[外電] Bulls, Deng face uncertain future

看板ChicagoBulls (芝加哥公牛)作者rosebulls (fast don't lie)時間13年前 (2012/07/05 13:25)推噓0(0推 0噓 0→)

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Bulls, Deng face uncertain future June, 25, 2012 Jun 2512:30PM CTBy Nick Friedell | ESPNChicago.com http://ppt.cc/~TAO CHICAGO -- Anyone who has followed Luol Deng and the Chicago Bulls in the past six months could have told you this was coming. It was inevitable. From the moment Deng tore a ligament in his wrist in late January, he held to the same belief. He was going to put off surgery to help the Bulls try to win a title and, no matter what happened, he was going to play for Team Great Britain in the Olympics this summer. No matter how many different ways Deng was asked, his answer was always the same: He was “definitely” playing. Playing in the London Olympics meant a little more to Deng because of the way the country embraced he and his family when they fled their native Sudan first to Egypt and then to England. Deng, who became a British citizen in 2006, badly wanted to represent the country on the world's biggest sporting stage. From the outset, Bulls management always held the view that it would support Deng in his decision, but privately many in the organization wanted him to have the surgery as soon as the injury happened. The thinking was that Deng would have the surgery, be out three to four months, and then possibly come back for the playoffs. Either way, he would be ready to go for the Olympics and the 2012-13 season. Deng, who endured the same injury on his right wrist during his rookie year, discussed the situation with the same doctor who performed that surgery and decided to put it off. He wanted to help the Bulls win a championship. While the Bulls, specifically coach Tom Thibodeau, were proud of the fact that Deng wanted to play through the pain, the cloud of uncertainty hung over him and the team throughout the rest of the season. Nobody wanted to discuss the possibility that Deng would be out for a large chunk of next season if he insisted on playing in the Olympics. Deng spent the year brushing off questions about his wrist, continuing to say that he would be fine and he would just deal with the pain. Thibodeau maintained the Bulls would meet with Deng after the season and continued to play him heavy minutes because he was convinced that Deng couldn't do any more damage to the wrist. Bulls GM Gar Forman repeatedly stated that he would discuss all the possibilities with Deng after the year as well. But Deng never swayed from wanting to play in the Games. His stance clearly frustrated Bulls personnel who were on the hook for two more years and almost $28 million at the end of Deng's contract. Deng admitted to reporters on Sunday the same thing Bulls fans have known for months: The Bulls wanted him to have the surgery and skip the Olympics. "I wouldn't want me to play (in the Olympics) either," Deng said, during a Team Great Britain training session. "Pax is an athlete and, as an athlete who used to play, Pax understands me wanting to play. But as a GM that's his job to try and get the team healthy and get the team ready for next year. I understand both sides to it." That doesn't mean he's changing his mind. Deng can talk all he wants about how he may not have to undergo the surgery, a message both he and the front office have mentioned numerous times in the past few months. But after watching Deng play all season it's hard to believe that would even be a possibility. His wrist bothered him throughout the season and hampered his play at times. Obviously, Deng's injury was bad luck. Same goes for Derrick Rose's knee injury. If Rose didn’t get hurt, maybe there's not as much pressure from the organization on Deng to have the surgery now. But the reality is that Deng's injury only intensifies all the questions surrounding the Bulls this summer. Aside from health, the biggest one is how can the Bulls contend this year without their two best players for large chunks of the season? Here's the hard truth: They can't. The Bulls will be better than most think because the Eastern Conference is not that deep, and Thibodeau will not allow his team to fold in the face of adversity. But to use a phrase from Thibodeau, they don't have enough to win with this season. Even at full strength, there were still serious doubts as to whether the Bulls could beat the Miami Heat in a seven-game series. But now without Rose, and likely Deng, not to mention the impending departures of Kyle Korver, Ronnie Brewer and C.J. Watson because of luxury cap concerns, the Bulls are in the type of basketball hell most teams dread. What do you do if you're Forman and you don't have money to work with on a team that is already dealing with health concerns? The answer, in the short term, is that you at least discuss potential deals that would give your team cap flexibility. The problem for the Bulls is that if you go off the assumption that they want to re-sign Omer Asik (which they do) and work out an extension with Taj Gibson (which they do) the only two tangible assets at the moment are Deng and Joakim Noah. Forman can talk about the Charlotte draft pick and the potential arrival of Nikola Mirotic all he wants, but the truth is that the only two pieces the Bulls have to offer at the moment are Deng and Noah. Deng admitted as much on Sunday regarding the rumors that the Golden State Warriors are trying to work out a deal for him. "I believe there is always to some extent truth behind rumors," Deng said. "But as an athlete, if you get caught up in them, you are really wasting your time because it's not something you can control ... If it's not true, a GM could always come out and say it's not true. But if a GM doesn't come out and say it, there are probably talks. And there should be. If I was a GM I would be shopping players around, too. I've got to show that I'm doing something." According to a tweet by Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski on Monday morning, the Bulls have privately assured Deng that there is “no chance” they will trade him to the Warriors. Forman has always been coy regarding any potential moves, so don't look for a statement from him regarding an undying love toward Deng any time soon. He has been around the game long enough to know that he must do anything he can to make his team better. But that's the part of any potential Deng deal that doesn't make sense, at least from a basketball perspective. Trading away Deng (which is still hard to believe in one regard given his potential surgery and the fact he would be out three to four months no matter where he goes) doesn't add up except from a financial perspective. No matter who the Bulls got in return for Deng, it's hard to believe they would be able to replace all the things Deng does for the team. He is a Thibodeau favorite, after all, and any notion that the Bulls are shopping Deng because of his decision to push back surgery is ridiculous. Thibodeau loves him. Trading away Deng wouldn't just represent part of a financial plan, though. It would be an acknowledgement from the front office that the Bulls, as constructed, simply aren't good enough to win a title right now. It would be a signal to fans to sleepwalk through another season or two before the Bulls can amnesty Carlos Boozer's contract and make another major run at a new crop of free agents, much the same way they tried and failed to land LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh during the summer of 2010. Fans will gripe about Jerry Reinsdorf's reluctance to go into the luxury tax, but why go into the tax if you don't feel like you're good enough to win? The Bulls would never say this publicly, of course. They'll sell fans on the fact that Rose will continue to get healthy, and they'll make another run at a title when he comes back on the floor. Fans will continue to fill up the United Center, and the Bulls will continue to make money. But will they be any closer to a title in the next year or two? Probably not. Until the Bulls get another star to play alongside Rose, their hopes of hoisting the golden trophy at the end of the season are slim. Until they find a way to free up some money to attract such a star, they'll continue to reside in the grey zone that no executive wants to think about. The odds that the Bulls actually decide to move Deng before next season are still relatively slim, but the fact that all these rumors continue to float around send an undeniable message to fans heading into the upcoming season. It's a message filled with uncertainty about the future. [翻譯團]公牛與鄧——前途未蔔由水銀人者發表在虎撲籃球‧公牛專區 http://bbs.hupu.com/3935566.html 公牛與鄧——前途未蔔芝加哥 -- 任何一位在過去的六個月裡追隨著公牛，追隨著魯爾-鄧的人都知道，這一天終究會來的，躲也躲不掉。自從一月底手腕韌帶撕裂起，鄧的信念就從未改變。他決定推遲手術，幫助公牛拿下一座總冠軍，而且，無論發生什麼，他都要代表英國隊出戰夏天的奧運會。不管人們怎麼變著法兒地試探，他的回答始終如一：他“一定”會參加奧運會。參加倫敦奧運會對鄧來說有著特殊的意義，因為這個國度接納了他和他的家人，當初他們一家先是從老家蘇丹逃到了埃及，然後到了英格蘭。2006年加入英國國籍後，鄧就極度渴望能在世界體育的最高殿堂裡為國效力。對外，公牛管理層一直表示他們支持鄧的決定，但私底下，隊內很多人都希望他在受傷的第一時間進行手術。他們的想法是做完手術，休息三到四個月，興許還能在季後賽裡複出。而且，這樣他也能為奧運會和下賽季做好充足的準備。鄧在新秀賽季就曾遇到過相同的傷，不過是在右手腕，他與為他實施那次手術的醫生進行了討論，最終決定推遲手術。儘管全隊上下，特別是主教練錫伯杜都對鄧帶傷上陣的決心感到驕傲，但未知的陰雲已經在剩下的比賽中籠罩了他和球隊。沒人願意去談堅持參加奧運會有可能讓鄧缺席下賽季的大量比賽。鄧也一直在澄清關於腕傷的各種質疑，表示自己一切正常，能夠應付這種疼痛。錫伯杜也說球隊會在賽季結束後等鄧歸隊，並且依舊給了他大量的上場時間，因為他認為，鄧不會做任何對手腕有害的事。公牛GM富爾曼不斷強調他會在年末再和鄧商討各種可能性。不過鄧要求上場的決心從未動搖。他的態度顯然是讓公牛的管理層有點無奈，畢竟球隊與他還有兩年2800萬的大合同。周日，鄧向記者承認球隊希望他進行手術，放棄奧運會。其實公牛的球迷幾個月前就知道這件事了。 “換做是我（在那個位子），我也不會想讓我打比賽（奧運會）的，”在一次英國隊的訓練中，鄧說道，“Pax是個球員，作為曾經的運動員，他知道我想打球。但作為GM他的職責就是讓球隊保持健康，為明年做好準備。這我都懂的。” 但這並不意味著，他會改變主意。鄧會費盡口舌，來向大家傳達一個過去的幾個月裡，他和球隊無數次提到的資訊——也許他根本用不著做手術。但是看了他整個賽季的比賽，你無法相信有這種可能。整個賽季他都受腕傷困擾，經常會影響到他的發揮。鄧的受傷顯然是不幸的，與之類似的還有羅斯的膝傷。如果羅斯沒有受傷的話，現在球隊也許不會在做手術的問題上給鄧這麼大的壓力。可現實是，鄧的傷病使得今年夏天本就問題纏身的公牛雪上加霜。沒有了健康，在球隊頭兩把交椅都要缺席大量比賽的情況下，公牛能走多遠，這無疑是最大的疑問。現實是殘酷的：他們走不了多遠。公牛並不會像人們想的那樣糟糕，因為東部其實並沒有那麼有深度，而且錫伯杜也絕不會讓球隊在災難面前低頭。不過借用他的一句話，以他們本賽季的陣容還不足以贏下冠軍。即使是全力出戰，人們對於公牛能否在七場四勝制的系列賽中扳倒邁阿密人依舊十分懷疑。但現在沒了羅斯，有可能失去鄧，更不用說因此奢侈稅的關係，隨時可能離開的科沃爾、布魯爾和C.J.沃特森，目前公牛的處境可能就是所有球隊最最懼怕的籃球地獄吧。如果你是富爾曼，你會怎麼做？特別是在沒有足夠薪金來運作，球隊已經飽受傷病困擾的情況下？短期的答案就是，至少你得嘗試著做點交易，騰出點球隊的薪金空間來。但問題是，如果他們想要重新簽下阿西克（他們真的想的）吉布森延長合同（這也是他們想做的），那麼手頭上他們可以動用的籌碼就只剩下諾阿和鄧了。富爾曼可能會說他們還有夏洛特的選秀簽位以及尼古拉-米羅蒂奇也可能會登陸云云，但事實是目前公牛能擺上檯面的籌碼，就是鄧和諾阿。周日，鄧表示自己關注關於金州勇士正努力通過交易得到他的流言。 “我覺得流言總有三分真實性，”鄧說，“但作為球員，如果你過度關注這些，那就是在浪費自己的時間了，因為這不是你能左右的……如果流言是假的，總會有GM出門闢謠。但如果沒有GM這麼做，那它沒準兒就是靠譜的。而且這也是應該的。如果我是GM我也會四處尋求交易。我必須表現出自己不是個吃乾飯的。” 雅虎體育的Adrian Wojnarowski在週一早上發了條推特，表示公牛已經私下裡向鄧保證“ 絕不會（no chance）”把他交易到勇士隊。富爾曼在交易方面總是顯得很“靦腆”，所以任何時候也別指望他會站出來說自己對鄧的愛是“海枯石爛”的。他已經入行夠久，知道自己必須盡一切努力讓球隊變得更好。但這也正因為此，目前任何關於鄧的流言都是空談，至少從籃球的角度來說是這樣的。除了薪金方面，把鄧（一個要動手術，無聊去哪兒都得缺席三到四個月的人）交易走並不會説明球隊。無論公牛從鄧的交易中得到了誰，他都很難完全替代鄧目前在球隊的作用。畢竟他是錫伯杜的心頭肉，任何因為他推遲了手術就要把他交易掉的想法都是扯淡。錫伯杜喜歡他。不過，交易鄧也不僅僅出於薪金考慮。這基本上相當於公牛官方宣佈，以球隊現在的結構不足以贏得總冠軍。這就相當於是告訴球迷，在我們特赦了布澤爾的合同，然後在自由球員市場再釣兩條大魚之前（比如：2010年夏天他們試圖引進詹姆斯、韋德和波什，雖然都失敗了……），大家可以先打兩年醬油了。球迷們一定會抱怨老闆傑裡-萊因斯多夫不想交奢侈稅，但是如果你本來就覺得自己沒機會奪冠，為什麼還要叫這份冤枉錢呢？當然了，公牛絕不會這麼說的。他們會告訴球迷羅斯會滿血復活的，而只要他一回來，球隊會再次向總冠軍發起衝擊。球迷也會繼續爆滿整個聯合中心，球隊也就繼續賺錢。不過未來兩年他們真的有可能離總冠軍更近一步嗎？懸。除非他們能給羅斯再找一個球星，不然下賽季奪冠的希望依舊渺茫。如果他們不能騰出薪金空間找來這樣一個球星，在交易市場上他們仍會在無人問津的灰色地帶。在新賽季開賽前，公牛交易鄧的可能性依舊很小，但是，這無休止的流言卻向憧憬著新賽季的球迷們傳遞著一個確切的消息。那就是未來充滿了不確定性。 -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 118.169.235.247