作者: Chris Haynes http://psce.pw/5a7fwm Inside the Messy Divorce Between Damian Lillard and Portland Trail Blazers Damian Lillard received word of his new destination shortly after 11 a.m. PST Wednesday. Lillard was speechless. A few minutes later, he briefly explained what he was feeling. "I'm just letting it sink in," Lillard told Bleacher Report minutes after news broke that he was going to be a member of the Milwaukee Bucks. "I'm just trying to process it all. It's a lot to think about. Never been in this situation before." Where he was going—and where he wasn't going—was a shock to the basketball world, but it wasn't necessarily a shock to Lillard considering how the previous few months had gone. Since July, the Portland Trail Blazers had refused to engage with the Miami Heat, the preferred destination Lillard requested when he asked for a trade on July 1 from the Blazers. "How this summer played out behind the scenes definitely left a sour taste in my mouth," Lillard told B/R. "But it doesn't change the amazing experiences I've had with the Trail Blazers and this city. I'll always cherish this place. This is my home. I'll always live here regardless." Prior to Lillard's trade request, Portland had publicly and privately vowed to do everything in its power to build a title contender around the seven-time All-Star. But he believed their actions and moves—or lack thereof —indicated the franchise wanted to undergo a rebuild. Damian Lillard在西岸時間早上11點後不久之後知道了他的下家。 Lillard一時無語。幾分鐘之後，他簡短的表達了自己的感受。 Lillard在成為密爾瓦基公鹿的一員後說:「我正在慢慢沉澱情緒。我正在試圖處理這一切 。很多事情要想，我從未經歷過這種情況。」 無論他要去哪還是不去哪都震驚著整個籃球界，但在過往幾個月後對Lillard來說卻不震撼 。 七月以來，拓荒者一直拒絕與邁阿密熱火合作，但熱火一直是Lillard自七月一日申請交易 後的首選去處。 Lillard說:「夏天檯面下的發展確實令我相當不快，但這並不會我在拓荒者與波特蘭所經 歷過美好的一切。我會永遠珍惜這個地方。這是我的家。無論如何我都會一直住在這裡。 」 在Lillard的交易申請以前，拓荒者曾公開及私下承諾會圍繞這名7次全明星打造一個爭冠 球隊。但他認為他們的行動與動作--或者是甚麼都不做--表明了拓荒者想要重建的事實。 Getting Personal The last time Portland and Miami communicated was at Summer League in July via phone between Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin and Heat senior vice president of basketball operations and general manager Andy Elisburg. Miami hoped to schedule an in-person meeting while in Las Vegas to discuss trade scenarios, but that meeting never materialized. Portland made it clear through the media it would take the best offer for Lillard and wouldn't be limited to just Miami. In return, Lillard's agent, Aaron Goodwin, relayed to teams that Lillard would not be content if Portland traded him to a team other than Miami. The Trail Blazers felt they were being pressured into what they deemed to be an unfavorable starting point in negotiations. The NBA stepped in and warned Goodwin that Lillard could be "subject to discipline" if Lillard's camp continued to disrupt quality offers Portland could field. "I wanted everyone to understand that even though we didn't have a no-trade clause, a provision that's not afforded to Dame under the CBA, I was going to do everything in my power to control the market and help get my client to a place he wanted to be," Goodwin told B/R. The Heat say they never had a legitimate opportunity to negotiate. Throughout the process, they felt Portland allowed emotions to get in the way of business. Lillard's camp believed it had become personal. Miami believes it could have included a third team and netted the Trail Blazers up to three first-round picks with the inclusion of Tyler Herro. Frustrated with the lack of suitable offers, sources say the Trail Blazers ceased all communication with Lillard and Goodwin in early September. Portland's rationale for keeping them in the dark was to prevent Goodwin from sabotaging potential deals behind the scenes. For approximately three weeks, calls and texts to the Trail Blazers from Lillard and Goodwin went unanswered. 熱火與拓荒者最後一次溝通是在7月夏季聯賽時拓荒者總管Joe Cronin與熱火資深籃球營運 副總裁Andy Elisburg通了一次電話。熱火希望在拉斯維加斯安排一次面對面的會議以討論 交易方案，但這從未成真。 拓荒者通過媒體明確表示會尋求最好的報價且不會限制在邁阿密。作為回擊，Lillard經紀 人Aaron Goodwin告訴各隊Lillard如果不是去熱火他不會滿足。 拓荒者感受到了他們在交易談判中被迫接受不利條件的壓力。NBA在此時介入並警告 Goodwin如果Lillard團隊繼續干擾拓荒者去接受最好的報價，那將會受到處分。 Goodwin說:「我想讓大家知道即使Damian Lillard手上沒有不可交易條款這個勞資協議並 不能給Lillard的條款，我仍會盡全力控制這個市場並幫助我的客戶去到他想去的地方。」 熱火從來就沒有過可以協商的機會。整個過程中，熱火認為拓荒者讓情緒影響了他們的業 務。Lillard的團隊則認為這已經成了個人問題。 熱火本來認為他們可以加入第三方並讓拓荒者拿到Tyler Herro與三個選秀權。 由於缺乏好的報價，拓荒者在9月初停止了一切與Lillard與Goodwin的溝通。拓荒者沉默的 目的是避免讓Goodwin破壞潛在的交易。大約三個禮拜，Lillard與Goodwin打給拓荒者的電 話被掛斷、簡訊被已讀不回。 No Going Back In late August, Goodwin suggested to Cronin that he meet with Lillard to mend the relationship in case his client were to return to the team. Cronin agreed, and they met at Lillard's Portland-area mansion on Sept. 5. It was the first time the two had spoken in quite some time. With a little less than a month away from training camp opening, the two sat in the entertainment center of Lillard's home and the meeting lasted about an hour. Lillard expressed his disappointment with how his situation had been handled, citing his steadfast commitment to the organization over the years. He questioned why there was no dialogue with Miami and expressed how it would be disheartening to be sent somewhere against his wishes. According to sources, Portland had asked Lillard to sit out the final 10 games of the 2022-23 regular season to help the franchise improve its lottery odds. He was told the higher the draft pick, the better chance they had at using the pick to facilitate a trade for a proven veteran player. He reluctantly acquiesced to being shut down, citing a "calf injury." Portland went 1-9 to finish the season and would go on to win the No. 3 pick and select Scoot Henderson, a promising young point guard the team planned to keep. In the Sept. 5 meeting, Cronin conveyed that if he was forced to do a deal with Miami, he had every intention of going after every attractable asset. Lillard knew then he was unlikely to end up in Miami. 8月底的時候，Goodwin建議Lillard與Cronin會面以修補兩者之間的關係以防Lillard最後 留在了拓荒者。Cronin同意了並在9月5號在波特蘭地區的豪宅會面。這也是兩人長時間以 來的第一次交談。 在距離訓練營不到一個月的時間，兩個人坐在Lillard家的娛樂中心並開了一小時左右的會 議。 Lillard表達了對於拓荒者對他的處境所做出的處理的失望，並提到了他對拓荒者多年來堅 定的付出。他質疑拓荒者為甚麼與熱火毫無對話並表示了如果被送到他不想去的地方將令 他非常沮喪。 拓荒者曾在22-23年球季要求Lillard不要在最後10場比賽出戰來提升球隊的選秀順位。他 們告訴Lillard如果球隊拿到更高的順位，他們才更有機會做出交易以換取已經證明自己的 老將球員。Lillard才勉強同意不再出戰並說自己有「小腿傷勢」。 最後10場拓荒者以1-9的戰績結束了賽季並獲得了探花籤、選擇了Scoot Henderson並計畫 留下他。 在9月5號的會議中，Cronin表示如果被迫要與熱火作交易，那他將會爭取每一個具有吸引 力的資產。Lillard那個時候就知道他不太可能去熱火了。 Lillard then said if a deal couldn't be worked out with the Heat, he would prefer to rescind his trade request and return to the Trail Blazers. Cronin's response to the seven-time All-Star was that there was no coming back. Lillard was shocked, sources said. He said it was discouraging to hear he couldn't return, but added that he didn't want to be somewhere he wasn't wanted, and he ended the meeting. Lillard was still hopeful a deal with the Heat was within reach. However, he had to face the realization that he might not be moved. So on Sept. 11, he started showing up at the Trail Blazers' practice facility to work out. He went in for eight days. He said Cronin did not address him once. "I went into the facility because I was still on the roster and usually that time of the year is when team activities start to pick up as a group. I wasn't confident I would be moved so I showed up to be in the mix," Lillard told B/R. "I didn't go there to cause any problems," Lillard continued. "That's not my character. If they felt that way, it wasn't my intent. I was just trying to get acclimated and everyone was happy to see me. Every single person except Joe. He never spoke to me. And when I noticed that, I made up in my mind that I'm not going out my way to speak to him." 也因此，Lillard說如果沒辦法去到熱火，他寧願撤回交易申請並回到拓荒者。 Cronin對這位7次全明星球員說他不可能回來了。 Lillard感到震驚。他表示他對於聽到自己不能回去了感到非常沮喪，但他補充他不想待在 一個不歡迎他的地方並結束了會議。 Lillard仍希望拓荒者與熱火之間的交易是可能的，但他必須面對他可能不會被送走的現實 。 因此，從9月11日開始，Lillard連續8天去到了拓荒者的訓練設施訓練。但Cronin一次也沒 有與他交談。 Lillard說:「我去了那個場館因為我依然在名單上。而通常每年的這個時候，球隊會開始 集合並進行一些團體活動。我不確定我會不會交易所以我還是去了並嘗試融入。我去那裏 不是為了製造問題，這不是我。我只是想適應環境，每個人都很高興見到我。每一個人除 了Joe。他從不跟我說話。而當我注意到時，我也下定決心我不會去找他講話。」 A Contingency Plan With the situation getting uglier, Goodwin began orchestrating a contingency plan. He met with his client on Sept. 17 and went over other viable options that fit the team criteria they sought. Milwaukee and Brooklyn were the alternative targets. Over the last few years, Bucks general manager Jon Horst checked in routinely with Portland on the availability of Lillard. The Bucks always had an affinity for Llillard, as did franchise star star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo and Lillard had flirted in recent years with the idea of teaming up together. But the hangup was always the same: both stars wanted the other to come to their team. 隨著局勢變得更加惡劣，Goodwin開始準備備案。他在9月17日時與他的客戶見面並討論其 他符合團隊標準的選項。公鹿與籃網便成為了備選目標。 在過去幾年，公鹿總管Jon Horst定期的與拓荒者確認Lillard是否能被交易。公鹿一直以 來都對Lillard情有獨鍾並希望他能與隊史球星Giannis Antetokoumpo一起打球。 Antetokoumpo與Lillard近年來一直考慮他們組對的想法。但結果永遠都一樣:他們都想要 對方來到自己的球隊。 Moving in Silence Deeper into September, things had become so contentious between Lillard's camp and the Blazers that the NBA league office intervened. On Sept. 23, a Zoom meeting was organized by the NBA featuring league officials, Cronin, a team attorney, Lillard, Goodwin, and Ron Klempner, the general counsel for the National Basketball Players Association. The meeting was scheduled with the purpose of opening up the lines of communication between the Trail Blazers and Lillard's camp. The session got volatile at certain junctures, with both sides expressing their trust issues with the other. At the end of the session, Cronin promised to do a better job communicating. In the days ahead, Cronin and Goodwin started communicating again. No one at that point suspected Milwaukee as a real threat to land Lillard, and developments were quiet. The franchise already had a championship nucleus intact, and the front office wanted to protect relations with Jrue Holiday, a player whom the Bucks hold in the highest regard. 隨著越來越接近9月底，Lillard團隊與拓荒者之間的摩擦越來越劇烈以至於NBA必須要介入 處理。 在9月23日，NBA舉辦了一次Zoom會議，與會的有NBA的人員、Cronin、球隊律師、Lillard 、Goodwin與Ron Klempner(NBA的總法律顧問)。這個會議是為了打開拓荒者與Lillard陣營 之間的溝通管道。在某些時刻整個會議變得非常激烈，雙方都表達了對對方的信任問題。 在會議結束時，Cronin承諾了他會在溝通方面做得更好。在接下來幾天，Cronin與Goodwin 又重新開始了溝通。 當時並沒有人認為公鹿會是買下Lillard的有力競爭者且整件事情都非常低調。這支球隊早 已有個NBA冠軍核心，但管理層想要保護他們與Jrue Holiday--這名公鹿高度尊重的球員 --之間的關係。 'My Brother for Life' Cronin elected to go with the Milwaukee package in a three-team blockbuster, pulling off the biggest transaction of his brief reign as general manager. His haul: Deandre Ayton, Holiday, Toumani Camara, a 2029 unprotected first-round pick, and two first-round swap rights with Milwaukee. For Milwaukee, it's all about giving Giannis Antetokounmpo the best possible shot at another championship. Antetokounmpo spoke to B/R about losing Holiday and acquiring a new star teammate in Lillard. "Jrue is my f--king brother for life. I love his family. I love him. I appreciate him. I wish him nothing but the best. He blessed me with a f--king championship," Antetokounmpo told B/R. "He's the one who made that huge steal in Game 5 of the Finals. I went to battle with him multiple times. F--k basketball. F--k the media shit. This guy is my brother for life, and it's always going to be like that. He's going to thrive wherever he ends up. It was clear that the moment is bittersweet for Antetokounmpo, who has genuine admiration for both players. "Now at the same time, I'm excited to have Dame. He gives us a chance to win a championship. I'm excited to play with the caliber of player that he is. He can score the ball in his sleep and shoot the lights out. "It's a bittersweet day for the city of Milwaukee. You get Dame, who is a great player, but you lose a great guy. Jrue took us to the promised land. I'm 10 years in now. I know it's a business. At the end of the day, Jrue will alway be be my brother for life. He's one of the best human beings I've been around. But we've got to focus on the goal to win the championship. Dame wants this. He's hungry to win, and he's going to push us. I'm very happy to have him on our team." This deal gives Lillard the greatest opportunity he's ever had to capture that elusive championship. He has never played with this much talent. It positions the Bucks to be among the title favorites, and they now arguably have the best duo in the NBA. "My whole life I've been on underdog teams and if we had a good season, we overachieved. Now I'll be able to play with a player that's better than me and to be a part of a great overall team is a dream come true," Lillard told B/R. "That's never been my experience. It's time for me to be in this situation. And knowing myself enough, I'm going to take advantage of it. I'm excited for this opportunity." When the deal was announced, one of the first text messages Lillard received was from Antetokounmpo. It read, "Let's get this f--king championship." That's all Lillard ever wanted. Cronin決定收下公鹿的包裹並進行了一筆三方交易，這也是他管理層生涯最大的一筆交易 。他拿回了Deandre Ayton、Jrue Holiday、Toumani Camara、2029公鹿首輪與兩個交換權 。 對公鹿來說，這一切都是為了給Antetokoumpo提供能再一次拿下冠軍的機會。 Antetokoumpo表示:「Jrue Holiday是我一輩子的兄弟。我愛他的家庭。我愛他。我感激他 。我希望他能一切順利。他讓我拿到了一座總冠軍。總冠軍戰第五戰的關鍵抄截的人是他 。我跟他多次一起戰鬥。去他媽的籃球。去他媽的媒體狗屎。這傢伙是我終身的兄弟，而 且永遠都是。無論他去到哪裡，他都會功成名就。」 對Antetokoumpo來說這一切甜苦交織。他對兩個球員都有真誠的敬意。 「同時，我也對於與Lillard同隊非常興奮。他給了我們機會衝擊總冠軍。我對於能與他這 種等級的球員一起打球非常興奮。他可以在睡覺時得分醒來時投籃。對於密爾瓦基來說這 是個苦樂參半的日子，我們得到了Dame，一名偉大的球員，但同時也失去了一名偉大的傢 伙。Jrue Holiday帶領我們走向了應許之地。我已經在這裡10年了。我清楚這就是商業。 在這天結束時，Jrue會是我永遠的兄弟。他是我遇過最好的人之一。但我必須專注在贏得 總冠軍的目標。Dame想要一個冠軍。他渴望勝利，他會激勵我們。我非常高興他在我們的 球隊裡。」 這個交易提供給Lillard一次獲得那難以捉摸的冠軍的最佳機會。他從未與這麼多天賦一起 打球過。這使的公鹿現在是個冠軍熱門之一。他們擁有可能是NBA最強的二人組。 Lillard說:「我一直都在弱隊裡打球，而只要我們有一個好賽季就是超常發揮。現在我將 會有機會與比我更出色的球員一起打球並成為一個偉大團隊的一部分時這就是個美夢成真 。我從未經歷過這種事情。現在這是我處在這個情境的時候了。我了解自己足夠多，我會 充分利用這次的機會。我對這個機會感到興奮。」 當這個交易被宣布時，Lillard最先收到的簡訊之一便是來自Antetokoumpo的。 簡訊上寫著: 「讓我們去贏得這他媽的總冠軍吧。」 這就是Lillard一直以來想要的。 -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc), 來自: 98.217.185.18 (美國) ※ 文章網址: https://webptt.cc/bbs/NBA/M.1695951477.A.2AE.html ※ 編輯: EZ78 (98.217.185.18 美國), 09/29/2023 09:54:26