The Ripple Effect
涟漪效应
The Kings were gifted a chance to do something great.
国王被赋予了一个可成就伟大的机会.
By Babygiraffe @TimMaxwell22 May 17, 2018, 12:35pm PDT
原文出自sbnation https://tinyurl.com/y7b6nmff
A kiss at the altar.
The birth of a child.
An unexpected death of a close friend.
These are some of the many defining moments in a person’s life:
crystal clear, life altering.
And just as those singular occasions are the culmination of many millions of
decisions, both voluntary and involuntary, so do the successes and failures of
NBA franchises often rise and fall on an individual moment:
the zenith of a thousand influences.
A tipped ball: a scramble for the rebound, a made three-pointer,
championship hopes extinguished.
A tweet: the Kings are saved. Here We Stayed.
A trade: DeMarcus Cousins is gone. Another rebuild has begun.
These are just a few.
踏入爱情坟墓的那一吻. 一块心头肉的新生. 好友突如其来的辞世.
这些都是人生中众多决定性时刻中的一隅: 无比清晰, 而又余韵缭绕.
而正如同这些因缘际会其实是无数有心或无意间的决定所汇聚成的焦点一般,
NBA球队营运的成败起伏时常也决定在一刹那间:
无数刀光剑影下的华山之巅.
被拨偏的那一球: 一次篮板争抢的混战, 一箭穿心的外线, 冠军梦灰飞湮灭.
一则动态: 国王无恙. 我们不走了.
一起交易: 胖者已矣. 我们又堕入重建的深渊.
这些只是其中的冰山一角.
Last night was the apex of a a full year of defining instances, some
realized in the moment, some completely unknown as they were unfolding.
昨晚仅只是这一年满满决定性时刻的顶峰.
某些事件在当下就震天嘎响, 而某些仅只是逐渐地揭开它们的序幕.
May 16, 2017: The Kings jump in the lottery for the first time in 28
years. They move to 3rd place, but slide back to 5th due to a previous
trade with Philadelphia.
June 22, 2017: Vlade Divac selects De'Aaron Fox with the fifth overall pick.
November 9, 2017: Our rookie point guard hits the game-winning shot to
defeat the Sixers 109-108.
January 25, 2018: De’Aaron Fox dunks all over the Miami Heat for his
second clutch bucket of the year.
February 22, 2018: The Bulls blow a lead to the Sixers with just a
few seconds remaining. Bobby Portis misses a game-winning two-footer.
Chicago loses.
March 1, 2018, prime tanking season: De’Aaron Fox once again is the man in the
clutch. He sinks an overtime-forcing floater as time expires. The Kings
win the game 116-111.
April 11, 2018: Houston rests their starters against Sacramento. The Kings are
victorious over the Rockets and the Bulls lose to the Pistons
by 32 points. Chicago and Sacramento end the season in a tie for 6th
place.
April 13, 2018: A coin is flipped. The Bulls win. Sacramento moves to the 7th
slot in the lottery.
2017年5月16日: 国王28年来乐透顺位第一次超车. 这衰仔前进到第三顺位, 但由于先前
与76人的交易, 顺位交换权运作后滑落到第五.
2017年6月22日: 老狄以第五顺位选了De'Aaron Fox.
2017年11月9日: 我们的菜鸟控卫投进致胜球, 帮助球队以109-108击败了76人.
2018年1月25日: 狐狸惊天一灌让热火成为他新秀赛季内第二次致胜一击下的冤魂.
2018年2月22日: 公牛在几秒内就搞丢了对76人的领先. 铁拳兄在读秒阶段近距离出手没
进, 公牛落败.
2018年3月 1日: 狐狸再度成为关键杀手. 他在停表前的一记底线抛投将比数追平. 国王
(竞坦时日) 在延长赛胜出, 116-111.
2018年4月11日: 火箭在最后一场作客沙城的比赛中让所有先发休息. 国王收下这场胜利
而公牛大败给活塞32分. 牛王赛季以并列倒数第六作收.
2018年4月13日: 公牛于掷铜板大赛中获胜. 国王落到第七顺位.
These individual drops in the water, as well as many others, have created
ripple after ripple after ripple for two ill-equipped organizations. The stage
is set. The ping-pong balls rattle in their cage; the combination is read:
14-7-6-8. Sacramento is awarded the second selection in a two player draft.
Chicago falls to seventh. Those insignificant waves have transformed from
scattered events into a tidal wave of possibilities for a derelict franchise
bereft of hope for well over a decade.
这一点一滴, 就如其他琐事般, 在这两个难为无米之炊的球队之间, 掀起了不断的涟漪.
万事俱备, 彩球在透明箱里不断的跳动. 14-7-6-8, 这组魔术数字让沙城在绝代双骄的
竞逐中射下了次彩. 公牛则落至第七. 这些看似无关紧要的风波由原本的涓涓细流, 反
化为这超过十年来百废待举, 看不见曙光的球队所掀起的万丈波澜.
That single moment not only changed the Kings' drafting position, but it
also directly affected Vlade Divac’s legacy, the Front Office’s free agency
plans and reputation, as well as the ceiling of our young core.
这一刹那不仅改变了国王的选秀顺位, 也直接左右了老狄手上的牌, 管理层的FA大计与风
评, 以及我们年轻核心的最终上限.
Interestingly enough, the actual decision-making is mostly out of Vlade Divac's
hands. Assuming our GM doesn’t do something foolish and 1) trade the pick
outright, 2) trade back, or 3) select someone not named Doncic or Ayton,
Phoenix is essentially picking for the Kings. If they take Luka to pair with
his old coach, Sacramento can walk away with a smile on their face and the best
big man in the draft. If the Suns select the Arizona product, DeAndre
Ayton, our Front Office fills their desperate need at small forward with the
most prolific European prospect in history. There’s really no unsavory result
for Sacramento either way.
有趣的是, 这后续的沙盘推演老狄几乎都无法左右.
假设他不干以下几样愚蠢的事情:
1. 马上把签换出去
2. 向下交易
3. 选择Ayton或Doncic以外的人
太阳基本上就是在帮国王选秀.
如果他们选了Doncic和他过往的教练搭配, 我们可以带着这届选秀最好的长人微笑离开.
如果太阳选了家乡英雄Ayton, 我们的管理层也可以大方地用这史上最全能的欧洲天赋弥
补我们千疮百孔的三号侧翼. 几乎不管怎么选, 沙城都不会因此失望.
The massive jump that the franchise was afforded greatly benefits Vlade Divac
in a much more personal way: job security. His favor with the fanbase has
continued to slip over the last three years, and while he’s not making the
boneheaded decisions of his first year in office, the win column hasn’t grown
and mistakes are continue to occur. Last February, Vlade allowed himself two
years to significantly improve the roster. While that timeline was never fully
believable, nor was the notion that he would step down if the team didn't
reach that goal, our GM was granted a reprieve last night.
顺位的大幅前进某种程度上对老狄的个人影响更直接: 他的饭碗.
死忠球迷对他的爱戴在过去三年里逐渐消失, 而在他乳臭渐干后即便不重蹈覆辙, 球队的
胜场也没有增加, 操作上的失误也层出不穷. 去年二月惊天交易过后, 老狄给了他自己两
年的时限大幅改善阵容. 当然, 这个时间表听来并不可信, 若球队到时百尺竿头尚缺数步
他大概也不会因此引咎辞职, 但老狄昨晚因为有了这支签, 尚未沦于万劫不复, 任人宰割.
(待续)