Orlando Magic Assistant GM Dave Twardzik on Fran Vazquez saying he wants to continue his career in Spain...
August 3, 2005
“We had an excellent meeting with Fran (Vazquez) today. He expressed to us his desire to play in the NBA and with the Magic in the future. He felt at this time in his life it was best for him to remain in Spain from a cultural standpoint. He was very apologetic in regard to the situation and we agreed to remain in close contact with Fran and Girona (team in Spain) as this process moves forward.”
-- Dave Twardzik, Assistant GM, Orlando Magic
"The message we've been getting all along -- before the draft, after the draft -- was that he was excited about playing here. He said it was his dream to play in the NBA. I don't know (what changed his mind). When you draft an international player, something like this is always possible. We talked about it before the draft. It's something he has to figure out now, if it's what he wants to do. Absolutely, we would have liked to have him this season. But if he stays there, he'll be playing with the best competition outside the NBA. When we do get him, he'll be a little stronger, a little more mature and his game a little more polished.
"His agent gave every indication that everything was great and that he was so excited about playing here. He was so excited when he was here, snapping pictures of Grant Hill's locker. He was so happy and it was such a good experience that we never got an indication he was feeling this way. We're going to continue to pursue it. I don't know if he'll change his decision, but we'll put our best foot forward. We're pretty connected with some of the American players there and they all said it was Fran's dream to play in the NBA. Those guys said Fran was constantly picking their brains about how tough the NBA was and what it was like to live in the United States. It's frustrating."
“We had an excellent meeting with Fran (Vazquez) today. He expressed to us his desire to play in the NBA and with the Magic in the future. He felt at this time in his life it was best for him to remain in Spain from a cultural standpoint. He was very apologetic in regard to the situation and we agreed to remain in close contact with Fran and Girona (team in Spain) as this process moves forward.”
-- Dave Twardzik, Assistant GM, Orlando Magic
"The message we've been getting all along -- before the draft, after the draft -- was that he was excited about playing here. He said it was his dream to play in the NBA. I don't know (what changed his mind). When you draft an international player, something like this is always possible. We talked about it before the draft. It's something he has to figure out now, if it's what he wants to do. Absolutely, we would have liked to have him this season. But if he stays there, he'll be playing with the best competition outside the NBA. When we do get him, he'll be a little stronger, a little more mature and his game a little more polished.
"His agent gave every indication that everything was great and that he was so excited about playing here. He was so excited when he was here, snapping pictures of Grant Hill's locker. He was so happy and it was such a good experience that we never got an indication he was feeling this way. We're going to continue to pursue it. I don't know if he'll change his decision, but we'll put our best foot forward. We're pretty connected with some of the American players there and they all said it was Fran's dream to play in the NBA. Those guys said Fran was constantly picking their brains about how tough the NBA was and what it was like to live in the United States. It's frustrating."
