So Ramon Nunez is gone…

By: Robert | August 15th, 2007

I’ll be honest with you I’ve struggled with this one, even before last night’s trade; I’ve not figured out how to resolve my feelings about Ramon Nunez, even as he sat on the bench relegated to an occasional sub for the reserve side I’ve felt the pangs of sympathy. I’m a Nunez fan, I’ll admit it, I’ve seen the potential and yet…I don’t know. Ramon Nunez has unquestioned talent and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s an All-Star in the next couple of years, he can be that good. His problem is that he believes he’s that good right now. If Ramon Nunez was as good as Ramon Nunez thinks he is, not only would he still be in Dallas, he might be in Europe.

With just a tad short of blazing speed, the ability to dribble past anyone and a vicious right foot, Ramon Nunez possess all the skills to be something special; but for all he had on the pitch he lacked as much off it, as his head, his mouth and his heart earned him a spot on that aluminum bench for more than a month. The stories of his off-field exploits as a Hoops at this point are now lore: he and his dad confronting ex-coach Colin Clarke over a starting position, hissy fits after being subbed out of games, the lack of desire to track back on defense, do not bode well for the former first round draft pick. And while he “blossomed” last season as an attacking outside midfielder, he constantly complained about not seeing time at his “natural” position. Nunez always believed his skill set was best fit for a central attacking midfielder and when new coach Steve Murrow arrived, Ramon got his chance and it all went awry. On the bench after a little more than a month, Nunez was simply unable to lead the team and although the Hoops were grabbing points the individuals never coalesced. Ramon’s fate in Dallas was sealed when the situation turned against him and he never showed the character of a great player, pouting instead of performing, asking to be traded instead of working on his game. And so it ends.

In return for trading Nunez to Chivas USA, FC Dallas gets a conditional draft pick in the 2009 SuperDraft (A first round draft pick if Nunez starts 15 regular-season games or is loaned or sold outside of MLS, a third round if he starts anything less.) It’s a trade that feels like addition by subtraction at this point in time; the Hoops unload 100K of underperforming, bitter cap space and get a locker room free of distractions for the stretch run, but no one in return. Although a draft pick could turn into the next Landon Donovan, even the best need a few years to develop, which means the entirety of this deal may not be known until around 2012 and while I’ll never bemoan planning for the future, that far in advance may be a stretch. It would have been great for the Hoops get a quality player in return but as I’ll go into detail later this week, what does this team really need?

So adios Ramon Nunez, good luck in southern California and wherever your career may take you; but don’t be surprised if you return to Dallas and we remind you that when you played here the FC stood for “failing continuously.”

HOOPS PRIDE!

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