Michigan point guard Trey Burke 'has nothing to lose' by seeking advisory committe's opinion, NBA draft analyst says

Burke may not have impressive NBA-caliber size, but Givony was quick to point out that he does have serious production credentials.

He finished his freshman season as Michigan's leading scorer, led the team to a share of its first Big Ten title in 26 years and was the league's co-Freshman of the Year.

"He had a very impressive season," Givony said. "He kind of came out of nowhere. Not a lot of people were expecting him to be one of the best freshmen in college basketball, but that's exactly what he was.

"He was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Obviously it's legit, he led his team to the NCAA Tournament, had some tremendous games, and that's no joke. He has a right to consider his pro potential at this point."

By filing papers to the advisory committee, Burke's doing just that. He's not making a declaration, he's just putting out feelers at this point.

It's a practice that's far from uncommon, but with recent rule changes, players considering an early exit to the NBA don't have nearly as much time to mull things over as they used to.

Players won't be able to work out for teams until the official early-entrant list is finalized, which happens in May. And, at that time, any player on that list has officially lost his college eligibility.

Anyone filing paperwork with the advisory committee must do so by April 3. The deadline for underclassmen to remove their name from the draft and officially return to school is April 10.

"You have to submit your name by April 3, and then within three days, they give you feedback of where you're projected to be drafted," Givony said. "And that doesn't even mean you enter the draft, you can do that without entering the draft. Any underclassman can submit their name to the advisory board.

"So there's really nothing to lose by doing that."

As far as current NBA mock drafts go, Burke's name doesn't make much of an appearance right now.

Givony and DraftExpress.com does not currently project Burke as a first- or second-round seleection in the 2012 draft, but they do tab him as the 30th overall selection in the 2013 draft.

Givony's latest college freshmen rankings slot Burke at No. 34 overall in the country.

ESPN.com draft analyst Chad Ford was in step with Givony as of Wednesday night. Burke's name does not appear on his initial first-round projection.

However, that doesn't mean he doesn't have a shot at being taken.

Givony said one of the main reasons Burke doesn't appear on his 2012 board at this point is because he didn't expect him to be someone who may leave early.

But should he officially declare, that all could change.

"I think he would probably (get drafted), if he entered, yeah," Givony said. "It depends on who else entered and all of that. But I'm not going to put him in tomorrow, we'll wait and see if he actually enters or not.

"In April, it'll be very simple, we'll know who's in and who isn't and we'll go from there."

Should Burke leave school early, it'd mark the third straight season a Michigan guard turned professional before exhausting his college eligibility.

Manny Harris left after his junior season in 2010 and Darius Morris declared for the draft after his sophomore campaign in 2011. Harris was not drafted, but did catch on with the Cleveland Cavaliers a year ago, and was recently promoted from the NBA Development League for the remainder of the 2012 campaign.

Morris, meanwhile, was chosen in the second round (41st overall) by the Los Angeles Lakers. He has spent time in the NBADL this season, but is current a member of the Lakers' active roster.

Would Burke be better off leaving school early or returning for his sophomore season?

Right now, that's what he intends on finding out.

"The question is, would he be better served coming back (to school)?" Givony said. "That's what he needs to figure out with his family and his coaches and the advisory board and all of that."

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