[外電] Silence of the Bulls

看板ChicagoBulls (芝加哥公牛)作者rosebulls (fast don't lie)時間14年前 (2011/06/16 14:22)推噓0(0推 0噓 0→)

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中文版 http://news.hoopchina.com/201106/62650.html 英文原文 http://tinyurl.com/3vljgs8 Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau and general manager Gar Forman have gone underground. For the first time in the 43 years I’ve covered the team for Ebony magazine and the Sun-Times, the Bulls are refusing to tell the media about which players they’re bringing in for summer tryouts, refusing to make them available for interviews and refusing to grant interviews themselves. Or is it just me? A Bulls spokesman explained: ‘‘Well, we have a new coaching staff now. They want to do things differently. And this is one of the areas they’re making changes.’’ Thus, unless Thibodeau and Forman become media-friendly again in terms of supporting offseason coverage, we might never know which players succeeded in their tryouts until next season. That is, if there is a next season. Remember, the owners and players are trying to negotiate a new collective-bargaining agreement. The current one expires June 30. If no agreement is reached by then, owners might lock out players for the first time since 1998, despite record TV ratings. The Bulls’ new self-imposed gag rule smacks of censorship. It moves to limit what we can report about the team’s preparations for next season. Perhaps, because they are once more selling out every game and have a long waiting list for season tickets the way they did in the dynasty days of Michael Jordan, they don’t need any offseason coverage, except for their own online offerings at bulls.com, written by my colleague Sam Smith. ‘‘As far as I know, all other teams provide [offseason] support for media coverage,’’ an NBA spokesman said. ‘‘It’s possible the Boston Celtics may be an exception. That’s where [Thibodeau] came from, and perhaps he’s continuing that policy.’’ But a longtime Celtics beat reporter denied that. ‘‘They have been announcing which players they bring in,’’ he said. ‘‘ They have allowed us to interview them, and [management has] always been accessible.’’ Maybe Thibodeau is still smarting from the way his team blew a 12-point lead with 3:14 left in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat. Maybe he doesn’t want to be questioned about costly decisions he might have made, including one not to use his most experienced players more down the stretch during that series, which the Bulls lost in five games. Maybe he and Forman are hiding some super prospect they’re bringing in so that other teams won’t catch on. Whatever, this is a radical revision from the team’s tradition and from NBA commissioner David Stern’s policy of giving the media every reasonable support to cover teams whenever and wherever possible. And with the Bulls coming off their most successful, non-championship season so far, their fans deserve to know what’s cooking for next season. That is, if there is a next season. -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 59.121.5.242