Spurs free agent Washington does what he can to stay
Web Posted: 10/25/2007 10:49 PM CDT
Jeff McDonald
Express-News
ORLANDO, Fla. — For Spurs point guard Darius Washington, the memories came flooding back from the moment we walked into Amway Arena on Thursday. Especially when he looked up.
Washington grew up in the area, the pride of Edgewater High. As a kid, he saw scores of Orlando Magic games, all of them from the cheap seats.
“Way up high,” Washington recalled. “I used to reach up and touch the ceiling.”
Washington had a much better view Thursday, as the Spurs dropped a 99-90 preseason decision to his hometown Magic. For some of it, he was right there on the court in a Spurs uniform.
Time will tell how long he stays.
When camp began Oct. 2, odds were stacked against Washington even making it to his Orlando homecoming. Rookie free agents vying to make a team that already has the maximum of 15 players under contract do not have a strong history of success.
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Twenty-four days later, he’s still here, part by luck and part by skill. He is the last of four camp tryout players still standing.
With backup point guards Jacque Vaughn and Beno Udrih injured, it’s been impossible for the Spurs to waive him. In their absence, Washington has made the most of his minutes.
“Having Beno and Jacque hurt obviously makes us look at him more seriously,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “As long as we’ve been doing that, we’ve been impressed.”
Washington, a college standout at Memphis, remains a long shot to make the team, but not the long shot he was when camp began. The Spurs’ final roster spot will probably come down to either Washington or second-round pick Marcus Williams, whose deal is not guaranteed.
Washington played only 16 minutes Thursday, as Popovich opted to give Tony Parker a preseason-high 31.
Parker thrived, scoring 18 points. Manu Ginobili added 21. Tim Duncan had 10 points for the Spurs, but again struggled with his shot, missing 10 of 14 attempts.
The Spurs (4-2) complete the preseason against Houston today at the AT&T Center.
Rashard Lewis, the key acquisition of Orlando’s offseason, scored 16 points to lead the Magic (6-1) after sitting out the previous four games. He had eight during the key stretch of the third quarter that tilted the game in Orlando’s favor.
“I was really happy with everybody,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. “I didn’t see guys firing up many bad shots.”
Washington didn’t fire up much of anything. He scored just four points.
His quiet homecoming, however, isn’t likely to break his bid to make the team — just as his near triple-double against Golden State last week didn’t make it.
“He’s competed very well, is the bottom line,” Popovich said. “He’s trying to get a job, and he’s been very serious about it.”
Like most players who come into an NBA camp without a contract, Washington lives in constant fear.
He knows that one day soon he could be cut, the latest chapter of his NBA life over. It happened to Kris Lang and Keith Langford on Wednesday.
Washington knows it could happen to him today — or any time before the Oct. 29 roster deadline.
That fear frightens him. But it also fuels him.
“You have to take advantage of the opportunity you get,” said Washington, a training camp cut in Dallas last year.
For the most part, Washington has done that. He is now on the Spurs’ radar — and others’ as well. Scouts from Seattle were in San Antonio last week, kicking his tires.
What happens to Washington next is the last lingering question of the Spurs’ preseason.
Whatever the verdict is, he’s come a long way. He’s closer to an NBA court now than he’s ever been.
“Whatever happens, I’ve learned a lot,” Washington said. “Who can say they’ve lasted almost seven games with the NBA champs?”
Now, Washington can.