Campazzo is a bug in the basketball system. Someone who filled out the Argentinean entry on Wikipedia must have been kind, because the official 181 cm in the “height” column is – according to the media – a bit more than in reality. Anyway – what does such a midget do on the dance floor?
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Romain Grosjean was a great opponent of this change. Now he can thank her for her life
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A midget who was supposed to be a footballer
And this age. Make your NBA debut in your 30s, when many players are behind them? And all of this at a time when the era of Steve Nash and Jason Kidd-style quarterbacks, focused on passing rather than scoring, is long gone?
Meanwhile, Facundo Campazzo – a petite 29-year-old quarterback from Cordoba – is just embarking on an adventure of a lifetime in the NBA. – He sacrificed a lot to be in this place – says Sport.pl, scout of Denver Nuggets, the club in which the Argentine will perform from the new season.
Even in the summer of 2019, he said: – I used to be obsessed with a vision games in the NBA. But that’s the past.
Nothing unusual. The Argentine was just extending his star contract with Real Madridwhich tied him to the club until 2024. Although Campazzo’s earnings have never been disclosed, it is not hard to guess that they were record high. Campazzo led Real Madrid to two consecutive Spanish championships in a row and won the Euroleague. The August and September World Cup in China only confirmed that the Real Madrid quarterback is in his life – Argentina won silver in the World Cup, and Campazzo not only took over the role of the team leader, but also charmed with the game – passing, grace in moving on the court, easy cheating much higher rivals. It was after the tournament in China that the slogan that Campazzo is the “Messim of basketball” became established.
Facu promised to be a good footballer for a long time. As a child, he trained at the Defensores Juveniles club and was a talented midfielder. He came from a sports family. His mum, María Elena Avedano, was the national hockey champion, while Ricardo’s father played football for Martín Ferreyra.
– When I was 13, I had to choose whether I wanted to train basketball or football. We couldn’t afford to pay for two nurseries, recalled Campazzo. His father left the family, home and upbringing of his sons, leaving Facundo’s mother, María, on his mind. She was a strong woman who lost her first husband in an accident and the second left her. As Campazzo claims, it was his mother who instilled in him the fortitude of fight with adversity.
13-year-old Facundo made a decision against logic, but it was soon to turn out that he was gifted beyond measure, and all of Argentina heard about his talent. When Campazzo was 16, he left for Peñarol de Mar del Plata. And in four years he won whatever he could at home.
After four years he left for Spain, but he climbed slowly to the top. Real quickly handed him over on a two-year loan to Murcia, as if Madrid did not fully believe that their leader could be a small Argentinean. But when he returned, he became the brains of the “Królewski” and again grabbed everything he could.
NBA dream worth nearly $ 6 million
He also had to wait a long time for his involvement in the NBA. He tried to get into the best league in the world in 2013, but was omitted in the draft. He did not sign the contract with the Nuggets until the age of 29.
– On transfer Campazzo persuaded our boss two years ago, last year we were one step away from reaching an agreement. Now it finally worked. This is our great success – says Sport.pl scout Nuggets Rafał Juć. Facu was very determined to join the NBA. He had to pay huge compensation himself and agree to a salary reduction – he adds.
The amount of the compensation fee in the contract with Real was reported to be $ 6 million. According to the NBA regulations, the club’s authorities from Denver could pay only 725 thousand. dol. Campazzo, who will earn $ 6.4 million in the Nuggets, had to contribute the rest. paid in two years – which is definitely less than he could earn in Real.
– It was not an easy decision – he said in an interview for the official website of Real, after his official engagement in the NBA. – I spent many months discussing this with my family, analyzing different scenarios. However, I want to make my dreams come true. It was difficult because Real Madrid shaped me as a human being, but I would not like to reproach myself for not having tried it in a few years, when I finish my career.
Whether Campazzo will perform in the NBA as it has in Europe is a mystery. In the past, many players who made a splash in the Old Continent, overseas failed. Milos Theodosius, one of the best players in the history of European basketball, signed a contract with Los Angeles Clippers at the age of 30. And although the expectations were enormous on both sides, the hit transfer turned out to be a complete failure. After two years, during which Theodosius mainly sat on the Clippers’ bench or received treatment, the Serb returned to Europe. And again he charms with his game. But in Los Angeles, they don’t miss him.
Will Campazzo also conquer the NBA?
– Campazzo and Teodosi are two other cases. The Serb had health problems, he did not play for a long time due to injuries. It also happened during the rebuilding of Clippers. Besides, he gave up quite quickly, there was no determination in him to fight for a place in the squad. Facu is much better suited to today’s NBA as a player who thinks extremely fast, knows how to play counterattack and creates situations for his colleagues in pick & roll actions – explains Rafał Juć. Campazzo is also a much better defender and shooter, although in the Nuggets he is to act as a game creator, not a scorer.
Nuggets are a team that showed how huge their potential lies last season. In the “bubble” she reached the final of the Western Conference, eliminating Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Clippers. Only the Los Angeles Lakers turned out to be an insurmountable rival.
The prospect of playing the Nuggets has never been tempting to the biggest stars of the NBA. That is why the team from Colorado has been building the team in its own way for years: looking for gems from among the players from the second tier and looking for them on European dance floors.
In this way, Serb Nikola Jokić (41st draft), Canadian Jamal Murray (7th in the draft), Michael Porter Jr (14th) and Jusuf Nurkić and Juan Hernangomez, who already play in other teams, joined the team – also thanks to Jucia scouting. . Now it’s time for Campazzo.
“Facu Campazzo has some physical limitations, but by bringing him down, the Nuggets gained an elite playmaker. If you’re a fan of flashy passing, you’ll fall in love with the Argentinean game,” praises the new NBA player official website of the league.
– What will I say about Campazzo’s joining the NBA? I have nothing to be happy about, because he is a brilliant player and a tough rival. And seriously, I’m happy that he came here. I will keep my fingers crossed for him, except for the games against Mavs, said Luka Donici, who has come the same way as Facu – from Real to the NBA.
Donć is a big star in the best league in the world today. What is the future of Campazzo in her?
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