原文標題:SI Vault: 10 Days To Live:
The life of an NBA player on a 10-day contract
原文網址:
http://www.si.com/nba/2016/01/04/nba-10-day-contract-phoenix-suns-zabian-dowde
ll
譯文:
Zabian Dowdell arrived in Phoenix with 10 days' worth of clothes, two Bibles
and a copy of a letter saved on a laptop. He wrote the original letter to
himself a decade ago, by hand in the bedroom where he grew up, 595 words with
the title I Will Make It. He was 16 then, a basketball player in a football
town, worried that college recruiters would not notice him in Pahokee, Fla.
"Nothing will stop me from making it to the NBA," Dowdell wrote. "I am on a
mission." He took the letter with him to Virginia Tech and back home again,
but he'd lost track of it by June 2007, when friends cried at his draft party
because he went unpicked. Dowdell rode the bench in France, dodged paper
airplanes thrown from the stands in Italy and stayed up until 3 a.m. in Spain
to watch NBA games on his computer, still seething at the fellow point guards
drafted instead of him. When his mother stumbled across his old letter while
cleaning out his room, she typed and e-mailed it to him, sensing he could use
his own motivation. Dowdell recognized the defiant tone of his younger self
and saved the e-mail, to read whenever his resolve was tested. Last October,
after the Suns cut him out of training camp for the second year in a row,
Dowdell rejected a $750,000 contract in Europe and took $13,000 from the
Tulsa 66ers of the Development League because Tulsa offered something Europe
did not: the possibility of a midseason NBA call-up. "For Zabian, it's NBA or
bust," said his agent, Karim Memarian.
Zabian Dowdell帶著十天份的衣服和兩本聖經以及一份從筆電上複製下來的信來到了鳳
凰城。那封信是他十年前在自幼長大的房間內手寫給自己的信，全長595個字，包含了標
題—我一定會做到。他當時16歲，是一個生長在興盛足球的城鎮中的籃球員，不時擔心大
學招募的球探可能不會注意到居住在Pahokee, Fla的他。”任何事情都無法阻止我進入
NBA。”他寫道，”這就是我的任務。”
Dowdell隨身攜帶著這封信，不論是到Virginia Tech或回家的時候。但他在2007年6月的
時候弄丟了這封信，就在他的朋友在他的選秀派對上因為他未被選上而痛哭後。Dowdell
在法國苦坐板凳，在義大利的飯店走道上丟紙飛機以及在西班牙熬夜到半夜3點只為用電
腦看場NBA比賽，但他仍然為那些在他前面被選秀選上的控球後衛感到興奮。
當Dowdell的母親在打掃房間的時候，無意間發現了這封久遠的信。她把用電腦把這封信
寄給Dowdell，期待他能從過往的夢想中得到一些激勵。Dowdell讀完信後便想起了當時年
輕的無所畏懼，他把信存起來，好在決心被挑戰時拿出來深讀。去年十月，當太陽隊連續
在第二年的訓練營中把他裁掉後，Dodwell拒絕了歐洲球隊開出的750,000元合約，而接受
了發展聯盟的Tulsa 66ers開出的13,000元。因為Tulsa能提供所有歐洲球隊都無法給他的
機會—在季中被NBA球隊挑中。
”對Zabian來說，NBA球隊以外的都不值一提。” Dowdell的經紀人Karim Memarian說。
At 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 9, Dowdell left his room on the 14th floor of the
Sheraton in downtown Phoenix, walked five blocks to U.S. Airways Center and
made good on his teenage pledge. At 26, after three seasons in Europe and two
stints in the D-League, summers spent running on golf courses and shooting
jumpers past midnight, Dowdell signed an NBA contract. There was, however,
one caveat. The contract was for only 10 days.
The 10-day contract is as much a part of the NBA as the max deal, though
nobody is using it to hire personal chefs. Players are signed for 10 days,
but they can be released after one. If they last the duration, they are
either released then or signed for another 10. If they are still hanging
around after that, they are either released or signed for the rest of the
season to a prorated minimum contract. "It's like being a substitute
teacher," says point guard Steve Nash, except teachers are guaranteed time in
front of the class. A player has 10 days to prove he belongs, without any
promise that he will actually see the court in a game or even a practice. A
10-day can be evaluated on something as trivial as the high fives he gives
his teammates when they come to the bench or the shots he takes with a ball
boy when everyone else has gone home. "You feel like you are on 10 one-day
contracts," says Nets head coach Avery Johnson. "You don't sleep a lot. You
look at your phone all the time. No one is sending a limo to your house with
roses for your wife. You are taking a taxi and turning in the receipt."
一月九號的早上八點半，Dowdell從Sheraton飯店的14樓離開。他前往五個街口外的
U.S. Airways Center，他達成了他青少年時的夢想。在經歷了三個歐洲的賽季以及兩個
在發展聯盟的球季，度過那些在高爾夫球場上奔馳的夏天和練投的午夜後，Dowdell在26
歲這年終於簽下了一紙NBA合約。唯一的缺點就是，這張合約的期限只有10天。
十天合約和頂薪合約相同，都是NBA中重要的一部分。雖然沒人會因為簽下了十天的合約
而去雇用私人廚師。球員被簽下十天，但他們可能會在第一份十天合約後被釋出。如果他
們成功撐過這十天的話，他們可能會被釋出或再簽下一份十天合約。假如他們沒在第二份
十天合約的途中被裁掉的話，他們仍可能在合約結束後被釋出，或是簽下一份到球季結束
的底薪合約。
”就像代課老師一樣，”Steve Nash說。差別在於代課老師有受保障的上課時間。雖然球
員有十天來證明自己屬於這支球隊，但合約內的內容並沒有保證一定會上場或甚至能參與
隊內練習。簽下十天合約的球員常被認為只是個當其他球員下場時擊掌的啦啦隊，或是在
其他球員都回家時留下來和球僮練習投籃的人。
”那種感覺好像是簽下了10份的一天合約，”籃網總教練Avery Johnson說。”你睡得不
多，醒著的時間總會緊張地盯著手機。沒有人會幫你叫高級禮車，也沒有特別送你妻子的
玫瑰。你只能搭計程車，然後把收據交給球團。”
Johnson revived his 16-year career with two 10-day contracts in 1992. Kurt
Rambis made his last 14 seasons. So did Anthony Mason. The 10-day contract
allows teams to affordably fill holes on their bench and D-League players to
audition for dream jobs. By rule, teams could start offering 10-day contracts
on Jan. 5. Dowdell signed his four days later.
He is typical of a 10-day, forever on the fringe and running out of time. He
went to summer league with the Suns last season but strained his groin in a
pickup game before training camp. He went to summer league with the Suns
again this season but was cut six days before the opener. "Keep working,"
club president Lon Babby told him, "and we will try to bring you back."
Dowdell is a 6'3" lefthanded point guard who can run an offense and play
sticky defense, but the Suns wanted him to improve his outside shot. They
summoned four guards from the D-League for a tryout on Jan. 7, and after
staying up all night and flying all morning from Tulsa, Dowdell could not
miss. In the same office where the Suns cut him three months earlier, they
told him they were keeping him.
Johnson在1992年的兩份十天合約後便開展了他長達16年的球員生涯，Kurt Rambis則是
在聯盟中打滾了14年。Anthony Manson亦同。十天合約能讓球隊填補板凳上的空缺，並給
發展聯盟的球員一個機會看看他們夢寐以求的工作。根據規定，球隊能在1/5號開始簽訂
十天合約。Dowdell在規定時間開始後的四天拿到了合約。
Dowdell像是那種典型的十天合約球員，那種差一點點被選入球隊又快要渡過球員黃金時
期的人。Dowdell在上個賽季的夏季聯盟效力於太陽隊，但在訓練營前的一場練習賽傷到
了腹股溝。他在這個賽季同樣效力於太陽隊的夏季聯盟，但在開幕賽前六天被裁掉。”繼
續努力。”球隊總裁Lon Babby告訴他。”我們會想辦法簽下你。”
Dowdell是6呎3的左撇子控衛，他能跑出漂亮的進攻戰術，也有著不錯的貼身防守。但太
陽隊希望他能加強他的外線投射技術。他們在1/7號從發展聯盟中叫了四個後衛上來試訓
。儘管帶著整晚熬夜和一早從Tulsa飛來的疲勞，Dowdell還是不容太陽隊錯過。在三個月
前相同的辦公室裡，太陽隊裁掉了他。但這次他們告訴Dowdell他們要將他留下。
A 10-day does not have time to celebrate. Dowdell was the first player to the
arena for shootaround on Day 1, and a security guard assumed he was with the
Cavaliers, that night's opponent. Instead of a nameplate over his locker he
had a strip of athletic tape with DOWDELL scrawled in black marker. He picked
number 22, in part to honor former college teammate Jamon Gordon, still in
Greece. The Suns were on a three-game losing streak, but they hardly
considered Dowdell the answer to their problems. Coach Alvin Gentry announced
he was shortening his rotation and speculated that Dowdell might sit on the
bench for the entire 10 days. He was signed primarily because the Suns wanted
a third point guard so Nash would not wear himself out during practice.
"There's a lot of pressure because he doesn't want to go back to those
eight-hour bus rides out of Tulsa," Gentry said.
十天合約的球員沒什麼多餘的時間慶祝。合約的第一天，Dowdell是第一個到球場練投的
球員。有個保全人員似乎認為他是當晚的對手，騎士隊的球員。他的置物櫃上面沒有名牌
，而是用膠帶貼著，上面則用黑色馬克筆寫上他們名字DOWDELL。他選了背號22號，部分
原因是為了要分享他的這份榮耀給還待在希臘的前大學隊友Jamon Gordon。太陽隊正遭遇
到三連敗的亂流，不過他們並不認為Dowdell能解決他們的問題。教練Alvin Gentry宣稱
他會縮減輪替陣容，Dowdell可能在他的十天合約內都得待在板凳上。Dowdell被簽下的主
因是太陽隊不希望Steve Nash在球隊練習時精疲力盡。”他背負著很大的壓力，因為他不
想回去那些在Tulsa的八個小時的車程。”Gentry說。
As Gentry spoke, the Suns' practice court was empty except for Dowdell,
running through plays and using folding chairs as screeners. "He's working on
where he'll get his shots," Gentry said, acknowledging those shots may never
come. Back in his room at the Sheraton that afternoon, while watching
football on TV, Dowdell pondered the challenge facing all 10-days: how to
make an impression without an opportunity. "I have to be the first one there
every day and the last one to leave," Dowdell said. "I have to bring energy
and a smiling face." Comportment matters. The Suns once released a 10-day
partly because, as Gentry put it, "He wasn't a nice guy."On the walk to the ar
en
mother. Isabelle McDonald was a high school point guard herself who once
played in a state tournament while three months pregnant. She raised three
boys and one girl, working days as a schoolteacher, nights as a sergeant in
the Palm Beach County sheriff's office and taking classes on weekends toward
her doctorate in theology. All four children earned full college basketball
scholarships. She is the reason Dowdell never got a tattoo or an earring, and
also the reason he never quit. "Right now," she told him, "you can't afford
an off night."
A 10-day must be assertive but deferential, seizing his moment while knowing
his place. When the Suns warmed up, Dowdell dribbled near half-court,
pantomiming his jumper as veterans launched three-pointers. When the team
huddled outside the locker room, he stood on the edge of the circle, hands in
sweats. When the game began, he sat at the end of the bench, the first one
rising to cheer. Early in the second quarter, backup point guard Goran Dragic
bumped his left knee and hobbled off. Dowdell started to stretch. "I thought
I was going in," he said. Instead, Nash finished the second quarter, Dragic
returned in the third, and Dowdell applauded a comeback win over the Cavs.
"He should enjoy this," said Cavs guard Alonzo Gee, who had two 10-day
contracts last season with Washington. "You're in the NBA. You reached your
lifelong goal. No one can take that away from you." But Dowdell could not see
it that way, not yet. "I'm not going to be the guy telling people I played 10
days in the NBA," he said. "I want to make an impact."
如同Gentry所說，太陽隊的球場上除了Dowdell外空無一人。他獨自練習戰術，利用摺疊
椅當掩護者。”他在尋找可以出手的地方。” Gentry說，儘管他知道他在可能永遠不會
有機會在NBA的場上出手。當Dowdell晚上回到Sheraton飯店看美式足球的時候，他思考著
他的10天合約中最難的挑戰就是:如何在沒有機會的情況下給球團留下好印象。”我每天
都要是第一個到球場，最後一個離開的人。”Dowdell說，”我要成為那個幫隊上帶來能
量和歡樂的人。”行為舉止很重要。根據Gentry所說，太陽隊曾經有次釋出一個10天合約
的球員只因為”他感覺不太好相處。”
在Dowdell準備前往他第一場NBA比賽的時，Dowdell接到了一通他媽媽打來的電話。
Isabelle McDonaldy在高中時的位置是控球後衛，她曾在州巡迴賽中出賽—在懷有三個月
身孕的情況下。她撫養了三個男孩和一個女孩長大，靠著是白天在學校當老師，晚上則去
Palm Beach County的警長辦公室兼職作警官。此外，她也在周末上課好拿到她神學院的
學位。她的四個小孩都拿到了全額的大學籃球獎學金。Isabelle的教育讓Dowdell身上沒
有刺青或耳環，也是他堅持著不放棄的主因。
“現在這個時候，”她告訴他，”你絕不能鬆懈。”
十天合約的球員需要有著積極進取的態度，同時保持尊重和低調。他要在把握每個機會的
時候同時不搶走其他球員的風采。當太陽隊熱身的時候，Dowdell沿著半場運球，默默地
練習中距離跳投。當球隊在更衣室外集合時，他站在球隊的外圍，緊張的掌心發汗。當練
習賽開始時，他坐在板凳的邊緣，第一個站起來歡呼。
第二節剛開始的時候，替補後衛Goran Dragic撞傷了膝蓋蹣跚的走下場。Dowdell開始伸
展。"我以為我要上場了。”他說。然而，Nash打完了第二節而Dragic在第三節時重返球
場。Dowdell只能在他們逆轉騎士隊後鼓掌歡呼。"他應該好好享受這一切。"騎士隊的後
衛Alonzo Gee說。他上個賽季在巫師隊拿到了兩份十天合約。"你已經在NBA裡面了，你達
到你一輩子的目標了。沒人可以從你身上奪走這些。"但Dowdell無法如此看待。他還沒辦
法如此。"我不想成為一個告訴別人我曾在NBA拿過十天合約的人。"他說，"我想成為在比
賽中帶來改變的人。"
On Day 2, the Suns flew to Denver, and Dowdell experienced his first
regular-season NBA road trip. He had his own row on the charter. He ate
rigatoni and kicked himself for not going with the fried chicken. When he
landed, he retreated to his hotel room and watched the talking heads debate
the future of Carmelo Anthony. "I can't relate," Dowdell said. Road trips are
a test for every 10-day. Like any NBA player, they get a $115 per diem and
entr嶪 to nightclubs, but if they show up bleary-eyed the next morning, they
can find themselves on the first plane home. "Guys will go to clubs and be
seduced by that lifestyle, but word will get back to the team," says former
NBA guard Elliot Perry, who had four 10-day contracts. "They don't want
somebody who will be out late and mess up the locker room. This is your one
chance. You need to get your rest and eat right and be at the gym early. You
can't relax. Your career is riding on it."
The Suns trailed the Nuggets by 30 through three quarters on Day 3, garbage
time for everybody but Dowdell. Gentry called for him to start the fourth
quarter and designed the first play for him. Dowdell set up in the right
corner, took a handoff from Dragic on the right wing, dribbled three times,
pulled up just inside the arc, elevated and released. He had waited all of 10
seconds to take his first shot. It missed. His next one missed too. But then
he made a slick feed to Dragic, forced a turnover, sank two free throws and
nailed a long jumper coming off a screen at the top of the key. "Those are
the toughest circumstances a shooter can possibly be under," says Tim Legler,
who had eight 10-day contracts in his NBA career and is now an ESPN analyst.
"You feel the pressure. This is the culmination of everything you've worked
for your whole life. You want to be aggressive, but you can also shoot
yourself right out the door. One 0 for 5 could kill you."
第二天，太陽隊飛往丹佛。Dowdell體驗了他第一次的NBA常規賽中的長途旅行。他在飛機
上有自己一排座位。他在機上吃了通心麵，並在接下來的旅途中都痛恨自己為何沒選炸雞
。當太陽隊著陸後，Dowdell前往他們下榻的旅館並在電視上觀看關於Carmelo Anthony的
未來的辯論。"我很難用言語表達我的感受。"他說。長途客場旅行是對每個十天合約球員
的考驗。如同每個NBA球員，他們每天能拿到115美元的津貼以及去夜店的機會。但如果他
們在隔天早上的練習中看來睡眼惺忪的話，他們會發現自己坐在早晨第一趟回家的班機上
面。"人們會去夜店玩然後被那種生活風格所誘惑。但這些事情都會被球隊的人知道。"前
NBA控衛Elliot Perry說，他曾得到過四份十天合約。"他們不會想要深夜在外閒晃，搞砸
更衣室氣氛的人。這是你僅有的機會。你需要好好休息，吃對的食物然後早點到體育館練
習。現在可沒時間讓你好好放鬆休息，你籃球生涯的轉捩點就是此刻了。"
合約的第三天，太陽隊在三節比賽後落後金塊隊30分。對任何一個球員來說，剩下的比賽
都是垃圾時間了—除了Dowdell之外。Gentry讓他在第四節的開頭上場，並為他設計了第
一個戰術。Dowdell在右邊角落發動，和右邊側翼的Dragic做了一次遞手傳球，運了三次
球，在弧頂內跳投。Dowdell等了十秒才第一次出手，但沒進。他的第二球一樣沒進，不
過接下來他傳出了一記絕妙好球給Dragic。Dowdell造成了金塊隊的失誤，賺到兩次罰球
，並在繞過掩護後投進了一記大號三分。
“他面臨的都是一些射手會遇到的狀況，而且是最艱困的那種。”Tim Legler說，他拿了
八份十天合約，現在在ESPN擔任分析師。”你能感受到那種壓力，在場上的時候，那些是
你生命中所努力的一切。你想要表現出侵略性，但你的出手可能會讓你被掃地出門。一次
五投零中就可能讓你被掃地出門。”
Dowdell went 1 for 6, but his coach approved. "He played without fear,"
Gentry said. "He believes he belongs, and for these guys, that's three
quarters of the battle." On Day 4, though, he was back on the bench as the
Suns beat the Nets, and on Day 5 the team was off. Dowdell still went to the
arena, quizzing himself on the playbook and mimicking the hesitation move
Nash uses when releasing from pick-and-rolls.
By Day 6, Vince Carter was needling Dowdell over a Virginia Tech–North
Carolina basketball game. Coaches were telling him he might be used in a
three-guard lineup. He talked about renting a car so he would no longer have
to walk. "I feel like I deserve to be here," he said. He was sitting on his
bed in the Sheraton, rolling a basketball in his hands.
"But it doesn't matter what I think. I need to show these people what I can d
o.
I want to get in a game when it matters." That night against the Blazers,
Nash and Dragic both picked up two early fouls. With five minutes left in the
half, Suns assistant Dan Majerle told Dowdell to get ready. Dowdell fixed his
attention on Blazers guard Patrick Mills and noticed that he looked
uncomfortable holding the ball in his left hand. With 34 seconds until
halftime, and the Suns down by four, Gentry sent Dowdell to the scorers
table. On his first possession Dowdell fed Carter for a three-pointer, then
smothered Mills on the in-bounds pass. Dowdell overplayed Mills's right hand,
prying the ball loose, picking it up and racing to the rim. His layup was
blocked out-of-bounds, but the Suns retained possession and the crowd howled.
Carter gave Dowdell a chest bump. Marcin Gortat rubbed his head. And in Port
St. Lucie, Fla., eight-year-old Camryn Maxon and her four-year-old twin
brothers, Christopher and Christian, hopped around the living room, long past
their bedtime.
Dowdell的成績是六投一中，但他的教練並不在意。”他在場上的感覺很好。”Gentry說
。”他覺得他屬於這個聯盟。” 合約的第四天，Dowdell在太陽隊擊敗籃網隊的比賽中回
到了板凳上。第五天是球隊的休息日。但Dowdell還是到了球場，用戰術本上的戰術測試
自己，並模仿Nash在檔拆戰術時使用的變速切入。
到了第六天，Vince Carter邀請Dowdell一起前往Virginia Tech對上 North Carolina的
球賽。教練們告訴Dowdell他們可能會在三衛戰術裡面派他上場。Dowdell說著想要租一臺
車，這樣他就不用走路到球場了。”我覺得我值得待在這裡”Dowdell坐在飯店的床上，
手上轉著籃球。”但我是否能留在隊上和我怎麼想無關，我需要表現給球隊的管理層看，
讓他們知道我是個值得被留下的球員。我很緊張，我想要在比賽還不是垃圾時間的時候上
場。” 太陽隊在那天晚間對上拓荒者，Nash和Dragic都早早地領到了兩次犯規。半場結
束前五分鐘，太陽隊的助理教練Dan Majerle告訴Dowdell準備好。Dowdell專心觀察拓荒
者的後衛Patrick Mills並注意到他的左手持球看來並不順暢。
半場前結束34秒，太陽隊落後四分。Gentry派上了Dowdell。Dowdell一上場就先傳給
Carter，讓他投進了一球三分。然後成功干擾了Mills的發球。Dowdell壓迫Mills的右手
運球，並成功逼迫他掉球。Dowdell抄到球後直接往籃框衝刺，雖然他的上籃被蓋出界外
，但太陽隊再次獲得了球權。
全場觀眾瘋狂歡呼。
Carter給了Dowdell一個撞胸慶祝，Marcin Gortat拍了拍Dowdell的頭。
而遠在聖露西港的八歲Camryn Maxon以及她的四歲雙胞胎弟弟Christopher 和Christian
則是在看了這ㄧ球後開心地在客廳蹦蹦跳跳的