The Pistons are pulling off possibly one of the all-time great tank jobs in NBA history 活塞的20-21赛季，可能是联盟史上坦得最漂亮的一季 https://reurl.cc/4yZG9R Yahoo Sports专栏, Dan Wetzel, May 12 Someone is going to win the NBA championship this year, and it sure as heck isn’t going to be Detroit. 今年将会有一支球队赢得NBA总冠军，而这一队肯~定不会是活塞队。 The Pistons are terrible, 20-49 on the season heading into Tuesday’s classic NBA, late-season, no-one-wants-to-emerge-victorious, Tank-A-Palooza against the 21-win Minnesota Timberwolves. 星期二即将面对21胜的灰狼时，活塞的战绩是可怕的20胜49负。而这正是赛季末期，坦 队打算一躺到底，一点都不想增加胜场的阶段。 The loser of that one all but assures finishing in the bottom three of the league and securing the best odds to land the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft lottery. One team will win the game. The other will be celebrating afterward. 这场对战的输家几乎可以保证拿下这赛季倒数前三名的战绩，以最高的机率拿到2021选 秀状元签。其中一队将会赢得胜利，但另一队将可以收割延迟而来的喜悦。 For Detroit in particular, this would mark more than just the traditional trek-to-the-basement season. It might place them second to whomever actually hoists the Larry O’Brien Trophy in accomplishing pretty much all of its reasonable objectives to the season. 特别是对活塞来说，这一季并不只是单纯的一躺到底的赛季。如果以赛季初设定的目标 达成率来评分，他们甚至可能是除了拿到Larry O'Brien奖盃以外，这赛季表现最好的 球队。 All while rarely actually winning a game. 除了赢得比赛以外的每一个目标。 Consider that Detroit might execute the reverse perfect season by: 考量到在赛季初时，活塞队可能设定好的几个目标包括： Losing enough games to secure the best possible odds to win the NBA draft lottery. 累积足够的败场数，来保证球队可以有最高的机率拿到最高顺位的选秀签。 Clear out expensive veterans and develop a trio of impressive rookie talent and potential long-term starters … while still losing enough games to secure the best possible odds to win the NBA draft lottery. 清掉薪资昂贵的老将，练练三个让人印象深刻的新秀以及潜力先发球员─同时累积足够 的败场数，来保证球队可以有最高的机率拿到最高顺位的选秀签。 Do it during a pandemic when almost no one was allowed to attend your games in the first place, yet in a fashion that actually excites fans for the future. 在一个因为疫情使球迷都无法入场观赛的赛季达成这些目标，同时激励球迷，让球迷对 未来有所期待。 Simply put, this could be one of the all-time great tank jobs in NBA history. We’re not saying anyone should vote general manager Troy Weaver as executive of the year for fielding a team that could post a .278 winning percentage, but this isn’t easy to pull off. Usually, you are either too lousy to show any signs of progress, or you progress too fast and are no longer bad. It’s a balancing act. 简单来说，这可能是NBA有史以来坦得最漂亮的一队了。并不是说2成78的胜率足以让 Troy Weaver值得被票选为最佳总管，虽然这真的也是满难的。但通常，坦队不是表现烂 得让人看不到进展；就是进步太快，到後来坦不下去。这是个不容易的平衡啊！ Like a lot of teams, the Pistons are quite happy to “Fade for Cade (Cunningham)” or “Keep Failin’ for Jalen (Suggs/Green).” 就像其他不少球队，活塞整个团队欢喜接受「输到康宁汉」或是「电梯向下，直达杰伦」 的作法。(这两句英文好漂亮，但我真的不知道怎麽翻得好，可恶!) Houston, for example, has just 16 victories and thus has done a better job of losing games in an effort to improve draft odds. The Rockets didn’t do it, however, while starting their rebuild the way Detroit has. 举例来说，火箭今年只拿到16胜，所以在坦到状元签的部分是做得比活塞好的。但另一 方面来看，在重建的状况就不如活塞那麽明朗了。 Weaver took over as general manager last offseason, inheriting a going-nowhere , veteran-laden roster. Rather than continue to tread water or wait to bottom out in the standings, he proceeded to trade away nearly everyone. Weaver在上个休赛季接手了球队总管的工作，当时在他手上的是一支满手老将，看不到 未来的阵容。相较於抱着这个阵容继续浮沉直到深深海底，他几乎把整支球队都交易出 去了。 He’s has made 10 deals in just 11 months on the job. Whomever he couldn’t swap, he just waived (including Blake Griffin). Twenty-two players suited up for the 2019-20 Pistons. Only one is still around — Sekou Doumbouya, a 20-year-old reserve forward. 过去11个月里他就完成了10个交易，而换不掉的球员，他就果断挥弃（包括Griffin在内 ）。19-20赛季的22名球员中，现在只剩下1个人─Sekou Doumbouya，20岁的年轻潜力前 锋。 “I wasn’t going to be cautious; that’s not who I am,” Weaver said before last season. 威佛在赛季前说："我没有要小心来的意思，我不是这种人。" A swirl of deals that netted him essentially three first-round draft picks in the 2020 draft — point guard Killian Hayes (seventh overall), center Isaiah Stewart (16th) and forward Saddiq Bey (19th). 一整套交易帮他在2020选秀日换来了三个首轮签，他选了三个人，控卫Killian Hayes(7) 、中锋Isaiah Stewart(16)和前锋Saddiq Bey(19)。 All three look like keepers. 三个人看起来都是值得留下来好好练的球员。 Stewart is arguably a top 10 rookie; Bey is top five. Hayes has battled through uncertainty and injuries to emerge as potentially the best of the lot — he’s averaging eight points and 6.9 assists in his last 10 games. While he ’s no sure-thing superstar, he’s also trending closer to that than lottery bust. Stewart的表现几乎可以让他列为10大新秀；Bey有前五的水准。而Hayes经过挣扎和伤病 之後，现在看起来是三个人里面最令人期待的。Hayes在过去前10场比赛里缴出了平均8分 6.9助攻的成绩，虽然他不一定会是个明星级球员，但目前看来也绝对不是一支垃圾签。 If nothing else, the Pistons appear to have a point (Hayes), 3-point gunner (Bey) and mobile big man with an interest in rebounding (Stewart). And each has had a season to get acclimated to the league and grow through ups and downs with coach Dwane Casey ... all while continuing to lose games, of course. 如果没有意外的话，活塞看起来已经有一个控卫、三分射手和具活动力而且爱抓板的长 人。三个人都跟着Casey教练一起经历了一个起起伏伏的赛季，并且渐渐适应这里的强 度。 Detroit might be able to add the kind of talent that a top-three pick usually provides to a roster that is prebuilt for them and their skill set. This could be a very nice setup for a Cunningham/Suggs/Green, with plenty of time for a young nucleus to grow together in the seasons to come. 活塞很有机会在这个已经稍有雏型的阵容上再加上一个充满天赋的前三顺位球员，这样 的设计不论对Cunningham/Suggs/Green来说都是好事。在未来的几个赛季里，新的核心 球员和现有阵容一起成长。 Traditionally, this is done the opposite way — you get your star and then add around him. Weaver flipped the script and, as such, Detroit could be two years ahead of schedule. 传统上来说，重建走的是相反的路线─先找到你的核心球星，再围绕着他打造球队。但 Weaver把剧本倒过来写，也因为这样，活塞的重建进度可能已经超前了两年。 All of this was accomplished during a season that was both delayed and shortened due to COVID-19 and took place in front of almost no fans. If there were ever a year that didn’t matter, this was it. No season ticket-holder had to sit (and spend) through the dregs of “the process.” 而整个重建的动作是在一个因为疫情延後开始而且缩水的的赛季，还有几乎没有球迷在 场的球场上进行。如果有个赛季是大家不太在乎的，那大概就是这个赛季了，毕竟没有 买了季票的球迷需要在场边忍受这个"过程"。 Of course, what looks good so far guarantees nothing. The rookies may excel on a team with few options, but prove incapable of leading a title contender. Some intriguing Weaver additions such as Jerami Grant and Josh Jackson have produced big stats, but even on bad teams, someone has to score. There are no shutouts in the NBA, after all. 当然，现在看起来不错并不是对球队未来的任何保证。新秀们也许能在阵容选择不多的 状况下看起来令人惊艳，但後来证明缺乏足够的能力冲击总冠军。Weaver带来的几个亮 点像是Jeremi Grant和Josh Jackson地却打出了漂亮的数据，但是即使在烂队也是有球 员要负责拿分。毕竟，能在NBA打滚的没有一个是废咖。 And Detroit could make the mistake of beating Minnesota, finishing strong and ruining their draft positioning. Or their eventual pick may not pan out. 此外，活塞也可能犯下打赢灰狼，季末连胜然後毁了抽签机率的错，或甚至最後的选秀 顺序还是输给其他强运的球队。 Who knows? Anything is possible. 谁知道呢？任何事都可能发生。 In the bizarro world of the NBA though, sometimes the league’s winners aren’ t always the teams that, you know, actually win. 你也知道，在这个奇幻的NBA世界里，有时候联盟的赢家并不是真的赢了比赛的人。 If Detroit can pull this off, few will have done the losing-as-planned tank job better. 但如果最後一切都按照计画进行，活塞可能坦了非常漂亮的一季。 ================= 果然不是只有我们自我感觉良好，觉得活塞坦得很漂亮啊~ 一边输球一边打出内容不错的比赛，新秀们的表现看起来也很令人期待。 今天不意外的败给金块，星期一对热火就是最後一场比赛了 希望就像最後一句话一样，今年活塞可以坦出漂亮的一季!! --

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