June 29, 2004
Rival's dad rips Telfair
BY JULIAN GARCIA, DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
 
 
Sebastian Telfair would not have been selected in the first round of last week's NBA draft had he been from anywhere other than New York City, the father of a rival point guard said yesterday.

"Take him out of New York and put him in North Carolina or somewhere like that, or put him in a gym where nobody knows his name, and he's just another kid," Darius Washington Sr., whose son was one of Telfair's biggest rivals, told the Daily News yesterday.

Darius Washington Jr., a point guard from Orlando, is heading into his freshman year at Memphis and not into the NBA like Telfair, a first-round pick of the Portland Trail Blazers. Though Washington decided to go to college instead of the NBA, he could make the jump after just one year at Memphis, his father said.

Washington Sr. also said one of the only reasons his son didn't go to the NBA this year is because he did not benefit from the type of publicity that Telfair had. He also suggested that Portland's pick had more to do with "business" than with Telfair's ability. Telfair had already signed a multi-million dollar endorsement deal with Adidas, a Portland-based company. The elder Washington thinks his son is the better player.

"By all means," the father said by phone. "If you look at their talent, Darius beats him in every category except one. (Telfair) is a great passer."

Telfair and Washington were considered two of the best high-school point guards in the country, along with Shaun Livingston, a first-round pick of the L.A. Clippers. In December, Telfair and Washington faced off in a nationally televised game on ESPN2. After injuring his ankle, Telfair recovered to lead Lincoln to a win. Telfair also outplayed Washington at the ABCD camp last summer.

The elder Washington said neither he nor his son were envious of the attention that Telfair has received - or the contract with Adidas. "I'm not jealous of anyone," the father said. "If (Telfair) was here, I'd tell him, 'Congratulations. Now go make it happen.' "

Washington Sr. said he watched the draft on television with his son in Memphis. Though he never asked, he said he's sure his son felt "happiness and anger at the same time.