[情報] Former Pitt star DeJuan Blair stands …

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Former Pitt star DeJuan Blair stands tall as an NBA rookie http://0rz.tw/IJHJe By Ray Fittipaldo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Sunday, January 17, 2010 Former Pitt star DeJuan Blair stands tall as an NBA rookie 昂首挺立 — DeJuan Blair SAN ANTONIO -- In a rare moment of solitude away from the whirlwind existence of being a rookie in the National Basketball Association, DeJuan Blair sometimes kicks back in the posh suburban Texas home he is renting from teammate Tony Parker and reflects on the life-changing decision he made nine months ago. 在德州郊區數分鐘車程的地方，住著的是在NBA颳起一陣黑旋風的菜鳥 — DeJuan Blair。他有時候會在德州近郊他向隊友Tony Parker租來的豪華家中放鬆身心，並細細思索著他在九個月前改變他人生的決定。 Just one week after Pitt was eliminated from the NCAA tournament in March, Mr. Blair decided to leave school two years early to begin his professional basketball career. After he plummeted to the second round of the NBA draft in June, there was much debate as to whether he made a mistake, but he has zero doubt that he made the correct choice to pursue his dream. 距三月匹茲堡在NCAA錦標賽遭到淘汰僅僅一個星期之後，Blair決定離開他的母校，提前兩年開始他的職籃生涯。在六月的NBA選秀會中，當他的順位暴跌到第二輪之後，有很多聲音說他是否做了錯誤的抉擇，但他相信他為了追逐自己的夢想做出了正確的選擇。 "I just sit back in the house. I just think, man, I made the right decision," said Mr. Blair, who earned All-American honors at Pitt last season after a celebrated high school career at Schenley. "It's just wonderful. I feel so blessed." 「我只是待在家裡休息。我只想著，歐，我做了正確的決定」Blair說到，他在繼Schenley 遠近馳名的高中生涯之後，去年在匹茲堡大學時獲得全美第一隊的殊榮。「那很美好。我感到很幸福」 Who can blame him for feeling that way? 誰又能責怪他的感覺呢? Mr. Blair, 20, is currently the starting power forward for the San Antonio Spurs -- a team loaded with veteran talent that is aiming to dethrone the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers and make a run at a fifth championship in 12 years. He will earn $2.7 million over four years. Blair，20歲，現為聖安東尼奧馬刺隊先發大前鋒 — 一支有著許多資深人才，以旨在幹掉尋求衛冕冠軍的湖人隊為目標，並為他們這12年來的第五冠努力競逐的球隊。他將在 4年之中賺到2.7M。 His life away from basketball is just as exciting. It's not uncommon for him to make the short trip from his gated community to the new $7 million dollar estate that Mr. Parker and his wife, actress Eva Longoria Parker, built from the ground up. Mr. Blair is a frequent dinner guest of the couple. 他球場外的生活也同樣令人興奮。從他的社區來個短途旅行到Parker及他的妻子 — 女演員Eva Longoria Parker從無到有花了7M新蓋成的莊園拜訪，對他來說是疏鬆平常的事。 Blair是這小倆口晚餐時的常客。 And when Mr. Blair needs the support of his family, all he has to do is drive a short distance to his aunt's home. Sharene Dixon, a Pittsburgh native, moved to San Antonio to help him make the transition to the NBA. 而當Blair需要他家人們的幫忙(生活費)時，他只需開一小段距離的車程到他姨媽的家。 Sharene Dixon，匹茲堡人，搬到聖安東尼奧來幫助Blair在NBA過渡時期的經濟難關。 Ms. Dixon and her husband, Brian, and two sons -- Aiden, 5, and Adrian, 3 -- give Mr. Blair the comforts of home when he wants to escape the pressures of basketball life. Dixon女士和她的丈夫Brian，以及兩個兒子 — 5歲的Aiden和3歲的Adrian — 讓Blair 因打球所累積的壓力得以從家庭的慰藉中紓發。 "It's very important for him to have us down here," Ms. Dixon said. "After every game he comes to my house. It can be for 15 minutes or sometimes he'll stay the night. He's very close with my boys." 「有我們在這裡對他來說很重要」Dixon女士說。「每次比賽完他來我家。可能待個15分鐘或是留下來過夜。他跟我的孩子很親密」 'They lift up my day' Ms. Dixon and her family are regulars at Spurs home games. When the Dallas Mavericks visited the AT&T Center for a Nov. 11 game, she lost sight of Aiden and Adrian. 當馬刺主場有比賽時，Dixon女士和她的家人都會到場觀看。當11月11日達拉斯小牛造訪 AT&T Center時，她沒顧好Aiden跟Adrian。 By the time she located them, they were on the court during a timeout trying to get Mr. Blair's attention. Security guards had to stop them from entering the team huddle. 那時她安置好他們兩個，在比賽暫停時他們到場上試著得到Blair的注意。保安人員們必須阻止他們跑進球隊討論裡頭。 "Her kids are my two favorite things," said Mr. Blair, who is 6 feet 7 and weighs 265 pounds. "They love me to death. They call me Juan Juan. They go berserk every time they see me. They lift up my day when I'm down. They're always having fun and smiling. It's amazing having them down here." 「她那兩個小傢伙是我的最愛」身高6呎7，體重265磅的Blair說。「他們愛死我了。他們呼我Juan Juan。他們每次看到我都超high。當我消沉時他們為我打氣。他們總是帶滿歡笑與樂趣。有他們在這裡真棒」 Ms. Dixon left a high school teaching position in Maryland to be with Mr. Blair in San Antonio. She has a deep connection with him. She was 12 years old when her sister, Shari, gave birth to Mr. Blair in April 1989. When Ms. Dixon went to college at Robert Morris University, she often took in DeJuan and his brother, Greg, for long weekends. Dixon女士辭掉了在馬里蘭的高中教職，跟著Blair來到了聖安東尼奧。她跟Blair有著密切的關係。1989年4月當她才12歲時，她姊姊Shari生下了Blair。當Dixon女士進入大學就讀時，她常常於休假時去找Blair與他弟弟Greg。 "Besides my mom and grandma, she's my favorite person," Mr. Blair said. "She's like my best friend. I talk to her every day." 「除了我媽跟我祖母外，她是我最喜歡的人」Blair說。「她就像是我最要好的朋友。我每天都找她聊天」 Shari Blair did not want to leave Pittsburgh because Greg is enrolled at Lackawana Junior College in Scranton, Lackawanna County. Greg is a football player and hopes to land at a Division I school next year. Shari Blair不想離開匹茲堡，因為Greg在Lackawanna郡史克蘭頓的Lackawana中學就讀。 Greg是個美式足球員，而他希望明年到Div. 1的學校就讀。 "Having my sister down there is the next best thing," said Ms. Blair, who visits DeJuan about once every two months. 「有我妹妹在那裡是件好事」Blair女士說，她每兩個月去看Blair一次。 When Greg enrolls at a four-year school, Ms. Blair plans to move to Texas to be with her son. For now, she is living in the home in Robinson DeJuan purchased for the family, who previously resided in the Hill District, a short distance from Pitt's campus. 當Greg在4年制學校註冊時，Blair女士打算跟她兒子搬到德州去住。現在她住在Robinson DeJuan為家人們所買的家 — 距匹茲堡大學校區不遠處的Hill區的臨時住所。 "Anytime you're successful and you're from a poor neighborhood, you're always looking forward," Ms. Blair said. "It's a better education for my daughter [in the Montour School District] and a better neighborhood." 「孟母三遷，人性也」Blair女士說。「對我女兒來說，在Montour校區會有較多的資源，鄰居的素質也比較好」 Ms. Dixon has plans to continue teaching in college next year and to pursue a doctorate at the University of Texas San Antonio. Eventually, her family will return to the East Coast. Dixon女士打算明年繼續在大學任教，並在S.A.大學攻讀博士學位，她家人則將回到美東。 "He's not going to need me forever," she said. 「他並不永遠需要我」她說。 For now, she's enjoying watching Mr. Blair get his start in professional sports. She was hoarse by halftime of last week's game against Dallas because she spent an hour yelling at officials who whistled Mr. Blair for two early fouls in a loss to the Mavericks. 現在，她很享受看著Blair在職業籃球上的起步。由於在對小牛輸掉的那場比賽中場休息時間裡，她對著一開始便吹了Blair二次犯規的官員嘶吼了一小時，她把她嗓子喊啞了。 But mostly, it has been happy moment after happy moment. 但大多時候總是令人高興。 "It's surreal," Ms. Dixon said. "The first game I cried. I didn't believe he was out there. It's always been a dream. Dreams do come true." 「感覺不像真的」Dixon說。「他的第一場比賽我哭了。我不敢相信他就在那兒。這一直是個夢想。夢想真的成真了」 'A rare rookie' When the Memphis Grizzlies selected Pitt's Sam Young with the 36th pick in June's draft, the Spurs' front office celebrated in its draft war room. Without a first-round selection, the Spurs had targeted Mr. Blair and were elated when he fell to the second round. 當六月選秀會上曼斐斯灰雄用第36順位選走了匹茲堡大學的Sam Young之後，馬刺的總部決策者們在戰情室裡慶祝起來。不必花到首輪簽，馬刺鎖定了Blair並在Blair掉到第二輪時感到歡欣鼓舞。 Many of the Spurs' assistant coaches and front-office personnel are friends with Pitt basketball coach Jamie Dixon, and they had the inside scoop on Mr. Blair. They understood some risks were involved, including the possibility that he could have a short career because of his two surgically repaired knees that no longer have anterior cruciate ligaments. But they also knew that the easiest thing to project from college to the NBA was the ability to rebound. And Mr. Blair was without peer when it came to grabbing offensive rebounds for Pitt the past two seasons. 許多馬刺的助理教練和總部人員們跟匹茲堡大學籃球教練Jamie Dixon有交情，而他們有關於Blair的內幕消息。他們明白裡頭牽涉著一些風險，包括他可能因為經外科手術修復的雙膝不再有著前十字韌帶，而致使他球員生涯無法長久的可能性。但他們也知道從大學進到NBA裡的人才中，搶籃板的能力是最不會被埋沒的，就像是錐處囊中，必可展露頭角。而Blair在過去匹茲堡的兩年在進攻籃板方面聲譽卓著。 "There always is concern, but of all the skills that seem to convert the most from college to the NBA, rebounding is the most predictable," said Spurs general manager R.C. Buford. "When you dominate rebounding the way he did, at the rates he did, that was very helpful for us." 「我們一向關注著那兒，而在所有籃球技能中，那項技能是最不受所處聯盟影響的能力」馬刺GM R.C. Buford說。「他在籃板球這點稱霸，而從他刷數據的速度來看，這會對我們很有幫助」 Mr. Blair has quickly earned the respect of the coaching staff and his teammates. He has started 15 of 38 games and is averaging 7.2 points per game and 6.1 rebounds per game. Blair很快地就掙得了教練團及他隊友們的尊敬。他在38場比賽中先發了15場，場均7.2分、 6.1個籃板。 "He's amazing, man," said Spurs veteran Antonio McDyess. "He's a rare rookie, I would say. It seems like he has the experience already, has been a rookie. He has come in and been very humble, willing to learn. He's been great. When you're a rookie in the NBA and you want to learn, you're only going to get better. 「歐~他真令人吃驚」馬刺老鳥McDyess說。「我會說，他真是個罕見難得的新人。彷彿才一等就把技能都點滿一樣。他來到職業籃球的世界，卻非常謙遜、樂意學習。他非常優秀。當你是個NBA新人而你想去學習時，你只會變得更好」 "You don't usually get that. You get rookies coming in thinking they're the man, they're going to destroy the league. DeJuan is humble and the sky is the limit for him because of that." 「這種人不好找。剛進入聯盟的新人們總是認為他們是個男人，他們能顛覆全聯盟。」「DeJuan很謙遜，而因為這點，他沒有極限」 Those sentiments were echoed by others in the locker room. Teammates said Mr. Blair has an uncommon professionalism for someone who will not turn 21 until the spring. 這些看法與其他更衣室成員們的意見不謀而合。隊友說Blair有著超乎年齡的能力。 "He's been a great fit for this team," said forward Richard Jefferson. "He's an extremely hard worker. He pays attention. He's a smart kid. One thing that helps him is that there are a lot of other young guys here, too. We're all learning. Things are working great for him. He's contributing quite a bit." 「他很適合這支球隊」前鋒Jefferson說。「他非常努力。他很專注。他是個聰明的孩子。這裡有許多年輕小夥子，這對他有所助益。我們都在學習。他都做得很好。他貢獻良多。」 'A welcome presence' Adding players such as Mr. Blair and Mr. Jefferson was a priority for Mr. Buford after the Spurs were eliminated from the playoffs by the Mavericks in the first round last spring. The Spurs won an NBA championship as recently as 2007, but Mr. Buford decided that the team needed a makeover to challenge in the NBA's Western Conference. 在馬刺去年季後賽第一輪被小牛淘汰之後，讓陣容加入諸如Blair和Jefferson類型的球員是Buford的優先要務。馬刺最近一次贏得NBA總冠軍是在2007年，但Buford決意改造球隊陣容，才能在西區的競爭中脫穎而出。 "If you look at us, we're not an overly personality-based team," he said. "Getting some fresh oxygen on the floor, on the bench, someone who is not afraid to be a kid and have fun, over an 82-game schedule and hopefully more, that's welcome. This group has played together a long time. We want new blood that can play, is energetic and can have fun. He's really been a welcome presence." 「如果你看看我們，你會知道我們並非一支色彩鮮明的球隊」他說。「在先發、板凳陣容中添加點催化劑，如一些充滿樂趣又不會爭老大的球員們，或是打完82場例行賽後還想加班且懷抱希望的球員們，這些我們都很歡迎。這裡的球員們在一起打了很長一段時間。我們要能打、充滿活力且能帶點樂趣的新血們加入。Blair就是一個值得歡迎的存在」 Mr. Blair has experienced the typical highs and lows for a rookie in the NBA. On Wednesday night against Oklahoma City, he scored 28 points and pulled down 21 rebounds, both career highs. In the previous three games combined, he only managed eight points and five rebounds. Blair在NBA已體驗到新人特有的高低起伏。在星期三晚上對雷霆那場比賽，他得了28分並拿下21個籃板，都為生涯新高。在先前三場比賽加起來的數據不過8分5籃板。 "He's a young basketball player," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "He's got a hell of a lot to learn about a hell of a lot of things. But his future looks bright. He is certainly coachable and hard-working. There is no reason why that won't continue. But he is by no means ready to become a foundation of a program or anything like that yet." 「他是個年輕球員」馬刺教頭Popovich說。「他知道他還有得學呢。但他前途光明。他無疑是個可造之材且努力學習。沒理由不繼續下去。而他決不畫地自限。」 'I love Eva' Mr. Parker, the Spurs' star point guard, was 19 years old when he was a rookie nine years ago and understands what Mr. Blair is going through during his first season. Mr. Parker knows making Mr. Blair comfortable in his surroundings is an important aspect of easing his transition to the NBA. 馬刺明星後衛Parker，自他19歲的新人年之後已在聯盟待了九年，而他明白Blair正經歷的新人年會是怎樣。Parker知道讓Blair適應週遭環境是件重要的事 — 讓他輕鬆撐過進到NBA的過渡期。 Ms. Longoria Parker, a star of ABC's "Desperate Housewives," has become a big fan of Mr. Blair. When she is not working, she is a fixture at Spurs games and prepares meals when Mr. Blair visits. Parker太太是美國廣播公司影集"慾望主婦"的影星，已經是Blair的粉絲了。當她工作之餘時，她是馬刺比賽中的常客，而當Blair來造訪時備妥飯菜招待他。 "I love Eva," Mr. Blair said. "She's a wonderful person. Since she's a star, you would think she would be different, but she's wonderful. She cooks. She has a great personality. They're perfect for each other. They opened their house for me and took me under their wing. I really love them. They're good people." 「我愛Eva!」Blair說。「她是個很好的人。由於她是個明星，你會以為她有所不同，但她人真的很好。她會烹飪。她個性善良。他們是天生一對。他們為我敞開家門並保護著我。我真愛他們。他們都是好人」 Another Spurs' stars is a mentor, as well. Tim Duncan, the future Hall of Fame center who entered the NBA as a 21-year old rookie out of Wake Forest in 1997, learned at the feet of David Robinson when Mr. Robinson was in the twilight of his career. Now, Mr. Duncan is passing on his knowledge to Mr. Blair. 另一位馬刺球星是他的導師 — Tim Duncan，未來的名人堂球星，於1997年自威克森林畢業後在他21歲時進入NBA成為新人，並接下當時處於球員生涯晚期的David Robinson的火炬。現在，Duncan正將他所學的傳承給Blair。 "DeJuan has been great for us so far," Mr. Duncan said. "He's a young guy and he's willing to learn. He's willing to do the work it takes. You put those two things together and it's easy to extend a hand to help someone like that. 「目前DeJuan對我們來說很棒」Duncan說。「他是個年輕人，而他願意學習。他願意為此付出。綜合這兩件事，像他這樣的球員是很容易去幫他一把的」 "He brings a lot of good energy and a lot of things we need for this team. As he continues to bring those things to the team, he'll continue to earn his minutes and he's going to continue to help us." 「他有著旺盛精力以及許多我們球隊所需要的技能。當他持續為球隊帶來這些時，他就能為自己爭取到上場時間，而他將持續下去」 Mr. Blair is trying to soak up as much knowledge as he can. He remembers watching Mr. Duncan, Mr. Parker and the Spurs win championships when he was in elementary school and high school. Now Mr. Blair is starting alongside them and hopes to help them win another ring. Blair試著儘可能地吸收知識。他回憶起當他在初中及高中時看到Duncan, Parker贏得總冠軍的畫面。現在Blair正與他們並肩先發，並希望為他們贏得下一個冠軍指環。 "I call him my big brother," Mr. Blair said of Mr. Duncan. "He took me under his wing. He tells me everything. He gives me advice. It's amazing learning from him. From me watching him growing up to right now playing with him is amazing. He's there when I need him. When I'm doing something wrong, he'll tell me. He'll tell me when I'm doing bad or good. Coming from him, to hear him say 'Good job,' it's amazing." 「我稱呼他叫大哥」談到Duncan時，Blair說到。「他將我納入他的羽翼下。他告訴我一切。他給我忠告。從他身上所學的令人大為驚奇。自我看著他長大一直到至今能跟他一起打球的一切都令人驚奇。他總是在我需要他的時候出現。當我做錯時他會告訴我。當我搞砸或幹得好的時候他會跟我講。聽到他講『幹得好』讓我感到驚奇」 'Against all odds' Mr. Blair is the rare athlete who is competing at the highest level without an anterior cruciate ligament in either knee. Other athletes, such as the Steelers' Hines Ward and former Spurs guard Sean Elliott, have played with only one ACL, but Mr. Blair is the only known professional athlete to compete without either ACL. Blair是在最高等級的聯盟中，雙膝沒有前十字韌帶的罕見運動員。其他運動員像是鋼鐵人Hines Ward與前馬刺後衛Sean Elliott都只有一條ACL，但Blair是所知的職業運動員中唯一雙膝都沒有ACL的球員。 It's the No. 1 reason he was he selected in the second round and not in the NBA lottery. Other factors such as his height and weight were minor issues with NBA teams. The unusual medical report was the big red flag. 這是他之所以到第二輪而非樂透順位才被選走的首要理由。另一點較沒爭議的是他的身高以及體重，對NBA的球隊來說不夠標準。不尋常的醫學報告是另一個重點。 "The thing the doctors can tell you is his career likely will be shorter rather than longer," Mr. Buford said. "What that means, we don't know. We want to be conscious of that. We want to be attentive to his health and do every thing we can to provide him with training and treatment that will allow him to play as long as he can and at the highest level he can. He has approached it with a very professional attitude." 「醫生們會告訴你的是:他的球員生涯可能很短」Buford說。「那些事，我們並不清楚。我們要意識到那點。我們要留意他的健康狀態，並為他提供所有的培訓與治療，如此一來只要他能打，我們就讓他在這最高層級的比賽中儘他所能地打球。他用非常專業的態度朝向這點努力。」 While his knees are sore, Mr. Blair said they have not forced him to miss any practices or games. The same was true of his time at Pitt. 只要他的膝蓋疼痛時，Blair說他們並不勉強他錯過任何練習或比賽。在匹茲堡時也是如此。 Because Mr. Blair bucked the long odds of getting to the NBA on his damaged knees, Ms. Dixon presented Mr. Blair with an engraved wallet for Christmas. It reads: "Against all odds." 由於Blair憑著他曾受過損傷的膝蓋作為賭注一頭栽進了NBA，Dixon女士在聖誕節送給 Blair的禮物是一個有刻字的錢包。上面寫著:"破除萬難" "They said he was too short, too fat, had no ACLs," she said. "But he's out there doing it." 「他們說他太矮、太胖、沒ACLs」她說，「但他從這當中脫穎而出」 Mr. Blair does not worry about the knees and said he believes he can have a lengthy career. Blair並不擔心他的膝蓋，而且他說他相信他會有很長的球員生涯。 "I played on them at Pitt, at Schenley," he said. "It's been good. I'm being cautious, but at the same time I'm not worried about them. This is what got me here. They'll take me where I want to go. I'll take care of them. I'm not worried about them. Maybe when I'm 40, I'll worry. But that's 20 years from now." 「我在匹茲堡，在Schenley時靠它們打球」他說。「它們一直都很好。我很小心謹慎但同時我並不擔心它們。我靠它們來到這裡。它們將帶著我到我想到的地方。我會注意它們。我並不為此煩惱。也許在我40歲的時候我會有所擔心吧。但那是20年以後的事了。」 on the web To hear about DeJuan Blair's life in the NBA, visit post-gazette.com Read more: http://www.pittsburghpostgazette.com/pg/10017/1028852-175.stm#ixzz0csbHTazx -- "The Courage To Stand Tall" - Biography of Abraham Lincoln. -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 61.229.220.185

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