The Houston Rockets Have No Chance At Signing Kevin Durant
火箭不太可能有辦法簽下Durant
https://goo.gl/tZibXX
Kevin Durant will hit free agency in July, and the Houston Rockets are least
likely to sign him.
KD夏季進入自由市場將會投下一顆震撼彈，而火箭隊幾乎不太可能可以簽下他。
The Oklahoma City Thunder have hit a rough patch in the season. Since the
All-Star break, the Thunder has played under .500 recording a 3-6 record.
雷霆隊本季打得有點跌跌撞撞，明星週後只有3勝6敗不到5成的勝率。
With every loss, the rumors about Kevin Durant’s free agency becomes more
frequent by the day. When the free agency market opens up in July, it is
without a doubt every team in the league will enter the “Durantula
Sweepstakes.” Perhaps, Durant will have more teams knocking on his door than
LeBron James in 2010.
隨著時間過去，只要一輸球，KD的交易流言就會越來越頻繁地出現。今年夏季應該每一隊
都會加入競爭雷帝的行列，這競爭的盛況也許會比當年LBJ出走騎士時還要更大。
Among many teams who are hoping to sign the 27-year old are the Houston
Rockets. Over the past few months Houston has made it clear that signing
Durant will be one of their primary goals this summer. Although it would be
nice to see him teaming up with James Harden and Dwight Howard, the Rockets
may have the least likely chance of acquiring the former MVP.
火箭也會是競爭27歲的KD中的一隊，過去幾個月火箭清楚表示簽下雷帝會是這個夏季首要
任務。雖然雷帝+Harden+Howard的組合好像還不錯，但是火箭應該是競爭者中最不可能可
以簽下這位前mvp的球隊。
Honestly speaking, it is hard to imagine Durant leaving OKC for any team. He
has proven his loyalty to the city as well as created the best one-two punch
in the league alongside Russell Westbrook. However, if he does leave, the
Rockets seems like an unrealistic destination. Before umping on this theory
consider how much Houston have going against them.
老實說，很難想像Durant離開OKC去任何一隊，他已經清楚地向這座城市輸誠並希望繼續
和西河一起組成聯盟最可怕的雙槍組合。但是若他真的離開的話，去火箭有點不太實際，
在我們檢視這個假設前讓我們先試想一下火箭跟他有多不搭。
If Durant brought his talents to Clutch City, there is a high possibility
that Houston’s team chemistry would be at its worst. Everyone wants to be
Michael Jackson, but no one wants to sacrifice to become Jermaine Jackson.
如果KD帶著他的天賦到休士頓，火箭隊的化學反應可能會很糟，每個人都想當
Michael Jackson但是沒有人想要去當Jermaine Jackson(麥可的三哥)。
Sure, it worked for Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh in Miami, but
there are some doubts Durant, Harden, and Howard would make the same
sacrifices. If Durant were to sign in Houston, the Rockets would likely have
more confrontation with their three superstars.
回顧來看，Wade、LBJ和Bosh的組合成功了但是Durant、Harden和Howard之間是不是可以
彼此各讓一步就很難說了。如果Durant去火箭，這三巨頭之間可能會有更多的爭奪對抗。
One can argue that the bearded one and K.D. made a great duo in OKC, but
Harden is no longer considered the “League’s Best Sixth Man.” Playing
second fiddle to Durant will not be as easy as it was during his first three
years in the league. Harden has evolved into one of the top players in the
Association, and Houston is his city.
有人可能會說：「大鬍子之前跟KD在OKC搭配得很好阿！」但是Harden已經不再是過去那
個最佳第六人了，現在叫他當KD的助手不會再像之前Harden生涯前三季那樣簡單，他已經
是聯盟頂尖球星之一，而休士頓是他的地盤。
With only one ball to share, Durant and Harden would have to sacrifice their
touches in order to win. Safe to say when healthy Durant is the better
player, so, unfortunately, Harden will no longer be Houston’s go-to man.
場上只有一顆球，KD和Harden之間勢必有人要為了勝利犧牲點球權，保險來說，健康的KD
是更好的球員，這樣一來Harden就再也不是火箭的關鍵進攻者了。
Oh, and do not forget the Rockets’ will still have to find a way to get
Dwight Howard his touches. Howard has a history of not playing defense when
he is not getting enough touches on the offensive end. So if he wants to
reestablish himself as an offensive player, Howard may want to reconsider
joining forces with another dynamic scorer.
別忘了還要想辦法讓Howard得到些球權，Howard以往的歷史顯示若他沒有在進攻端獲得足
夠的球權，他在防守端也不玩了，所以他若想要讓自己再次成為名進攻型球員，他也許會
想要跟另一個得分好手合作。
Realistically, there are only three teams that have the best chances of
signing Durant.
實際上，只有三隊有最好的機會可以爭奪KD。
With only a month before the Kobe Bryant era ends, the Lakers will make one
of the strongest pitches to Durant. Playing alongside Jordan Clarkson and D’
Angelo Russell, the Lakers would instantly become a playoff team again.
However, what would separate the Lakers from the Rockets are their market
sizes. Houston has a nice size market, but it does not compare to Los Angeles.
距離Kobe退休剩下約一個月左右的時間，湖人會提出最優渥的條件向KD推銷自己，若跟
Clarkson和Russell一起，湖人馬上就會再次成為季後賽隊伍。另外湖人跟火箭還有一點
優勢，雖然休士頓市場也不錯，就是湖人隊的市場價值要來的更大。
The Boston Celtics is another team who has a greater chance of signing Durant
before the Rockets. Playing in Boston would allow Durant a chance to play
with an elite pass-first point guard, and not another ball dominant player
like James Harden or Russell Westbrook. Durant is already a great player, but
playing alongside Isaiah Thomas would elevate his game to another level.
賽爾提克會是另一隻比火箭更有強力優勢的競爭隊伍，去那裏KD可以跟一位優秀的傳球型
控衛合作，而不是像Harden或是西河那樣傾向大量球權的球員，KD已經是一位頂尖球員，
但跟I湯合作應該可以讓他更上一層樓。
The team with the best chance to steal the All-Star away from the Thunder are
the Washington Wizards. Not only can Durant play with an elite pass-first
point guard in John Wall, but have a chance to play in his hometown.
還有一隊有很好機會簽下KD的就是巫師隊，不但可以和優秀傳球型控衛John Wall合作，
還可以在自己的家鄉打球。
I would love to see a big three of Durant, Harden, and Howard as much as the
next Rockets fan. Unfortunately, this move seems far from reality. However,
the Rockets do not need to sign a marquee free agent to compete with the best
in the league.
筆者很樂意見到KD+Harden+Howard的三巨頭組合，但是很不幸的這似乎不太實際，不過
火箭其實也不太需要再簽下另一名頂尖球星以角逐聯盟最佳球隊。
With roughly $12.64 million to spend this summer, the Rockets should use that
money to bring in additional veteran players that have the ability to help
them conquer their two major weaknesses: perimeter defense and rebounding.
Besides, the Rockets should be more worried about keeping their current
All-Star pair together as Dwight Howard prepares to explore the market. And
as awful as this season has been, the Rockets should feel lucky to sign
anyone this summer.
這個夏季火箭大約還有1264萬的薪資空間可以運用，應該用來簽下另一個有經驗的好手去
補足兩個缺點：陣地防守和鞏固籃板。另外，火箭應該更擔心如何留下Howard。本季的狀
況有點糟的情況下，這個夏季不管可以簽到誰，火箭都應該感到幸運了。