FanPost

Fair, Rautins, and Warrick All Fighting to Hold on

The Syracuse Orange have produced a number of professional basketball players in recent years; both domestically and internationally. Unfortunately, not all players can be stars in the NBA like Carmelo Anthony or even Michael Carter-Williams. Andy Rautins, Hakim Warrick, and CJ Fair were all four-year fan favorites at Syracuse. However, they now find themselves hanging on for their basketball livelihood.

Andy Rautins

He was the son of a Syracuse legend. He was a hometown kid. People thought those were the only two reasons why he ever got a chance at Syracuse. Nobody thought he would ever see the court. He only received one other Division 1 offer; how could he play for a Big East school? After adding muscle and working on his game, Rautins became one of the most beloved SU players of all time. He was even drafted by the New York Knicks upon graduating from Syracuse. After appearing in just five games with the Knicks, Rautins was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. He was quickly waived after the trade. Since then, he has bounced around NBA summer league teams, the NBA Developmental League, and even spent a year playing professionally in Spain. Rautins recently signed with a team in Italy for the upcoming season. We all knew that Rautins would never have a long or meaningful NBA career. Still, he has always proved doubters wrong and a small part of me thought he could do it again. It may be time to give up on that small hope.

Hakim Warrick

Warrick has had a solid professional career, but nothing compared to his incredible run at Syracuse. After failing to sign with an NBA team last offseason, Warrick elected to play in China. Now, he wants to make an NBA comeback. According to the Syracuse Post-Standard, Warrick is expected to workout for the San Antonio Spurs. Warrick’s days of an NBA rotation player are likely over. He no longer possesses that youthful athleticism that lit up the Carrier Dome a decade ago. However, Warrick may have a chance at making the defending champs, due to several injured Spurs. Hopefully, Warrick can impress the Spurs personnel and receive an invite to training camp.

CJ Fair

Fair’s name was not called on draft night and he ended up playing summer league with the Dallas Mavericks. He has yet to receive an invite to training camp with the Mavs, but he does have a workout scheduled with the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers are obviously thin on the wing due to the Paul George injury. Obviously, Fair will not be able to replace George, but maybe he can take advantage of an extra spot in the rotation. If Fair is unable to find a niche on an NBA team, he will always have chances to play overseas. He even already declined an offer to play in Europe, according to the Syracuse Post-Standard. As a Syracuse fan, I would love nothing more than to see Fair playing in the NBA.