[打屁] The Pelicans Take Flight

看板Pelicans作者ckbbwtb (曲終人不散)時間11年前 (2013/07/11 11:00)推噓15(15推 0噓 7→)

留言22則, 12人參與討論串1/3 (看更多)

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9462545/the-remaking-new-orleans-pelicans by Zach Lowe 文很長很長，翻到哪算哪，沒有逐字翻，有興趣的可以自己看 Two weeks ago, the New Orleans Pelicans were a funky team with some very good young players, a killer new mascot, another lottery pick, a coach with the most diverse sideline wardrobe in the NBA, and an intriguing upside that seemed years away. And then, bam: They surprised everyone by trading two first-round picks, including the pick that turned out to be Nerlens Noel, in exchange for Jrue Holiday — a deal with serious Kawhi Leonard–George Hill potential in terms of long-term "Who won?" curiousity. They followed that up by immediately throwing a monster contract at Tyreke Evans, one of the league's five best restricted free agents, at the start of a free-agency period in which there has been almost zero buzz around the other four. 兩個禮拜前，紐奧良鵜鶘是一隻有很棒的年輕球員、新的吉祥物、一個樂透籤、一個全聯盟西裝種類最多的教練、而且有著進步潛力的球隊。突然之間，砰！他們嚇壞了所有人，用兩個樂透籤（其中一個變成了Nerlens Noel）換來了 Jrue Holiday —一個 George Hill換 Kawhi Leonard式的交易，讓人好奇長遠來看誰才賺了。他們緊接著在幾個最好的市場上受限自由球員（Peko、Teague、Jennings 和Henderson）有動靜之前，丟了一個巨型合約給同樣是頂級RFA的Tyreke Evans。 Once the Evans deal is complete, the Pellies will have six players locked up through 2015-16, tied with the Celtics for the largest number (excluding 2013-14 rookies) of any team in the league. Those six guys, plus draft picks and charges for empty roster spots, would take the Pelicans very close to the projected salary cap in the summers of 2014 and 2015. In other words, this six-man group could be the team: Evans, Holiday, Anthony Davis, Austin Rivers, Ryan Anderson, and Eric Gordon. To acquire that core, the Pelicans have sacrificed both future cap flexibility and a pick in next June's loaded draft, the key asset that swung the Noel-Holiday deal. Outside of Boston, which has quickly become Valhalla for any NBA front-office geek interested in a monster rebuild project, the Pelicans have had the league's most interesting offseason — a series of high-risk, high-reward gambles that have divided rival executives and gone against the grain of larger trends in NBA team-building strategy. 等到Evans的三方交易正式完成，有六個球員直到2015-16賽季都會在鵜鶘陣中，這數字和賽爾提克並列全聯盟之冠。這六個人加上未來的新秀和其他簽來坐板凳的球員就讓鵜鶘的團隊薪資非常接近2014和2015預估的薪資上限。換句話說，這六個人就等於這支球隊：Evans、Holiday、Anthony Davis、Austin Rivers、 Ryan Anderson 和 Eric Gordon 為了得到這組核心，鵜鶘犧牲了未來的薪資彈性和明年選秀大年的首輪籤，也就是 Holiday 那筆交易得以成交的關鍵資產。除了波士頓那個已經成了front-office geek朝聖之地的超大型重建計畫以外，鵜鶘有著全聯盟最有意思的休賽季—和聯盟風氣以及其他球隊制服組不同，進行了一連串的高風險高回報的賭博。 And the gamble starts right away, at the behest of owner Tom Benson, who pushed the front office to end the slow game and accelerate the rebuild now, per several sources around the league. Dell Demps and his staff have tried to find a middle path by acquiring two productive players — Holiday and Evans — that are both just 23 years old, with upside still to realize. The Sixers are counting on the experiment being a failure this season. If it is, Philly could end up with the no. 6 or no. 7 pick in addition to its own, which appears a sure thing to fall among the top five.3 The Pelicans believe this group can chase one of the last two playoff spots in the Western Conference, and that even if they fail, they might still win enough games to slot their pick somewhere in the no. 12-14 range. 幾個聯盟知情人士說，這場賭博在老闆 Tom Benson 要求制服組加快重建速度之後就開始了。 Dell Demps 和他的制服組試著找到一條中庸之道，弄來了兩個才 23歲，而且還在進步又有效率的的球員（Holiday 和 Evans）。七六人則是滿心期待這場實驗失敗，因為這樣他們可以在明年選秀夜拿到第六或第七號籤（交易去的首輪籤有前五順位保護），再加上他們自己幾乎篤定是前五順位的首輪籤。鵜鶘相信這組核心起碼可以吊車尾進季後賽，就算不成，也只會給七六人一支十二到十四號籤。 And that's really the bet here — the wager that lands right in the crosshairs of a simmering debate about the worth of first-round picks. The no. 13 pick, according to an exhaustive ESPN.com analysis of past NBA drafts, has an average return of something like Corliss Williamson. But the new collective bargaining agreement, with its harsh tax rates and roster-building limits imposed upon big spenders, has teams prizing draft picks more than ever. Only one future first-round pick changed hands at the trade deadline, far below what we'd normally see, and teams have paid ever-increasing sums to acquire first-rounders from rivals — even if those picks are likely to fall toward the end of the first round, where the average return dips to Jon Barry levels. Golden State assumed Richard Jefferson's monster contract to acquire San Antonio's 2012 first-round pick, which became no. 30 (Festus Ezeli). And just this week, Utah took on a whopping $24 million in dead salary as the price for two Golden State first-rounders and two second-rounders.4 There are other examples out there. 這才是真正的賭注—有關首輪籤價值的爭論。根據ESPN的分析結果，十三號籤的新秀大概是像 Corliss Williamson等級的。但在新版CBA高額的豪華稅率和簽人限制下，讓選秀權的價值在各個球隊眼裡史無前例的高。交易大限前只有一個首輪籤被交易，遠低於一般的預期同時球隊也願意用越來越高的代價去弄來一個首輪籤，就算只是首輪末、大概就是 Jon Barry等級的新秀。勇士吃了 Richard Jefferson 的合約，弄來2012的第三十號籤（最後變成Festus Ezeli）。這禮拜爵士吃了24M 的垃圾合約從勇士那弄來兩張首輪籤和兩張次輪籤。這樣的例子還有很多。 The word "asset" has never had more currency in the NBA. Draft picks, even in the 20s, are "assets" teams can use to acquire cheap talent, or to grease the wheels in potential mega-trades for star players. The Celtics view the three unprotected picks they nabbed from the spend-spend-spend Nets not just as young players that will don the hallowed green, but as "assets" carrying the lure of the unknown for a rival GM looking to move a disgruntled star. 「資產」這東西在聯盟的價值從沒這麼高過。就算是20順位左右的選秀權，都變成了可以換來天分、或是大型的球星交易中的重要「資產」。賽爾提克把他們從漫天撒錢的籃網那弄來的三個選秀權不僅僅視為將來穿綠球衣的年輕球員，它們同時還是可以從不知道哪隊的GM手上弄來不開心的球星的「資產」。 There are lots of people around the league who think the valuing of draft picks has gone too far — that it has become almost a fetish. Count the Pelicans among them. They looked at Holiday and saw a certainty — a 23-year-old NBA baby who proved last season, at least before a horrific late shooting slump, that he was up for a larger burden on offense. Holiday brings an above-average 3-point shot, decent court vision, a very affordable long-term contract that kicks in next season, and the ability to defend shooting guards if necessary. The Pelicans are gambling that a known commodity of this level will be worth more than this year's no. 6 pick, recovering from a severe knee injury, and a back-of-the-lottery selection next year. 聯盟裡同時有很多人認為選秀權的價值已經高到太超過了—只差沒有供起來拜，鵜鶘也是這麼認為的。他們看到 Holiday有形的價值—一個23歲並且已經在聯盟中證明過自己（起碼在球季末因為承擔太多進攻責任而命中率大降之前）的年輕人。Holiday 有高過平均的三分投射、良好的球場視野、下個球季才開始的佛心長約、和必要時能守得分後衛的防守能力。鵜鶘在賭，賭一個這種等級的球員會比今年剛從膝傷回來的六號籤及明年的新秀籤還要好。 The Sixers, for their part, are betting on a lot of things — Noel's health, the Pelicans continuing to struggle, and the notion that it's much easier to replace 85 percent of a quality starting point guard's production than it is to find the next Tyson Chandler. And you can see the logic. There are so many decent starting point guards in the league that Teague and Jennings cannot find aggressive suitors, and solid guys like Kyle Lowry, Ramon Sessions, Goran Dragic, George Hill, Jose Calderon, Devin Harris, and others all earn less than Holiday will on average over the length of his contract. But most of those guys come with warts a great team could expose over a playoff series, and two playoff contenders last season were starting Mike James and Mo Williams, respectively, for large chunks of the season. 對七六人來說，他們則在賭很多東西—像是Noel的健康、鵜鶘會繼續沉淪、還有「找一個能取代 Holiday八成效能的控球比找下一個 Tyson Chandler 簡單」這件事。聯盟裡有很多像 Teague 或 Jennings 之類的好控球乏人問津，也有很多合約比 Holiday小張的合格控球，像是Kyle Lowry、Ramon Sessions、Goran Dragic、George Hill、Jose Calderon、Devin Harris等等。而這些球員大部分都在樂透球隊打球，進季後賽的球隊裡卻有兩隻大半季的時間是由 Mike James 和 Mo Williams先發。（待續...前面全都是講這筆交易的邏輯。後面才是討論鵜鶘要面對的課題） -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 67.187.92.197

推

g820215

07/11 17:29, , 1^F

07/11 17:29, 1^F

推

mashburn

07/11 22:39, , 2^F

07/11 22:39, 2^F

推

reversy

07/12 00:09, , 3^F

07/12 00:09, 3^F