Who is Darius Washington?

[2centsworth]

Turned the radio on late and all I heard was Darius this and Darius that. Then I heard the kid nearly had a triple double.

Who is he? And is he any good?

[Russ]

http://nbadraft.net/admincp/profiles/dariuswashington.html

[HighLowLobForBig-50]

hopefully he's our next 3rd string PG

[SenorSpur]

Pop will never take a chance on him because he's a dometic-bred player and not a Euro

[YODA]

what ever happened to the Alex Garcia thing? i heard he was in tonw last month, but never heard a thing after that. Something about him being hurt or something.

[SequSpur]

Darius Washington Jr.
Hometown:
Winter Park, Fla.
High School:
Edgewater
Height / Weight:
6-2 / 195
Honors & Awards
• 2005-06 Wooden Award Candidate
• 2005-06 ESPN.com/Dick Vitale Super Seven Sophs
• 2005-06 ESPN.com/Dick Vitale All-Solid Gold Third Team
• 2005 National Freshman All-America Team (Rivals.com, CollegeInsider.com, The Sporting News, Basketball Times)
• 2005 Conference USA Freshman of the Year
• 2005 All-Conference USA Third Team
• 2005 Conference USA All-Freshman Team
• 2005 Conference USA All-Tournament Team
• 2005 ESPN.com/Dick Vitale Conference USA Dandy Diaper of the Year
• 2005 CBSsportsline.com Conference USA Freshman of the Year
• 2005 USBWA All-District 4 Team


Overview: One of the nation's top point guards ... A talented, natural scorer with a competitive fire ... Wants to win at everything he does ... Has the ability to become a great defender with his quickness and toughness ... Has natural leadership abilities.

Career: Has started all 38 games of his career ... Averaging 15.4 points and 3.8 assists and 3.6 rebounds ... Shooting 46 percent from the field, 39.5 percent from the arc and 73.3 percent from the foul line ... Has 63 steals ... Has netted double figures 32 times.

2005-06 Preseason: A 2005-06 Wooden Award preseason candidate ... Named to the 2005-06 ESPN.com/Dick Vitale Super Seven Sophs list ... Selected to the ESPN.com/Dick Vitale All-Solid Gold third team ... Participated at the Team USA U21 Trials in Dallas in late July.

2004-05 Season: Picked up the following honors: Rivals.com National Freshman All-America first team, CollegeInsider.com National Freshman All-America Team, The Sporting News National Freshman All-America Team, Basketball Times National Freshman All-America first team, Conference USA Freshman of the Year, Conference USA All-Freshman Team, All-Conference USA third team, Conference USA All-Tournament Team, USBWA District 4 team, ESPN.com/Dick Vitale Conference USA Diaper Dandy of the Year ... Moved to point guard his freshman season after playing most of his prep career at shooting guard ... Was team's second-leading scorer with a 15.4 average ... Led squad with 144 assists (3.8 apg) and 63 steals (1.7 spg) ... Shot 46 percent from the floor, 39.5 percent from the arc and 73.3 percent from the charity stripe ... Named Rivals.com National Freshman of the Week and ESPN.com/Dick Vitale Diaper Dandy of the Week honors twice ... Earned The Sporting News National Player of the Week accolade once ...Had 32 double-digit scoring games ... Recorded five or more assists 15 times ... Ranked among Conference USA leaders (overall games) in scoring (9th), assists (8th), steals (10th) and three-point field goal percentage (9th) ... In Conference USA games only, ranked among the league leaders in scoring (3rd), field goal percentage (9th), assists (10th), free throw percentage (9th), steals (6th) and three-point field goal percentage (6th) ... Postseason (NIT/C-USA Tournament): Averaged 14.6 points, 5.1 assists and 2.5 rebounds in eight postseason contests ... Shot 44.6 percent from the field and 85.4 percent from the free throw line ... Netted double figures in six of the eight contests ... Had five or more assists in six games ... In NIT play, averaged 16.0 points and 4.5 assists ... Shot 88.5 percent (23-of-26) from the foul line in four NIT games ... Had NIT highs of 23 points, seven assists and three steals vs. Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals ... Posted career highs for free throws made (12) and attempted (13) vs. the Commodores ... In Conference USA Tournament, averaged 13.3 points and 5.8 assists ... Shot 47.5 percent from the floor and 80 percent (12-of-15) from the free throw line in the four C-USA Tournament games ... Named to the Conference USA All-Tournament Team ... Had 23 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals in the championship game vs. Louisville ... Scored 11 of Memphis' final 15 points in the title contest ... Had 20 points vs. USF in the C-USA Tournament semifinals ... Conference USA play: Started all 16 games ... Led team in scoring (17.8 ppg), assists (58), steals (29), field goal percentage (50.0) and three-point field goal percentage (43.6) ... Shot 82.5 percent from the foul line ... Averaged 4.2 rebounds from his guard spot in league action ... Netted double figures in all 16 games ... Had six games in which he scored 20 or more points ... Grabbed a career-high eight boards vs. Louisville (2nd game) ... Scored a career-best 29 points vs. Charlotte ... Had career bests for field goals made (11) and attempted (22) and three-pointers made (4) and attempted (8) vs. the 49ers ... Had a perfect shooting game vs. Southern Miss, going 6-of-6 from the field, 3-of-3 from the arc and 6-of-6 from the free throw line ... Scored 21 points vs. the Golden Eagles ... Dished out a career-high nine assists vs. Tulane ... Had 25 points, five rebounds and five assists vs. Louisville (1st game) ... Shot a perfect 10-of-10 at the charity stripe vs. TCU (2nd game) ... Posted 11 points, five rebounds, seven assists and two steals vs. DePaul ... Scored 26 points, including 10-of-10 free throws, vs. UAB ... Scored 20 points vs. USF ... Had 20 points, five assists and a career-high six steals vs. Marquette ... In C-USA debut, posted 17 points, five rebounds, three assists and six steals (career high) vs. Southern Miss (1st game) ... Non-conference play: Averaged 13.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 14 non-conference games ... Shot 42 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from the three-point line ... Had 10 double-figure scoring games ... Had 23 points and six rebounds vs. Texas ... Had a solid all-around performance vs. East Tennessee State with 17 points, seven boards and six assists ... Scored 16 points and dished out eight assists vs. Austin Peay ... Netted 15 of his 17 points vs. Purdue in the second half ... Averaged 12.0 points, 4.3 assists and 3.3 boards in season-opening Coaches vs. Cancer Classic (four games) ... Had 10 points, six rebounds and eight assists in collegiate debut vs. Savannah State.

High School: Played his prep career at Edgewater High School ... Selected to the 2004 Parade Magazine All-America first team ... A McDonald's All-American and played in the All-Star Game ... Won the three-point shooting contest at the McDonald's All-Star Game ... Scored 30 points in the adidas/EA Sports SuperStars game in Knoxville, Tenn. ... Named an adidas All-American ... Selected Mr. Basketball in the state of Florida in 2004 ... Also earned Florida All-State first team accolades following his senior campaign ... Averaged 31.2 points a game in leading Edgewater to a 34-2 record and the Florida 6A state title ... Finished prep career with over 3,000 points, 400 boards, 300 assists and 200 steals ... Reached the 3,000-point career mark with a 45-point performance ... Following 2003-04 season, ranked No. 24 prospect in the nation by Rivals.com The Rivals 150 ... Named to the 2003 Parade Magazine All-America fourth team as a junior ... One of only four juniors to be named to the 2003 Parade squads ... Prior to 2003-04 campaign, rated by PrepStars.com as the No. 2 prospect and the No. 1 guard in the country ... Rivals.com ranked him as the No. 26 prospect overall and the No. 6 shooting guard in the country ... The nation's No. 26 player by TheInsidersHoops.com ... Ranked the No. 33 player in the nation by Bob Gibbon's All-Star Report ... Averaged 30.1 points and shot 50 percent from the field as a junior in 2002-03 ... Also hit 36 percent from the arc and 80 percent from the foul line his junior campaign ... Scored 37 points in helping lead Edgewater to a 72-60 victory over national high school power DeMatha Catholic ... Named Florida's Class 6A Player of the Year in 2002-03.

Other Tidbits: A member of the National Honor Society at Edgewater ... Father, Darius Sr., played his collegiate basketball at LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis ... Related to Chucky Atkins, who is a member of the NBA's Washington Wizards ... In addition to basketball, another favorite form of recreation is kickball.

[HighLowLobForBig-50]

From what ive heard and read hes very passionate, like manu. also in one article it appeared that in his mind he thinks he has a shot. either hes over-confident or maybe theres somethin we dont know

[Bruno]

what ever happened to the Alex Garcia thing? i heard he was in tonw last month, but never heard a thing after that. Something about him being hurt or something.

Garcia has signed a contract with a big European team (Maccabi Tel Aviv). he will earn more money than with a training camp contract.

[dwashfan]

Check this out....http://dwash.net/HOME/tabid/70/Default.aspx#end_1

The kid is amazing...he is young and fast and can only get better with time.

[duncan7721]

Darius washington out of no where ends up with 18 points, 8 assists and 9 rebounds??? This is a 6-2 point guard who led the team in rebounds, assists and points!! for the game!!! Wow. He was the new player i was expecting the least out of, but boy, did he prove me wrong. That is a good thing though. Just keep him consistent...ya never know.

[timvp]

Darius Washington was the training camp invitee that I was most excited about. He came out of school early and has bounced around a bit. He had to learn to master the fundamentals but he's always been pretty good. He seems to be in much better shape than he was in college.

The nice part about him is he's only 21 years old. Putting up 18, 9 and 8 is pretty impressive for a young point guard, even if it is just preseason. He competes hard and even though he faced long odds coming into training camp, he's laying it all on the line for a job.

It'd be nice to see him replace Beno seeing as he actually has a passion for the game.

[LaMarcus Bryant]

Was waiting for the timvp to comment on this scrub. Until he actually replaces Beno I'll stick with calling him a bust. :tu

[HighLowLobForBig-50]

considering how idle our offseason was, im kinda excited about this guy

[theroc5]

cut beno and sign this guy now

[mountainballer]

some days ago I wrote a few words about Washington and his (sleeper) potential:



Washington's measures from the predraft camp 2006:

Height w/o Shoes 5' 11.5"
Height w/shoes 6' 1"
Weight 195
Wingspan 6' 4"
Max Vert 37.5

sure, he isn't a very tall guy, but it's not that bad. (almsot exactly the same measures like Chris Paul)

I think Washington could be a sleeper. in his freshman year, he really looked like a very promising player, but he somehow went the wrong direction. shouldn't have left college after sophomore season. considering he is just 21, there should be still a lot of room for improvement.
I see all the financial issues, that will force the Spurs to not waive Beno (and repleace him with a player like Darius) and agree that it is very unlikely, that it might happen. personally I would really like this move, even if there is a big risk that Washington also won't be any good.
but he reminds me about Daniel Gibson. they were about the same level and similar players a year ago. (Gibson had a much better reputation about his work ethic and character though, likely the major reason why he was drafted and Washington was not).
it also took some time last season, till Gibson started to make an impact. but we all saw in the POs, what potential Gibson does have and why he is considered a steal today.

[WalterBenitez]

hopefully he's our next 3rd string PG

Because of what he did, sounds like a potential 2nd PG and 1st PG in those nigths when TP is thinking in EVA more than in the game :wakeup

[urunobili]

what ever happened to the Alex Garcia thing? i heard he was in tonw last month, but never heard a thing after that. Something about him being hurt or something.
he signed with Maccabi Tel-Aviv so did Esteban Batista the uruguyan that was the only player to average a double double on the FIBA america's tournament

[kyleo]

some days ago I wrote a few words about Washington and his (sleeper) potential:
I thought about your assessment last night when I looked over his line, especially the comparison to Gibson. I recall DX mentioning Washington needed consistency in terms of his passing and defense. He might have just been having one of those nights in terms of his assists (being a shoot-first guard primarily), but the rebounds and steals tell me no one on the floor is working harder. IMO, we need to cut Beno or take any possible trade just for this, and take the cap hit if necessary. I don't like the idea of Jacque Vaughn going down for an extended period of time (very possible) and either having to platoon Manu and Barry or giving Beno significant minutes. Washington may not give us a different look from Parker skill-wise, but his struggles have made him a grittier player, someone we could definitely use.

[BeerIsGood!]

Let's see... Washington or Beno? One is a nobody from nowhere who has been beaten down time and again and yet has risen his game to a level that is raising eyebrows on the World Champions. The other is missing 6 weeks with a broken finger and hasn't played a meaningful minute in going on 3 seasons.

[hater]

Beno sucks

[spurschick]

I was really impressed with him last night. He is freakin' fast! He shows great promise on D as well - he had good minutes guarding Baron Davis and did a really good job, IMO. I'd take a chance on him over Beno any day.

[Mitch Cumsteen]

Let's see... Washington or Beno? I don't think it's a Washington or Beno issue. Beno is going to be on the team regardless because he's under contract. The way I see it, it's more of a Washington or Williams issue. While carrying 4 point guards seems a little excessive, if Washington can contribute this year or even if you think his upside is equal to Williams, then you've got to keep him and dump Williams. Back up point guard is a much more pressing need than having another wing player, where we're loaded with Manu, Finley, Barry, Bowen, and now Udoka. Best case for Williams is that he ends up in the NBDL -- barring a rash of injuries, he's not going to see the light of day in an NBA game.

They can only have 15 guys under contract, and they've got 14 with guaranteed deals. Marcus Williams could be the odd man out if they fall in love with Washington.
1. Parker
2. Ginobili
3. Bowen
4. Duncan
5. Oberto
6. Finley
7. Horry
8. Barry
9. Bonner
10. Elson
11. Vaughn
12. Beno
13. Mahinmi
14. Udoka
15. ?????????????????

[Obstructed_View]

It just makes the selection of Williams that much more maddening. You could have used that draft pick to get someone to take Beno in a trade. :)

[SenorSpur]

Washington's contributions make Beno's presence just as maddening.

No way Beno ever gets near a triple-double or anywhere close to that stat line in any league.

[Scola Trade]

Washington > Beno

[Russ]

Why is this man in a Dallas Mavs uniform?

Does Cuban have something up his sleeve?

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/darius_washington/index.html

[ChumpDumper]

Why is this man in a Dallas Mavs uniform?

Does Cuban have something up his sleeve?

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/darius_washington/index.htmlHe was in their training camp last year.

A couple more days and there would have been some pictures of him in a Toros uniform too.

[Mr. Body]

It just makes the selection of Williams that much more maddening. You could have used that draft pick to get someone to take Beno in a trade. :)

In retrospect, yes, exactly.

[tav1]

The Spurs have *15* guys under roster; they signed Marcus Williams prematurely in late September. Bet they're kicking themselves now. In order to sign Washington, they'll need to move someone. The question becomes who would be willing to give up a late draft pick for a lackluster, injury prone Slovenian point guard? Danny Ferry?

http://www.nba.com/spurs/news/williams_070929.html

[ChumpDumper]

Williams' deal isn't guaranteed. They can waive him without taking much of a cap hit, so they aren't kicking themselves about that.

[FromWayDowntown]

I was impressed with Washington's quickness and tenacity last night, but given that the Spurs were playing the Golden State Warriors and a preseason game ended up in the 110's, I don't think his numbers from last night are particularly useful.

Still, he did an admirable job on Davis at times and really mixed it up to grab rebounds when he had the opportunity to do so. Both of those, along with his end-to-end speed are clear positives for Darius. His lack of size, however, might be the ultimate negative. For some reason, he physically looked last night (to me, at least) like Khalid El-Amin's skinnier younger brother.

With all of that said, I'm hoping that the Spurs find a way to keep him around. I agree that his desire to play the game seems to be substantially greater than Beno's and I think that goes a long way toward making someone a useful NBA player. Unfortunately, the Spurs don't have much of a history of favoring non-roster invitees over 2nd rounders, and I'd be surprised if that changes this fall, absent a move to send Beno out before the end of camp.

[tav1]

If Williams' deal isn't guarenteed, why might the Spurs pass on Darius Washington? Aren't they only slightly over the cap? Would clearing beNO bring them under?

[ChumpDumper]

If Williams' deal isn't guarenteed, why might the Spurs pass on Darius Washington?There isn't much reason to carry four point guards on the team, and it's too soon to write off Williams the way we have Beno


Aren't they only slightly over the cap? Would clearing beNO bring them under?They are sightly over the luxury tax threshold. If we could trade Beno for an exception or get lucky enough for someone to pick him up off waivers, his salary wouldn't count for us anymore.

[ChumpDumper]

His lack of size, however, might be the ultimate negative. For some reason, he physically looked last night (to me, at least) like Khalid El-Amin's skinnier younger brother. Well, overall his measurements are greater than those of:

Nate Robinson
Chris Paul
Jameer Nelson
TJ Ford
Speedy Claxton

So I don't think that's a huge minus.


With all of that said, I'm hoping that the Spurs find a way to keep him around. I agree that his desire to play the game seems to be substantially greater than Beno's and I think that goes a long way toward making someone a useful NBA player. Unfortunately, the Spurs don't have much of a history of favoring non-roster invitees over 2nd rounders, and I'd be surprised if that changes this fall, absent a move to send Beno out before the end of camp.Right. This is a third stringer we are talking about. The Spurs would have to consider Washington a long term backup for Tony before they would eat Beno's contract.

[Mr. Body]

Why are we considering Beno as a 3rd stringer? He's essentially a nullity. We'd go to Manu or Barry for PG before him.

[Darkwaters]

Why are we considering Beno as a 3rd stringer? He's essentially a nullity. We'd go to Manu or Barry for PG before him.

I tend to agree. Lets assume that Parker gets hurt this year, who do we play at PG? I think Pop trys Vaughn as well as the Ginobili/Barry double team. Pending that failure, then you look at Beno. But Udrih has done so little to warrant a roster spot (let alone PT) that they'd probably let me try my hand at PG before Beno.

[FromWayDowntown]

I tend to agree. Lets assume that Parker gets hurt this year, who do we play at PG? I think Pop trys Vaughn as well as the Ginobili/Barry double team. Pending that failure, then you look at Beno. But Udrih has done so little to warrant a roster spot (let alone PT) that they'd probably let me try my hand at PG before Beno.

Whether Beno is the 3rd string point guard or the 8th guy they'll try at that spot, he's undoubtedly one of 3 guys on this roster (for the moment) who pretty much exclusively play the point in the Spurs system. The question is whether the Spurs will only keep 3 such players or whether they would choose to keep a 4th guy who does that as well. It doesn't matter in what order they might be used to fill that role, it's a matter of deciding how to allocate roster spots to positions.

By analogy, an NFL team might have a wide receiver that could be its 3rd string quarterback, but that isn't likely to change the team's decision to carry 3 true quarterbacks on the roster along with the versatile WR.

[ChumpDumper]

Beno was slated to get his opportunity to play this season. The injury probably didn't change that, but hopefully the FO got wind of his interviews.

[tav1]

So there is very little question that if the Spurs take a runner on Washington it will be at Williams' expense. What Beno Urdrih interviews?

[ChumpDumper]

So there is very little question that if the Spurs take a runner on Washington it will be at Williams' expense.I guess, but I don't see this team carrying four point guards.
What Beno Urdrih interviews?You could search the thread titles for them pretty easily.

[Mr. Body]

There's good odds picking up the extra Beno-year cost both Luis Scola AND Darius Washington. They both might turn out crap, but that's amazing for a slothful Slovenian chick-magnet turd.

[Obstructed_View]

In retrospect, yes, exactly.
Many of us on this board didn't understand the pick as it happened. I don't recall anyone seriously expecting the Spurs to take him at that spot, and I'm still not entirely sure what the rationale was for doing so. I presume that they drafted potential rather than for need and may end up with nothing in the deal. I was hopeful that he'd pan out but it's clear the Spurs didn't have any specific idea about him filling a need on the team or having a role going forward. Conclusion: Maddening.

[Mitch Cumsteen]

I guess, but I don't see this team carrying four point guards.
I agree with this in theory, but what's the difference between carrying a fourth point guard and carrying a 6th wing player who is only going to be an NBDL experiment? We know for a fact that Williams isn't going to play in front of Manu, Barry, Finley, Bowen or Udoka. Washington could actually see some minutes if he could establish himself as the third point guard in front of Beno.

[Obstructed_View]

I agree with this in theory, but what's the difference between carrying a fourth point guard and carrying a 6th wing player who is only going to be an NBDL experiment? We know for a fact that Williams isn't going to play in front of Manu, Barry, Finley, Bowen or Udoka. Washington could actually see some minutes if he could establish himself as the third point guard in front of Beno.

If the Spurs kept four on the roster somebody might actually offer something for Beno at some point. There's always somebody that thinks they can rehabilitate someone with talent, and Beno's got that.

[Darkwaters]

If the Spurs kept four on the roster somebody might actually offer something for Beno at some point. There's always somebody that thinks they can rehabilitate someone with talent, and Beno's got that.

I legitimately think that Beno could be a quality backup PG in this league. He has the skill. But hes never going to amount ot anything on THIS team. His spirit is already broken and his mind is made up. But somebody else should take a shot on him because he could end up being a bargain. And if he simply continues to bust then it was simply a one year deal and you just don't bring him back. It makes a lot of sense to me.

[timmy21_4rings]

I feel sorry for Darius..And would be happy if he could make it to final 15.

[yavozerb]

Didn't really pay much attention to this thread cause I didnt think he had a chance in hell of making the team. For those who did the same, meet the newest spur.. :toast