Tomato hater, Sports lover

Setting expectations for the Trail Blazers

對拓荒者隊寄予厚望吧！

原文網址－

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/63392/setting-expectations-for-the-trail-blazers

Less than four years ago, the Portland Trail Blazers were thought to have as bright a future as any team in the league. Chad Ford and John Hollinger ranked them first overall in the 2009 NBA Future Power Rankings, commenting:

在三年多前，波特蘭拓荒者隊是聯盟中前途最被看好的球隊。Chad Ford和JohnHollinger在2009的未來實力排行榜將其排在聯盟第一，並評論：

On paper, no other team possesses as bright a future as the Portland Trail Blazers. It all starts with the players. Nobody, not even Oklahoma City, can match the stable of young talent the Blazers have built. Brandon Roy is already a superstar, and joining him are potential stars like LaMarcus Aldridge (24), Greg Oden (21, even if he looks more like 51), Nicolas Batum (20) and Martell Webster (22).

「單看陣容，沒有球隊像波特蘭拓荒者一樣前途一片光明。這一切要由球員開始說。沒有任何一隊能和拓荒者隊充滿才華洋溢的年輕球員的陣容相比，即來像51歲）、20歲的Nicolas Batum和22歲的Martell Webster。」

The Trail Blazers were about to settle into a period of peace, prosperity and stability, but we all know what happened next.

拓荒者隊本來即將開始一段平和、成功和穩定的時期，但我們都知道接下來發生什麼事。

Aldridge and Batum emerged from the rubble as the sole survivors among core players, coaching staff and management. The result has been an interesting exercise in rebuilding at a moment nobody ever dreamed the Blazers would have to rebuild. Catastrophes are devastating, but the only thing to do is start again, even if the final product isn’t ultimately as nice as what was destroyed.

Aldridge和Batum是唯二從核心球員、教練團和管理階層的斷垣殘壁中生存下來的人。結果便是在這個沒人想過需要重建的時間點進行有意思的重建。災難毀人無數，但唯一能做的便是從頭再起，即使最終結果不像摧毀前一樣好。

“We can't live in the shadow of what might have been,” Portland general manager Neil Olshey says, “We'll never know."

「我們不能活在如果的陰影中。」拓荒者隊總管Neil Olshey說。「那個如果永遠不會變成結果。」

Soon after signing on as general manager in the summer of 2012, Olshey drafted Damian Lillard and matched an offer sheet on Batum. Along with Aldridge, the Blazers now have a coveted point-wing-big core. That’s most of what they had last season, but without a bench, they played .500 ball for the meat of the season. They have a sturdy foundation if Lillard becomes the top-10 point guard he appears to be, and if Batum (only 24) achieves his potential as the full package of playmaker-shooter-defender.

Olshey在2012夏天接下總管一職後，他馬上選了Damian Lillard並跟進Batum的合約。加上Aldridge，拓荒者隊現在有令人垂涎三尺的控衛－側翼－禁區三核心。這三核心也是上季拓荒者最大收穫，在缺乏板凳支援的情況下，他們球季大半時間還維持五成勝率。如果Lillard能順理成章的成為聯盟前十控，同時Batum（才24歲）達到潛力所及的三合一全能球員（進攻發動者、射手、防守大鎖），那拓荒者就有穩固的基石。

We’re starting to get a glimpse of what the building is going to look like. Lost amid Olshey's candid, Oh-Dear-God media-day address on the persistence of the Aldridge nonstory was a pithy description of the organizational blueprint:

我們能一窺拓荒者隊未來的樣貌。Olshey直言不諱的在喔天啊媒體日（譯按：拓荒者GM在媒體日對於Aldridge一事說出「喔天啊」）堅稱關於Aldridge的新聞是空穴來風這個舉動簡要說明了未來建隊藍圖：

We’ve supported [Aldridge] with veterans. We've continued to do what we need to do in terms of bringing young talent in here. We've kept our long-term flexibility. We have the ability to aggregate our assets and put those into play if it gets to that point -- where we can put another star around him and [Lillard] and some of the other guys.

「我們簽下老將以輔佐Aldridge。我們為了引進年輕好手持續做該做的事。我們維持長期的彈性。我們有能力聚集手頭的資產並在對的時候用下去，那個時間點就是可以簽下另一位球星和Aldridge、Lillard及其他人一起合作。」

This is the design going forward in Portland: Develop the Aldridge-Lillard-Batum trio while accumulating assets and maintaining flexibility that can ultimately yield one more key piece. 

這個便是拓荒者隊正在建構的陣容。在建立Aldridge-Lillard-Batum三巨頭時累積資產和保持彈性，並最終能補上關鍵拼圖。

“Upon conclusion of the 2014 season, we will know whether or not we have reached the fork in the road,” Olshey says. “Either we are on the right course with our current roster by having drafted well, signed good contracts, acquired Bird [rights] players, and this group will stay together and we’ll make a strong move forward. Or we’re going to aggressively look to aggregate some of our assets to consolidate them into one player to join those players we believe represent the core of the franchise.”

「在2014球季的尾聲後，我們就知道我們是否遇到岔路。」Olshey表示。「我們要不是藉著成功選秀、簽好的合約、獲得適合的球員並且球隊團結一心，在現有的陣容中維持正軌並更向前一步。便將積極的聚集一些現有資產並將其換成一位球員，和我們相信能代表球隊核心的球員們合作。」

Either (a) the Trail Blazers crack the code, or (b) the roster beyond the core remains a little iffy, which means resources will be pooled and big game will be hunted. With that strategy in mind, how important is it that Portland wins in 2013-14? Last season, expectations were modest and priorities were more specific -- the primary one to develop Lillard's skills and confidence. The fact that the Blazers were able to accomplish that task is a far greater takeaway than the 33-49 record. The team played .500 ball until Feb. 10 and there was a general optimism in the Rose Garden.

選（A）拓荒者隊能解決現有問題，或（B）除了核心外，這個陣容將保有一些變動可能，也就是現有資源會被聚集而且將狩獵大球星。以這個策略為基準，對拓荒者隊來說在2013-14球季贏球有多重要？上一季，期望是適度的且優先事項比較明確，主要就是培養Lillard的技巧和信心。事實上拓荒者隊能達成目標比起33勝49敗戰績來的更重要。球隊直到2月10號前還維持五成勝率，而當時Rose Garden球場瀰漫著一股樂觀的氣氛。

This season, defining expectations for the Blazers is more complicated than merely improving on 33 wins. Odds are they will, but determining what level of success constitutes a good season is difficult. The roster is better than it was last season now that the team has acquired Robin Lopez, Mo Williams, Dorell Wright and Thomas Robinson to add depth where there was none, though seventh in the West is ambitious, even with the upgrades. Still, Olshey’s position is that W's are an imperative.

這個球季，拓荒者隊要設定他們的球季目標不單是贏超過33場這麼簡單。贏超過33場的機會很大，但決定達到怎樣的高度才能算是一個好的球季並不容易。球隊陣容比上一季來的更好，現在他們得到Robin Lopez、Mo Williams、Dorell Wright和Thomas Robinson以增加去年沒有的板凳深度。即使球隊升級了，要到達西區第七名依然是個充滿野心的目標。仍然，Olshey的態度表示勝場數極為重要。

“All of our offseason moves were made with the intention of competing immediately while not jeopardizing our long-term flexibility,” Olshey says.“We are still focused and committed to developing our young talent, but it will not be at the expense of winning.”

「所有休賽季的動作是為了要有即時戰力，同時不傷害到球隊的長期彈性。」Olshey表示。「我們仍然專注且致力於培養年輕潛力，但並不會犧牲勝場數。」

There are important intangible factors at work, as well. Aldridge has stated he’s content in Portland, but it’s fair to believe the team’s success will be an important factor in his overall happiness moving forward -- and winning breeds satisfaction. And besides Salt Lake City, there isn’t a market more vested in the fortunes of its NBA team than Portland, so trajectory matters. The nice thing about 33-49 is the modest baseline it offers, and though a 41-41 record wouldn’t win the Blazers anything -- maybe not even a postseason berth -- plus-eight wins isn’t chopped liver. It’s the savory roasted game hen at Pok Pok.

這個運作同時有著重要的無形要素。Aldridge表示他很滿意待在拓荒者隊，但會認為球隊的成功是讓他更開心的重要因素並不過分，而勝利帶來滿足感。同時除了鹽湖城外，沒有一個市場比波特蘭投入更多財富到NBA球隊裡，因此球隊能上軌道很重要。33勝49敗戰績的好處在它劃出適當的基準點，而雖然41勝41敗的五成勝率可能不能帶給拓荒者隊任何東西，或許連季後賽席次都沒有。但多8場勝場並不是微不足道的。正相反的是多這8場極具意義。

The recipe on the floor should result in a better product. The Blazers ranked 26th in defensive efficiency last season, which means there’s virtually nowhere to go but up. There was only so much that a defense with a 6-foot-9 center could do, but this season Portland will feature Lopez in place of J.J. Hickson. With Lopez, Aldridge and Batum, there’s now some serious length on the floor, and a lot more for coach Terry Stotts and his staff to work with.

現在球隊陣容應該能有更棒的戰績。拓荒者去年的防守效率排在第26名，也就是說只能變得更好。當球隊的中鋒是6呎9吋時防守也不能要求太多，但這季拓荒者隊由Lopez接替J.J. Hickson的中鋒位置。當Lopez、Aldridge和Batum在場上時，防守端的有著實在高度，同時有很多變化能讓Terry Stotts教練和他的團隊去操作。

“We’re going to change our principles,” Stotts says. “We’ll have a style of play defensively that our team lends itself to -- changing our pick-and-roll schemes, not getting out and extending our bigs very much. The principle being we need to do a better job of protecting the rim and forcing midrange jump shots. We were in the bottom of the league in attempts at the rim and in attempts being converted at the rim.”

「我們將會改變原則。」Stotts表示。「我們將會有一套益於球隊的防守風格。改變檔拆策略、鞏固禁區並不讓高個球員跑得太出去。這個原則即是我們必須更努力保護禁區和迫使對方投中距離跳投。我們去年在全聯盟中是籃下出手的後段班，而且讓對手籃下出手數也是吊車尾。」

On the other end, the Blazers’ starters posted a healthy 104.1 points per 100 possessions, considerably better than the league average. Stotts runs a diverse, user-friendly offense that combines much of the philosophy he helped develop in Dallas with Lillard’s inclination to play in the half court, Billups style. Portland features more jump shooters than iso scorers, so Stotts encourages early jumpers, but Lillard and Aldridge are powerful tools in the half court, and you can do a lot worse than running two-man action for those guys several dozen times a game. The trick for the Blazers is splitting the difference, creating flow while exerting Lillard’s control over the game.

另一方面，拓荒者隊先發球員有著良好的每100球權得104.1分的表現，比起聯盟平均好得多。Stotts的進攻戰術多元又容易掌控，其中包含他在達拉斯建立起的進攻哲學，再加上Lillard偏好著Billups風格的半場陣地戰。拓荒者隊球員以跳投見長而非單打好手，所以Stotts鼓勵快攻跳投。但Lillard和Aldridge是半場進攻的強力武器，而且在一場比賽中打個幾十次那兩人的小組配合比起打其他戰術可能更好。拓荒者的訣竅就是折衷分配，讓傳導流暢的同時發揮Lillard的控場能力。

“Damian’s a scoring point guard who’s used to having the ball in his hands,” Stotts says. “The challenge for our team is being able to get the ball ahead quicker. I don’t want to play a 100-possession game but I do want to get the a ball ahead. That makes the flow in the half court easier.”

「Damian是個進攻型控衛並習慣持球。」Stotts表示。「對我們球隊來說，把球更快傳到前場是個挑戰。我並不想每場球賽打到100次球權，但我的確想要讓球往前場傳。這會讓半場進攻更流暢。」

Lillard is still young, and we don’t yet know who he’s going to be. His potential is every bit as elastic as Aldridge’s is settled. We know precisely who Aldridge is, but projecting Lillard’s growth is tough, which, in turn, makes setting the bar for the Blazers challenging.

Lillard還年輕，而且我們也還不知道他會成為怎樣的球員。他的潛力讓他有機會達到Aldridge的高度。我們很清楚Aldridge是怎樣的球員，但預測Lillard的成長並不容易，因此要設定拓荒者隊的極限很困難。

Whether clearing it means logging more than 33 wins, or finishing .500, or qualifying for the playoffs, this incarnation of the Blazers is now officially on the clock.

無論期望是贏超過33場勝場、或以五成勝率作結、或擠進季後賽，這支新世代拓荒者隊現在正式的步上正軌了。

心得：

這季的拓荒者其實補強並不差，但好像滿不受到重視的（？）

文章中有幾個關於球隊本身重點：

1. 跳投大隊：
拓荒者是名副其實的跳投大隊。
不多多挑戰籃框的話，球隊當機時真的會沒有拉鋸能力。而這也是拓荒者常常輸球的方式

2. 防守：
上季J.J. Hickson成績進步讓人眼睛為之一亮，但是防守上挺悲劇的，需要其他人幫忙擦屁股。
因此新球季最需要改善的便是防守。

3. 板凳：
上季拓荒者隊的BOX特色就是先發一片正、板凳一片負。
新的補強和年輕人的成長希望能改善板凳支援不足的問題。

上季表現優異的勇士、火箭；加上今年可能會起飛的鵜鶘；還有新世代拓荒者。西區的新興球隊不容小覷。
拓荒者今年目標絕對是打進季後賽！