Tomato hater, Sports lover

Lack of big-man depth will be problem

（公牛）缺乏禁區厚度將造成問題

CHICAGO -- No matter how solid Tony Snell becomes over his career, his presence on this year's Chicago Bulls roster will be a constant reminder of a fact that will hover over this team throughout the season. Assuming there are no major adjustments to the roster, the Bulls are lacking depth down low.  

芝加哥報導－無論Tony Snell在籃球生涯中成為多實在的球員，在整個球季中他的存在都將提醒著芝加哥公牛隊一個事實。這個事實即是「假設公牛隊陣容沒有大幅度變動，那球隊將缺乏禁區厚度。」

Instead of taking a big man in the NBA draft last summer, the Bulls opted to go with Snell, a promising athletic wing who has the ability to knock down long-range shots. They re-signed 36-year-old Nazr Mohammed and hoped that Joakim Noah would escape the plantar fasciitis problems that have plagued him for years.  

上個夏天的NBA選秀會，公牛隊選擇Snell這位擁有外線能力且大有可為的側翼球員，而不是選擇禁區長人。公牛隊簽回36歲的Nazr Mohammed並盼望Joakim Noah能擺脫困擾他多年的足底筋膜炎。

After watching Roy Hibbert and the Indiana Pacers repeatedly pound the Bulls down low on Friday night while Noah sat on the bench in street clothes with a groin injury, it seems like a good time to revisit whether not taking a big man in the draft was the right strategy for a team that hopes to contend for a title this season. When asked what the Bulls have to do to combat a size differential without Noah, Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau offered up a simple solution.  

在看到公牛隊上周五因為Noah帶著鼠蹊傷病只能在板凳上看隊友表演，而被溜馬隊的Roy Hibbert肆虐禁區後，似乎是時候重新審視對支想要在這季競爭總冠軍的球隊，但沒有在選秀會上選禁區球員這個策略是否正確。當問到公牛隊在少了Noah時該做什麼以抗衡身材劣勢，公牛總教練Tom Thibodeau提出一個簡單的解決方法。

"Fight," he said. "The thing is (when) the ball was in the air you go to it. If you allow them to hit you first you're reacting to them. When the ball's in the air you got to go after it, you got to fight and we got to do it as a team. That's the way we rebound. Every aspect of what we do is five men working together. Hibbert's got size -- we expect the guards to come back in and fight to help. So we need everybody."  

「拼勁！」他表示。「事情是這樣子的，當球在空中時你需要去拼搶它。如果你讓對手搶佔先機那你就只能被動應對。當球在空中你必須追著它、你要拼搶而且整支球隊都要出一份力。這就是我們搶籃板的方法。我們不管在哪方面都是五人一起合作。Hibbert有身材優勢，我們預期後衛們都跑到禁區並幫忙拼搶。所以我們需要每個人的力量。」

Thibodeau's attitude is well-meaning but Friday's game offered up a reminder that the Bulls are thin in a place where it's good to be big. Mohammed barely played through the first few months of last season and shouldn't be counted on to play 15-20 minutes night after night. Taj Gibson bulked up over the summer, adding 15 pounds, but at 6-9 he is still undersized against many centers in the league. Thibodeau noted recently that he could play Luol Deng, Jimmy Butler or even Mike Dunleavy, Jr. sometimes at the four if needed, but having one of those guys down on the blocks isn't a scenario that any Bulls fan wants to envision.  

Thibodeau的態度立意良善，但星期五的比賽提示著公牛隊在該要厚實的地方卻略顯單薄。Mohammed上季的前幾個月幾乎沒有上場，並且不應該依靠他每晚都頂上15到20分鐘。Taj Gibson在夏天增重了15磅，但6呎9的身高在聯盟中多數中鋒裡身高依然小一號。Thibodeau在近期提到他可以在某些必要時刻把Luol Deng、Jimmy Butler或甚至Mike Dunleavy二世擺到大前鋒，但把這些人放到禁區並非任何公牛球迷期望看到的場景。

The reality of the situation is that the Bulls bet on the health of Noah this year and that is a bet that hasn't paid off in recent times. Over the last three years Noah has missed 52 games and he has played in just one game this preseason. His teammates miss him for a variety of reasons, but Dunleavy acknowledged the one area where the Bulls probably miss him the most.  

事實上，公牛隊賭今年的Noah會健康，而這個賭注在近年內都沒行的通。在近三年，Noah少出賽52場比賽而且這個熱身賽他只上一場。他的隊友有各種想念他的理由，但Dunleavy理解公牛隊最想念的他一個原因。

"Besides everything that Jo brings, a little bit of that depth too," Dunleavy said. "He's just such a force in there, both ends of the court, he's such a unique player. He protects the rim for us and rebounds, he also makes a lot of plays of the offensive end so we miss (him) a ton. We hope he gets back soon but you got to let the process play itself out."  

「除了一切Jo（Noah）給予球隊的外，也提供了一些厚度。」Dunleavy表示。「他在禁區就是充滿威力，無論進攻和防守都是，他真的是個獨特的球員。他為我們保護禁區和搶籃板，也在進攻端貢獻無數，所以我們真的很想念他。我們希望他能盡快回到場上，但真的要讓復原順其自然。」

Dunleavy joked that he could handle himself down on the blocks as long as he wasn't faced up against Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard, but his words offered another reminder that while the Bulls may not see Howard more than a couple times this year, they figure to see plenty of Hibbert, Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez and Miami Heat center Greg Oden -- if the latter can find a way to stay healthy.  

Dunleavy開玩笑的說只要不是面對火箭隊中鋒Dwight Howard他都可以應付禁區，但他的話語中也提示著公牛隊雖然可能不會在這個球季中碰到Howard兩次以上，但他們要碰到不少次Hibbert、布魯克林籃網隊的中鋒Brook Lopez和邁阿密熱火隊的中鋒Greg Oden，假設後者能保持健康的話。

Those are the teams the Bulls will be competing against all season for the top spot in the Eastern Conference and those are the guys, especially the first two, who have the ability to give the Bulls a lot of trouble. Thibodeau also noted recently that Noah's health problems may force the Bulls to change how they fill the last roster spot. But for fans clamoring for the Bulls to keep Dexter Pittman, remember that Pittman has played in just 48 games over three NBA seasons averaging a grand total 2.4 points and 1.8 rebounds a game.  

這些球隊便是公牛隊這整季將要角逐東區第一的對手，而那些禁區球員，尤其是前兩位有能力對公牛隊造成不少困擾。Thibodeau最近也提到Noah的健康問題可能迫使公牛隊改變陣容名單最後一個位置的選擇。但那些吵著要留下Dexter Pittman的公牛迷們可別忘了Pittman這三年NBA生涯只出賽48場並總共只有場均2.4分和1.8籃板。

"We've got enough to win," Thibodeau said Sunday, uttering a familiar mantra. "The next guy has to get up. (Noah) missed a lot last year -- the team still has to function and we have to function well. Whoever we have, they got to get the job done."  

「我們陣容足夠贏球了。」Thibodeau在禮拜天講述著似曾相似的真言。「下一位球員必須頂住。（Noah）去年少出賽很多場比賽，但球隊仍必須運作而且球隊要成功的運轉。不管球員是誰，他們都要把該做的做好。」

Without Noah, that will be a tough job for any Bull to handle. Thibodeau and the front office better hope the oft-injured center can find a way to stay on the floor. If not, the lack of depth down low will be will continue to be a sore spot for a front office that had a chance to address a need over the summer in the draft and decided against it. 

沒有Noah，球隊將有著任何公牛球員都難以對付的棘手任務。Thibodeau和制服組最好希望這位痛痛中鋒能想辦法待在場上。若沒辦法，缺乏禁區厚度的問題將持續是制服組的痛腳。而這問題在夏天的選秀時他們有機會解決但決定不去碰它。

心得：

比起公牛禁區，熱火禁區應該更薄更矮吧！而且Oden根本不期不待...

回到本文。
老席說到讓滷蛋跟Butler守四4號？!
一大四小時當然可以啦，但扛傳統大前鋒應該不是個好策略吧...不怕這兩個鐵人又倒下去嗎...

或許老席該好好思考他的策略是否帶給球員過多身體負擔。
總不能回來一個Rose，卻倒一個Noah；Noah傷癒復出，又傷一個Deng吧。

比起公牛隊的禁區厚度，我認為更該擔心的是他們滿身傷的身體能否一直被硬操吧。