biba
10-28-2007, 02:44 PM
Well, ... Hoopsworld, my bad. :oops
Darius Washington Now NBA-Ready
By: Mike Moreau Last Updated: 10/28/07 12:56 PM ET | 69 times read
http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=5815
If you had asked me three years ago the difference between Sebastian Telfair and Darius Washington coming out of high school, I would have given you this analogy:
Put four NBA players on the floor with Sebastian Telfair, and at the end of the game everyone wanted Sebastian on their team.
Put four NBA players on the floor with Darius Washington, and at the end of the game all of his teammates hated him with a passion.
That difference said it all. I had seen both scenarios here on our IMG campus at different times during that spring and summer in 2004. Tell Bassy his job was to get those other guys the ball and he did it – willingly.
Tell Darius to do the same and he said he wouldn't give them the ball if, in his mind, they didn't play defense. He could very quickly turn a simple directive into a contentious discussion, bordering on an argument. How about a high school kid telling that to pros?
In that summer of 2004, Telfair was preparing to be drafted and was a lock first-rounder. That same summer, the people around Darius Washington were obsessed with the comparison - trying desperately to convince the basketball world Darius was just as good as Sebastian and how Darius should "go pro."
Those of us who had been around both guys, and who had been around NBA players, knew the truth. Telfair, in spite of all the crazy hype, was that good. Washington, in spite of all of his physical ability, wasn't even close.
Fast-forward to the summer of 2006, when Washington left the University of Memphis to train with us in preparation for the NBA Draft. Had he gotten better? Yes - two years of college at Memphis certainly helped him. Was he ready for the NBA? Not yet.
Washington was part of a training group that included Kyle Lowry, Cedric Simmons, Patrick O'Bryant, and Renaldo Balkman - all of whom were first round draft picks. Although Washington had gotten better and his game was becoming more mature, he still lacked the "feel" for the game necessary to run the point in the NBA.
I can remember seeing him use his great explosiveness to get by defenders in some of our scrimmages leading up to the Orlando pre-draft camp, only to see Darius fire a pass into a crowd - resembling a pachinko ball rattling off the shins of five or six players in the lane.
He actually played pretty well in the Orlando Pre-Draft Camp, but not surprisingly went undrafted. He was released by Dallas in the pre-season and spent the year playing as a pro in Greece.
Fast forward again to last Thursday night in Orlando. As Darius Washington checked into the game for the world champion San Antonio Spurs, I expected a warm response from his hometown crowd – especially from all those who were hyping him a few years ago.
As his name was announced…nothing. He might as well have been "Dariosic Washingtonovich from Orlandostan." I was surprised and saddened.
However, maybe the crowd didn't recognize him because this wasn't the same Darius Washington. He played well – very well. He pushed the ball to the right place, at the right pace, got it to the shooters at the right time, and ran his team. On defense, he hounded ball handlers, was quick on the double-team, and flew across the floor on the rotation to close out on shooters.
On one particular play he missed a jumper from the left wing, then sprinted back on defense to deflect a pass that was going to be a sure lay-up. I've never seen him run that hard – and that's how you make a team. To me, for the first time, Darius Washington looked like an NBA player. Whether he makes the Spurs roster or not, he has proved he belongs in the league.
What was most encouraging, however, was something that happened after a time out. As the Spurs broke the huddle, Tim Duncan stopped Darius and spent the next 30 seconds coaching him, talking to him and gesturing with his hands as to what the young player needed to do.
What was even more impressive than Duncan counseling a free agent rookie in a pre-season game? It was the fact Darius listened and took it in. For me, it was easily the best moment of the night.
What a contrast: From all that "go straight to the pros" garbage peddled by pimps and idiots - that has ruined so many young player games, polluted their minds and their destroyed their lives – to getting counsel from the NBA's best player. Who, by the way, went to college for four years and has four NBA titles.
After the game, I saw Darius briefly in the locker room and asked him how close he was. I got no "I'm better than him" or "I'm so much better than that guy" - chip on the shoulder talk one might expect. What I got was just a simple, humble answer: "Man, I'm still standing."
I also asked Gregg Popovich this question: "Can Darius Washington provide the same thing Jacques Vaughn has done for you, with maybe younger legs and more athleticism?"
Pop's answer? "Darius has a lot of ability and has a great feel for the game."
Wow. There it was - that magic phrase. It was the first time I had ever heard it used in a positive manner in reference to Darius Washington.
But Popovich followed that statement with this: "As far as his leadership and decision making, that's gonna be up to him. I can't answer that."
It could be we saw part of that answer Thursday night, as maybe Darius Washington has decided to listen to the Tim Duncans of the world and not to the people around him who almost ruined his career before it got started.
Darius Washington Now NBA-Ready
By: Mike Moreau Last Updated: 10/28/07 12:56 PM ET | 69 times read
http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=5815
If you had asked me three years ago the difference between Sebastian Telfair and Darius Washington coming out of high school, I would have given you this analogy:
Put four NBA players on the floor with Sebastian Telfair, and at the end of the game everyone wanted Sebastian on their team.
Put four NBA players on the floor with Darius Washington, and at the end of the game all of his teammates hated him with a passion.
That difference said it all. I had seen both scenarios here on our IMG campus at different times during that spring and summer in 2004. Tell Bassy his job was to get those other guys the ball and he did it – willingly.
Tell Darius to do the same and he said he wouldn't give them the ball if, in his mind, they didn't play defense. He could very quickly turn a simple directive into a contentious discussion, bordering on an argument. How about a high school kid telling that to pros?
In that summer of 2004, Telfair was preparing to be drafted and was a lock first-rounder. That same summer, the people around Darius Washington were obsessed with the comparison - trying desperately to convince the basketball world Darius was just as good as Sebastian and how Darius should "go pro."
Those of us who had been around both guys, and who had been around NBA players, knew the truth. Telfair, in spite of all the crazy hype, was that good. Washington, in spite of all of his physical ability, wasn't even close.
Fast-forward to the summer of 2006, when Washington left the University of Memphis to train with us in preparation for the NBA Draft. Had he gotten better? Yes - two years of college at Memphis certainly helped him. Was he ready for the NBA? Not yet.
Washington was part of a training group that included Kyle Lowry, Cedric Simmons, Patrick O'Bryant, and Renaldo Balkman - all of whom were first round draft picks. Although Washington had gotten better and his game was becoming more mature, he still lacked the "feel" for the game necessary to run the point in the NBA.
I can remember seeing him use his great explosiveness to get by defenders in some of our scrimmages leading up to the Orlando pre-draft camp, only to see Darius fire a pass into a crowd - resembling a pachinko ball rattling off the shins of five or six players in the lane.
He actually played pretty well in the Orlando Pre-Draft Camp, but not surprisingly went undrafted. He was released by Dallas in the pre-season and spent the year playing as a pro in Greece.
Fast forward again to last Thursday night in Orlando. As Darius Washington checked into the game for the world champion San Antonio Spurs, I expected a warm response from his hometown crowd – especially from all those who were hyping him a few years ago.
As his name was announced…nothing. He might as well have been "Dariosic Washingtonovich from Orlandostan." I was surprised and saddened.
However, maybe the crowd didn't recognize him because this wasn't the same Darius Washington. He played well – very well. He pushed the ball to the right place, at the right pace, got it to the shooters at the right time, and ran his team. On defense, he hounded ball handlers, was quick on the double-team, and flew across the floor on the rotation to close out on shooters.
On one particular play he missed a jumper from the left wing, then sprinted back on defense to deflect a pass that was going to be a sure lay-up. I've never seen him run that hard – and that's how you make a team. To me, for the first time, Darius Washington looked like an NBA player. Whether he makes the Spurs roster or not, he has proved he belongs in the league.
What was most encouraging, however, was something that happened after a time out. As the Spurs broke the huddle, Tim Duncan stopped Darius and spent the next 30 seconds coaching him, talking to him and gesturing with his hands as to what the young player needed to do.
What was even more impressive than Duncan counseling a free agent rookie in a pre-season game? It was the fact Darius listened and took it in. For me, it was easily the best moment of the night.
What a contrast: From all that "go straight to the pros" garbage peddled by pimps and idiots - that has ruined so many young player games, polluted their minds and their destroyed their lives – to getting counsel from the NBA's best player. Who, by the way, went to college for four years and has four NBA titles.
After the game, I saw Darius briefly in the locker room and asked him how close he was. I got no "I'm better than him" or "I'm so much better than that guy" - chip on the shoulder talk one might expect. What I got was just a simple, humble answer: "Man, I'm still standing."
I also asked Gregg Popovich this question: "Can Darius Washington provide the same thing Jacques Vaughn has done for you, with maybe younger legs and more athleticism?"
Pop's answer? "Darius has a lot of ability and has a great feel for the game."
Wow. There it was - that magic phrase. It was the first time I had ever heard it used in a positive manner in reference to Darius Washington.
But Popovich followed that statement with this: "As far as his leadership and decision making, that's gonna be up to him. I can't answer that."
It could be we saw part of that answer Thursday night, as maybe Darius Washington has decided to listen to the Tim Duncans of the world and not to the people around him who almost ruined his career before it got started.