Burke blames immaturity for being Jazz bust
SALT LAKE CITY — New Knicks point guard Trey Burke, back in Utah where he was a celebrated 2013 lottery pick who didn’t pan out, said the Jazz drafting Dante Exum before his second NBA season ruined his psyche.
Back at the arena in which he played his first three seasons, Burke reflected on his years in Utah.
He was selected ninth overall in 2013 by the Timberwolves before being traded to the Jazz for fellow rookies Gorgui Dieng and Shabazz Muhammad.
“Young Trey Burke was not all the way focused on basketball,’’ Burke said Friday before the Knicks beat the Jazz 117-115. “Distractions going on in my life as a young player.
“At the same time, I do feel I did a great job my rookie season. Second year, they drafted another point guard [Exum] — which kind of messed with my mind. It played with me a little bit. That’s where it went wrong. My rookie season the coach [Tyrone Corbin] gets fired. Going into the second year, it’s a whole new coaching staff to get used to.’’
The speedy Burke, 25, played last season with the Wizards. He eventually lost his spotty minutes to Brandon Jennings after Jennings was cut by the Knicks in February. Burke had been in the G-League with Westchester until Sunday’s signing and played versus the Nets in a sharp eight-minute debut.
He scored seven points in 15 minutes, including the final nine minutes of the game against Jazz.
“I wanted to redefine myself,’’ Burke said of joining Westchester. “I didn’t want to go into a situation like last year in Washington. People don’t think it made sense. I wanted to show what I can do on a consistent basis night in and night out with consistent minutes. Now that I’m here with the Knicks, it’s another process — me having to reprove myself to get back on the court.” Kristaps Porzingis, who scored 18 points Friday, was disappointed he didn’t get into the All-Star Game as a frontcourt starter, but he’s a heavy favorite to get voted in as a reserve by the coaches. The TNT panel voted Porzingis on all the ballots Thursday to make it as a reserve. The players’ voting had Porzingis among the top three frontcourt starters, while fans and media both voted for Joel Embiid ahead of him, making the 76ers’ center a starter.
“The players know,’’ Porzingis said. “The fans, it is what it is.’’
Courtney Lee revealed he was contacted by NBA security regarding his controversial technical foul before a jump ball with 16 seconds left in Wednesday’s loss in Memphis.
Lee, who had 18 points and five assists against the Jazz, made inflammatory remarks after the game, saying the officials have no business giving out a technical for a player-to-player verbal spat.