[怪獸] Injuries KO'd Mashburn
原文出自nola.com
http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1109314752261010.xml
Injuries KO'd Mashburn
Forward was All-Star before hurting knee
Friday, February 25, 2005
By John Reid
Staff writer
There was a time when Jamal Mashburn was dependable, giving
the Hornets nearly 22 points a game, night in and night out.
Not so long ago, in 2003, he played in his first All-Star
Game
Then came the knee problems, and he was never the same.
The 6-foot-8 forward missed 63 games in 2003-04, has been
unable to play in any of the Hornets' 54 games this season
and is expected to retire when his contract ends next year.
So, to make room under the salary cap, the Hornets parted
ways with Mashburn on Thursday, trading him to the Philadelphia
76ers for forward Glenn Robinson. Mashburn is not expected to
play for the 76ers.
"As of right now, I'm still not capable of playing," said
Mashburn, who can't run because of a lack of cartilage. "I'm
going to re-evaluate my situation this summer and then see
what happens. I've come to terms with it, but I'm still
leaving out a percentage of hope."
The Hornets acquired Mashburn in 2000 from the Miami Heat.
In his first season with the Hornets, he led the team with
a 20.1-point average in the regular season and 24.9 in the
playoffs.
The team's inaugural season in New Orleans was Mashburn's
best, when he played in all 82 games and averaged 21.6
points to make his first All-Star appearance.
"It's always an unfortunate situation when a guy gets a
career-ending injury like Jamal has," Hornets general
manager Allan Bristow said. "You hate to see that.
"It's unfortunate that Mash's career was cut short because
he was terrific for us when he was healthy. Injuries do a
lot to the mind, whether you are an athlete or non-athlete."
Mashburn, 32, made $9.3 million this season and is expected
to make $10.1 million next season in the final year of his
contract. The Hornets have an insurance policy that covers
80 percent of his contract. It was included in the trade.
"After the trade, I told (Philadelphia 76ers general manager)
Billy King I wished this thing would have happened maybe three
years ago," Mashburn said.
"Maybe I could have helped them out, as far as being healthy
is concerned. I'm excited actually, but my situation doesn't
change. "
After the first game of the playoffs last season, Mashburn
was banned from the team for publicly criticizing the Hornets'
handling of his injuries.
"I'm going to remember all the good times and the bad,"
Mashburn said. "But my best memory was having Paul Silas as
my coach. I knew if I played for him, I would eventually make
some All-Star teams. He was going to let me do my thing and
trust me to go out there and play the correct way."
Silas coached Mashburn for three seasons before he was fired
after the 2002-03 season, when the Hornets failed to advance
past the first round of the playoffs against the Philadelphia
76ers.
"I've been in this league for 12 years, and you're going to
see guys come and go," said Hornets forward P.J. Brown, a
teammate of Mashburn's for three seasons in Miami before
they were traded to the Hornets. "Jamal was our franchise
player, but now the franchise is moving in another direction,
and that's just part of the game."
再見,怪獸。謝謝你帶給我們的一切。
. . . . . . .
John Reid can be reached at jreid@timespicayune.com
or (504) 826-3405.
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