[新聞] Banchero, Smith與圍繞在第一順位的謎團

看板Orl-Magic (奧蘭多魔術)作者arrowsean時間2年前 (2022/07/10 14:37)推噓29(29推 0噓 53→)

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https://reurl.cc/Erx0On Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith Jr. and the mystery that surrounded the NBA draft's No. 1 pick Tim MacMahon and Brian Windhorst Jul 7, 2022 AROUND MIDNIGHT THE evening before the NBA draft, Orlando Magic president Jeff Weltman and general manager John Hammond walked together to their cars, talking about the event -- and decision -- that could change the course of their franchise. Less than 24 hours before the team's first No. 1 pick since 2004, the Magic's top two basketball executives weren't quite at peace. 約莫在NBA選秀會前一天的午夜，奧蘭多魔術隊總裁Jeff Weltman與GM John Hammond一同走向他們的座車，討論著這場可能會改變球隊進程的選秀以及他們的決定。距離2004年以來魔術首次的第一順位不到24小時，球隊兩位最高決策者的心情並不那麼平靜。 That day, in meetings with their scouts and personnel specialists, the group had reached a tentative decision to go with Paolo Banchero, the powerful 19-year-old big man from Duke. Probably. "If you told me Jeff would've walked into the office with a different decision in the morning," Hammond said, "I wouldn't have been shocked." 那天在他們與球探及選秀部門的會議裡，團隊達成了初步決定，他們會選擇來自Duke大學的19歲長人Paolo Banchero──應該吧。「如果你那時告訴我Jeff明早會帶著一個不同的決定走進辦公室，我並不會驚訝。」 Hammond說。 That next day, the Magic created a modern rarity: genuine surprise with the top pick on draft night. They selected Banchero after most of the league had for weeks believed they were leaning toward Jabari Smith Jr., a sweet-shooting, defensive-minded forward from Auburn. 隔天，魔術創造了一個現代的罕見事蹟：在選秀夜用狀元籤演出真正的驚奇。數星期以來聯盟中大多數人都相信他們傾向的是擁有迷人的投射能力以及防守意識，來自Auburn 大學的前鋒Jabari Smith Jr.，但他們選擇了Banchero。 The late reveal was a jolt to Smith, who had been preparing to join the Magic after a workout in Orlando in early June. And Banchero, who bypassed an offer to travel to Orlando for formal meetings because he wasn't sure the team was seriously considering him. And the Houston Rockets, who had prepared to pick Banchero with the third pick. 第一順位的公佈震驚了Smith，在六月初奧蘭多的試訓後，他已經準備好要加入魔術。而 Banchero此前則是略過了前往奧蘭多進行正式會面的邀請，因為他不確定魔術是否有認真考慮自己。另一邊休士頓火箭已經準備好要用第三順位拿下Banchero。 All the primary characters come together Thursday (10 p.m. ET, ESPN) as Banchero and the Magic face off against Smith and the Rockets at Las Vegas Summer League, hoping to shake off the awkwardness of the draft-night drama. 所有主要人物即將在週四*聚集在一起，Banchero與魔術隊要在拉斯維加斯夏季聯賽對陣 Smith與火箭隊，他們希望擺脫掉來自戲劇性選秀夜的尷尬。譯註：原報導發表於魔術火箭夏聯比賽前。 "We didn't know [Orlando was taking Banchero] until 10 minutes before the draft," Rockets general manager Rafael Stone said. "I didn't hear from the Magic telling me for sure until a few minutes before," said Mike Miller, Banchero's agent and a 17-year NBA veteran. And as Banchero said, "I didn't find out I was actually getting picked until about 20 seconds before the commissioner got on the stage." 「在選秀會前10分鐘我們才知道魔術要選Banchero。」火箭GM Rafael Stone這麼說。「一直到幾分鐘前我才從魔術那收到明確的告知。」Mike Miller說道，他是Banchero的經紀人，有過17年的NBA球員身涯。 Banchero則如他本人所言：「到主席上台宣布的前20秒左右，我才得知自己真的被選為狀元了。」 THE INITIAL THEORY was that the Magic had run a misdirection on the rest of the league, and particularly Houston, by hiding their intentions. But multiple members of the Magic said it was merely the product of a grueling process to choose between top prospects that also included Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren. 外界最初的推測是魔術隱藏了他們的想法，藉此誤導聯盟中的其他球隊，特別是火箭。不過根據數名魔術團隊成員的說法，這單純是要在包含Gonzaga大學的Chet Holmgren在內的頂尖新秀中做抉擇這一艱困過程中的產物。 Weltman, who has led Orlando's front office since 2017, is known for being both tight-lipped and fastidious. If there was a decision-maker in the league who could conduct such an operation, Weltman would be on the short list. "There's a lot of strategy that goes into the draft," Weltman said. "There's a lot of secret-keeping; there's a lot of misdirection." 從2017年開始領導魔術制服組的Weltman，以不露口風及嚴謹的行事風格為人知。如果要說聯盟中有哪一個決策者可以完成這般操作，名單不會太長，而Weltman會位列其中。「選秀中有著大量的策略，大量的保密工作，以及大量的誤導。」Weltman說。 He and the Magic simply didn't dissuade anyone when mock drafts were formed and league intelligence percolated with the common belief that it would be Smith at No. 1, even if the team hadn't internally made the call. 當各個模擬選秀與聯盟中的消息都瀰漫著一股Smith會成為狀元的確信時，他與魔術隊只是單純的不動聲色，即便球隊內部也尚未達成決定。 "Orlando never committed to taking Jabari first," said Wallace Prather, Smith's agent. "Obviously, the internet and social media creates narratives and creates stories, and we all know it's a TV show. Orlando kept things close to the cuff." 「魔術從未決定要在第一順位選擇Jabari。」Smith的經紀人Wallace Prather表示：「很顯然的網路及社群媒體創造了一連串的敘事及故事，我們都知道那只是電視演出，魔術一直將事情掌控在自己手邊。」 When Weltman met with staff members shortly before the draft on June 23, he commended them for staying airtight as an organization, as their plans hadn't leaked. "I think it's the best way to do business," Weltman said. "It's important people know information is managed discreetly with us." 當Wletman在6月23日選秀會前與團隊短暫會面時，他讚賞了整個組織能保持密不透風，因為他們的計畫沒有外洩。「我認為這是做生意的最佳方式，讓人們知道與我們打交道時訊息會被謹慎控管是重要的。」Weltman說道。 Then there was the mystery of the sportsbooks. Many of the top casinos went from lowering Banchero's odds in the few days leading up to the draft to outright making him the favorite – overnight. While the Magic investigated -- the team came to the conclusion social media might've played a role -- the Rockets began to react. "When [the odds] shifted, we noted it," Stone said. "If people are willing to put their money on it, especially when you see a big swing like that, it feels like maybe somebody knows something." 接著是關於運動彩券的謎團，許多頂級賭盤在選秀會前幾天調降了Banchero的賠率，讓他在一夜之間成為狀元熱門。當魔術對此進行調查時──球隊的結論是這可能是來自社群媒體的影響──火箭一方開始做出反應。 Stone表示：「我們注意到賠率產生變化，如果人們願意進場投注，特別是當你看到這種大幅波動，那感覺像是也許某人知道了什麼內情。」 The Rockets reached out to Prather, a veteran agent who has a long history with the organization. Houston hadn't met with Smith before the draft, though they'd done extensive scouting and research on him. With the growing uncertainty of what the Magic might do, Prather gave the Rockets Smith's pre-draft medical reports. 火箭聯繫了Prather，他是一位與球隊有著長期來往的資深經紀人，火箭在選秀會前不曾接觸過Smith，儘管他們已在他身上進行了廣泛的球探與調查工作。隨著魔術動向的不確定性逐漸升高， Prather將Smith的選前醫療報告提供給了火箭。 This personal data, which includes previous injury history, is often closely held by players and agents. Secrecy sometimes is used as a tactic to guide players away from certain teams. It's also often not shared if an agent is confident the client will be off the board before that team picks, as was thought to be the case in this instance. The Rockets didn't have full medicals on Holmgren, either; he had only provided them to the Magic and the Oklahoma City Thunder, who had the No. 2 pick. 這份個人檔案包含了過往的傷病史，這種資訊通常會被球員及經紀人緊抓在手中，檔案保密有時可以做為讓球員避開特定球隊的手段。若是經紀人有把握他的客戶會在某球隊的順位前就被選走，往往也不會將資料分享給該球隊，此刻的情況就是這種案例。火箭也同樣沒有Holmgren的完整醫療報告，後者只將它提供給魔術與手握第二順位的雷霆。 With the draft fast approaching, veteran agent Bill Duffy, who represents Holmgren, told the Rockets that if he got an indication the Magic and Thunder were passing on his client, he would give Holmgren's medical reports to Houston so it could prepare. The Thunder's long-standing interest in Holmgren was known across the league, but in the hours leading up to the draft, there was apprehension that nothing might be what it seemed. 當選秀會快速逼近，身為Holmgren代理人的資深經紀人Bill Duffy通知火箭，如果他感到有徵兆顯示魔術與雷霆會跳過他的客戶，他會提供火箭Holmgren的醫療報告好讓他們可以預先準備。全聯盟都知道雷霆長期以來對Holmgren抱持著興趣，但是在選秀前的數小時存在一股憂慮，擔心事情發展並不如表面所見。 As speculation ebbed and flowed, the Magic stayed mum. Miller, Banchero's agent, saw the swinging sportsbook odds and communicated with Orlando throughout the day, naturally wanting to vet the situation. The Magic divulged nothing. "When you're playing poker," Weltman said, "you don't put your cards on the table." 隨著猜測起起伏伏，魔術始終保持沉默。Banchero的經紀人Miller眼見賭盤賠率的波動，整天持續著與魔術隊聯繫，他自然會想釐清情勢，但魔術甚麼都沒有透漏。「當你玩撲克時，你不會在檯面上亮出自己的底牌。」 Weltman這麼說。 THE ROCKETS AND Thunder deepened their information gathering. Hours passed. Once the Rockets were convinced Orlando was going with Banchero, Houston reached out to the Magic to make a trade offer to get up to the top pick, sources said. The Rockets wouldn't have made an offer if they were certain Smith would slide to them, sources said, but they were concerned about having to make a decision on Holmgren without time to digest his medical information. 火箭與雷霆加強了他們的情報收集。數小時過去，根據消息來源，當火箭確信魔術會選擇Banchero後，他們聯繫魔術並提出了交易提案想要向上換取第一順位。消息源表示若是火箭確定Smith可以落到第三順位，那他們不會提出交易，但是他們擔憂可能必須在沒有足夠時間消化 Holmgren的醫療資訊的情況下面對是否要選擇Holmgren的決策。 Teams drafting near each other routinely carry out due diligence, feeling out pick availability and values. Perhaps the Magic, the thinking went, were running a smoke screen -- an effort to force last-minute trade offers only to move back and take the player they had allegedly been leaning toward all along is a game as old as the draft itself. 在相鄰順位選秀的球隊會不斷的盡職調查，探詢選秀籤的可取得性與價值。用常理推斷，或許魔術是在釋放煙霧彈──藉由這種努力來促成壓線的交易提案，讓他們能將順位後移，並選走他們真正心儀的球員，這種操盤手法的歷史與選秀本身同樣悠久。 In 2017, the Boston Celtics famously traded the No. 1 pick for the No. 3 pick as the Philadelphia 76ers moved up to draft Markelle Fultz. The Celtics had Jayson Tatum No. 1 on their draft board all along, so they got their player and an extra future pick. 在2017年波士頓塞爾提克與費城七六人兩隊著名的第一及第三順位互換中，後者向上交易並選下Markelle Fultz。Jayson Tatum 至始至終是塞爾提克選秀榜單的第一名新秀，因此他們同時拿到了自己最想要的球員與額外的未來選秀權。 But that Celtics-Sixers trade happened three days before the draft. Had the Magic truly wanted to trade this No. 1 pick and move back, they'd have made the decision a few days earlier, sources said. So the Magic listened to the Rockets' offer but firmly passed. The negotiation was brief, and the Rockets got the message: A deal was highly unlikely. 但是塞爾提克與七六人的交易案發生在選秀會的前三天。根據消息來源的說法，假設魔術真的想將狀元籤向下交易，他們會更早幾天做出決定。魔術聽取了火箭的報價，但他們堅定的將它丟到一旁。兩隊的談判很短暫，火箭得到的訊息是：交易不太可能達成。 "You never know what is going to come up," Weltman said. "You never know what other teams are trying to do behind you." And when the time came, Weltman didn't wait around. Within moments of being put on the clock by NBA commissioner Adam Silver, the Magic called in their selection, well ahead of the five-minute time limit. Any last-minute offers would have been moot. 「你永遠不知道會發生甚麼事。」Weltman說：「你永遠不知道其他球隊在你背後盤算什麼。」當時候到了，Weltman沒有多作等待。就在NBA主席 Adam Silver宣布計時開始後沒多久，魔術用電話告知了他們的選擇，這遠早於五分鐘的時限，若有任何的壓線報價也將失去意義。 Banchero and Smith were left to their twisting emotions, their early careers likely to be tied to that moment in Brooklyn. "Jabari ended up in a place that fits who he is," Prather said. "There was nothing but excitement on Jabari's part about going to Houston. We love their young core. We love the city. We love the passion of their fan base." After wiping away tears upon hearing his name called first, any unease over the way it played out faded for Banchero. "No, this isn't even a dream. I feel like this is a fantasy," Banchero said. "I dreamed of being in the NBA, but being the No. 1 overall pick, this is crazy." Banchero與Smith置身在各自曲折翻轉的情緒中，他們的初期生涯大概會綁定在那一刻的布魯克林。 Prather說：「Jabari最終到了一個適合他的地方，前往休士頓對他而言只有滿滿的興奮，我們喜愛他們的年輕核心，我們喜愛那座城市，我們喜愛火箭球迷的熱情。」 Banchero拭去了聽到自己名子在大會上第一個被喊出時落下的淚水，原本顯露出的所有焦慮不安也消散退去。「這甚至不是會作為夢想的情境，我感覺它是一個奇幻故事。」Banchero說道：「我夢想過能進入NBA，但可以成為狀元，這真是瘋狂。」 --- 等了一陣子的內幕報導，有挖掘出一些有趣的未知事件，如魔術對賭盤變化的反應以及火箭曾報價想向上交易第一順位。整體來說今年選秀看得還蠻開心的。不常做全文翻譯，如有錯誤也請指正。 -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc), 來自: 114.24.216.253 (臺灣) ※ 文章網址: https://www.ptt.cc/bbs/Orl-Magic/M.1657435058.A.E5D.html

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