9/24/2007 12:29:00 PM

在上季所有那些遭到傷病影響的球隊中,這一支大概是最可憐的。

首先,這是他們待在Oklahoma的最後一季,而在返回New Orleans前能看到他們打進季後賽應該是一個合適的結局。

第二,看看成績,在很多人的心目中,大概都認為Chris Paul已經被Deron Williams超過了。

最後,雖然球隊不斷的被傷病所肆虐,但是在球季中他們從未認輸。他們從未讓因為傷病這個想法去影響他們打進季後賽所付出的努力。在那時,一度只剩下Tyson一個人有能力去拯救球隊,而他也做到了所有他能做的。當Paul和West相繼歸隊後,他們也一路奮戰到四月。

最終他們落後金州3場勝差,當然也失去了季後賽資格。現在讓我們來看看新的球季的這支球隊。

熟悉對Paul來說是非常有利的。像Paul這一型打球風格奔放,更像是在表演的控球需要能夠熟悉他的隊友才能將他們的潛能最大化。進到NBA以來每一年他的成績都比前一年些微提升(平均17.3分和8.9助攻以目前來說算是不錯了)。即便只有2年資歷,他已經是名能影響比賽走向的球員了,但是他仍然能夠去繼續提升他的進攻能力。他絕對需要去找到他在球場上適合投籃的位置並讓這些來改善他的投籃命中率,而如果他想知道球隊在攻擊上有多需要他的話,他也需要帶著他那容易受傷的兄弟們在場上作戰。

如果Peja能夠避免再像上一季一樣只在十一月曇花一現般的出賽數場便整季報銷,那對目前的狀況真的幫助很大。他在外圍的投射能夠拉大對手的防線以利於Paul的切入甚至減少對手對West的看防而讓他能夠發揮他的中距離投射。理論上來說Peja應該是隊上單場得分最高或是次高的人,而為了達成這項任務他必須保持健康。

Peja保持健康是尤其重要的,因為在先發五虎之外,球隊的深度並不足以面對傷痛。在這個夏天,黃蜂看起來是用Mo Peterson來一次取代Desmond Mason和Devin Brown,同時在選秀會上選了Julian Wright然後就靜悄悄的。這讓球隊在板凳上沒有太多的威脅同時這可能會在客場征戰中造成麻煩。

所以這意味著這支有著傷病歷史的球隊現在必須讓他們的先發待在場上很久同時還必須保有競爭力以爭取西區的季後賽名額。而期待去年的西區八強會自己鳥掉又是不切實際的,所以這表示黃蜂必須試著去從這些球隊中偷走一個席位。為了做到這些,球隊會把他們的主力操翻而同時又希望他們能整季保持健康,尤其是當他們身處一個很強的小組和相對較強的分區。當然啦,Impossible is nothing,只是就我來說,這是一場艱辛的戰役。

不過球隊確實有理由去期待。過去兩個球季,球隊的戰力天份都和現今相差無幾,而他們當時也僅僅以些微之差被屏除在季後賽大門之外。面對新球季,Tyson必須比去年更有自信。而在多倫多一過失望的球季後,他有一些必須去證明的。West想要重新讓人們認出他就是那個兩年前角逐最佳進步獎的那個West。當然,Paul也想要讓人們想起為什麼就在12個月以前人們還稱他是現今在Kidd和Nash以外的第一PG。而有不少的球隊也希望從進入十一月以後能試著去往季後賽之路邁進。

預計先發陣容:

PG – Chris Paul

在可見的未來,他和Deron將不斷的被拿來比較,而這對兩人來說都不公平。他們都是優秀的傳球第一的PG,但是球隊的風格不同,個人的風格也不同。也許用一塊銅板的兩面來形容他們兩個會是比較恰當的。一個善於切入而另一個則可以從任何地方出手。一個打的是開方式的Princeton進攻而另一個打的是不斷傳導的motion offense。一個在運球的創意令人目眩神迷,而另一個則是進攻的樞紐。一個的平均是17.3分和8.9助攻,而另一個則是16.2分和9.3助攻。姑且讓我們稱他們做全自動洗衣機吧。

SG – Morris Peterson

一個用來證明上一季沒有多少人看過暴龍比賽的事實就是人們對於Peterson是從板凳出發的是茫然不知的。事實上,Peterson本身的表現不穩定是很大的原因。在經過一個傑出的2005-06就後他又故態復萌了。也許一個更重要的角色和新的開始能讓他重振自2000年在Michigan State贏得NCAA冠軍以來的就逐漸消失的一個出色職業生涯的期待。毫無疑問的他是球隊後場最強的得分手,而且也是隊上幾名好的防守者之一,但是他必須展現出他以前從未有過的穩定性,這也是球隊所期待的。而要達到這些目標,關鍵就是他自己。

SF – Peja Stojakovic

過去三年來大概沒有人像Peja一樣有著那麼出色的急停跳投(Steve Francis也許有)。就在不久前Peja還證明了歐洲最出色的一樣可以在NBA混得很好。但是那之後發生了兩件事。第一是之後的國際球員開始防守了,同時也擁有更多的進攻技巧,他們並不侷限自己。基本上,像Nash、Parker和Ginobili這一類的球員重新定義了海外球員所代表的意思。而與此同時,Peja卻因傷所困而不斷在陣容名單中進進出出(從國王、溜馬到黃蜂),而現在,他幾乎快被世人遺忘他曾是那個讓NBA越來越依賴外籍球員的關鍵人物。

PF – David West

兩年前,他和Paul的組合一度讓人認為西區一股新興勢力正在興起。但是去年丹佛雙槍和爵士新的雙人組出現了,而西區的勢力分布也大致浮現了。他必須重新奪回那在去年因為受傷所消失的盛名。他應該可以平均拿到18分和8籃板,但是在場上的影響力卻比前一年下降。他看起來非但不像是會在危機時刻出來接管比賽的王牌反而更像是Paul底下的將領。這支還在成長中的球隊需要West能在禁區負擔更多的工作,也就是他必須打得更像大前鋒而不是小前鋒。當然也許黃蜂對West所要求的遠超過他自身的能力,但至少,在今年作如此的嘗試將會讓球隊知道他們在West身上所投資的4500萬美元能夠獲得的是什麼。

C – Tyson Chandler

不用說,Chandler是這支球隊破繭而出的新星。在他那優異的統計數字之外,他也是球隊在Paul、West和Stojakovic受傷時還能咬住季後賽集團的關鍵。增加在他身上的責任也同時增加了那些諸如持續性和球隊依賴度等那些過去在公牛隊我們所無法在他身上看到的。他在那幾個黑暗寒冷的月份中快速成長,讓黃蜂能在Paul和West回歸之後戰績快速回升。一下子,黃蜂用老化的Brown的代價卻突然擁有了下一個Camby。他的平均9.5分、12.4籃板和1.8火鍋(63%投籃命中率)全都讓人對這支球隊的未來感到高興。

 

原文:

Of all the teams that found themselves decimated by injuries last season, it might have been most lamentable for this team.

Firstly, it was their last season in Oklahoma City and it would have been a fitting end to see them in the post-season before they headed back home to New Orleans.

Secondly, as a result of this team's record, Chris Paul has been leapfrogged by Deron Williams in the minds of many as the better of the two point guards.

Lastly, though, it feels most unfortunate because even though this team was consistently hampered by injuries, they never threw in the towel on the season. They never allowed the idea of injuries to derail their efforts to reach the Playoffs. At a time when only Tyson Chandler was around to carry this team, he did to the best of his abilities and when Paul and David West both returned to the lineup they still had a fighting shot at playing past April.

In the end they finished three games back of the Golden State Warriors - and of the Playoffs - and now look towards 2007-2008 with all of the confidence a year together under your belt can offer.

That familiarity will be most beneficial to Paul. A point guard like Paul, who runs the show in a far more improvisational fashion than Williams, needs all of the comfort with his teammates he can get in order to maximize their potential. Each year under his belt in an NBA uniform leaves him a little bit better equipped than the year before (although 17.3 ppg and 8.9 apg is a fine place to be right now). While he's already a polished playmaker despite only two seasons to his name, he can still find a way to utilize his own offense better. He definitely needs to find his spots on the floor and stick to them in an attempt to get his percentages up and he needs time on the court with his oft-injured brothers-in-arms if he is to figure out how much the team even needs from him offensively.

To help to that end it would be nice if Peja Stojakovic can avoid going out for the season after only a smattering of games in November. His outside shot could do wonders to open up the floor for Paul's penetration and even pull defenders away from David West and his mid-range game. Theoretically Peja should be this team's first or second highest scorer per game, and in order for that to happen he is going to have to be healthy enough to play.

It is especially important for Peja to stay healthy because outside of the starting five this team doesn't have much depth available to make up for injuries. The Hornets basically swapped Desmond Mason and Devin Brown for Morris Peterson this summer and drafted Julian Wright and then stood pat. There isn't much to offer teams as a threat off of the bench and that could come back to hurt this team down the road.

So that means that this team, with its history of injuries, now has to play its starters heavy minutes in order to stay competitive enough to challenge for a Playoff spot in the West. It would be somewhat foolhardy to expect anyone in the West to really fall out of their top-eight spot if they had one last year, so that means that the Hornets have to try and steal a spot from one of those teams. To do that they are going to have to exhaust their main guys and hope that everyone stays healthy enough to complete 82 competitive games in an insanely competitive Division within a very strong Conference. This isn't a case of 'it can't be done', merely a classic case of an uphill battle, personified.

This team does have a reason for hope, though. In the last two seasons, with basically the same level of talent, they have only narrowly missed the Playoffs. Going into the season Tyson Chandler has to feeling a whole lot more confident than he did this time last year. Morris Peterson has something to prove after a down year in Toronto. David West wants to regain the recognition he was attaining in his bid for Most Improved two seasons ago. And, of course, Chris Paul wants to remind everyone why only twelve months ago they were calling him the best pure point guard outside of Kidd and Nash. There are a number of teams that would like to have that kind of oomph heading into November in an attempt to crash the post-season.

PROBABLE STARTING LINE-UP

PG - Chris Paul

The comparisons that he and Deron Williams will face for the foreseeable future are unfair for both players. While they are both top-tier pass-first point guards, they both play very different styles for very different teams. Perhaps it should suffice to look at them as two sides of the same coin; one is a master in the lane while the other can hit shots from anywhere. One plays in a wide-open Princeton offence while the other plays station-to-station in a rigid motion offense. One dazzles with his creativity off the dribble while the other sets the offense from the top of the key. One averages 17.3 and 8.9 while the other averages 16.2 and 9.3. Let's just call it a wash and leave them be.

SG - Morris Peterson

It is a testament to how few people watched the Toronto Raptors that all through last season people were utterly perplexed that Peterson was coming off of the bench. In fact Peterson was his typical, inconsistent self. After a brilliant 2005-2006 season he reverted back to old habits of parking himself behind the arc and disappearing for games at a time. Perhaps with a bigger role and a fresh start he can reinvigorate his career that has been all over the map since winning the NCAA title with Michigan State in 2000. There is no doubt that he is the team's most potent backcourt scorer and one of their best defenders on the perimeter, but he has to commit to consistency like he never has before because this team has expectations and he is key in achieving them and the only reason he wont be able to is because he stops himself short…again.

SF - Peja Stojakovic

There may be no player who has seen his career hit the skids quite as hard as Peja in the last three years (outside of maybe Steve Francis). There was a time not too long ago when Peja represented the best of what could come out of Europe and play in the NBA. But two things have happened since then. The first is that the internationally trained players got better. They played defense, they had more versatility to their offense, they didn't choke in the clutch. Basically, guys like Steve Nash, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili have redefined what can be found in the talent pools overseas (or over lakes). And while they were off doing that, Peja stopped hitting his jumpers consistently, he was in and out of lineups in Sacramento, Indiana and Oklahoma City and now he stands on the verge of being a forgotten relic in the league's transition to increasing dependence on foreign born players to augment American cores.

PF - David West

Two years ago West seemed primed to break-out as the other-half of a potent duo between him and Paul. In the last year, though, tandems like Iverson and Carmelo and Williams and Boozer have emerged while West seems like less of a running-mate and more of a complimentary piece. He'll be looking to regain some of his notoriety that was lost last year while he was injured. He may have averaged 18 points and 8 boards per game, but his impact wasn't as forceful as it was a year ago on the court. He seemed less primed to break loose and take over a game and more willing to sit back and be one of the pieces surrounding Paul. This team, especially as built, needs West to start to look to work more on his post game and start playing more like a power forward and less like a small forward. Sure this may be a case of the Hornets asking him to do more than he is capable of, but at least trying it out this year will show them one way or another what they have in David West besides a $45 million investment.

C - Tyson Chandler

Without a doubt Chandler was the breakout star for this team. Aside from his huge statistical upswing, Chandler was also the key contributor in keeping this team in the Playoff hunt while Paul, West and Stojakovic were hurt. That added responsibility seemed to add a dependability and consistency to his game that he sorely lacked in Chicago. He matured quickly during those dark winter months and that gave the Hornets a mighty boost when Paul and West returned to the lineup. All of a sudden this team had a burgeoning Marcus Camby-type on their roster and all it cost them was an aging P.J. Brown. His averages of 9.5 points per game, 12.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks (not to mention his 63% shooting) all point to positive things for this team in the post for the foreseeable future.

原文轉載自此:http://www.tsn.ca/nba/news_story/?ID=219086&hubname=nba

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