https://theathletic.com/5071460/2023/11/17/clippers-westbrook-bench-lineup/
作者:Law Murray
...(一些前情提要我就不翻了)
But unlike last season, when Westbrook had to prepare for a possible bench
role in the preseason with the Los Angeles Lakers while playing with a star
who was open to moving on from him, the Clippers spent this preseason
building an infrastructure that promoted Westbrook’s strengths. Coach Tyronn
Lue embraced and empowered Westbrook consistently, and the team emphasized
forcing turnovers, pushing the pace in transition and cutting appropriately
off of Westbrook as a primary ball handler.
與上一季不同，Russell Westbrook在開季前就已經要準備在湖人當板凳出發的角色且與一
位想離開他的球星打球，快艇整個休賽季都在建立可以放大Westbrook優勢的結構。教練
Tyronn Lue一貫的支持與賦予Westbrook權力，且球隊都在強調強迫對手失誤、加快節奏與
Westbrook作為主要持球者適時的切入。
Westbrook established himself as a team leader, with George as his biggest
advocate. And Leonard said repeatedly that having two point guards in
Westbrook and backup Bones Hyland would help himself and George focus on
scoring efficiently and leading a top-five defense. Moreover, Westbrook’s
competitive nature led the team to have a training camp, preseason and start
to the regular season that fostered a more determined approach compared to
previous years.
Westbrook確立了自己作為球隊領導者的地位並有著Paul George作為他的最大支持者。且
Leonard多次表示擁有Westbrook與替補後衛Bones Hyland能幫助他和George專注於高效的
得分與領導聯盟前5的防守。此外，Westbrook的競爭心讓球隊在訓練營、熱身賽與開季時
培養出了比以往更有決心的態度。
The Harden trade has been comprehensively disruptive. Harden did not have a
training camp and did not play in preseason games after requesting a trade
out of Philadelphia in June and clashing with the 76ers front office. His
statistics have been acceptable through five games (15.0 points, 47.1 percent
field goals, 4.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.2 turnovers, 1.2 steals, 2.0 3s, 37
percent 3s). But Harden’s impact has waned in fourth quarters, where the
Clippers have struggled to finish close games both before and during his
brief tenure. And Harden’s fit in any lineup has been poor, as the Clippers
have been outscored by a team-worst 70 points since Harden’s debut on Nov. 6
against the New York Knicks. The next-worst plus-minus of any Clippers player
in that span is in Zubac’s minutes, where the Clippers have been outscored
by 36 points.
Harden的交易全面性地帶來了混亂。Harden在六月要求離開費城後，沒有參加訓練營，也
沒有在熱身賽中上場，並與76人隊管理層發生衝突。他在五場比賽中的數據還算可以接受
（15.0分、47.1%投籃命中率、4.4籃板、4.2助攻、2.2失誤、1.2抄截、2.0三分球、
37%三分球命中率）。但是，Harden在第四節的影響力有所下降，即使快艇無論在他來之前
來之後一直無法將比分接近的比賽關門。而且Harden在任何陣容中的適應性都很差，自
Harden11月6日對紐約尼克斯的初登板以來，他是快艇隊+/-值最差的，為-70。在該段期間
內，快艇隊其他球員中+/-值最差的是Zubac，他在場上時快艇隊的得失分為-36。
The decision to bring Westbrook off of the bench is not one that the players
or coaches would have wanted. Lue wanted to establish Westbrook as the
primary ball handler when he shared the floor with Harden, with Harden being
the shooting guard. But Harden’s discomfort shooting 3s off of the catch
became a recurring theme, along with his passive approach to scoring that led
Lue to say Harden was being “too polite” after a bad loss Sunday against
the Memphis Grizzlies. Lue decided to have Harden be the primary ball handler
in Tuesday’s loss in Denver, and Harden closed the game over Westbrook in a
fourth quarter that saw the Clippers lose a 7-point lead and get outscored
19-9 in the final six minutes of the game.
將Westbrook放在替補的決定，並不是任何球員或教練所期望的。Tyronn Lue原本希望讓
Westbrook與Harden同時上場時當主要的控球者，而哈登則擔任得分後衛。但是Harden對於
在三分C&S的不適成為一個反覆出現的場景，再加上Harden被動的得分方式，這讓Lue在周
日對曼菲斯灰熊的慘敗後表示哈登表現“太有禮貌”。在周二對丹佛金塊的失利中，Lue決
定讓Harden擔任主要的控球者，而Harden在比賽的最後一節取代了Westbrook上場，而在最
後6分鐘的比賽中，快艇隊丟掉了原本7分的領先，並在該節被金塊以19-9的比分超前。
The move also comes after a practice where Mann appeared flustered by his
ability to impact games more, and after Lue’s assistants had to start
practice while Lue met with the media. The team also did not host shootaround
availability before Friday’s game. Westbrook had an event Thursday in Los
Angeles where a community basketball court was named after him, but Westbrook
declined to accept any questions about the team.
這個轉變發生在一次練習後，Mann似乎對於自己在比賽中的影響力感到困惑，且在
Tyronn Lue接受媒體採訪期間，助教們不得不提前開始練習。在週五的比賽前，球隊也沒
有進行投籃練習。Westbrook在週四在洛杉磯參與了一場活動，一個社區籃球場以他的名字
命名，但Westbrook拒絕回答任何關於球隊的問題。
The reality of this move is that Harden was brought in to ultimately replace
Westbrook in the case that a partnership between the two players on the floor
did not work. While Lue advocated for Westbrook, the Clippers front office
has always preferred a point guard who is a theoretical fit with Leonard and
George in terms of size and shooting ability. Last year at the trade
deadline, the front office identified Eric Gordon as that player and had to
be convinced to sign Westbrook after the All-Star Weekend. This offseason,
the Clippers attempted to acquire Malcolm Brogdon from the Boston Celtics,
even while preparing to bring Westbrook back. The Clippers were interested in
trading for Jrue Holiday before the Celtics acquired Holiday from the
Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Brogdon.
這個決定的現實情況是，Harden最終是被引進來代替Westbrook的，如果兩位球員在場上的
合作不順利的話。Lue主張支持Westbrook，但快艇隊管理層一直偏好一位在身材和投籃能
力方面理論上適合Leonard和George的控球後衛。去年的交易截止日，管理層將Eric
Gordon視為這個角色，並在全明星週末後才被說服簽下Westbrook。今年休賽期，快艇隊曾
試圖從波士頓塞爾提克隊獲得Malcolm Brogdon，即使準備續約Westbrook。在塞爾提克隊
從波特蘭拓荒者隊那裡以Brogdon換來Jrue Holiday之前，快艇隊對交易獲得Jrue Holiday
也感興趣。
Harden fits the front office’s ideals, and they kept players like Mann and
Norman Powell out of the trade with Philadelphia, sacrificing the team’s
veteran power forwards instead. The Clippers still need to balance the roster
out and are expected to continue evaluating the team going forward. That
evaluation now includes Harden as the undisputed primary playmaker, Mann as a
starter and Westbrook as an increasingly expendable asset who will have to
adjust to a new role — which will also cost Hyland a spot in the second unit
as well. If the losses continue, there will be more pressure on the front
office to consider whether they can keep the four Los Angeles stars together.
But the player who has the most to lose is Westbrook, who is already on a
much lighter deal than Harden and extension-eligible stars George and Leonard.
Harden符合管理層的理念，他們在與費城的交易中沒有將Mann和Norman Powell等球員交易
出去，而是犧牲了球隊的老將大前鋒。快艇隊仍然需要平衡陣容，預計將繼續評估球隊的
情況。這種評估現在包括Harden作為無可爭議的主要控球者，Mann作為先發球員以及
Westbrook作為一個逐漸可以犧牲的資產，且他將不得不適應一個新角色，這也將使Hyland
失去第二陣容的位置。如果失敗持續下去，管理層將面臨更多壓力並需要考慮是否能夠讓
快艇的四位球星繼續合作。但最有可能被放棄的球員是Westbrook，他的薪資比Harden以及
合約有延長資格的球星George和Leonard要低得多。
Westbrook, who signed a two-year deal this offseason that includes a player
option, is eligible to be traded Jan. 15.
Westbrook這個休賽季才與快艇簽下一紙包含球員選項的2年合約並在1/15後便能被交易。
心得:
無言。
管理層跟Ty Lue理念又發生衝突了
我怎麼會說又呢