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Fran we hardly knew ye! June 28th, you smiled brightly for us all as the Orlando Magic announced you as the 11th overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft. You wore an Orlando Magic hat, held a press conference, posed for pictures for our newspaper, turned around and then kicked the entire city of Orlando in the collective groin. What went wrong? Should we have given you Space Mountain? Gatorland? Would you have stayed if you got to swim with the dolphins at Discovery Cove? What?

That was a giant gamble the Orlando Magic brass took on you, as more popular choices such as Sean May (still my personal favorite), Joey Graham, Danny Granger and Hakim Warrick waited in the wings. Personally, I think if there's ANY chance you might not be ready to play in the NBA, then don't enter your name into the draft, don't sit in the green room and don't shake the Commissioner's hand. You can't fake those things. If there was ANY indication Fran might not come over to the States then believe me, there was NO WAY the Magic would have drafted him. No team would. You don't do all of those things and then back out, saying you're "afraid to adapt to the American way of life, and of not giving the level they have asked." Was your visit that traumatic that you changed your entire philosophy? No, the bottom line is you got a better offer to stay at home and you took it. He was genuinely excited to play in the NBA, ready to move his family, ready to learn the NBA game and ready to move to Orlando, he just balked.

I know what you're thinking if it was any team but the Orlando Magic I'd be killing them for taking a guy who decided to stay overseas. True, however I see first hand every day how diligent Dave Twardzik, Otis Smith, and Brian Hill are at their jobs and I know they did as much research as humanly possible on Fran before selecting him, that's just their nature. If you want to be upset about something then be upset at WHO the Magic took at eleven, at least you can make an argument that ANY player is better than no player (unless it's Seattle's Robert Swift) but you CAN'T blame the Magic for Fran changing his mind.

You are about to select a virtual unknown and then explain to your fans why he's a good fit so you BETTER know everything there is to know about him and the Magic brass did. Unfortunately though Dave, Otis and Brian lost their mind-reading and soothsaying powers some years ago and could not foresee the about face Fran pulled on them. I mean this complete 180 is comparable to anything Dave Mirra might attempt to pull off in the X-Games. I only wish guys like Steven Hunter and Jeryl Sasser had a change of heart and decided to sign with team Girona from Spain.

The bottom line is fans want answers. Who is to blame? Is it Fran's American agent? Spanish agent? Family? Money? Paella? It doesn't matter. Ultimately Fran makes the decision and he decided he wants to stay. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. He can play overseas, develop his game and when he's ready he can come to Orlando as a polished player. The Magic have his rights for eternity and when he DOES decide to come to the NBA the Magic will essentially have two first round draft picks that year....only problem, we don't know when/if that will happen. Personally, if he doesn't want to be here, then I'd rather he not take up a roster spot and let him play overseas, it will be better in the long run for both parties.

Does it look bad? You're darn right it looks bad, it looks downright ridiculous and it happened to a team that desperately needed something positive to happen, there's no doubt about that. The question becomes what do the Magic do from here? They have to replace Fran with another big and they have to keep in good standing with Vazquez, I DON'T!! Which is why I hope Team Girona wins 4 games this year.

Enough about Fran, let's move on to Keyon Dooling, the 6'3" free agent signee by the Orlando Magic. It's not a name that's going to blow you away, but considering the alternatives: Earl Watson (too small), Antonio Daniels (too pricey), Smush Parker (too awful) the Magic made the right move. He's arguably the most athletic free agent available, he's a good defender, can score in bunches and is affordable. Dooling adds much needed depth to the Magic backcourt and he'll give the Magic all the little things that were lacking last year...........like defense. The knock on Keyon is that he's a little erratic, can be careless with the ball and is a streaky shooter......funny.....that's the same knock on Steve Francis.....so I'll take my chances.

Now, as far as a PERSON? He'll be tremendous in the locker room for this team. He's a hard worker, appreciative of his new opportunity, and chomping at the bit to get started. As a Sophomore at Missouri (his last year in college) he led his team in blocks. Now this may not mean anything, as I've gotten no reaction to whomever I've told, but to me, if you're 6'3" and you lead your team in blocks, you're either playing Center for my High School, or you're a guard that is all over the place. If we can get that aggression on this matador defensive team, then I'll take it. I've heard all the knocks on Keyon, but after meeting him before the press conference and interviewing him afterwards I can't wait to see what this guy's made of on the court.

Dante welcomes your comments, questions and alternative opinions. E-mail him here.

Dante’s Speak is solely the opinion of Dante Marchitelli and does not reflect the views of the Orlando Magic or the NBA. Marchitelli has served as radio producer in the Orlando Magic's Broadcast department for seven seasons.