https://theathletic.com/5071460/2023/11/17/clippers-westbrook-bench-lineup/
作者:Law Murray
...(一些前情提要我就不翻了)
But unlike last season, when Westbrook had to prepare for a possible bench
role in the preseason with the Los Angeles Lakers while playing with a star
who was open to moving on from him, the Clippers spent this preseason
building an infrastructure that promoted Westbrook’s strengths. Coach Tyronn
Lue embraced and empowered Westbrook consistently, and the team emphasized
forcing turnovers, pushing the pace in transition and cutting appropriately
off of Westbrook as a primary ball handler.
与上一季不同，Russell Westbrook在开季前就已经要准备在湖人当板凳出发的角色且与一
位想离开他的球星打球，快艇整个休赛季都在建立可以放大Westbrook优势的结构。教练
Tyronn Lue一贯的支持与赋予Westbrook权力，且球队都在强调强迫对手失误、加快节奏与
Westbrook作为主要持球者适时的切入。
Westbrook established himself as a team leader, with George as his biggest
advocate. And Leonard said repeatedly that having two point guards in
Westbrook and backup Bones Hyland would help himself and George focus on
scoring efficiently and leading a top-five defense. Moreover, Westbrook’s
competitive nature led the team to have a training camp, preseason and start
to the regular season that fostered a more determined approach compared to
previous years.
Westbrook确立了自己作为球队领导者的地位并有着Paul George作为他的最大支持者。且
Leonard多次表示拥有Westbrook与替补后卫Bones Hyland能帮助他和George专注于高效的
得分与领导联盟前5的防守。此外，Westbrook的竞争心让球队在训练营、热身赛与开季时
培养出了比以往更有决心的态度。
The Harden trade has been comprehensively disruptive. Harden did not have a
training camp and did not play in preseason games after requesting a trade
out of Philadelphia in June and clashing with the 76ers front office. His
statistics have been acceptable through five games (15.0 points, 47.1 percent
field goals, 4.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.2 turnovers, 1.2 steals, 2.0 3s, 37
percent 3s). But Harden’s impact has waned in fourth quarters, where the
Clippers have struggled to finish close games both before and during his
brief tenure. And Harden’s fit in any lineup has been poor, as the Clippers
have been outscored by a team-worst 70 points since Harden’s debut on Nov. 6
against the New York Knicks. The next-worst plus-minus of any Clippers player
in that span is in Zubac’s minutes, where the Clippers have been outscored
by 36 points.
Harden的交易全面性地带来了混乱。Harden在六月要求离开费城后，没有参加训练营，也
没有在热身赛中上场，并与76人队管理层发生冲突。他在五场比赛中的数据还算可以接受
（15.0分、47.1%投篮命中率、4.4篮板、4.2助攻、2.2失误、1.2抄截、2.0三分球、
37%三分球命中率）。但是，Harden在第四节的影响力有所下降，即使快艇无论在他来之前
来之后一直无法将比分接近的比赛关门。而且Harden在任何阵容中的适应性都很差，自
Harden11月6日对纽约尼克斯的初登板以来，他是快艇队+/-值最差的，为-70。在该段期间
内，快艇队其他球员中+/-值最差的是Zubac，他在场上时快艇队的得失分为-36。
The decision to bring Westbrook off of the bench is not one that the players
or coaches would have wanted. Lue wanted to establish Westbrook as the
primary ball handler when he shared the floor with Harden, with Harden being
the shooting guard. But Harden’s discomfort shooting 3s off of the catch
became a recurring theme, along with his passive approach to scoring that led
Lue to say Harden was being “too polite” after a bad loss Sunday against
the Memphis Grizzlies. Lue decided to have Harden be the primary ball handler
in Tuesday’s loss in Denver, and Harden closed the game over Westbrook in a
fourth quarter that saw the Clippers lose a 7-point lead and get outscored
19-9 in the final six minutes of the game.
将Westbrook放在替补的决定，并不是任何球员或教练所期望的。Tyronn Lue原本希望让
Westbrook与Harden同时上场时当主要的控球者，而哈登则担任得分后卫。但是Harden对于
在三分C&S的不适成为一个反复出现的场景，再加上Harden被动的得分方式，这让Lue在周
日对曼菲斯灰熊的惨败后表示哈登表现“太有礼貌”。在周二对丹佛金块的失利中，Lue决
定让Harden担任主要的控球者，而Harden在比赛的最后一节取代了Westbrook上场，而在最
后6分钟的比赛中，快艇队丢掉了原本7分的领先，并在该节被金块以19-9的比分超前。
The move also comes after a practice where Mann appeared flustered by his
ability to impact games more, and after Lue’s assistants had to start
practice while Lue met with the media. The team also did not host shootaround
availability before Friday’s game. Westbrook had an event Thursday in Los
Angeles where a community basketball court was named after him, but Westbrook
declined to accept any questions about the team.
这个转变发生在一次练习后，Mann似乎对于自己在比赛中的影响力感到困惑，且在
Tyronn Lue接受媒体采访期间，助教们不得不提前开始练习。在周五的比赛前，球队也没
有进行投篮练习。Westbrook在周四在洛杉矶参与了一场活动，一个社区篮球场以他的名字
命名，但Westbrook拒绝回答任何关于球队的问题。
The reality of this move is that Harden was brought in to ultimately replace
Westbrook in the case that a partnership between the two players on the floor
did not work. While Lue advocated for Westbrook, the Clippers front office
has always preferred a point guard who is a theoretical fit with Leonard and
George in terms of size and shooting ability. Last year at the trade
deadline, the front office identified Eric Gordon as that player and had to
be convinced to sign Westbrook after the All-Star Weekend. This offseason,
the Clippers attempted to acquire Malcolm Brogdon from the Boston Celtics,
even while preparing to bring Westbrook back. The Clippers were interested in
trading for Jrue Holiday before the Celtics acquired Holiday from the
Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Brogdon.
这个决定的现实情况是，Harden最终是被引进来代替Westbrook的，如果两位球员在场上的
合作不顺利的话。Lue主张支持Westbrook，但快艇队管理层一直偏好一位在身材和投篮能
力方面理论上适合Leonard和George的控球后卫。去年的交易截止日，管理层将Eric
Gordon视为这个角色，并在全明星周末后才被说服签下Westbrook。今年休赛期，快艇队曾
试图从波士顿塞尔提克队获得Malcolm Brogdon，即使准备续约Westbrook。在塞尔提克队
从波特兰拓荒者队那里以Brogdon换来Jrue Holiday之前，快艇队对交易获得Jrue Holiday
也感兴趣。
Harden fits the front office’s ideals, and they kept players like Mann and
Norman Powell out of the trade with Philadelphia, sacrificing the team’s
veteran power forwards instead. The Clippers still need to balance the roster
out and are expected to continue evaluating the team going forward. That
evaluation now includes Harden as the undisputed primary playmaker, Mann as a
starter and Westbrook as an increasingly expendable asset who will have to
adjust to a new role — which will also cost Hyland a spot in the second unit
as well. If the losses continue, there will be more pressure on the front
office to consider whether they can keep the four Los Angeles stars together.
But the player who has the most to lose is Westbrook, who is already on a
much lighter deal than Harden and extension-eligible stars George and Leonard.
Harden符合管理层的理念，他们在与费城的交易中没有将Mann和Norman Powell等球员交易
出去，而是牺牲了球队的老将大前锋。快艇队仍然需要平衡阵容，预计将继续评估球队的
情况。这种评估现在包括Harden作为无可争议的主要控球者，Mann作为先发球员以及
Westbrook作为一个逐渐可以牺牲的资产，且他将不得不适应一个新角色，这也将使Hyland
失去第二阵容的位置。如果失败持续下去，管理层将面临更多压力并需要考虑是否能够让
快艇的四位球星继续合作。但最有可能被放弃的球员是Westbrook，他的薪资比Harden以及
合约有延长资格的球星George和Leonard要低得多。
Westbrook, who signed a two-year deal this offseason that includes a player
option, is eligible to be traded Jan. 15.
Westbrook这个休赛季才与快艇签下一纸包含球员选项的2年合约并在1/15后便能被交易。
心得:
无言。
管理层跟Ty Lue理念又发生冲突了
我怎么会说又呢