[外電] Oden wasn't a slam dunk

看板BLAZERS作者Iverigma (5.3% We have No.1!)時間17年前 (2007/07/02 16:42)推噓7(7推 0噓 2→)

留言9則, 6人參與討論串1/1

這篇文章很好玩描述Pritchard從抽中樂透到選走Oden這段時間的心路歷程 Oden wasn't a slam dunk Sunday, July 01, 2007 JASON QUICK The Oregonian Staff Bleary-eyed and slightly ashen, Kevin Pritchard spread his arms wide on Friday for the world to see him. "I mean, look at me," the Trail Blazers general manager invited, poking fun at his disheveled and exhausted appearance. He had just completed a 33-day investigation into which player best fit the Blazers for the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft -- Greg Oden or Kevin Durant -- and the process had taken its toll. 帶著疲倦的雙眼，蒼白的臉頰，Prtichard 張開雙手讓大家好好看看他。『看看我現在這是什麼樣子』Pritchard 對自己衣冠不整、滿臉疲憊的模樣開著玩笑。他剛剛完成了為期33天的調查，決定 Oden 或 Durant 才是最適合拓荒者的狀元，這個大調查把他整慘了。 Even though Pritchard and the Blazers on Thursday chose the player most fans and experts believed was the logical choice all along -- the 7-foot Oden -- the decision was far from easy. It was a process filled with tantalizing trade offers that included future Hall of Famers, often leaving Pritchard and his staff awake until 3 a.m. Along the way, the game film of both players created heated exchanges of debate within the Blazers' staff, and at times, the shear magnitude of the decision created moments of paralysis through analysis. It started May 22, when despite just a 5.3 percent chance to win the NBA's draft lottery, the Blazers won the draft lottery when a combination of four numbers on Ping-Pong balls produced one the biggest moments in franchise history. The Blazers knew May 22 that winning the top pick was big. Less than 24 hours later, Pritchard said, the team fielded its first trade offer, which confirmed that the pick was coveted around the NBA. And by June 1, the Blazers and Pritchard knew the pick was special, perhaps bigger than he and the rest of Blazers management ever imagined. 就算最後拓荒者的選擇和大部分球迷和專家都一樣，這個決定可來得不輕鬆。這過程中還出現不少誘人的交易提案－包括未來將近名人堂的球星－讓 Pritchard 和制服組的成員們開會到半夜三點。兩人的比賽影片讓制服組的人們激烈的爭論著，有時候龐大的壓力讓大家幾乎都對這件事情感到麻木了。這一切都從 5/22 那天開始，拓荒者以 5.3% 的機率抽中了狀元簽，那四顆乒乓球蹦出來的那一瞬間成為隊史上最重要的一刻之一。球團知道抽中狀元是件大事。抽中後不到24小時就接到了第一個交易提案，間接證實了 NBA 各隊有多麼垂涎這個狀元籤。到了六月一日那天，Pritchard 和球團才了解到這個籤有多屌，屌到超乎他們想像的程度。 As he drove to Eugene to watch a play with his daughter on May 23, less than 24 hours after winning the lottery, Pritchard took a call from an Eastern Conference general manager, with whom he had past dealings. The executive made an offer that was moderate in shock value: A five-time All-Star and this year's lottery pick in exchange for the No. 1 pick and the Blazers' 2008 first-round pick. As enticing as the offer was -- the Blazers in years past had made a run at the All-Star player -- Pritchard declined on the spot. It would be the start of an exhaustive process of taking phone calls from general managers who wanted to lure the No. 1 pick from Portland. But the onslaught of initial calls and offers -- most of them so lopsided in favor of the opponent that Pritchard would characterize them as "baloney" -- would do nothing to prepare Pritchard for the upcoming week at the NBA's weeklong predraft camp in Orlando, Fla. （譯按：好玩的八卦來了！） 5/23 那天，離抽中狀元不到24小時，在 Pritchard 開車載著他女兒去 Eugene 市看表演的路上，他接到一通電話，來自一位之前和他做過交易的東區球隊總管。該位總管的提議－驚人的程度大概是中等－包括了一個五度入選明星賽的球員，加上他們的樂透籤來換我們的狀元籤以及明年的首輪選秀權。（譯按：這提示太明顯了，美國鄉民很快的知道這是 Paul Pierce + 5th pick）即使這是個誘人的提案－畢竟當年拓荒者也曾經對該位球員有興趣－Pritchard 馬上拒絕了這提案。這只個開端而已，接下來 Pritchard 接各隊總管的電話接到手軟，他們都想要狀元籤，但是大部分的提案都是搶劫搶到被 Pritchard 歸類成『來亂的』。而這些都對 Pritchard 為選前訓練營的準備一點幫助都沒有。 The best players in the draft rarely work out at the camp. Still, the weeklong event attracts representatives from every NBA team, who use the opportunity to mingle and flirt with their peers in search of franchise-changing trades. And no league executive was more popular that week than Pritchard. Some proposed trades involving Zach Randolph, the Blazers' star forward. Pritchard had known he eventually would trade Randolph since a prominent player on the team requested at the end of the season that the high-scoring but troubled forward be dealt. But most discussions focused on the No. 1 pick. The talks got intriguing Thursday, the day before he would leave. A team within the Blazers division proposed a trade involving a future Hall of Famer and a standout rookie for the Blazers' No. 1 pick. As Pritchard described it, he stayed up until 3 a.m. in his hotel room with his staff considering the offer. "We banged our heads together all night," Pritchard said the next morning. Ultimately, Pritchard and his staff came to a conclusion: They would not make the deal, determining the No. 1 pick was so valuable, that only a trade involving Cleveland star LeBron James would be considered. 頂尖的新秀很少會在奧蘭多選訓營公開測試，但是每隊還是都會派代表來，畢竟這是個跟別隊制服組打屁裝熟，順便看看能不能談出什麼交易的好機會。不過那個禮拜沒有人比 Prtichard 更紅。有些提案是衝著 Zach Randolph 來的，Pritchard 那時候已經知道他終究得交易掉 ZBo ，因為隊上一個指標性球員在季末的時候要求 Pritchard 把 ZBo 交易出去。但是大部分的提案還是圍繞著狀元籤。事情在禮拜四 Pritchard 離去的前一天突然變得有趣起來。一個與拓荒者同分區的球隊提出：未來名人堂等級的球員+優秀的新人各一枚來換。（譯按：這也很好破解－ Kevin Garnett + Randy Foye）『整個晚上我們絞盡腦汁考慮這個提案。』Pritchard 隔天早上說。最後制服組還是達成共識：拒絕這個交易，只有拿 LeBron James 來換的提議才值得考慮。 It would take eight hours for Pritchard's conviction to be tested. Sitting high in the stands at the Milk House arena where the marginal prospects scrimmaged -- far from the courtside seats Pritchard so preferred -- Pritchard that morning was approached by a general manager of a Western Conference power. With bright lights illuminating the court below, Pritchard sat in a darkened corner with the general manager. The general manager wanted the Blazers' No. 1 pick. And he was willing to offer a player that will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Within the span of 24 hours, the Blazers had offers for two certain Hall of Famers in exchange for the No. 1 pick. The Blazers had visions that winning the No. 1 pick could change their franchise. But when Pritchard boarded his flight leaving Orlando, he knew every other team felt the same way about the pick. 沒想到八小時之後他們的共識就再度遭到挑戰。當時 Pritchard 坐在球場觀眾席的高處，看著幾個球員開始練習，一位來自西區強隊的總管向他走上去。陽光透進來照亮著球場，Pritchard 和那位總管坐在陰暗的角落裡面，他提出了一位『將來第一次票選就可以進名人堂』的球員要來換狀元籤。（譯按：這就難了，以他還特別強調 "first-ballot" 來看，比較有可能的大概是 Dirk, Kobe, Nash 吧）等於說在 24 小時內 Pritchard 連續接到兩個名人堂等級球員的提案。球團本來就深信這個狀元籤可以改變球隊的命運，但是在 Pritchard 離開奧蘭多的時候，他終於了解到每個球隊也都是這麼想的。（以下待續明天再翻） After the long flight from Orlando, Pritchard arrived to his West Linn home feeling like his mind was leaning one way: Oden. Earlier that day in Orlando, Oden and Durant made a surprise move and participated in a series of drills with other projected lottery picks. Pritchard said he figured both prospects would bypass the workout as had so many future stars in recent years, so he booked a mid-day flight out of Orlando. He was chagrined upon hearing the two worked out, and his frustration heightened when he got the full report from assistant general manager Tom Penn and director of NBA scouting Michael Born, two members of his staff who saw the workouts. Oden, Penn and Born reported, was amazing. He showed the sprinting speed of a guard and the dribbling capabilities of a skilled forward. And he showed such explosion and ferocity when attacking the rim that one Blazers executive predicted that Oden one day would cause a backboard to collapse in a game. Durant, on the other hand, looked less interested in the exercises, doing little to impress beyond his length and fluidity. After getting the full report from Penn and Born, Pritchard was awed. "He's amazing," Pritchard said from his home, late that night on June 1. "You just feel he's got to be the guy." All the while, Pritchard couldn't help but remember a conversation he had earlier that week with Gregg Popovich. Pritchard said the Spurs coach told him he was in a position to experience a twin-towers tandem unlike any other in NBA history. Sure, Popovich had David Robinson and Tim Duncan, who combined to win two championships. But Robinson, Popovich reminded Pritchard, retired five years after Duncan joined the Spurs. Pritchard, meanwhile, could pair LaMarcus Aldridge, his budding big man who had just been named to the All-Rookie team, with Oden. The tandem could blossom and play together for 10 years -- and unlike Robinson and Duncan -- Aldridge and Oden could play together when both were in their prime. "Aldridge and Oden," Pritchard said that night. "Could you imagine?" It was June 1, and Oden appeared to be the Blazers' pick. Even though Pritchard admitted he was leaning toward Oden on June 1, he privately chastised himself. He had preached to his staff of young evaluators that the organization would keep an open mind throughout the process, making sure Durant received equal consideration. To help, Pritchard referred to one of his favorite books: "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey. "It's one of my bibles," Pritchard said. A practice in the book suggests writing goals on your bathroom mirror that you would like to accomplish in 30, 60 and 90 days. "So on my bathroom mirror I wrote 'Keep an open mind,' " Pritchard said. "And that's all I put. I took down my 60- and 90-day goals." As Pritchard would see his goal on the mirror every morning, he would try to block out what was becoming an overwhelming swell of fan support for Oden. The team conducted a poll on its Web site, which eventually produced a more than 2-to-1 ratio in favor of Oden. And the team bought space on five billboards around Portland, prompting drivers to honk once for Oden, or honk twice for Durant. "I've received a lot of 'Honk once' e-mails," Pritchard quipped on June 16. His "open mind" policy was being tested. "Did I find myself leaning one way or another at times? You better believe it," Pritchard said the day after the draft. "But every day I came in here, I had to say to my scouts, 'Keep an open mind', because if I didn't, I felt my scouts would immediately go the same way I was. I wanted there to be healthy debate." Pritchard soon would get the debate for which he was looking. On June 20, Oden worked out for the Blazers. Admittedly, Oden was subpar in the drills, missing several easy shots, in part because of his nerves and possibly because of a cold. Two days later, Durant came to Portland for his workout and put on such a display that Pritchard deemed the session the best he has ever seen. Up the road in Seattle, Oden was visiting with the Seattle SuperSonics, who owned the No. 2 overall pick. Word of Durant's workout quickly trickled north. "I was definitely worried," Oden recalled. "I didn't feel I had a good workout. And I did hear (Durant) had a good workout. Believe me, I had a couple beads of sweat coming down my face about that." Back in Portland, the Blazers' staff began the first of many serious discussions. "We questioned everything," Pritchard said. "And it made me always on the defensive. (Owner) Paul (Allen) gets into this devil's advocate thing, and I found myself doing it with our scouts all the time. Then Paul and I had a long discussion, about two hours with the scouts, and we were all playing devil's advocate. Nothing was getting done." Meanwhile, the trade offers kept coming -- some for Randolph, many for the pick. At one point, in the week of the draft, Pritchard found his Blackberry loaded with 44 messages, most of them from league executives. In the days that followed, Pritchard looked increasingly haggard. His eyes were puffy and bloodshot, and his usually sharp business attire was replaced with shorts and sandals. He said a good night's sleep for him in the days leading up to the draft was three hours. Often, however, it was less. He spent his nights watching, and re-watching game film of each player. "I owed it to the organization," Pritchard said. "So I watched the film, and I made sure I went through the process. Because what if everybody made up their mind one day, and then down the line we uncovered something?" The Blazers didn't finalize their decision until draft day. At about 4:37 p.m. PDT, commissioner David Stern announced that Portland "selects Greg Oden." Within two hours, the Blazers completed a deal that was more surprising to the public -- they traded Randolph to the Knicks. Pritchard had made his decisions. -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 71.117.247.57

推

Ansel

07/02 17:07, , 1^F

07/02 17:07, 1^F

→

Ansel

07/02 17:08, , 2^F

07/02 17:08, 2^F

→

Ansel

07/02 17:09, , 3^F

07/02 17:09, 3^F