[外電] With mom's help, Pistons' rookie is …

看板Pistons作者kerrys (台北不是我的家)時間18年前 (2005/11/23 19:58)推噓8(8推 0噓 1→)

留言9則, 8人參與討論串1/1

原文出處： http://0rz.net/ce0Qd -- There was an Afro sighting at a recent Pistons practice, but it didn't belong to you know who. 在最近活塞的練習場上可以看到有人頂著典型的黑人爆炸頭在打球，但他並不屬於你所熟知的那位仁兄。 "His is definitely a little bit bigger than mine," center Ben Wallace said. 中鋒B.Wallace說"他那顆頭很明顯地比我的還要大上一些。" The new 'Fro belongs to rookie forward Amir Johnson, who took out his braids and picked and puffed a rather impressive hairstyle. 這顆陌生的爆炸頭屬於菜鳥前鋒A.Johnson，他解開辮子並精心設計，把頭髮吹膨，做了一個令人印象深刻的髮型。 That's one thing Johnson can do on his own. As an 18-year-old in the NBA, he can't do much else yet. 那是Johnson就他能力所及可以做的一件事，身為一個年僅18的NBA菜鳥，除此之外，他能做的實在不多。 Until a few months ago, Johnson never had experienced life outside of Los Angeles. He never paid bills or rent, never cut checks, and never prepared his meals. 直到幾個月前，Johnson從沒有過在洛杉磯以外的地方生活的經驗，他不曾自己付錢或向人租用東西，不曾使用支票兌現(譯按：cut checks？)，也不曾自己準備餐點。 And driving a car?Well, let's just say Johnson thought it would be like hopping into a go-kart. Switch lanes and accelerate. 那開車呢？嗯，Johnson認為那跟開玩具車沒兩樣，不過是變化車道跟加速而已。 "I passed it on my third try," Johnson said of the written portion of his driver's license test. 對於考駕照時的筆試部分，Johnson如是說"在第三次我終於通過了。" Remember, the Pistons drafted him out of high school with the 56th pick in June. 記得，活塞在六月用第56順位挑走他之前，他不過是個還在讀高中的毛頭小子罷了。 He didn't splurge on a dream house, or on enough jewelry to cover his 6-foot-9 body. He even passed on getting a hot ride. Instead, Johnson brought his mother , Deneen Griffin, with him to live with him in his Troy apartment. 他並沒有炫燿他終於買到了夢想中的房子，或在他6呎9吋的身體上掛上很多珠寶，甚至，他還放棄了擁有一台屌車的大好機會。相反的，Johnson把他的母親D.Griffin帶來和他在Troy公寓同住。 She's there to help Johnson's transition from high school to the NBA. Hopefully , it will go easier than the driver's test. 她在那可以幫助Johnson盡快適應從高中跳級NBA的過渡期，希望那可以比他三次才考過駕照考試來得容易。 -- Back in Cali Johnson was raised in Los Angeles by his mother and stepfather. Warm weather is all he has known. And he misses it. Johnson是在洛杉磯由母親和繼父撫養長大，溫暖宜人的天氣是最讓他印象深刻，也是最想念的。 He left all his friends, many who are playing college basketball, along with roughly 20 family members, for a faster track to success and riches. 他放下了他所有的朋友(其中有許多還在大學打籃球)，連同大約20個家族成員們，獨自去追尋一條更快通往成功和富有的人生旅程。 What he doesn't miss is the rough neighborhoods he grew up in. And attending four high schools was no fun, either. 伴隨他長大的粗暴惡鄰是他不願去回想的，另外，高中讀了四所學校也一樣，一點樂趣都沒有。 He left one high school because a nearby gang caused trouble with students. He left another because of poor grades. 他離開其中一間高中是因為附近的幫派份子常找學生們麻煩，另一次則是因為課業成績很不理想。 Johnson said he raised his grades at a prep school before transferring to Westchester High, where he improved in the classroom and thrived on the court, helping his team win a state championship in his senior year. Johnson說他在轉到Westchester高中前曾在預校提升了課業成績，當時他除了認真於課堂上，在球場上的表現也很優異，在高三那一年他幫助球隊贏得了州冠軍。 Then Johnson had to decide on his future: college, prep school or the NBA? 接著Johnson必須考慮他的未來要何去何從：繼續唸大學、待在預校或者前進NBA？ He already had signed to play for the University of Louisville, but thought about something bigger. 其實他已經和路易斯維爾大學達成協議要為他們打球，但他考慮了更遠大的目標。 "I just up and decided to go to the NBA," he said. "What would be better than that? That was like my dream to go to the NBA, and I had a chance to do it." 他說"想了想，我還是決定要挑戰NBA，還有什麼比這更棒的嗎？我的夢想就是希望有朝一日能夠打NBA，而我現在就擁有這樣難得的機會。" -- Making the transition Deneen Griffin is Johnson's rock. D.Griffin是Johnson的基石。 "When you make that transition from high school to the NBA, I needed my mom's help," Johnson said. "I needed my mom with me to cook and do all that stuff." Johnson說"當試著從高中轉換跑到至NBA，我需要我媽的幫助，我需要她陪著我，幫我煮飯還有處理其他一些事情。"(譯按：說白點不就是打雜嗎？ XDDD) There's nothing like mom's cooking. Or having her show you how to deposit your first paycheck, keep fruit flies out of the kitchen and balance a checkbook. 除了我媽以外，沒有其他人能煮出媽媽的味道。或是像她一樣教我處理人生的第一份薪水，從廚房端出已切片的水果，以及平衡收支。 Johnson never had those responsibilities before. Like nearly every teenager, he lived carefree. Johnson從沒有擔負過這些責任，就和每一個青少年差不多，在母親的保護下過得無憂無慮。 "I think his mom being there is going to help him a lot," said Ed Azzam, Johnson's coach at Westchester. "He's not going to have all those temptations from being on his own, so there'll be some structure in his life." Johnson在Westchester時期的教練E.Azzam說"我想他媽在那的確對他有很大的助益，他可以避免單身時可能會遭受的誘惑，所以他的人生也能做一些更有建設性的事情。" Now things have changed. He's starting to learn how to cook his favorite meal: hot wings, from his mother's recipe. He knows he has to take out the trash once a week, iron his clothes and carry himself in a professional manner. 現在很多事情都改變了，他開始學著去煮自己最喜歡的餐點：從母傳食譜裡看來的勁辣雞翅(hot wings？)。他知道一個禮拜要倒一次垃圾，要燙衣服，並且要求自己學習職場禮儀。 His Pistons teammates have helped, too. Recently, veteran Antonio McDyess took Johnson shopping for formal and casual wear at Rochester Big and Tall. 他的隊友也幫了許多忙，就在最近，老將A.McDyess帶Johnson去Rochester大尺碼專賣店買一些正式和休閒的服裝。 "I know how it is when you first come in the league and you don't have anything ," McDyess said. "Everything is totally different for you, like you're an outsider. So I just try to make it feel like home, get him some clothes and make him look like he's in the NBA instead of high school." McDyess說"我清楚知道剛進NBA時那種一無所有且不知所措的感覺，每件事對你而言都是完全陌生的，你會覺得自己像個門外漢。所以我想讓他有家的感覺，帶他去買一些衣服，讓他可以看起來像個在NBA打球的成年人而不再是高中生。 Johnson, however, can't shed the "high school" label. McDyess chuckled when asked how Johnson acts around his older teammates. 儘管如此，Johnson還是無法撕下"高中生"的標籤。當問及Johnson與其他較年長的隊友們的互動情形，McDyess咯咯地笑了。 "He's definitely an 18-year-old kid," McDyess said. "You see the difference between him and some of us. He'll do things that high school players do that we don't do in the NBA." McDyess說"很顯然地，他不過是一個18歲的小朋友，從他和我們幾個身上，你可以明顯感受到有所不同。他會做出一些高中球員才會做的事情，而那是我們在NBA不可能做的事。" Anything in particular? 有什麼特別值得一提的嗎？ "He's telling us to jump around when they're announcing names. We're like, 'Man , this ain't high school,'" McDyess said. "It's different for him and different for me to see it because I've never played with a high school player." McDyess說"在唸到我們名字的時候應該要興奮地跳來跳去的，而我們會覺得'嘿棉，這不是高中，OK？'他和我看待這件事的看法有所不同，因為我從未與一名高中球員一起打球。" Few have. And it's unlikely anyone will play with someone straight out of high school again. 有些人有過這樣的經驗，不過以後未必每個人都可以有和直接從高中跳級NBA的球員打球的經驗了。 With the new NBA age limit at 19, Johnson might be the last to go directly from high school to the NBA. 因為新版的NBA規則限定要年滿19歲才具有進NBA打球的資格，Johnson有可能成為最後一位直接從高中跳級NBA的球員。 -- Landing on the radar It took awhile for Johnson to get noticed in high school, but the Pistons heard about him from West Coast contacts. Scott Perry, the team's director of player personnel, suggested that scouting director George David see him play while scouting the Pacific-10 tournament. When David saw Johnson in a playoff game, he left impressed. Johnson花了一段時間才在高中吸引大家的注意，不過活塞在西岸進行球員觀察時就聽過他了。Johnson所屬高中球隊的人事主任向正在太平洋10校聯賽觀察球員的活塞隊人才發掘部主任G.David建議，可以注意一下這小子。當David看到Johnson在季後賽的表現，他留下了深刻的印象。 David said Johnson's coming-out event was the Sonny Vaccaro Roundball Classic, a high school all-star game, where he dominated the paint, blocked almost any shot in his range and showed rare athleticism for someone who always had played under the basket. David說Johnson開始讓他留下深刻印象的球賽是Sonny Vaccaro Roundball經典賽，一個屬於高中生的明星賽。他在比賽中主宰了整個禁區，在他的防守範圍內幾乎對手所有的出手都遭到他的封阻，並展現了禁區球員少有的強大活動力。 Johnson also was a gym rat. And he still is, staying after practice to work on his game. Johnson也是個喜歡泡在體育館苦練的傢伙，他現在依然是，練習結束後他還是繼續留著進行自主練習。 "All that stuff is important because it's building habits," David said. "One thing I think has been a surprise is he's been a little bit better along the perimeter and doing some skills as a small forward than I thought he would be at this time. He's done some things on the perimeter that I hadn't seen him do in high school." David說"那全都是重要的，因為他正在養成某些習慣。令人驚喜的是他在高位的表現比我預期的要好並且展現了一些小前鋒應有的技巧，他在高位做了一些他高中時我不曾看過的動作。" But that's in practice. On a roster loaded with veterans, there won't be many opportunities. Johnson has been on the inactive roster list since the start of the season -- and he'll likely stay there. The Pistons haven't sent him to the NBA Development League because they want to monitor him daily. 不過那只是練習，在擁有許多老將的球員名單中，他不會有太多上場的機會，Johnson 從開季到現在都還被擺在IL名單當中 -- 而他很有可能繼續待在那。球隊尚未將他下放至 NBADL，因為他們想隨時掌控Johnson的情況。 "Will he be able to contribute in the short term? Maybe not this year," David said. David說"他在短時間內能對球隊有貢獻嗎？可能不會是今年。" Said Johnson: "I know I got years to come in the league. This is already a good team. I knew I wasn't going to get a lot of playing time. This is a good team, and I've just got to wait my turn." Johnson說"我知道我會有好幾年的時間待在這聯盟。這已經是一支好球隊了，我知道現在不會有太多的上場時間。這是一支好球隊，而我所需做的就是等待，總有輪到我的一天。" -- Coming into his own Off the court is another matter. He's still a kid, but adulthood is right around the corner. 場外又是另外一回事了，他依然是個孩子，不過距離成年也不遠了。 "There's a total support base here for him to succeed," said John Hammond, the Pistons' vice president of basketball operations. "It's his responsibility, though. He's going to be out there making the right decision or wrong decision. And it's going to be on him. I think the support necessary is here." 活塞的副籃球事務總裁J.Hammond說"這裡可以提供他成功所需的所有幫助，儘管這麼說，要怎麼做還是看他自己。他必須站出去自己做決定，不管那決定正確與否。那都是他即將面對的，不過我想他需要的幫助這裡都有。" The Pistons apparently don't need to worry about Johnson much off the court. He considers himself a homebody who likes to play "NBA Live" on his Xbox when he isn't playing basketball. 很顯然地Johnson在場外的所作所為並不需要活塞太費心，他認為不打球時，自己是個喜歡玩Xbox"NBA Live"系列遊戲的宅男。 Johnson typically starts his day about an hour before 10:30 practice. Johnson基本上在早上10:30分的練習前一個小時開始他一天的生活。 "I brush my teeth, get my clothes and head to practice. I might stop by McDonald's, but I know that isn't good for me," Johnson said. "Sometimes if my mother doesn't cook breakfast in the morning, I'll just stop by McDonald's and get something before practice. And, oh, I've got to get donuts in the morning, too, for the team. I've got to drive to Krispy Kreme that's off 14 Mile." Johnson說"我刷牙，穿衣服然後起身前往練習，我可能會買M當早餐，但我知道那對我其實沒有好處。有時如果我媽沒做早餐，我會在M暫停，買些東西在練習前吃。噢，對了，早上我也必須去買一些甜甜圈給隊友們吃。我必須開到Krispy Kreme，那可有14哩遠呢！" He insists his lifestyle hasn't changed much. "Really, I've been playing basketball all my life," Johnson said. "It's not really hard. I basically just work hard. ... And just play basketball." Johnson堅稱他的生活方式並沒有太大的改變，他說"真的，我這一生中都在打籃球，那不是很艱苦，我基本上很認真地工作...然後就只是打籃球。" He lives near Somerset Collection. "It's a hot mall," Johnson said. And when he goes out in public, he doesn't draw much attention. "I'm just a regular person, and that's cool," Johnson said. "Everybody just says, 'You're tall.' And I'm like, 'Yeah.' " Johnson住的地方靠近Somerset Collection，走在街上並不會引起太多注意的他說"那是一條熱情的林蔭大道，我只是一個普通人，這很酷。每個人都這麼說'你好高喔。'而我會這樣回答'是阿。'" The public doesn't know Amir Johnson the Piston. But if he stays on the straight and narrow and continues practicing the way he has, that is sure to change. 民眾們並不知道A.Johnson是活塞隊的球員。不過他如果在這條又直又窄路上持續保持現有的練習方式，這種情況肯定會改變。 "He ain't playing now, so he can walk around," McDyess said. "But later in his career he ain't going to be able to do that. He's going to see a big change in that whole scene." McDyess說"他現在還沒上場打球，所以還可以到處晃到處走。但幾年後，他就不能像現在這樣隨心所欲了，他的人生將會有相當巨大的改變。" Johnson should be a grown man by then. Johnson到時候應該已經是一個成熟的人了。 -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 222.250.0.76

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