原文标题:SI Vault: 10 Days To Live:
The life of an NBA player on a 10-day contract
原文网址:
http://www.si.com/nba/2016/01/04/nba-10-day-contract-phoenix-suns-zabian-dowde
ll
译文:
Zabian Dowdell arrived in Phoenix with 10 days' worth of clothes, two Bibles
and a copy of a letter saved on a laptop. He wrote the original letter to
himself a decade ago, by hand in the bedroom where he grew up, 595 words with
the title I Will Make It. He was 16 then, a basketball player in a football
town, worried that college recruiters would not notice him in Pahokee, Fla.
"Nothing will stop me from making it to the NBA," Dowdell wrote. "I am on a
mission." He took the letter with him to Virginia Tech and back home again,
but he'd lost track of it by June 2007, when friends cried at his draft party
because he went unpicked. Dowdell rode the bench in France, dodged paper
airplanes thrown from the stands in Italy and stayed up until 3 a.m. in Spain
to watch NBA games on his computer, still seething at the fellow point guards
drafted instead of him. When his mother stumbled across his old letter while
cleaning out his room, she typed and e-mailed it to him, sensing he could use
his own motivation. Dowdell recognized the defiant tone of his younger self
and saved the e-mail, to read whenever his resolve was tested. Last October,
after the Suns cut him out of training camp for the second year in a row,
Dowdell rejected a $750,000 contract in Europe and took $13,000 from the
Tulsa 66ers of the Development League because Tulsa offered something Europe
did not: the possibility of a midseason NBA call-up. "For Zabian, it's NBA or
bust," said his agent, Karim Memarian.
Zabian Dowdell带着十天份的衣服和两本圣经以及一份从笔电上复制下来的信来到了凤
凰城。那封信是他十年前在自幼长大的房间内手写给自己的信，全长595个字，包含了标
题—我一定会做到。他当时16岁，是一个生长在兴盛足球的城镇中的篮球员，不时担心大
学招募的球探可能不会注意到居住在Pahokee, Fla的他。”任何事情都无法阻止我进入
NBA。”他写道，”这就是我的任务。”
Dowdell随身携带着这封信，不论是到Virginia Tech或回家的时候。但他在2007年6月的
时候弄丢了这封信，就在他的朋友在他的选秀派对上因为他未被选上而痛哭后。Dowdell
在法国苦坐板凳，在意大利的饭店走道上丢纸飞机以及在西班牙熬夜到半夜3点只为用电
脑看场NBA比赛，但他仍然为那些在他前面被选秀选上的控球后卫感到兴奋。
当Dowdell的母亲在打扫房间的时候，无意间发现了这封久远的信。她把用电脑把这封信
寄给Dowdell，期待他能从过往的梦想中得到一些激励。Dowdell读完信后便想起了当时年
轻的无所畏惧，他把信存起来，好在决心被挑战时拿出来深读。去年十月，当太阳队连续
在第二年的训练营中把他裁掉后，Dodwell拒绝了欧洲球队开出的750,000元合约，而接受
了发展联盟的Tulsa 66ers开出的13,000元。因为Tulsa能提供所有欧洲球队都无法给他的
机会—在季中被NBA球队挑中。
”对Zabian来说，NBA球队以外的都不值一提。” Dowdell的经纪人Karim Memarian说。
At 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 9, Dowdell left his room on the 14th floor of the
Sheraton in downtown Phoenix, walked five blocks to U.S. Airways Center and
made good on his teenage pledge. At 26, after three seasons in Europe and two
stints in the D-League, summers spent running on golf courses and shooting
jumpers past midnight, Dowdell signed an NBA contract. There was, however,
one caveat. The contract was for only 10 days.
The 10-day contract is as much a part of the NBA as the max deal, though
nobody is using it to hire personal chefs. Players are signed for 10 days,
but they can be released after one. If they last the duration, they are
either released then or signed for another 10. If they are still hanging
around after that, they are either released or signed for the rest of the
season to a prorated minimum contract. "It's like being a substitute
teacher," says point guard Steve Nash, except teachers are guaranteed time in
front of the class. A player has 10 days to prove he belongs, without any
promise that he will actually see the court in a game or even a practice. A
10-day can be evaluated on something as trivial as the high fives he gives
his teammates when they come to the bench or the shots he takes with a ball
boy when everyone else has gone home. "You feel like you are on 10 one-day
contracts," says Nets head coach Avery Johnson. "You don't sleep a lot. You
look at your phone all the time. No one is sending a limo to your house with
roses for your wife. You are taking a taxi and turning in the receipt."
一月九号的早上八点半，Dowdell从Sheraton饭店的14楼离开。他前往五个街口外的
U.S. Airways Center，他达成了他青少年时的梦想。在经历了三个欧洲的赛季以及两个
在发展联盟的球季，度过那些在高尔夫球场上奔驰的夏天和练投的午夜后，Dowdell在26
岁这年终于签下了一纸NBA合约。唯一的缺点就是，这张合约的期限只有10天。
十天合约和顶薪合约相同，都是NBA中重要的一部分。虽然没人会因为签下了十天的合约
而去雇用私人厨师。球员被签下十天，但他们可能会在第一份十天合约后被释出。如果他
们成功撑过这十天的话，他们可能会被释出或再签下一份十天合约。假如他们没在第二份
十天合约的途中被裁掉的话，他们仍可能在合约结束后被释出，或是签下一份到球季结束
的底薪合约。
”就像代课老师一样，”Steve Nash说。差别在于代课老师有受保障的上课时间。虽然球
员有十天来证明自己属于这支球队，但合约内的内容并没有保证一定会上场或甚至能参与
队内练习。签下十天合约的球员常被认为只是个当其他球员下场时击掌的啦啦队，或是在
其他球员都回家时留下来和球僮练习投篮的人。
”那种感觉好像是签下了10份的一天合约，”篮网总教练Avery Johnson说。”你睡得不
多，醒著的时间总会紧张地盯着手机。没有人会帮你叫高级礼车，也没有特别送你妻子的
玫瑰。你只能搭出租车，然后把收据交给球团。”
Johnson revived his 16-year career with two 10-day contracts in 1992. Kurt
Rambis made his last 14 seasons. So did Anthony Mason. The 10-day contract
allows teams to affordably fill holes on their bench and D-League players to
audition for dream jobs. By rule, teams could start offering 10-day contracts
on Jan. 5. Dowdell signed his four days later.
He is typical of a 10-day, forever on the fringe and running out of time. He
went to summer league with the Suns last season but strained his groin in a
pickup game before training camp. He went to summer league with the Suns
again this season but was cut six days before the opener. "Keep working,"
club president Lon Babby told him, "and we will try to bring you back."
Dowdell is a 6'3" lefthanded point guard who can run an offense and play
sticky defense, but the Suns wanted him to improve his outside shot. They
summoned four guards from the D-League for a tryout on Jan. 7, and after
staying up all night and flying all morning from Tulsa, Dowdell could not
miss. In the same office where the Suns cut him three months earlier, they
told him they were keeping him.
Johnson在1992年的两份十天合约后便开展了他长达16年的球员生涯，Kurt Rambis则是
在联盟中打滚了14年。Anthony Manson亦同。十天合约能让球队填补板凳上的空缺，并给
发展联盟的球员一个机会看看他们梦寐以求的工作。根据规定，球队能在1/5号开始签订
十天合约。Dowdell在规定时间开始后的四天拿到了合约。
Dowdell像是那种典型的十天合约球员，那种差一点点被选入球队又快要渡过球员黄金时
期的人。Dowdell在上个赛季的夏季联盟效力于太阳队，但在训练营前的一场练习赛伤到
了腹股沟。他在这个赛季同样效力于太阳队的夏季联盟，但在开幕赛前六天被裁掉。”继
续努力。”球队总裁Lon Babby告诉他。”我们会想办法签下你。”
Dowdell是6呎3的左撇子控卫，他能跑出漂亮的进攻战术，也有着不错的贴身防守。但太
阳队希望他能加强他的外线投射技术。他们在1/7号从发展联盟中叫了四个后卫上来试训
。尽管带着整晚熬夜和一早从Tulsa飞来的疲劳，Dowdell还是不容太阳队错过。在三个月
前相同的办公室里，太阳队裁掉了他。但这次他们告诉Dowdell他们要将他留下。
A 10-day does not have time to celebrate. Dowdell was the first player to the
arena for shootaround on Day 1, and a security guard assumed he was with the
Cavaliers, that night's opponent. Instead of a nameplate over his locker he
had a strip of athletic tape with DOWDELL scrawled in black marker. He picked
number 22, in part to honor former college teammate Jamon Gordon, still in
Greece. The Suns were on a three-game losing streak, but they hardly
considered Dowdell the answer to their problems. Coach Alvin Gentry announced
he was shortening his rotation and speculated that Dowdell might sit on the
bench for the entire 10 days. He was signed primarily because the Suns wanted
a third point guard so Nash would not wear himself out during practice.
"There's a lot of pressure because he doesn't want to go back to those
eight-hour bus rides out of Tulsa," Gentry said.
十天合约的球员没什么多余的时间庆祝。合约的第一天，Dowdell是第一个到球场练投的
球员。有个保全人员似乎认为他是当晚的对手，骑士队的球员。他的置物柜上面没有名牌
，而是用胶带贴著，上面则用黑色马克笔写上他们名字DOWDELL。他选了背号22号，部分
原因是为了要分享他的这份荣耀给还待在希腊的前大学队友Jamon Gordon。太阳队正遭遇
到三连败的乱流，不过他们并不认为Dowdell能解决他们的问题。教练Alvin Gentry宣称
他会缩减轮替阵容，Dowdell可能在他的十天合约内都得待在板凳上。Dowdell被签下的主
因是太阳队不希望Steve Nash在球队练习时精疲力尽。”他背负著很大的压力，因为他不
想回去那些在Tulsa的八个小时的车程。”Gentry说。
As Gentry spoke, the Suns' practice court was empty except for Dowdell,
running through plays and using folding chairs as screeners. "He's working on
where he'll get his shots," Gentry said, acknowledging those shots may never
come. Back in his room at the Sheraton that afternoon, while watching
football on TV, Dowdell pondered the challenge facing all 10-days: how to
make an impression without an opportunity. "I have to be the first one there
every day and the last one to leave," Dowdell said. "I have to bring energy
and a smiling face." Comportment matters. The Suns once released a 10-day
partly because, as Gentry put it, "He wasn't a nice guy."On the walk to the ar
en
mother. Isabelle McDonald was a high school point guard herself who once
played in a state tournament while three months pregnant. She raised three
boys and one girl, working days as a schoolteacher, nights as a sergeant in
the Palm Beach County sheriff's office and taking classes on weekends toward
her doctorate in theology. All four children earned full college basketball
scholarships. She is the reason Dowdell never got a tattoo or an earring, and
also the reason he never quit. "Right now," she told him, "you can't afford
an off night."
A 10-day must be assertive but deferential, seizing his moment while knowing
his place. When the Suns warmed up, Dowdell dribbled near half-court,
pantomiming his jumper as veterans launched three-pointers. When the team
huddled outside the locker room, he stood on the edge of the circle, hands in
sweats. When the game began, he sat at the end of the bench, the first one
rising to cheer. Early in the second quarter, backup point guard Goran Dragic
bumped his left knee and hobbled off. Dowdell started to stretch. "I thought
I was going in," he said. Instead, Nash finished the second quarter, Dragic
returned in the third, and Dowdell applauded a comeback win over the Cavs.
"He should enjoy this," said Cavs guard Alonzo Gee, who had two 10-day
contracts last season with Washington. "You're in the NBA. You reached your
lifelong goal. No one can take that away from you." But Dowdell could not see
it that way, not yet. "I'm not going to be the guy telling people I played 10
days in the NBA," he said. "I want to make an impact."
如同Gentry所说，太阳队的球场上除了Dowdell外空无一人。他独自练习战术，利用折叠
椅当掩护者。”他在寻找可以出手的地方。” Gentry说，尽管他知道他在可能永远不会
有机会在NBA的场上出手。当Dowdell晚上回到Sheraton饭店看美式足球的时候，他思考着
他的10天合约中最难的挑战就是:如何在没有机会的情况下给球团留下好印象。”我每天
都要是第一个到球场，最后一个离开的人。”Dowdell说，”我要成为那个帮队上带来能
量和欢乐的人。”行为举止很重要。根据Gentry所说，太阳队曾经有次释出一个10天合约
的球员只因为”他感觉不太好相处。”
在Dowdell准备前往他第一场NBA比赛的时，Dowdell接到了一通他妈妈打来的电话。
Isabelle McDonaldy在高中时的位置是控球后卫，她曾在州巡回赛中出赛—在怀有三个月
身孕的情况下。她抚养了三个男孩和一个女孩长大，靠着是白天在学校当老师，晚上则去
Palm Beach County的警长办公室兼职作警官。此外，她也在周末上课好拿到她神学院的
学位。她的四个小孩都拿到了全额的大学篮球奖学金。Isabelle的教育让Dowdell身上没
有刺青或耳环，也是他坚持着不放弃的主因。
“现在这个时候，”她告诉他，”你绝不能松懈。”
十天合约的球员需要有着积极进取的态度，同时保持尊重和低调。他要在把握每个机会的
时候同时不抢走其他球员的风采。当太阳队热身的时候，Dowdell沿着半场运球，默默地
练习中距离跳投。当球队在更衣室外集合时，他站在球队的外围，紧张的掌心发汗。当练
习赛开始时，他坐在板凳的边缘，第一个站起来欢呼。
第二节刚开始的时候，替补后卫Goran Dragic撞伤了膝盖蹒跚的走下场。Dowdell开始伸
展。"我以为我要上场了。”他说。然而，Nash打完了第二节而Dragic在第三节时重返球
场。Dowdell只能在他们逆转骑士队后鼓掌欢呼。"他应该好好享受这一切。"骑士队的后
卫Alonzo Gee说。他上个赛季在巫师队拿到了两份十天合约。"你已经在NBA里面了，你达
到你一辈子的目标了。没人可以从你身上夺走这些。"但Dowdell无法如此看待。他还没办
法如此。"我不想成为一个告诉别人我曾在NBA拿过十天合约的人。"他说，"我想成为在比
赛中带来改变的人。"
On Day 2, the Suns flew to Denver, and Dowdell experienced his first
regular-season NBA road trip. He had his own row on the charter. He ate
rigatoni and kicked himself for not going with the fried chicken. When he
landed, he retreated to his hotel room and watched the talking heads debate
the future of Carmelo Anthony. "I can't relate," Dowdell said. Road trips are
a test for every 10-day. Like any NBA player, they get a $115 per diem and
entr嶪 to nightclubs, but if they show up bleary-eyed the next morning, they
can find themselves on the first plane home. "Guys will go to clubs and be
seduced by that lifestyle, but word will get back to the team," says former
NBA guard Elliot Perry, who had four 10-day contracts. "They don't want
somebody who will be out late and mess up the locker room. This is your one
chance. You need to get your rest and eat right and be at the gym early. You
can't relax. Your career is riding on it."
The Suns trailed the Nuggets by 30 through three quarters on Day 3, garbage
time for everybody but Dowdell. Gentry called for him to start the fourth
quarter and designed the first play for him. Dowdell set up in the right
corner, took a handoff from Dragic on the right wing, dribbled three times,
pulled up just inside the arc, elevated and released. He had waited all of 10
seconds to take his first shot. It missed. His next one missed too. But then
he made a slick feed to Dragic, forced a turnover, sank two free throws and
nailed a long jumper coming off a screen at the top of the key. "Those are
the toughest circumstances a shooter can possibly be under," says Tim Legler,
who had eight 10-day contracts in his NBA career and is now an ESPN analyst.
"You feel the pressure. This is the culmination of everything you've worked
for your whole life. You want to be aggressive, but you can also shoot
yourself right out the door. One 0 for 5 could kill you."
第二天，太阳队飞往丹佛。Dowdell体验了他第一次的NBA常规赛中的长途旅行。他在飞机
上有自己一排座位。他在机上吃了通心面，并在接下来的旅途中都痛恨自己为何没选炸鸡
。当太阳队着陆后，Dowdell前往他们下榻的旅馆并在电视上观看关于Carmelo Anthony的
未来的辩论。"我很难用言语表达我的感受。"他说。长途客场旅行是对每个十天合约球员
的考验。如同每个NBA球员，他们每天能拿到115美元的津贴以及去夜店的机会。但如果他
们在隔天早上的练习中看来睡眼惺忪的话，他们会发现自己坐在早晨第一趟回家的班机上
面。"人们会去夜店玩然后被那种生活风格所诱惑。但这些事情都会被球队的人知道。"前
NBA控卫Elliot Perry说，他曾得到过四份十天合约。"他们不会想要深夜在外闲晃，搞砸
更衣室气氛的人。这是你仅有的机会。你需要好好休息，吃对的食物然后早点到体育馆练
习。现在可没时间让你好好放松休息，你篮球生涯的转捩点就是此刻了。"
合约的第三天，太阳队在三节比赛后落后金块队30分。对任何一个球员来说，剩下的比赛
都是垃圾时间了—除了Dowdell之外。Gentry让他在第四节的开头上场，并为他设计了第
一个战术。Dowdell在右边角落发动，和右边侧翼的Dragic做了一次递手传球，运了三次
球，在弧顶内跳投。Dowdell等了十秒才第一次出手，但没进。他的第二球一样没进，不
过接下来他传出了一记绝妙好球给Dragic。Dowdell造成了金块队的失误，赚到两次罚球
，并在绕过掩护后投进了一记大号三分。
“他面临的都是一些射手会遇到的状况，而且是最艰困的那种。”Tim Legler说，他拿了
八份十天合约，现在在ESPN担任分析师。”你能感受到那种压力，在场上的时候，那些是
你生命中所努力的一切。你想要表现出侵略性，但你的出手可能会让你被扫地出门。一次
五投零中就可能让你被扫地出门。”
Dowdell went 1 for 6, but his coach approved. "He played without fear,"
Gentry said. "He believes he belongs, and for these guys, that's three
quarters of the battle." On Day 4, though, he was back on the bench as the
Suns beat the Nets, and on Day 5 the team was off. Dowdell still went to the
arena, quizzing himself on the playbook and mimicking the hesitation move
Nash uses when releasing from pick-and-rolls.
By Day 6, Vince Carter was needling Dowdell over a Virginia Tech–North
Carolina basketball game. Coaches were telling him he might be used in a
three-guard lineup. He talked about renting a car so he would no longer have
to walk. "I feel like I deserve to be here," he said. He was sitting on his
bed in the Sheraton, rolling a basketball in his hands.
"But it doesn't matter what I think. I need to show these people what I can d
o.
I want to get in a game when it matters." That night against the Blazers,
Nash and Dragic both picked up two early fouls. With five minutes left in the
half, Suns assistant Dan Majerle told Dowdell to get ready. Dowdell fixed his
attention on Blazers guard Patrick Mills and noticed that he looked
uncomfortable holding the ball in his left hand. With 34 seconds until
halftime, and the Suns down by four, Gentry sent Dowdell to the scorers
table. On his first possession Dowdell fed Carter for a three-pointer, then
smothered Mills on the in-bounds pass. Dowdell overplayed Mills's right hand,
prying the ball loose, picking it up and racing to the rim. His layup was
blocked out-of-bounds, but the Suns retained possession and the crowd howled.
Carter gave Dowdell a chest bump. Marcin Gortat rubbed his head. And in Port
St. Lucie, Fla., eight-year-old Camryn Maxon and her four-year-old twin
brothers, Christopher and Christian, hopped around the living room, long past
their bedtime.
Dowdell的成绩是六投一中，但他的教练并不在意。”他在场上的感觉很好。”Gentry说
。”他觉得他属于这个联盟。” 合约的第四天，Dowdell在太阳队击败篮网队的比赛中回
到了板凳上。第五天是球队的休息日。但Dowdell还是到了球场，用战术本上的战术测试
自己，并模仿Nash在档拆战术时使用的变速切入。
到了第六天，Vince Carter邀请Dowdell一起前往Virginia Tech对上 North Carolina的
球赛。教练们告诉Dowdell他们可能会在三卫战术里面派他上场。Dowdell说着想要租一台
车，这样他就不用走路到球场了。”我觉得我值得待在这里”Dowdell坐在饭店的床上，
手上转着篮球。”但我是否能留在队上和我怎么想无关，我需要表现给球队的管理层看，
让他们知道我是个值得被留下的球员。我很紧张，我想要在比赛还不是垃圾时间的时候上
场。” 太阳队在那天晚间对上拓荒者，Nash和Dragic都早早地领到了两次犯规。半场结
束前五分钟，太阳队的助理教练Dan Majerle告诉Dowdell准备好。Dowdell专心观察拓荒
者的后卫Patrick Mills并注意到他的左手持球看来并不顺畅。
半场前结束34秒，太阳队落后四分。Gentry派上了Dowdell。Dowdell一上场就先传给
Carter，让他投进了一球三分。然后成功干扰了Mills的发球。Dowdell压迫Mills的右手
运球，并成功逼迫他掉球。Dowdell抄到球后直接往篮框冲刺，虽然他的上篮被盖出界外
，但太阳队再次获得了球权。
全场观众疯狂欢呼。
Carter给了Dowdell一个撞胸庆祝，Marcin Gortat拍了拍Dowdell的头。
而远在圣露西港的八岁Camryn Maxon以及她的四岁双胞胎弟弟Christopher 和Christian
则是在看了这ㄧ球后开心地在客厅蹦蹦跳跳的