It's time to trade Kevin Garnett (上) - 明尼蘇達灰狼 Minnesota Timberwolves

原文出處：
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dailydime-061118-19

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It's time to trade Kevin Garnett
交易KG的時候到了

By Marc Stein, ESPN.com
作者：ESPN達康的M.Stein

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It's the story every NBA fan outside of Minnesota wants to read someday.
這會是一則每個不住在明尼蘇達的球迷渴望在某天讀到的新聞。

It might even be the story frustrated Wolves fans are ready to read now.
不過這更會是則讓每個準備往下讀的狼迷傷心難過的新聞。

Kevin Garnett is officially, legitimately on the trading block.
KG已經被官方正式地放在交易平台上討論了。

Numerous NBA front-office sources reiterated to me this week that we're still
not there yet, and not especially close to being there. But personally? I've
changed my stance on this one.
本週為數眾多的NBA球隊高層一再向我重申事情還不確定，而且距離定案還有很長一段
距離。但就我個人觀點而言，我認為這次不再是空穴來風了。

After years of resisting the natural NBA writer's instinct to demand that the
Wolves trade Garnett and start over, I've given in. Not even 10 games into the
new season, I don't see enough hope for Minnesota to continue down this
path … assuming you can call it a path.
在數年來一再否定各NBA專欄作家要求灰狼將KG交易出去的直覺後，我投降了。本季才
剛進行不到10場比賽，我在灰狼這支球隊身上看不到太多繼續往總冠軍邁進的希望...如果
你能稱之為追逐總冠軍之路的話。

I simply struggle to see -- with the Wolves possessing such limited trade
assets beyond KG himself -- how they can improve the cast around him to avoid
slipping farther and farther away in a deeper-than-ever West.
我簡直不忍心繼續看下去 -- 因為灰狼建軍的過程除了KG本身以外擁有可供交易的人
選實在少之又少 -- 在這樣的情況下，他們如何以KG為中心打造一支更具競爭力的隊伍，
避免球隊在堪稱有史以來競爭最為激烈的西部聯盟被淹沒呢？

Let's be realistic.
讓我們面對現實吧。

Even if Garnett opts out of his contract in the summer of 2008 as expected
and walks away from an '08-09 salary of $23 million, he still will have banked
more than $200 million by then. He'll be 32 that summer and, maybe more than
any other player in history, could comfortably afford signing wherever he wants
for the mid-level exception.
就算KG一如大家預期地在'08年暑假執行他的球員選擇權，放棄'08-'09年球季高達
2,300萬美元的薪水不領，他到那時就已經從灰狼領取了超過2億美元了。他在那個夏天將
已經32歲，而且或許會比歷史上任何一位球員更有本錢可以與任何一支他想加入的球隊簽
署一份中產階級的合約。

It's not like he needs another max deal. Chicago? Lakers? Maybe KG's willing
to take a pay cut, in the tradition of Karl Malone and Gary Payton, to go to
Phoenix and play with Steve Nash. Or, say, New Jersey with Jason Kidd.
他不再需要一份最高額度的肥約。芝加哥公牛？洛杉磯湖人？或許KG會願意追隨前輩
郵差或手套的腳步，自願降價到鳳凰城太陽和S.Nash一同奮戰或到紐澤西籃網和J.Kidd一
起努力。

Which would leave the Wolves with nothing.
如果真是如此，那灰狼將什麼都得不到。

I know it's difficult for Wolves diehards to envision such a catastrophe,
knowing that: A) Garnett hasn't and probably won't ever tell the Wolves that
he wants out, and that B) Garnett is so loyal to the frozen tundra he calls
'Sota that it seems highly unlikely he'd bolt without compensation.
我知道那對灰狼的死忠球迷來說會是個難以想像的大災難，因為：A)KG從未而且可能
永遠不會主動開口告訴球隊說他想離開，而且B)KG對於這個他稱之為'蘇達的冰雪蠻荒大地
是如此忠心所以他一點都不像是個會一走了之，棄球隊於不顧的人。

Fine.
好。

But organizations have to protect themselves against worst-case scenarios.
Organizations typically prosper when they're proactive. It seems awfully
risky for the Wolves to go through another season (or more) of misery, not
knowing how that might eat into Garnett's resolve or affect his determination
to relocate.
但球團還是必須盡力防止最糟的情形發生，通常當球團越主動，球隊戰績就越出色。
對於灰狼來說，再走過另一個(或好幾個)有如悲劇的球季實在是太過冒險，因為那不知會
腐蝕KG多少想要永留'蘇達的決心，更有甚者，或許會讓他有想要另尋新東家的念頭浮現。

The Wolves have missed the playoffs for two straight seasons. If that drought
stretches to three or four -- not hard to envision given Minnesota's lack of
depth, rebounding and dependable size apart from KG -- then what?
灰狼已經連續兩季與季後賽擦肩而過了，如果這樣的困境持續到三或四個球季 -- 如
果灰狼一直缺乏板凳深度、籃板保護能力和KG以外另外一個可靠的球隊第二人，這惡夢成
真的機會或許不小 -- 那會如何？

The longer the Wolves wait, if they're eventually going to have to trade
him anyway, can only hurt them leverage-wise. Trading him this season, as
opposed to delaying the inevitable until the February '08 trading deadline
or scrambling to concoct a sign-and-trade in July '08, is more likely to net
Minnesota the package of quality youth, size and draft picks it would
naturally want in return.
灰狼等待的時間越久，如果他們最終仍需將他交易出去，如何能將傷害降到最低。和
直到'08年二月交易底限前才不得不交易或在'08年七月才執行先簽後換交易相比，在本季
將他交易出去或許更能讓灰狼獲得他們想要得到體型出色、饒富潛力的年輕球員和選秀權
等想當然爾，他們一定想獲得的回報。

The Bulls are the most natural trading partner because they're in a different
conference and stocked with trade pieces: Tyrus Thomas, Luol Deng or
Ben Gordon, P.J. Brown's expiring contract and the Knicks' first-round pick,
for starters.
公牛是最有可能的交易對象，因為他們位處不同聯盟而且擁有許多可供交易的人選：
T.Thomas、L.Deng、B.Gordon或是合約快要到期的P.J. Brown，以及紐約尼克的第一輪選
秀權及可用以先發的即戰力球員。

...to be continued
...待續

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