【Linjeremywetrust譯】布魯克林-球員安居樂業之地

Players are happy in Brooklyn, USA
Mikhail Prokhorov foreshadowed it all…
by Anthony Puccio Jul 27, 2017, 7:17pm EDT

布魯克林：球員安居樂業之地
然老普早已洞悉一切

Vince Carter received a call from his agent in June 2009 while he was teaching a basketball camp in Orlando. The call was to let him know the New Jersey Nets had traded him. Carter screamed at the top of his lungs and supposedly ran out of the gym jumping up and down while celebrating.

2009年6月，文斯-卡特正在奧蘭多的一家籃球訓練營言傳身教時接到一個電話，告訴他新澤西籃網已經將他交易走。卡特■操踴躍，據說是額首稱慶，一路手舞足蹈地跑出體育館。

Jason Kidd forced his way out. First he wanted L.A., then Dallas, just not, not New Jersey. Deron Williams left the Nets without a peep, without a word. Under cover of darkness, so to speak.

賈森-基德擠走了他。起初他想去洛城，而後又想去達拉斯，只要不是新澤西就成。德隆-威廉姆斯一言不發，一頭不回地離開了籃網。可以說，當時的球隊被陰翳籠罩著。

In January of 2016 (only 18 months ago), following his decision to dump Lionel Hollins and Billy, Mikhail Prokhorov addressed the media —alone behind a simple table— to discuss the state of the Nets. The restructuring of the Brooklyn Nets was in its first stage. Sean Marks hiring was a month away.

2016年1月，離現在僅過了18個月，籃網老闆Mikhail Prokhorov決定解雇主教練霍林斯與總經理比利金，隨後召見媒體，獨自一人坐在一張簡易的台前，商討球隊的現狀。隨後揭開了布魯克林籃網重建的序幕。一個月後，肖恩-馬科斯被任命為球隊新任總經理。

Little did we know: Prokhorov’s words would foreshadow what was to come and what was needed to establish a culture in Brooklyn.

很難想象，老闆的一席話會昭示未來，會預示在布魯克林構建一種文化的所需。

“I want to stress also one very important aspect, and for me it’s really great lesson” Prokhorov started.

“我想強調同樣非常重要的一面，對我來說這真的是莫大的教訓。”老普揭開話題。

“We are playing with the best market in the world. And of course, it is a market which makes great pressure, great, a lot of attention, a very active press. That’s why we need players and a coach who can resist this pressure, who can survive. So, we need not only players who, like, want to play for us, but they can play for us.

“我們在全世界最好的市場打球。誠然，在這樣的市場打球會帶來極大、極大的壓力與關注。媒體非常活躍。因此，我們需要可以抗壓的球員與主教練，可以在高壓下生存下來的人。我們需要球員不僅喜歡、想要為我們打球，而且能夠為我們打球。”

It may have been a subtle dig at Williams, who (infamously) had talked this way about the city…

對德隆而言，紐約的境遇是一個微妙的挖苦。說起紐約，他“惡”語相向。

_“I grew up in an apartment in Texas where you could send your kids outside like, ‘Yeah, go play in the sun.’ Here it’s more challenging,” Williams said in an interview with the New York Daily News. _

“我在得克薩斯州的公寓長大。在那裡，你可以隨心所欲讓孩子到外邊去玩，’嗯，快出去到太陽底下玩’ 這裡的情況要困難得多。”德隆在接受紐約日報的採訪時這樣說。

“The process of getting them into school (in New York) is a nightmare. Even private schools where you pay are an ordeal. In Utah, you just send your kids to the first public school in the area because they’re all great.

“在紐約，送孩子去上學的過程好比夢魘。即便花重金的私立學校也是可怕的經歷。在猶他，你只需將孩子送到當地一流的公立學校，很棒的學校。”

“Truth is, we enjoy getting away from the hustle and bustle and going back to Utah every summer. It’s a relief to take that timeout. No traffic. No crowds. My daughters still have their friends there. There’s a big backyard. They go to the pool; the playground and they jump on the trampoline. Kids running wild and free here…? I don’t think so.”

“事實上，我們願意每個夏天遠離塵囂，回到猶他。那樣的遁離是一種解脫。不會車水馬龍，沒有人滿為患。我的女兒們還有朋友在那裡。我在猶他的家有一個很大的後院。他們會去泳池，操場, 跳蹦床。孩子們無拘無束。而這裡呢？情況則不同。”

… OK, then. Not a New Yorker.

好吧，難為紐約客。

This script is tiresome, but it provided a learning lesson for the owner, a city guy himself, even if the city was Moscow. And it’s something worth appreciating now: the Brooklyn Nets, under Sean Marks; under Kenny Atkinson are filling up with players that want to be here.

這樣的劇本令人厭煩，但卻給老闆，一名城裡人提供了一個可供借鑒的教訓，即使他不是紐約客，而是來自莫斯科。現在的狀況值得稱道：在肖恩馬克斯與肯尼艾金森手下，籃網的球員們個個願意待在這裡。

And that is what’s going to make or break this whole culture thing and the success that comes with it. You need players that want and can handle playing in a city where all they do is eat, sleep and drink basketball. You need coaches that want to be here.

要破除舊文化、建立新文化並獲取成功，你需要球員願意並能夠應對在大都市打球的一切問題：吃飯、睡覺、泡在籃球裡。你需要願意待在這裡的教練們。

Newest Net Allen Crabbe was introduced Thursday and had a smile on his face the entire time. Almost every sentence ended with the word “excited”.

最近的引援阿倫克拉布周二被推介，全程面帶笑容。幾乎所說的每一句話都以“興奮”字眼結束。

“It’s going to be different around here,” Crabbe said. “It’s not going to be the same as last year. They did a great job this off-season and I’m just excited.”

“一切都將會不同，會和去年不同。他們在休賽期的表現棒極了。我真的很興奮。”

“I feel like once that culture is built everybody is going to buy in,” Crabbe added.

“我覺得一旦那種文化構建好了大家都會來投奔。”

And that’s what makes the young Brooklyn Nets so refreshing. Regardless of wins and losses, they’re a team that’s worth getting behind because they’re proud to represent Brooklyn, New York. They’re excited to embrace the culture and what the future has in store.

那正是讓年輕的布魯克林煥然一新的原因。拋開輸贏不論，他們是一支值得支持的球隊因為他們以紐約布魯克林的代表為傲。他們很興奮地信奉這種文化，信奉可期的未來。

Crabbe took less money to play with the Nets! He was so excited, that he said when his agent called him Wednesday at Miami International Airport with news of the trade, he had to decide whether to waive his track kicker, which amounted to $5.6 million. He agreed … happily.

克拉布為了投奔籃網少拿了錢。他如此興奮，當他的經紀人周三在邁阿密國際機場打電話告訴他交易的消息時，他得決定是否要放棄多達560萬的交易保證金。他答應了……滿心歡喜地答應了。

“Doesn’t hurt too bad,” he said, noting that it was the Nets who inserted the kicker in the first place.

“沒什麼太傷心的”，畢竟是籃網首先在合同裡安插的交易保證金。

Then, there’s the cornerstone of the future, D’Angelo Russell. He, Crabbe and LeVert are vital to Brooklyn’s vision. Some with the Nets say they’re untouchable. Russell says he’s bought into – not hype – but what’s in front of him: structure, balance and hunger. The desire to create something special in Brooklyn.

球隊有了未來的奠基石，丹吉洛-羅素。羅素，克拉布與樂維對布魯克林的前景非常重要。有人說他們是不可觸碰的。羅素沒有吹噓，而是實打實地說他帶來了結構體，均衡性與饑餓感，渴望在布魯克林締造一些獨特的東西。

“Me coming to Brooklyn and everything’s new; Sean Marks has his credibility, Kenny has his credibility,” he said in this week’s interview with Woj. “Me, I’m trying to find myself in this league, and I’m under these guys’ wing.”

“我來到布魯克林，一切都是暫新的。肖恩值得信任，肯尼也是。”在這周接收Woj.的訪問時羅素說道，“我努力在聯盟找到自我，而他們都護著我。”

“He’s [Atkinson] a great dude,” Russell added. I’m really looking forward to working with him. I know he’s a hungry coach. He has something to prove and I have something to prove, so I think we’re going to work well together.”

“肯尼棒極了，我真的期待與他共事。我知道他渴望成功、證明自己。我也想證明自己，因此我們將會融洽共處。”

That’s been a key piece in players wanting to be here in Brooklyn: Kenny Atkinson. Take Jeremy Lin for example. He said several times that he signed in Brooklyn because of Atkinson. He took less money than he would’ve received on the market. But like Crabbe, like Russell – Lin wants to be a part of something special.

肯尼是球員們願意來布魯克林的一個重要因素。以林書豪為例，他多次說起簽約布魯克林是因為肯尼。他原本可以在自由市場接收到更好的報價，但就像克拉布，羅素希望，林想要成為締造獨特事情的一部分。

Or even take 22-year-old Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. When he was traded to the Nets on draft night, he stood in front of reporters and rapped on how he felt about going to Brooklyn. It went like this:

再或者看看22歲的郎岱。當他在選秀夜被交易到籃網時，他站在一眾記者身前，坦言自己對加盟布魯克林的感受。大致是這樣說：

“Look out Brooklyn, here I come. You can’t hide, you can’t run, I’m coming, baby!” It’s a totally new makeup since then, but he’s been grateful to be in Brooklyn from day one.

“嘿嘿，布魯克林，我來了。不要躲，不許跑，我來了，寶貝兒！”打那後舊貌換新顏，他一直對布魯克林心存感激。

Even DeMarre Carroll has already said numerous times how excited he is to leave Toronto and come to Brooklyn. “Yeah man, it’s a reunion,” Carroll said of joining up with Atkinson in his first interview with the local media. “It’s basically like going off to college and coming back to your family. I feel like it’s my family. This is where I belong, and where I’m comfortable at.”

德瑪爾-卡羅爾已經說過無數次對作別多倫多，來到布魯克林的激動之情。在與恩師重逢，接受當地媒體第一次訪問時卡羅爾說，“是的老兄，再續前緣，宛如出了一趟遠門上大學又回到家。我覺得布魯克林就是我的家。我屬於這裡，我樂在其中。”

The list goes on.

名單還會繼續。

Could you ever say the same in the past when the Nets traded for Paul Pierce – whose head was stuck in Boston until the first round of the playoffs. Most recently, Pierce wore Nets shorts to his final signing with the Celtics saying, “Hey Danny [Ainge], see this?”, tugging at the silver and black of the Nets. “This is where you sent me!”

擱在過去，當籃網交易來保羅-皮爾斯時，可能說出這樣的話嗎？皮爾斯直到季後賽的首輪滿腦子裝的還是波士頓。而最近，皮爾斯穿著籃網球褲去和凱爾特人簽最後一約時對安吉說，“丹尼，看到這沒？”他指指身上銀黑色籃網球褲說，“這就是你送我去的鬼地方！”

That was a leader? Somebody who wanted to be a Net? Nah.

那會是領袖嗎？想成為籃網人會說的話嗎？不會是。

There’s no sense in dwelling on the past or the players that came by. But at the very least, the Nets appeared to have learned their lesson from creating a toxic culture.

糾結於過去，糾結於過客毫無意義。但至少，籃網似乎從過去有毒的文化裡汲取了教訓。

Prokhorov laid it out and knew what it took to create a successful culture the second time around. Marks is filling in the pieces to make sure that doesn’t happen again. Instead of almost disliking your own players, the Nets are filled with players that Brooklyn fans can get behind.

老普為它付出代價，深知要避免重蹈覆轍，而去創造成功的文化需要什麼。馬克斯確保糟糕的歷史不會重演做出了不錯的拼圖。籃網的球迷不再厭惡自己的球員，相反地，他們支持自己的球員。

Cohesiveness, communicating, empathizing and hard work have all been highlighted in this culture change. It’s new and it’s refreshing. In 50 years of Nets basketball, it’s hard to recall more than three players that genuinely wanted to play here.

團結凝聚，溝通交流，心領神會，奮發拼搏，所有這一切在文化變遷中得到彰顯。耳目一新的文化。在籃網長達半世紀的歷史中，很難想出兩三個球員真正想為球隊打球。

Now it seems like the entire roster is proud to be a Net.

現在，似乎整個陣容都以是籃網人為豪。

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