After Backing a Dark Horse, Lin’s Agent Is Riding High By NEIL JANOWITZ　Published: March 9, 2012 NY Times 原文连结:http://tinyurl.com/7x3qa8s Of all the manifestations of Linsanity — the deployment of endless puns, the resolution of the MSG-Time Warner impasse that blacked out Jeremy Lin’s games, the array of Lin jerseys on Spike Lee’s person — one of the most telling might have been the sight of a man laughing inside a pharmacy near San Antonio last week. 伴随林来疯发生的事件—"Lin"双关语的造字活动,MSG转拨权争议 告一段落,Spike Lee身穿印着林书豪的衣物,以及一位男性在 药房里大笑的身影 Roger Montgomery, Lin’s agent, was at the checkout counter when he noticed the cover of the March 5 issue of People magazine. In the top corner, to the left of the bride-to-be Elizabeth Smart and above the new homeowner Adele, was a photo of his client. The headline read: “Jeremy Lin’s Amazing Story. ” 林书豪的经纪人蒙哥马利有天再结帐时,在3月5日发行的人民杂志 的封面上看到关於他客户的头条-林书豪惊人的故事 而在右方则是准新娘伊莉莎白,下方则是得过葛莱美奖的爱黛儿 Montgomery could not stifle his amusement. “The cashier was looking at me,” he said this week, recounting the incident. “Like, what’s wrong with this dude?” 蒙哥马利忍不住大笑起来.收银员算帐的时候看着他,好像在跟他说: "这个家伙有病阿?" Little did she know. Two months ago, the Texas-based Montgomery Sports Group had only a few clients. One of them had a steady N.B.A. gig. Two others were playing basketball in Europe. The fourth was Lin, who had played for three teams in December alone. At that time the idea of a Montgomery client being on the cover of People would have been laughable indeed, as unlikely as every other detail in the story Montgomery and Lin have shared since that point. 那位收银员大概不知道,蒙哥马利所属的经纪公司在2个月之前客户很少 一个在N.B.A.打工,2个在欧洲打球, 最後一个就是林书豪-曾经在一个月内待过3只队伍 在那个时候说林书豪会登上时人杂志封面,可是会令人笑掉大牙的 让我来分享一下蒙哥马利与林书豪之间不寻常的故事 A dozen years ago, Montgomery was a 30-year-old former N.A.I.A. basketball star who had played overseas, eager to stay connected to the game. He was given a shot by a start-up agency in Dallas called Momentum Sports Group, and despite having neither clients nor experience, found himself lobbying the family of Desmond Mason, an Oklahoma State star from the Dallas area. 十二年前,蒙哥马利30岁,是位海外篮球明星.他想要继续做篮球相关工作 虽然旗下没球员也没经验,他还是试着游说Desmond Mason这位奥克拉荷玛州大的篮球明星 The would-be agent impressed them with his passion, and when Mason was selected with the 17th pick of the first round of the 2000 draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, Montgomery was on the map. Mason被想成为经纪人的热情所打动,当2000年超音速在第一轮17顺位挑中Mason时 蒙哥马利正式成为经纪人 By the time Lin came to his attention in 2009, Montgomery had departed from Momentum and struck out on his own. N.B.A. clients had come and gone during that time — Mason, for example, retired in 2009 — leaving Montgomery relying largely on his longest-tenured player, the Washington Wizards’ Maurice Evans, who had gone undrafted in 2001 before willing himself into a nine-year career. 蒙哥马利在2009年注意到林书豪,立刻与他联系. NBA是个现实的世界,Mason在2009退休了, 而Maurice Evans,虽然他在2001年选秀落选 但是他在蒙哥马利旗下待最久,也是主要收入来源的球员 在9年後结束了球员生涯 Going it alone was not easy; Montgomery, who is married with three children, confessed to doubts along the way. But he kept at it, taking notes, constantly looking for players he might realistically be able to reach out to. And on Dec. 6, 2009, when Lin, a senior at Harvard, put up 30 points in a near-upset of 13th-ranked Connecticut, Montgomery was quick to respond. 一个人走下去很不容易,育有三子的蒙哥马利坦承,他怀疑过他选的路. 但他坚持下去.注意消息.持续的寻找他可以接触的球员 在2009.12.6,林书豪这位哈佛大四生在全美排13名的Uconn面前独得了30分 差一点就逆转比赛结果.蒙哥马利很快就跟林书豪联系上了 “Right away, I liked his game,” he said. “I thought, ‘I’ve got to get him.’ ” Lin was an ideal candidate for the Montgomery Sports Group — a player with a big ceiling and a small likelihood of attracting larger agencies, who are not likely to dwell on Ivy Leaguers. "我想我喜欢他的比赛,我想得到他"蒙哥马利说到. 林书豪对我的公司来说是个理想的候选人,因为他的发展性很高, 也吸引不了大型经纪公司,因为他们不常关注长春藤联盟的比赛 “Often, I don’t bother going after top prospects,” said Montgomery, who until recently was his firm’s lone full-time employee, with an office in suburban San Antonio. “I aim for guys who are similar to me: they haven’t been given much in their careers and they’re supermotivated to prove themselves.” "我通常不会去骚扰那些顶级新秀" 这个不久前都是一手包办公司事务的经纪人蒙哥马利说到 "我的目标是那些像我的人:虽然机会不多但是非常想证明自己的人" For Montgomery, the overtures to Lin began with an introductory package of material sent to Harvard Coach Tommy Amaker, who passed it along to Lin’s family. Telephone interviews gave way to Skype talks; Montgomery even asked Evans to get on the phone to provide a candid take on life in the Montgomery Sports Group family. 蒙哥马利藉由哈佛教练Tommy amaker跟林书豪以及他的家人连络上 他们是经由skype联络的,为了保持公正, 蒙哥马利还邀请他过去的客户Evans参与这个会谈 “Roger told me this was a special player,” Evans said, “and said, ‘Be honest with him.’ ” Montgomery then met Lin for the first time in April 2010 at the Portsmouth Invitational in Virginia, an annual gathering of N.B.A. prospects. Soon after, he received a commitment from Lin. "罗杰(蒙哥马利)跟我说他是个很特别的球员,跟他相处要诚实"Evans说到 2010年4月,蒙哥马利在NBA年度选秀会与林书豪第一次碰面 很快的,他得到了林书豪的合约 It is an agent’s job to be ambitious, bordering on delusional. Leading up to the 2010 draft, Montgomery was holding out hope that Lin might sneak into the first round. The worst-case scenario, he figured, was that the Knicks, who needed a point guard not named Chris Duhon, would select him with one of their two second-round picks. 蒙哥马利幻想过Lin的选秀位置:运气好,他可能在第一轮就被选中 最坏的情况下,很缺控球後卫的尼克应该会在第二轮选他,而不是阵中一个叫 Chris Duhon的控卫 “After his private predraft workout, Jeremy said Coach D’Antoni called him into his office and told him he saw some Steve Nash-type qualities in him,” Montgomery said of Knicks Coach Mike D’Antoni. “We thought he was a perfect fit for the system.” 在一次私人选秀前测验中,林书豪说冷笑话曾叫他进办公室,跟他说他一些有Nash的特质 蒙哥马利则跟冷笑话说:他的客户很适合冷笑话系统 But on draft night, as he sat at home in San Antonio texting with Lin, Montgomery watched the Knicks use those second-round picks on Landry Fields, a shooting guard, and the since-jettisoned guard Andy Rautins. 但是选秀当天,尼克在第二轮选了一位得分後卫L.Fields, 以及马上被抛弃的後卫Andy Rautins “I was devastated,” Montgomery said. “There were sleepless nights. When you're a boutique agency, you have to get it right.” "我感到极度失望"蒙哥马利说到"那是个不眠之夜 当你只是个小牌经纪人.你必须做出补救 Indeed, for agents with only one or two clients — with income derived from fees of up to 4 percent they receive on player contracts and up to 20 percent on endorsement deals — it is a continual struggle to prove credibility to recruits and avoid having clients poached by larger firms. Boutique agents have to compensate for a lack of visibility and clout with resourcefulness, attentiveness and savvy scouting. 的确,对一个旗下只有1.2个客户的经纪人来说,需要持续的努力才能证明他对新客户 的可靠性,以及避免被大型公司剥削. 小牌经纪人必须克服缺乏能见度的问题,以智取胜.全神贯注并且理性的分析 “I focus on under-the-radar guys, and I learn everything about them — talent, character, work ethic,” said Mike Naiditch, an agent based in Chicago who represents the Boston Celtics's Greg Stiemsma and Lin’s Knicks teammate Bill Walker, who is sidelined with an elbow injury. "我专注在那些众人忽视的家伙,学习有关他们的一切 — 天赋,性格,职业道德" Mike Naiditch,Walker(林书豪队友)的经纪人说到 But the problem when dealing with the overlooked is that that type of player may never get a chance to wake up. Like many boutique agents, Naiditch trades in bubble players, guys fighting for spots on the bench rather than in the starting five. 但是那些被低估的人常常没机会崛起. 像许多小牌经纪人一样,Naiditch贱卖了昙花一现的球员, 还有那些争抢板凳位置的球员 Which was exactly the position that Lin found himself in after being passed over in the draft. To boost his stock, he headed to Las Vegas for the N.B.A. summer league and earned notice while playing for the Dallas Mavericks’ squad. That led to a two-year deal that Montgomery negotiated with Golden State. 林书豪在选秀落选之後了解他在球探心中的地位.为了证明他的价值 他参加NBA小牛夏季训练营并获得注意.也令他赢得了一张勇士的2年合约 Warriors General Manager Larry Riley said Montgomery “did right by Jeremy” by insisting on some guaranteed money in the deal rather than settling for a “make-good contract” without such money, an arrangement other teams might have offered. 勇士GM Larry Riley认为蒙哥马利处理林书豪合约的方式很正确: 坚持合约中一定的保证金额而不是让合约看起来很美好 Still, the Bay Area marriage did not last. Lin played sparingly during the 2010-11 season and was waived on the first day of training camp after the lockout. The Houston Rockets picked up his contract, but cut him 12 days later, on Christmas Eve. The Knicks called the next day. 但是这份关系并不长久.林书豪在新秀年很少上场 封馆结束後的第一天就被裁了,火箭捡了起来.但是12天後的圣诞夜又丢掉了 隔天,尼克捡起这份合约 The rookie Iman Shumpert had strained his knee in their season opener on Christmas and the team needed a replacement who could run the point if needed. 尼克捡他的原因是因为他们的新秀香波在圣诞夜膝盖不舒服,球队需要一个控卫候补 “When I saw the 212 on my phone,” Montgomery said, “I thought: Here we go. Let’s see what happens.” "当我接到来自纽约的电话"蒙哥马利说到"我想:走吧,来看看会发生什麽事" Montgomery has not looked at his February phone bill yet. No need. He knows it is “off the charts.” Linsanity had a slower start than many people remember — Lin saw limited action with the Knicks for more than a month before he suddenly started taking over games — but once it took hold, Lin became one of the more marketable figures in the United States, and beyond. 蒙哥马利已经不需要在意他2月份的电话帐单要多少钱了, 林来疯让林书豪在短时间内变的极具市场价值,而且是长久的 That left Montgomery and his new team — he has hired two full-time staff members, one to work on marketing and player relations, the other to be an administrative assistant — with the enviable task of sifting through the pitches cascading their way. They are taking their time, talking to Nike about a revised deal for Lin, trying to fend off unsolicited advice. And withstanding the criticism from those who think Montgomery is doing Lin a disservice by not getting his name on several dotted lines right now. “I’ve been hearing that we should strike while the iron is hot, as though Jeremy’s a one-hit wonder,” Montgomery said. “People don’t know what we should do, but they’re on TV pretending they do.” So he is blocking it out, even as Linsanity has quieted down for now as the Knicks and Lin have found it harder to sustain their initial run. Montgomery has two businesses to build— his client’s and his own — and that does not leave much time for engaging talking heads or reading any of Lin ’s press clippings or even wondering what is ailing the Knicks at the moment. Back in the pharmacy, Montgomery did not buy that copy of People, or even flip through it. There was not much point. “It’s not as interesting to read a story,” he says, “when you’re living it.” 有人要接力我就偷懒一下搂.. P.S.英文很烂,边查字典边翻,有错请鞭 --

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