Free Agent(s): Darius Washington / Karl Crauser

[nbhagat84]

These Fellas got the skills, and there better than beno or NVE or any PG right now, I say bring em in

[degenerate_gambler]

Seeing Washington go undrafted last night was a surprise to me. As for him signing w/the Spurs, I doubt it. I don't see anyone beating down our door for Beano, so we have to assume he'll be back next year.

With that said, I'd be shocked if the FO didn't go find another vet for the spot as opposed to a rookie free agent (even though the guy can play).

[duncan2k5]

karl krauser is another crucian like tim duncan. he gets all the New York hype because thats where he was raised, but not many ppl know that he is born on st croix. he was down here this summer for an exhibition game with our st. croix team (which he was on) vs the AND 1 ballers. he was keeping us in the game, but his shooting was real streaky. and when he hit a slump, he seemed intent on breaking out of it by keep shooting. he wasnt setting up anyone at all. i dont know if he would be good for the NBA

[Quadzilla99]

What do you think should we sign Darius Washington? He was considered the 2nd best point guard coming out of High School behind Sebastian Telfair and ahead of Shaun Livingston. He has good athleticism, and a lot of potential. ESPN Insider had him ranked the #42 prospect here is their report on him:

__________________________________________________ ____
Darius Washington
Point Guard (Rank: #42) | 6-1, 195 | Age: 20
Memphis (Winter Park, FL)
You are signed into Insider and have access to the exclusive draft content below.

Season Averages
YR GMS MIN PTS REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF FG% FT% 3P% PPS
2005-06 35 26.5 13.4 2.8 3.1 3.2 1/1 1.3 0.1 1.8 .423 .783 .357 1.30
2004-05 38 35.1 15.4 3.6 3.8 3.5 1.1/1 1.7 0.1 2.3 .460 .733 .395 1.39
· View full player card


Draft Projection: Second round

Similarities: Dajuan Wagner

Notes: Washington announced on April 25 that he was declaring for the 2006 NBA Draft. From the sounds of things, he's staying in the draft no matter what.

Wingspan: 6-4

Standing reach: 8-0

Maximum vertical jump: 37.5 inches

Positives: A big-time scorer with great speed. Thrives penetrating to the basket. Great first step. Excellent finisher. Has a solid body. Pretty strong.

Negatives: Is he really a point guard? Averaged just 3.3 assists with 3.1 turnovers this season. Looks for his shot first, pass second. Doesn't show much of an inclination to defend. Three-point shooting declined this year.

Summary: Washington's decision to stay in the draft could be a very bad idea. While Washington has the size, speed and athleticism to be an excellent NBA prospect, his production actually decreased from his freshman year. His numbers were down across the board this year. However, an excellent performance at the Orlando predraft camp has helped his stock. A small minority of scouts say they think Washington will be a better pro than college player, and they like the idea of Washington as a scoring combo guard coming off the bench. Right now he looks like a mid- to late second-round pick. However, it takes only one team to fall in love with a player (see the Blazers two years ago with Sebastian Telfair), so you never know.

Scouts Inc. evaluation: Coming out of high school two years ago, Washington was the second-best point guard in the country behind Telfair. He has had a nice career at Memphis, and he is making a poor decision coming out for this year's draft.

Washington has the ability to create some offense for himself, but his lack of explosiveness will make it very difficult for him to get into the lane in the NBA or to defend opposing point guards. His lack of point-guard skills was evident in his averaging only 3 assists per game last season, despite all of the athletic weapons he had to play with at Memphis. He is a shoot-first point guard who turned the ball over 3 times per game, something that can be attributed to his lack of length. He also has struggled shooting the ball at times, which doesn't help his hopes of getting drafted in the first round.

Given all of the questions about his ability to make the transition, staying in the draft is a big mistake. He needs to go back to school and show people he can run a team, cut down on his turnovers and improve his shooting. He never will become an explosive player, but he can improve on some attributes that can make him a serviceable point guard in the NBA.

[JamStone]

Not sure you should evaluate a player based on an exhibition game against the AND-1 ballers. Not that he's better than that. I just think you shouldn't judge him based on it.

[Doug Collins]

Similarities: Dajuan Wagner

That right there says everything I need to know, talk about the kiss of death. I liked his game when I saw him play, especially when he did the throat cut gesture and promptly missed 2 fts to lose the conference usa championship last year against Louisville. Then he started crying...we need to bring him in asap!!!!!