Setting expectations for the Trail Blazers
对拓荒者队寄予厚望吧！
Less than four years ago, the Portland Trail Blazers were thought to
have as bright a future as any team in the league. Chad Ford and John
Hollinger ranked them first overall in the 2009 NBA Future Power
Rankings, commenting:
在三年多前，波特兰拓荒者队是联盟中前途最被看好的球队。Chad Ford和John
Hollinger在2009的未来实力排行榜将其排在联盟第一，并评论：
On paper, no other team possesses as bright a future as the Portland
Trail Blazers. It all starts with the players. Nobody, not even
Oklahoma City, can match the stable of young talent the Blazers have
built. Brandon Roy is already a superstar, and joining him are
potential stars like LaMarcus Aldridge (24), Greg Oden (21, even if
he looks more like 51), Nicolas Batum (20) and Martell Webster (22).
单看阵容，没有球队像波特兰拓荒者一样前途一片光明。这一切要由球员开
始说。没有任何一队能和拓荒者队充满才华洋溢的年轻球员的阵容相比，即
潜在的球星，像24岁的LaMarcus Aldridge、21岁的Greg Oden（虽然他看起
来像51岁）、20岁的Nicolas Batum和22岁的Martell Webster。
The Trail Blazers were about to settle into a period of peace, prosperity
and stability, but we all know what happened next.
拓荒者队本来即将开始一段平和、成功和稳定的时期，但我们都知道接下来发生
什么事。
Aldridge and Batum emerged from the rubble as the sole survivors among
core players, coaching staff and management. The result has been an
interesting exercise in rebuilding at a moment nobody ever dreamed the
Blazers would have to rebuild. Catastrophes are devastating, but the
only thing to do is start again, even if the final product isn’t
ultimately as nice as what was destroyed.
Aldridge和Batum是唯二从核心球员、教练团和管理阶层的断垣残壁中生存下来的
人。结果便是在这个没人想过需要重建的时间点进行有意思的重建。灾难毁人无
数，但唯一能做的便是从头再起，即使最终结果不像摧毁前一样好。
“We can't live in the shadow of what might have been,” Portland general
manager Neil Olshey says, “We'll never know."
“我们不能活在如果的阴影中。”拓荒者队总管Neil Olshey说。“那个如果永远
不会变成结果。”
Soon after signing on as general manager in the summer of 2012, Olshey
drafted Damian Lillard and matched an offer sheet on Batum. Along with
Aldridge, the Blazers now have a coveted point-wing-big core. That’s
most of what they had last season, but without a bench, they played .500
ball for the meat of the season. They have a sturdy foundation if Lillard
becomes the top-10 point guard he appears to be, and if Batum (only 24)
achieves his potential as the full package of playmaker-shooter-defender.
Olshey在2012夏天接下总管一职后，他马上选了Damian Lillard并跟进Batum的合
约。加上Aldridge，拓荒者队现在有令人垂涎三尺的控卫－侧翼－禁区三核心。
这三核心也是上季拓荒者最大收获，在缺乏板凳支援的情况下，他们球季大半时
间还维持五成胜率。如果Lillard能顺理成章的成为联盟前十控，同时Batum（才
24岁）达到潜力所及的三合一全能球员（进攻发动者、射手、防守大锁），那拓
荒者就有稳固的基石。
We’re starting to get a glimpse of what the building is going to look
like. Lost amid Olshey's candid, Oh-Dear-God media-day address on the
persistence of the Aldridge nonstory was a pithy description of the
organizational blueprint:
我们能一窥拓荒者队未来的样貌。Olshey直言不讳的在喔天啊媒体日（译按：拓
荒者GM在媒体日对于Aldridge一事说出“喔天啊”）坚称关于Aldridge的新闻是
空穴来风这个举动简要说明了未来建队蓝图：
We’ve supported [Aldridge] with veterans. We've continued to do what
we need to do in terms of bringing young talent in here. We've kept
our long-term flexibility. We have the ability to aggregate our assets
and put those into play if it gets to that point