th, 2012 at 11:56 AM ^
If this were an option for him, I would think he would have waited to see what Burke does before leaving
March 27th, 2012 at 11:59 AM ^
Burke is either leaving this year, or at the very latest next year. Which, if he has the talent, would have given CB a starting spot as a Junior. He decided to transfer anyway.
Patience, realism, and humility is not a virtue found in basketall youth these days...
March 27th, 2012 at 12:23 PM ^
or 80% of high school age adolescents for that matter.
March 27th, 2012 at 12:25 PM ^
Patience, realism, and humility is not a virtue found inbasketallyouth these days..."
March 27th, 2012 at 11:59 AM ^
"Why would you ask a dumb question like that?" Lloyd Carr
March 27th, 2012 at 12:00 PM ^
Fr. point guard brought in would probably beat out Brundige anyway.
March 27th, 2012 at 12:02 PM ^
Once a kid says he doesn't want to play for Michigan, you can't "unring" that bell. No good will come of it if you do. What would be the next "upset" that might father forth another "I'm leaving?"
It is never a good situation and could prove disastrous; ie., you promised to play me, so I stayed, but now you are not playing me...type deal. The effect on the team would be bad no matter how you slice it and even if it did not go down exactly this way.
The time to re-consider such a decision is when you discuss it with the coach. However if the discussion commences with I'm leaving, it should quickly end with good-bye and good luck.
Carr talked Tom Brady out of transferring.
March 27th, 2012 at 12:11 PM ^
I recommend we change the slogan to "Those who arrive, play for a year and maybe win a championship - will be champions".
I think the concept of "stay" is somewhat lost these days.
March 27th, 2012 at 12:19 PM ^
If you win a championship, you are definitely a champion, by definition. Unless that championship is vacated years later, then you were either never a champion or still are a champion depending on who you ask. And for good measure add in something about if you would like to stay you can certainly play until the remainder of your eligibility expires.
March 27th, 2012 at 12:55 PM ^
I kindly disagree. If you look at syracuse and even ohio for example, they each had tremendous depth in that elite 8 game. Ohio had a killer 2011 class and none saw the court. But look at that elite 8 game, Amir williams got the chance to play and really contributed when needed. My point is, these underclassmen who arnt kentucky freaks of nature need to understand it takes time. Had CB and Smotty stayed, they would have been national champs not just B1G champs. Both those guys will never play in the nba IMO, but could have been apart of something with the incoming classes despite minimal playing time.
March 27th, 2012 at 12:11 PM ^
He just didn't seem like a big time Big 10 caliber PG. If he had a little more height, I think he could be more effective as a Darius Morris type PG, someone who doesn't have the best shot but can attack the basket.
March 27th, 2012 at 12:18 PM ^
Not every decision by an athlete to go to or leave a school is based off of playing time...
March 27th, 2012 at 12:44 PM ^
“Ever wonder why ice cubes taste so boring? It’s cuz you make ‘em outta stupid water, you bimbo! Put some fruit juice in there and freeze it into ice cubes, and put THAT in your milk.”
- Dr. Steve Brule
March 27th, 2012 at 12:46 PM ^
March 27th, 2012 at 12:50 PM ^
Stauskus is the player I might be most excited about. At 6'5", he has incredible ball handling skills and a killer shot. Watch his film, burke balling handling/shot with morris size and penetration. Put it this way, take MM and GRIII out of the equation and stauskas would be one of the highest touted recruits in a while for michigan.
March 27th, 2012 at 12:56 PM ^
To respond to both you and the poster who you responded to: It would be a wild bet, to put it mildly, to assume that Stauskas can replace Burke.
Don't freak about this year. Current draft projections give Burke little incentive to leave. At best, he's a late second-rounder; more likely, he'd be undrafted. Morris, at least, had some folks/idiots telling him that he could be late first-round, early second. And Burke's parents want him to stay in school.
By all accounts, Brundidge's game was ill-suited for Beilein's system. (Why Beilein didn't see that from the start is a separate question.) With or without Brundidge, next year was going to look a lot like this year. As long as Burke stays healthy, we're good; if he doesn't, we're hosed. Fortunately, given the recent transfers, M now has room to sign another PG (Monte Morris?) to go along with Walton in 2013. It sucks pinning your hopes on an incoming freshman. But the top programs do it all the time.
wanted out, it was the end. Good luck wherever you land.
Chemistry?? not a chance.
I would rather speculate on a backcourt of Senior Darius Morris and Sophomore Trey Burke, that would be one hellva backcourt
Whomever our PG is next year, he will not be nearly as relied upon for offense as the position required this year. If Burke has a brain he comes back for 2 reason.
1. He is not a lottery pick.
2. Next year with a much improved group of players he will get the chance to show he can score and facilitate.
He is 5'11, and there is no way he will have the kind of offensive output at the next level as he did at Michigan. He needs to show he can facilitate with a group of other NBA players. next year he will be able to show that with probable NBA players such as Robinson III, McGary and Hardaway Jr.
I'm sure there is someone I am missing but the only guy that I can think of who has been Burkes size and still the #1 option was Iverson.
I guess we will find out soon enough if Burke has a brain
Personally, I think Burke would be a nice fit with Kobe in LA. that would be interesting to see. Burke won't ever be the # 1 option but he may end up being a viable option. In some ways I could see Burke being the perfect replacement for Derek Fisher.
"Whomever"
He only announced that he was leaving last week (when he knew Trey may go pro). So, he already knew that Burke may go pro (or could have just asked him) and still decided to leave.
that indicates that he can run the point for us effectively.
I wish the kid the best, because, seriously, it seems like he was a good teammate and handled a difficult year with class, but as a PG, he's the equivalent of any other recruit who is a necessity-reach (as a SG, which was not the initial question here, he's also, unfortunately, 6'2" and not blessed with mitigating quickness or an all-world jump shot).
He's gone, and I think it's better for both player and team.
Brundidge was never a PG. Coming out of High School he was always a SG. He was pressed into service behind Burke early in the year to hopefully give Burke some rest. It was an experiment that was doomed from the start.