Bird may look to slow pace from Boston Globe By Julian Benbow Globe Staff / June 27, 2011 There was a phrase Red Auerbach used to swear by that Larry Bird wound up adopting. A year, Auerbach would say, isn't a very long time. 有一句话是 Red Auerbach 曾肯定地断言，而 Larry Bird 後来也采信：「一年，算不 上多久」。 In 1997, with Bird five years into retirement and itching to get back into the game, he and Pacers president Donnie Walsh had a conversation. 1997 年，Bird 过了五年退休生活而心痒着要重返球场之际，他和 Donnie Walsh 有了 段对谈。 “On Day 1, he told me exactly what he would do if he coached our team,” Walsh said. “He knew our whole roster. He did this specifically in detail. He took it from the first day in training camp to the Finals and told every single thing he would do.” Walsh 说：「第一天，他就明白地告诉我：如果由他执教，他会做些什麽。他了解我们 整个阵容。特别是细节的部分。从训练营开始的第一天，直到总冠军赛，他详述了每一 项他要做的事。」 Walsh hired Bird, and the Pacers won 58 games that season and took Michael Jordan's Bulls to seven games in the Eastern Conference finals. Walsh 任命 Bird 为总教练，而溜马该季拿下了 58 胜，并在东区冠军赛中将 Michael Jordan 的公牛队逼到第七场比赛。 “When I look back on it after Larry finished the three years as head coach, that's exactly what he told me the first day he would do,” Walsh said. Walsh 说：「我在 Larry 结束三年总教练任期之後回顾他所做的，完全就和他在第一天 告诉我的一样。」 “That sums up exactly the kind of guy he is. He tells you what he wanted to do, then he went out and did exactly what he told you he was going to do. I wish all people were like that.” 「这就代表了他究竟是怎样的一个人。他告诉你他想要做什麽，然後他就动手去做，做 得完全就和他所讲的一样。我希望人人都能这样。」 To this day, Bird, now the Pacers' president of basketball operations, uses the same expression. 而现在，Bird 身为溜马的篮球事务总裁，也是相同的表现。 “I tell my owner that all the time when he talks about players or how they're developing,” Bird said. “I'll say, ‘It might take him a year, but a year's not very long in this business.’ Bird 说：「当我和老板谈论到球员或他们的发展时，我会和他说：『也许要花他一年的 时间，但在这行里头一年算不了多久』。」 “Once you start playing the games, the season's over before you know it. Then people start realizing that a year's not very long.” 「当你开始准备球季开打，等回过神来，球季转眼间就结束了。人们了解到一年的时间 真的不算长。」 Now, though, Bird is the one on the clock. He's been the Pacers' top executive for eight seasons, but said that after next season he's considering stepping away. He took the Pacers to the Finals as coach in 2000. But he's spent the last six seasons trying to rebuild a franchise stained by the brawl with the Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills. 不过，现在谈的是 Bird 的时间。他位居溜马最高执行者已经八年，也说在下个球季之 後就考虑要离开。他以总教练的身分带领溜马在 2000 年打进总冠军赛。但过去六年的 时间，他都埋首於重建被这支被奥本山之役染上恶名的球队。 With Indiana coming off its first playoff appearance since 2006, the franchise is at a turning point. Bird and Pacers owner Herb Simon agreed that Bird would continue to guide the franchise on a year-to-year basis. 随着球队在 2006 年後首度重返季後赛，现在是一个转捩点。Bird 和老板 Hern Simon 达成协定：Bird 将以一年一签的方式继续领导这支球队。 “It's a handshake deal,” said Bird, who will be honored tomorrow at TD Garden as part of the Sports Museum's The Tradition. “I don’t want a [long-term] contract.” 明天将在 TD Garden 接受表扬的 Bird 说道：「这是个握手协定。我并不想要长期合约 。」 But they both know a year isn't a very long time. 但双方都知道：一年并不是很长的时间。 “It's at a point now in my life where I think it might be time to really reconsider and see how long I want to do this,” said Bird, now 54. “They asked me to stay another year through the lockout season, the owner did, for a favor. I was leaving, but he asked me to stay, and I will and I'll get the job done. 现年 54 岁的 Bird 说：「在我的生命中，现在或许该是重新思考的时候，看看我还能 做多久。他们希望我再待一年协助他们，等到过完封馆球季。我想要走了，但他们要我 留下来，而我会留着把事情做好。」 “I just think the franchise is in a good position right now, and I want to leave it in a good position for the next guy to do some good things. Sometimes you just look at it and say, ‘Hey, I've done enough. I've got it in the position I want to get it in,’ and you move on. I've got another year here and I'm going to try to do the best I can to get this team back to winning.” 「我认为球队现在处在不错的位置，我想在这样的情况下交接给下一任主事者，方便他 做事。有时候你会想：『嘿，我做的够多了。我已经把它弄到我想要的地步。』我还有 一年时间，而我会尽我所能，让这支球队重返胜利之途。」 Favorable choice 偏好的选择 Nothing ever made more sense to Bird than playing. 对 Bird 而言，没有什麽事比起打球更重要。 “Playing the game I loved and playing on championship teams and playing in a city that adored their players, that was the ultimate,” he said. 他说：「打我最热爱的篮球，为一支冠军队打球，为一个热爱球员的城市打球，这是最 棒的。」 Coaching was never a consideration until 1997. 在 1997 年之前，他从没考虑过执教的事。 “I had no interest in it,” said Bird. “I sort of did it as a favor for Donnie Walsh and it turned out pretty good.” Bird 说：「我当时没什麽兴趣。我只是想帮 Donnie Walsh 一点忙，而结果很不错。」 But the thought of a front-office job intrigued Bird, mostly because of the challenge. After coaching the Pacers for three seasons, Bird took three years off to address a heart condition and otherwise decompress. He also made ownership bids for the Celtics and Bobcats that fell short. Then, Walsh called again. 参与行政工作的想法则深深吸引了 Bird，主要是因为有挑战性。在执教溜马三年之後， Bird 休息了三年的时间，解决心脏毛病并舒压。他也参与了塞尔蒂克及山猫队所有权的 竞标，不过都失败了。这时，Walsh 的电话又打来了。 “Donnie asked me to come back, and I was thinking at the time, ‘Boy, I've come full circle. I've been in every situation you could be in in the NBA,’ ” Bird said. “I thought it was a great experience, a learning experience. It's something I should do just to learn the ins and outs of the league.” Bird 说：「Donnie 希望我回归，而我也考虑了。我参与了整个循环。我担任过 NBA 里 每个层级的职务。我认为这是个很宝贵的经验，一种学习的经验。这是我学习联盟运作 不可或缺的。」 The Pacers named Bird president of basketball operations in June 2003, working alongside Walsh, who for more than two decades had personified the Pacers' front office. The next season, with Jermaine O'Neal, Ron Artest, and Al Harrington as the team's young core and Reggie Miller its veteran leader, the Pacers won 61 games and went to the Eastern Conference finals. The Pistons prevailed in six games, but the biggest blow the Pistons dealt them didn't come until a year later. 2003 年六月，溜马任命 Bird 为篮球事务总裁，与代表溜马行政高层逾 20 年的 Walsh 一同工作。之後的球季，有 Jermaine O'Neal，Ron Artest，Al Harrington 等球员做 为年轻核心，以及 Reggie Miller 以老大哥的身分坐镇，溜马打出了 61 胜佳绩，并挺 进东区冠军赛。激战六场後，活塞胜出，但活塞对溜马的最大打击还在後头。 The brawl at the Palace in November 2004 led to nine players being suspended or facing legal repercussions. Six of them (Artest, O'Neal, Miller, Stephen Jackson, Anthony Johnson, and David Harrison) were Pacers. Five of them — all Pacers — were charged with assault and battery and sentenced to probation. By almost every projection, the Pacers were supposed to compete for a title that season. Instead, they won 44 games. The incident blew a hole in the season and in the blueprint Walsh and Bird had crafted. More off-court episodes tarnished the team's image locally. The franchise was backed into a corner. 2004 年十一月，「The Brawl」导致了九名球员被禁赛或面临法律处罚。九人之中有六 名是溜马球员。其中五人－全都是溜马球员－被依暴力罪行起诉，获判缓刑。该季前几 乎所有预测里，溜马都被认为有角逐总冠军的实力。但相反地，他们只赢了 44 胜。这 个事件不只毁了这个球季，也在 Walsh 和 Bird 画好的蓝图上捅了一个大洞。其他场外 事件，更让球队在地方上的形象蒙尘。溜马队被逼进了绝境。 “We had to move forward and break the team up,” Walsh said. “You don't want to do it, but we had to do it. That set Larry back, because those guys were talented. Walsh 说：「我们必须继续前进，来个大破大立。当然不想这麽做，但我们非这麽做不 可。这让 Larry 很犹豫，因为这些球员是如此有天份。」 “You go through those periods where your team is up there, then it comes down, but in that case we had a very good team and then all of a sudden, these things happen, and we had to break it apart and rebuild it. It wasn't foreseen. It was all of a sudden, ‘Boom!’ ” 「球队总是有起有落，但我们的情况是：我们的球队本来很强，忽然间事情发生了，而 我们就必须打散重建。没有人能事先料到。突然间就『砰！』的一声发生了。」 Artest was traded to Sacramento in January 2006. Jackson and Harrington were shipped to Golden State the next year. O’Neal was dealt to Toronto in July 2008. After losing to the Nets in the first round in 2006, the Pacers missed the playoffs four straight seasons, never winning more than 36 games. Artest 在 2006 年一月被交易到沙加缅度国王队。Jackson 和 Harrington 隔年被送到 金州勇士队。O'Neal 在 2008 年七月被送到多伦多暴龙队。在 2006 年第一轮败给篮网 队之後，溜马连续四个球季都无缘进入季後赛，也未曾超过 36 胜。 “Larry thinks if you don't win a championship, you fail,” Walsh said. “So if you're not making the playoffs, I'm sure that was very, very hard for him. That's hard for everybody that takes a GM job. Even when you take it and you're not expected to make the playoffs, once the season begins you don't want to be losing games and going through that period where you almost know you're going to be losing games. Walsh 说：「Larry 认为，如果没有赢得总冠军，就算是失败。所以我确定打不进季後 赛对他而言一定非常非常难熬。对任何担任 GM 职务的人都是。就算你接手的时候不被 看好能打进季後赛，等球季开打，你也不会希望输球，而只能熬过那段几乎知道必败的 时间。」 “It takes a toll on you. You know it's up to you. You've got to do it. You've got to get the team back up again. And in that sense, there's pressure. Larry, his whole life in basketball there's been pressure on him, and he's got a unique ability to put that out there. He doesn't allow it to affect how he feels, at least as far as I know. I wish I was as good [at that].” 「这需要付出代价。这由你自己决定。你必须把事情做好。你必须带领球队重返光荣。 这样当然会有很大的压力。在 Larry 整个篮球生涯中，总是有压力加诸他身上，而他有 种独特的处理能力。他不会让压力影响他的情绪，至少就我所知是如此。我希望我在这 方面也能像他一样。」 It’s in his blood 在他的血液里头 Bird has spent time away from the game, but never for long. He doesn't expect the next time he steps away to be another hiatus. Bird 曾远离过篮球，但都没多久。他不认为下一次离开也只是个短暂的空窗期。 “It's tough after a while to not be involved, but I'm a little bit older now,” he said. “I've been in this league for 31 years, so it'll be tough, but we'll see what happens.” 他说：「离开球场一段时间不太好过，但我也有点老了。我在联盟已经打滚了 31 个年 头，所以确实不太习惯，但我们得看事情如何演变。」 It takes a certain type of player to want to get into coaching, and a certain type to want to go into the front office. It's rare to do both. 有些种类的球员会想成为教练，想成为行政人员的则是另外一类。罕有两者都是的。 “There are others who have done it,” Walsh said. “Pat Riley has done it, Jerry West has done it, and Larry Bird has done it. But that's the kind of company he's in. I think he deserves to be in that company, which is why I think he should keep going, because I think he'll have great teams there if he stays there.” Walsh 说：「还有其他人也办到过：Pat Riley、Jerry West，还有 Larry Bird。我觉 得他应该属於这一类人，应该持续下去，因为我认为如果他继续待着，他会拥有一支伟 大的球队。」 Walsh, who when his contract expires at the end of the month is leaving as president of the Knicks, wants Bird to see it through. The Pacers have a new core of young talent, last week picking up the team options on point guard Darren Collison and their last two first-round picks, Tyler Hansbrough and Paul George. Walsh 自己身为尼克队总裁的合约即将在本月底结束，而他希望 Bird 能做完。溜马拥 有一群年轻、有天赋的核心：上周启用球队选择权的控球後卫 Darren Collison，还有 他们的两位首轮新秀，Tyler Hansbrough 和 Paul George。 On draft night last week, Bird acquired Spurs guard George Hill, saying, “We're a better team tonight than we were yesterday.” 选秀夜 Bird 弄来了马刺的後卫 George Hill，说：「我们的球队比起之前要更好。」 This past season, the Pacers made their first playoff appearance since 2006. They were eliminated in five games in the first round by the top-seeded Bulls, but all but one of those games was decided by single digits. 上个球季，溜马自 2006 年後首度重返季後赛。他们在第一轮被第一种子公牛队淘汰， 但五场比赛中除了一场之外，比分差都咬在个位数以内。 Making the playoffs, Walsh said, “I think it meant everything to him.” Walsh 说：「我想打进季後赛对他来讲意义重大。」 Walsh is in Bird's ear, reminding him this is the turning point. Walsh 提醒 Bird：这是个转捩点。 “As a guy who works in the game, I want to see him stay because I know how hard it was to go through the periods he went through, and he did it with grace and he did it with dignity,” Walsh said. “Now all of a sudden he's on the verge of having a very good situation and I'd like to see him get some enjoyment out of that before he goes. Walsh 说：「身为篮球人，我希望看到他留下来继续主事，因为我知道他这段时间是多 麽辛苦，而他优雅从容地作到了。而现在一夕之间情况好转了，所以我希望他在离开前 能享受一下成果。」 “I hope he rethinks all that. I told him I hope he stays in Indiana, because he's come through the tough things and now it's perched to have good things and I hope he's around to enjoy them because he deserves it.” 「我希望他重新考虑看看。我告诉过他，希望他留在印第安那，因为他已经度过了最苦 的时间，现在是时候喘口气。我希望他多享受一下，因为他值得。」 -- 逐句翻译，所以晚了一点 po。 其实前一位板友的简译版意思就很到位了，就当作赚个 p 币吧。 --

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