[外電] Loyalty wins out as Thomas returns t …

看板Mavericks (達拉斯小牛)作者DM24Tim (黃金右腳)時間15年前 (2010/09/06 14:13)推噓14(14推 0噓 2→)

留言16則, 15人參與討論串1/1

Loyalty wins out as Thomas returns to the Big D http://0rz.tw/v1ziN If there ever was a summer to be a free agent, this was it. There were plenty of jobs to go around and teams looking to spend. Tim Thomas didn't want any part of the craziness. A few informal discussions took place here and there, but Thomas knew what he wanted. The Mavericks felt the same. "Loyalty is definitely the best word for it," Thomas told NBA.com in his first extensive interview since re-signing with Dallas on Aug. 18. Tim Thomas今年夏天成為自由球員，他有很多的選擇，可以慢慢挑適合他的球隊。但他心意已決，而對小牛來說也是一樣的。Thomas說:"忠誠是最大的原因。"這是他自從8月中與小牛續約之後第一次的訪談。 Thomas missed most of last season, his first with Dallas. Knee surgery sidelined him initially before leaving the team in late January to deal with something much more serious. Thomas' wife, Tricia, had become ill and Tim requested a leave of absence to care for her and their family. He never returned. He also wasn't forgotten. Thomas said every one of his Dallas teammates reached out during the trying times, as did players from around the league. Even though he had only been with the Mavericks a few months and played just 18 games, the outpouring of support from all corners of the organization touched him deeply. Thomas與小牛的第一個賽季打打停停，先是膝蓋傷勢困擾著他，而後他的太太Tricia 生了重病，於是他向球隊請假去照顧家人。他最後沒有歸隊，但沒有人忘記他，Thomas 表示每一個小牛的隊員與其他聯盟中的球員都曾在他最困難的時候與他連絡，儘管他上季只為小牛打了18場的比賽，但來自各方的支持讓他打從心底感到感激。 "That was all I could ask for," said Thomas, who decided along with Tricia to keep the nature of her illness private. Thomas kept tabs on the Mavericks from their home in Los Angeles. Watching the first-round exit to San Antonio was especially hard. "It was about taking care of my wife, but I watched basketball as much as I could and I always kept up with what Dallas was doing," he said. "I reached out to everybody right before the playoffs and wished everybody well. "Of course I watched the playoff games and thought about situations where I could have helped. It was tough to know that the guys were going to war and I wasn't there to help, but at the same time everybody was reaching out with their prayers for my wife." "我別無所求了。"Thomas表示，他與妻子決定讓她的病情狀況保持隱私。Thomas在洛杉磯的家中持續關注小牛季後賽的戰況，小牛最後難堪的在第一輪被馬刺淘汰，讓他覺得相當難受。他說:"我最關心的當然是我太太的病情，但我也會抽空看籃球並且想知道小牛近況如何，我在季後賽以前跟隊友們聯絡過，希望大家都好。我在看季後賽的時候也想過我能夠幫上什麼忙？大家都在拼戰而我卻無法伸出援手讓我很痛心，但同時大家卻依然為我太太的病情禱告著。" When the offseason rolled around, Thomas' competitive juices were flowing again. Tricia had improved to the point where she could care for their two daughters and run the household again. Thomas was ready to give it another go. "I wanted to come back and help my team, but things happened in the household," he said. "The team allowed me to go and to try to work things out. When things started going downhill, they allowed me to stay home and take care of what's most important -- your family. I really appreciate that from them. I'm happy that everything worked out as far as my wife's health." 而隨著休賽季的來臨，Thomas的鬥志慢慢燃燒，Tricia的病況好轉，他可以獨自照顧兩個女兒，也可以料理家裡的事物了，Thomas決定給自己一個機會。他說:"我想要回來幫助球隊，球團允許我在情況危及的時候回去照顧我最重要的家人，我真的很感激他們，我很高興我的狀況跟妻子的病況都步入正軌。" Thomas began to work out and talked to his agent, Bob Myers, about his options. Most teams were hesitant to look into the 14-year veteran with seven teams on his re'sume', though some were interested given Thomas' track record. The Mavericks were one of those interested teams. "There were a lot of talks, but nothing got as far as an actual contract," Thomas said. "When my agent talked to Dallas and Dallas said they would love to have me back, it was a no-brainer. I definitely wanted to put myself in a situation where you have a chance to win an NBA championship." Thomas開始努力練習，他也跟他的經紀人Bob Myers談過了他的選項，很多球隊對這位待過7隊、打過14年NBA的老將趕到猶豫，也有些球隊對他過去的成績感到有興趣，當然小牛也是其中之一。Thomas說:"這之間有很多次的談判，但都還沒有到簽約的地步，當我的經紀人與小牛聯絡時，他們說很歡迎我回來。我想都沒想就決定為這支球隊打拼一座NBA總冠軍。" The two sides agreed on the same contract Thomas signed last summer -- a one-year deal for the veteran's minimum ($1.35 million). Whether more money was out there, Thomas wasn't about to chase it. There was unfinished business and the chance to repay a debt in Dallas. Loyalty won out. "That's the right word -- loyalty," he said. "Everything I went through, the organization was just great. From being hurt and having surgery to my wife's health, they were just great. From the basketball side of it, they know what I'm capable of doing if I'm healthy and they know also I just want to sacrifice for the team. I just want to win. That's the bottom line." 雙方對合約內容有了共識，就是跟去年夏天一樣的1年老將底薪合約。Thomas不想追求更多的錢，這是他欠小牛的，他要完成去年沒做完的事情。而忠誠就是最後的答案。 Thomas表示:"忠誠是最正確的字眼，所有我經歷過的事情讓我覺得這個球團太棒了！對於我受傷動手術到我太太的健康問題的態度，他們真是太棒了！在籃球的專業上，他們知道我可以做什麼來幫助球隊，也知道我願意犧牲自己來追求勝利，就這樣。 The Mavericks are just glad to get Thomas back. "We knew it was tough on Tim and his family last year," owner Mark Cuban said. "Our policy is that family always comes first. So we certainly were trying to offer any help we could and to stay on top of the situation. With the new season getting ready to get started, we are excited to have Tim back. His size and ability to stretch the court will be a big help to us." Thomas isn't a difference-maker, but the Mavericks are counting on the 6-foot-10 forward to shore up some shortcomings that arose last season. He brings much-needed depth behind Dirk Nowitzki, giving Dallas length and the ability to space the floor with his 3-point range. 小牛也很樂意爭取到Thomas的回鍋，Cuban說:"去年對Tim與他的家人是相當困難的一年，我們都認為家庭永遠是第一要務，所以對於我們能做的任何幫忙當然義不容辭，新球季即相開打我們很興奮他能歸隊，他的身材跟能力可以給我們很大的幫助。" Thomas不是有能力隻手遮天的球員，但球隊依舊需要他這位6-10的前鋒帶來上季小牛略顯不足的地方，他可以擔當Dirk襯職的替補，從禁區到三分線他都能有所貢獻。 And while the absence was unintended, it did his body some good. Thomas, 33, has only played close to a full season once in the last five years. "I've had a long time off, so I have fresh legs, but then again it's been 14 years, so time will tell," he said. "I feel great right now. I'm ready to go and I want to get back into the whole flow of practicing and playing and being able to compete. I want to be around the guys and enjoy the game." When it came down to deciding where, Thomas couldn't imagine being anywhere else. "I just felt loyal to Dallas for what they did last year letting me take care of my family," he said. "I just want to give it another shot. I feel I can help. I keep going back to that word -- loyalty." Thomas的身體也在這段時間得到了足夠的修養，33歲的他在過去5年之間只有一季幾乎打滿整季。Thomas說:"我休息了很久所以我的腳很健康，但我也已經打了14個年頭，歲月不饒人啊。我現在感覺很好，我已經準備好要回來練習並且競爭，我想要跟這些傢伙一起享受比賽。"當他在決定要去哪隊的時候，他無法想像如果他加入其他球隊的樣子。他說:"小牛去年對我很忠心的願意讓我回去照顧我的家庭，我想要再試一次，我覺得我做得到，而我也不斷的在重述這個詞－忠誠。" 有情有義湯瑪斯!! -- 姓名救援成功救援失敗 (0511止) 林岳平　（統一）　　11 0

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