Facundo Campazzo, at the height of the circumstances

“I always followed the same direction

the difficult one the one that uses the salmon”

The phrases of the song by Andrés Calamaro marked the path of Facundo Campazzo in the long period between last NBA season and 2022-2023. When everything indicated that the destiny of the Argentine base was the return to Europe, Facu went in the opposite directionlike salmon. He was tempted by Real Madrid where he shone to make the jump to the NBA. Also the powerful Fenerbahçe, willing to put millions of dollars on the table. But Campazzo remained firm in his desire: to continue in the best basketball league in the world.

“I want to continue in the NBA where I play, in the team that is interested. I let myself be carried away by the good feelings I had in these two seasons, I think I showed a good level beyond the ups and downs. I want to keep trying and I will evaluate the options that come up,” Campazzo said in an interview with ESPN.com in May. The Cordovan was clear about his goal. He worked and was patient to fulfill it. He trained with specialists to improve his shortcomings, such as shooting three points and taking advantage of certain offensive situations.And he waited for an offer to arrive when not even the most optimistic was waiting for it.

After two seasons at the Denver Nuggets, where he had ups and downs in both performance and minutes on the court, Campazzo will play for the Dallas Mavericks. The Argentine arrived to occupy the last place that was available on the Mavs squad.

LUKA DONCIC, THE HOST

When Luka Doncić completed his cycle at Real Madrid to bring his talent to the NBA, he left behind a club that formed him as a player and a person: he arrived as a child and left as an adult. He also said goodbye to many friends. One of them, Campazzo, with whom he shared a squad in his last season in the Spanish team with which they were champions of the ACB League and the Euroleague in that 2017-2018 campaign.

Luka and Facu met again on January 7, 2021 in the NBA, in the preview of the confrontation between Nuggets and Mavericks. That night, while Doncic dazzled everyone with 38 points and 13 assists, Campazzo watched the entire game from the bench. They crossed paths again in each duel between Dallas and Denver, always with the same smiles and affection intact. In addition, they met at the Olympic Games in another basketball clinic provided by the Slovenian in the victory over Argentina.

The Mavs superstar’s friendship with Campazzo must have influenced Facu’s arrival in Texas. Of course it’s just a detail that she collaborated to carry out the operation. The Argentine will bring his ability to move the ball, his defensive aggressiveness and his talent for finding the best-placed teammate with his sharp passes. The possibility of earning minutes and leading roles will depend on how he fits in with the team’s functioning and whether he can progress in what was his most notorious owe of him: the effectiveness of the three-point shot.

JASON KIDD, A COACH WHO WAS A STAR IN HIS POSITION

Dallas, led by Jason Kidd, reached the last Western Conference final. The goal of the Mavericks is to climb at least one step. The head coach was an excellent base, with a great vision of the game, a brilliant ability to assist and a good shot from distance. Kidd’s past as a player in the same position as Campazzo is a factor in favor of the Argentine. He knows the position perfectly, although the evolution of the game has been disintegrating the fixed positions, and he knows what Facu can offer.

The task of getting minutes in the rotation, starting, will not be easy for the Argentine. Doncic and Spencer Dinwiddie play on the perimeter and are stars of the team. Frenchman Frank Ntilikina is another point guard who is ahead in the race for minutes. Also among the guards are Tim Hardaway Jr., Theo Pinson, Jaden Hardy, Josh Green and Reggie Bullock.

With this panorama, Campazzo will have to take advantage of every opportunity to show that he can be valuable in the structure that Kidd seeks to build.

JOSÉ JUAN BAREA, A MIRROR IN WHICH TO LOOK AT YOURSELF

Barea’s last season in the NBA was 2019-2020, just before the arrival of Campazzo. The Puerto Rican, of height and game characteristics similar to those of the Argentine, played 11 seasons in the Mavericks and was champion in 2010-2011. Barea and Campazzo had electrifying matchups in matches between Puerto Rico and Argentina. After the last one, in qualifying for the 2019 World Cup, the Puerto Rican said in an interview for FIBA: “He has a story similar to mine. First in the BSN, then in the national team and even in the NBA, they always put limits on me, like I had a ceiling and I was overcoming them. Every year that I had to face Campazzo I saw him better”.

Both Barea and Campazzo were always watched out of the corner of their eyes due to their height. Of course, until in each place where they played they showed that they were up to the task. Facundo’s background in the Nuggets leaves the question open: will he be able to clear up, once again, the doubts that revolve around his possibilities?

The stage is set. Campazzo arrives, in silence, to a team in which he will have to fight for quantity and quality of minutes. He knows that he has everything to win in this new bet that he raised. He chose the difficult path, the opposite of what many would have taken. That’s how he is.