Setting expectations for the Trail Blazers
對拓荒者隊寄予厚望吧！
Less than four years ago, the Portland Trail Blazers were thought to
have as bright a future as any team in the league. Chad Ford and John
Hollinger ranked them first overall in the 2009 NBA Future Power
Rankings, commenting:
在三年多前，波特蘭拓荒者隊是聯盟中前途最被看好的球隊。Chad Ford和John
Hollinger在2009的未來實力排行榜將其排在聯盟第一，並評論：
On paper, no other team possesses as bright a future as the Portland
Trail Blazers. It all starts with the players. Nobody, not even
Oklahoma City, can match the stable of young talent the Blazers have
built. Brandon Roy is already a superstar, and joining him are
potential stars like LaMarcus Aldridge (24), Greg Oden (21, even if
he looks more like 51), Nicolas Batum (20) and Martell Webster (22).
單看陣容，沒有球隊像波特蘭拓荒者一樣前途一片光明。這一切要由球員開
始說。沒有任何一隊能和拓荒者隊充滿才華洋溢的年輕球員的陣容相比，即
潛在的球星，像24歲的LaMarcus Aldridge、21歲的Greg Oden（雖然他看起
來像51歲）、20歲的Nicolas Batum和22歲的Martell Webster。
The Trail Blazers were about to settle into a period of peace, prosperity
and stability, but we all know what happened next.
拓荒者隊本來即將開始一段平和、成功和穩定的時期，但我們都知道接下來發生
什麼事。
Aldridge and Batum emerged from the rubble as the sole survivors among
core players, coaching staff and management. The result has been an
interesting exercise in rebuilding at a moment nobody ever dreamed the
Blazers would have to rebuild. Catastrophes are devastating, but the
only thing to do is start again, even if the final product isn’t
ultimately as nice as what was destroyed.
Aldridge和Batum是唯二從核心球員、教練團和管理階層的斷垣殘壁中生存下來的
人。結果便是在這個沒人想過需要重建的時間點進行有意思的重建。災難毀人無
數，但唯一能做的便是從頭再起，即使最終結果不像摧毀前一樣好。
“We can't live in the shadow of what might have been,” Portland general
manager Neil Olshey says, “We'll never know."
「我們不能活在如果的陰影中。」拓荒者隊總管Neil Olshey說。「那個如果永遠
不會變成結果。」
Soon after signing on as general manager in the summer of 2012, Olshey
drafted Damian Lillard and matched an offer sheet on Batum. Along with
Aldridge, the Blazers now have a coveted point-wing-big core. That’s
most of what they had last season, but without a bench, they played .500
ball for the meat of the season. They have a sturdy foundation if Lillard
becomes the top-10 point guard he appears to be, and if Batum (only 24)
achieves his potential as the full package of playmaker-shooter-defender.
Olshey在2012夏天接下總管一職後，他馬上選了Damian Lillard並跟進Batum的合
約。加上Aldridge，拓荒者隊現在有令人垂涎三尺的控衛－側翼－禁區三核心。
這三核心也是上季拓荒者最大收穫，在缺乏板凳支援的情況下，他們球季大半時
間還維持五成勝率。如果Lillard能順理成章的成為聯盟前十控，同時Batum（才
24歲）達到潛力所及的三合一全能球員（進攻發動者、射手、防守大鎖），那拓
荒者就有穩固的基石。
We’re starting to get a glimpse of what the building is going to look
like. Lost amid Olshey's candid, Oh-Dear-God media-day address on the
persistence of the Aldridge nonstory was a pithy description of the
organizational blueprint:
我們能一窺拓荒者隊未來的樣貌。Olshey直言不諱的在喔天啊媒體日（譯按：拓
荒者GM在媒體日對於Aldridge一事說出「喔天啊」）堅稱關於Aldridge的新聞是
空穴來風這個舉動簡要說明了未來建隊藍圖：
We’ve supported [Aldridge] with veterans. We've continued to do what
we need to do in terms of bringing young talent in here. We've kept
our long-term flexibility. We have the ability to aggregate our assets
and put those into play if it gets to that point