John 'Hot Rod' Williams享年53歲 - NBA

寫在前言

會有 'Hot Rod' 這個暱稱並不是 John Williams的球風特別的快，而是因為他小時候，
他在地板上玩玩具車，自己發出車聲逗笑他的繼母，繼母給他取的


http://goo.gl/3xzmyL

John 'Hot Rod' Williams dies at 53
活躍於90年代騎士隊的 John 'Hot Rod' Williams病逝，享年53歲


John "Hot Rod" Williams, one of the NBA's best sixth men in the 1980s and
'90s, has died of cancer at his home near Sorrento, Louisiana. He was 53.

Williams' agent Mark Bartelstein confirmed his death Friday.

Williams, a 6-11 power forward, played 13 seasons in the NBA but was best
known for being a standout with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 1986 to 1995.
The news stunned former teammates and executives who had been encouraged when
Williams came through an earlier cancer diagnosis this year.

1980年代、90年代，John "Hot Rod" Williams是最佳第六人之一，昨天因癌症病逝在
他的家裡，而他只有53歲。

週五，他的經紀人證實了這件死訊。

身高6呎11吋的 Williams 在 NBA 打了13個賽季，但較廣為人知的是，1986年至1995年
他在騎士的表現。這件消息震驚了他的前隊友們，Williams 年初被診斷出是癌症初期時，
他們還去鼓勵他。

"It's devastating," said Wayne Embry, the Cavs' general manager from 1986 to
1999. "He was a hard worker and a great player, but I liked him more as a
person than a basketball player."

"Hot Rod was a great, caring and unselfish teammate," said Danny Ferry, who
was a teammate for six seasons. "He was a team-first guy. He was also a
valuable, intelligent and very underrated player. He could defend anyone. We
were all lucky to have him as a teammate and friend."

1986年至1999年擔任騎士總管的 Wayne Embry 說，「這太讓人震驚了，他是個努力練球
的好球員，比起他打球的樣子，我更喜歡他這個人(的個性)。」

跟 Williams 同隊六年的隊友 Danny Ferry 說，「Hot Rod是個好隊友，他無私、關心
別人，總是把球隊為優先。他籃球智商很高，是個被低估的球員，他能防守任何人，
我們都很幸運能與他成為隊友與朋友。」


John "Hot Rod " Williams 生涯13個賽季留下場均11分、6.8個籃板、1.8次助攻
以及1.6次火鍋
http://i.imgur.com/DNDjYEi.jpg

Williams was known for two seminal moments in his life that had wide-ranging
implications in the world of basketball. In 1985 he was arrested and charged
with five counts related to a point-shaving scandal at Tulane University that
eventually forced the school to disband the program for three years.

He went through two trials. The first was declared a mistrial because the
prosecution didn't turn over evidence. He was acquitted in the second trail
despite several teammates who had cut plea bargains testifying against him.
He was facing 17 years in prison had he been convicted.

Williams 早年有兩件醜聞影響整個籃球界。1985年3月27日，還在 Tulane 大學的他
因為涉嫌比賽打假球，檢方以五項罪名起訴他，後來強制校方解散籃球隊三年。

這件事讓他經過兩次審判。一審宣判無效，因為檢方採證不足。二審的時候，儘管幾個
隊友想轉為污點證人針對他舉證，後來還是無罪釋放。如果他當年被定罪，就要吃17年
牢飯了。

(除了wiki， http://goo.gl/99rbRM 紐約時報有寫審判後的相關結果)

Then-Cavs owner Gordon Gund, who drafted him in the second round in 1985,
couldn't sign him to a contract during the legal process but paid his legal
bills as Williams spent a year playing in the United States Basketball
League, earning $15,000.

He turned into a force for the Cavs, acting as a backup to All-Stars Brad
Daugherty and Larry Nance as the team put together a string of playoff
seasons. In the 1989-90 season, he averaged 16.8 points and 8.1 rebounds as a
reserve.

1985年選秀會，因為醜聞案讓 Williams順位掉得很後面，騎士前老闆 Gordon Gund 在
第二輪第21順位(就是第45順位)選了他，當時還在跑法律程序沒辦法跟 Williams簽約，
但還是付給他一筆薪水 $15000，讓他去當時的次級聯盟 USBL 培訓一年籃球。

隔年，擺脫醜聞案的他正式成為騎士一名戰力，當時擔任的是 當家球星 Brad Daugherty
的替補，後來與 Larry Nance 三人讓騎士成為季後賽常客。1989-1990年那個賽季，他從
替補出發，能夠場均16.8分以及8.1個籃板。

"As a player, Hot Rod was one of those freak of nature guys who was 6-10, who
could shoot the basketball, could put the basketball down on the floor, a
very good defensive guy," former teammate Ron Harper said. "He commanded a
lot of respect on the basketball court. He had a lot of game. We used to
always tease him because we always said, 'He's going the same way. He's going
right all the time.' He went right all the time and you could sit on that
right hand of his and he's still going right. He was going right. He didn't
care what you did, he was going right all the time."

After the 1989-90 season Williams signed what is still regarded as one of the
landmark contracts in NBA history. The Miami Heat signed him to a seven-year,
$26.5 million offer sheet. The front-loaded deal was to pay him $5 million in
his first season, making him the highest-paid player in NBA history and
paying twice the salary of Michael Jordan. It was a league-shattering number
for any non-All-Star, much less a nonstarter.

跟他在騎士的前隊友 Ron Harper 說，「身為一個球員，Hot Rod 是那些正常人當中的
怪物之一，他身高6呎10吋能夠投籃、運球，也是個很會防守的傢伙。他在籃球場上獲得
許多尊敬，他出席非常多場比賽。我們老愛逗他，因為我們總是說，『他要去相同地方了
，他老是跑去右邊』，他老是去人家右邊的位置，只要你去他的右手邊坐，他還是要去
你的右邊。他才不管你做什麼，就是要在你右邊待著。」

(真的假的? 這麼堅持要待右邊，還是我看錯了什麼..)

1989-1990賽季結束後，Williams簽了 NBA 史上具有指標性的其中一個合約。當年剛成軍
不久的熱火極缺中鋒，在休賽期間開給他 26.5 M/7Y，並且協議合約第一年就給他 5百萬
美元，這使他成為當時 NBA 史上最高薪的球員，甚至夠付 Michael Jordan 兩次薪水，
這筆金額打破任何非球星的行情，更何況他不是先發球員。

While the Cavs had two weeks to match, Williams uttered a quote that would
become famous: "Right now, I'm a Heat."

"When we made the decision to match I went to him and said "Hot Rod, you're
not a Heat; we're matching'," Embry said. "It was an exciting moment."

"We used to have this bet between me, Hot Rod and Larry as to who would lead
the team in blocks by the All-Star break," Daugherty remembered. "The year
after he signed I think I was leading after 15 games and oh was I talking
trash. I said, 'We're paying you $30 million and you have less blocks than
me? I can't even jump.' Well, within about five days he passed me for good."

當時騎士還有兩週選擇要不要跟進，Williams就喊出一句，後來成為的名言
「現在，我是火火了」

後來騎士跟進，也開出 26.5M/7Y 還是留下了他，當時的騎士GM Wayne Embry說，
「當我們決定跟進，也去跟他說『Hot Rod，你現在不是火火了，我們跟進囉』，
那真是爽~」

當家球星 Brad Daugherty回憶當時，「我、Hot Rod 跟 Larry 後來愛用這個梗打賭，
看誰能在明星賽以前打最多火鍋，在他簽大約後，開季前 15 場比賽是我領先，我就嗆
他說，『我們付你 30M 啦，阿你火鍋就是比我少，我甚至連跳都不用跳』，好吧，
過了五天後，他就超過我了。」

(好像真的是這樣，1991-92那季前15場，Daugherty就打了26個火鍋，Williams 18個，
過了一週就被追過去了，http://goo.gl/1sctW3 vs http://goo.gl/zGfoLQ )

Williams was a part of three Cavs teams that won 50-plus games but all three
lost to Jordan and the Bulls in the playoffs.

"It saddens me to see him go at such a young age. He was a good person,"
Daugherty said. "A lot of players come from humble beginnings, but where he
came from was very humble. I was proud of him for what he accomplished."

John Williams留隊後成為騎士三劍客之一，之後騎士成為50勝級別的球隊，不過還是
連續三年被Jordan領軍的公牛淘汰。

(戰績最好曾有57勝25負，東冠2比4被公牛淘汰)

Daugherty說，「很傷心看著他那麼年輕就離開我們，他是個好人，很多球員從低微的身份
開始打起籃球，但他更低微，我為他所擁有的成就所感到驕傲。」




最後附個highlight 給大家緬懷這位曾經的球星

http://youtu.be/xJHzwl9nI04



--