康利1.53億天價簽約太驚人!

All along, the Memphis Grizzlies could offer Mike Conley things that no other suitor could:

一直以來，孟菲斯灰熊隊都能給康利其他追求者所不能媲美的條件：

More money and security through a five-year deal; the chance to build on a career—long investment in Memphis;

一份長達五年的合同，且合同的金額最高（鳥權）以及穩固的球隊地位；可以在一支球隊從一而終；

Friendships and equity throughout the Grizzlies organization and a competitive atmosphere enriched by both the familiar and the potential for growth.

遍佈球隊上上下下數不盡的友誼和權益；一個既熟悉又具有成長潛力，充滿競爭力的球隊環境。

The intersection of those factors made a return to Memphis likely but an agreement on the opening day of free agency confirmed the premise Conley will continue his career with the Grizzlies on a five-year, $153 million deal——a true max for his experience bracket and the richest overall contract in NBA history.

所有這些因素的交集都預示着康利將在交易期與灰熊隊完成續約，但是直到自由市場開啓的第一天，這個決定才最終證實了之前的猜測。康利與灰熊隊簽訂了一份爲期5年高達1.53億的合同，因此他將在孟菲斯繼續自己的職業生涯——在現有勞資協議架構下，以康利的資歷能拿到的最大合同，也是NBA歷史上單筆最昂貴的合同。

The specifics of Conley’s contract are understandably shocking.

康利合同的細節雖然容易理解，但還是令人驚歎。

Conley is a few tiers removed from the best players at his position and otherwise bears little resemblance to a conventional superstar.

康利是除去這個位置那幾個最強的傢伙以外最強的控球后衛之一了，在其他方面他和傳統的超級巨星並無相似之處。

Yet he’ll be compensated above and beyond any of the league’s greats due to the intersection of his free agency and the NBA’s greatest financial boom.

然而這一次，由於他進入自由市場，以及NBA的工資帽飛漲，他將得到遠遠多於聯盟其他巨星的補償。

Do not see that as a reason to punish him or take his deal, in itself, as some indictment.

不要以此爲理由來懲罰他，或者以此來控訴他這份超大的合同。

Prized free agents can only be paid what the Prized free agents can only be paid what their market allows.

被認爲最有價值的自由球員也只能得到市場規則允許的報價。

Conley just happened to step into the richest, most uninhibited market the NBA has ever seen at a time when his game warranted the investment of a max contract.

康利只是恰好來到了這個聯盟中前所未有的最爲富有，最不受約束的交易期，而他的比賽表現又確保他值得這樣一份頂薪合同而已。

Memphis was ultimately the team to pay it but not the only team to offer, Dallas, for example, very much wanted Conley but didn’t have enough to motivate his signing. Other teams, San Antonio among them, looked into what it might take to add Conley and just how interested he might be in moving.

孟菲斯是最終爲康利買單的一支球隊，可它並不是唯一一支願意爲他開出頂薪的球隊。比如說，達拉斯小牛隊也非常想簽下康利，但是他們沒有什麼促使康利簽約的強烈動機。其他球隊，包括聖安東尼奧馬刺隊，他們仔細研究過簽下康利所需付出的代價以及他到底有多大的出走意願。

Nothing that Conley heard in his meetings with other teams or through his representation was enough to sway him.

然而在與諸多球隊的會晤中，康利並沒有聽到什麼令他動心的條件，從他的言談中我們也沒有什麼聽到什麼動搖的跡象。

Memphis began as the frontrunner and ended as a closer.

於是孟菲斯既是最初的領跑者，也成了終結了這樁交易的最終買家。

Conley’s return cements this as the biggest and most expensive off-season in Grizzlies history.

康利的迴歸促成了灰熊迎來隊史上最聲勢浩大，也是最所費不貲的一個夏天。

Chandler Parsons will join Conley in Memphis on another, smaller max deal—the third max that this notoriously cost-conscious organization has agreed to in the past year or so.

錢德勒-帕森斯也將以一份稍小的頂薪合同加盟灰熊，和康利並肩作戰。這已經是這支以成本控制著稱的球隊去年以來開出的第三份頂薪合同了。

Memphis will still need to figure out how to invigorate its offense and activate its dormant defense while learning how to operate under a new coaching staff, though the fact that players like Conley and Parsons will be a central part of those efforts is reason for optimism.

灰熊還需要搞清楚應該怎樣在新的教練體系下盤活他們的進攻，並如何激活他們處在沉睡狀態中的防守，儘管康利和帕森斯參與其中可以給他們樂觀的理由。

Change is a function of capability.

變革會導致能力的變化。

Conley’s return preserves much of it and enticed Parsons to add more, reinvigorating a franchise that was at risk of drifting from the league’s more competitive ranks.

康利的迴歸讓球隊元氣未傷，爲球隊招攬帕森斯可以讓球隊實力增強，灰熊在競爭日益激烈的西部有掉隊危險，康利和帕森斯將會幫助他們走向復興。

Paying to keep Conley was both an act of preservation and a very necessary move for a franchise without much reasonable alternative.

花大價錢挽留康利不僅僅是保存實力的一種舉動，更是在球隊沒有更多可行辦法的情況下的一步必要之舉。

Just last summer Conley helped entice Marc Gasol to return, as their partnership had become the functional centerpiece of Grizzlies basketball.

就在去年夏天，康利還幫助球隊成功地留住了馬克-加索爾，二人的組合也成爲了目前灰熊籃球體系的功能核心。

For Memphis to turn around a year later and short Conley in a competitive market would compromise that foundational arrangement.

對孟菲斯而言，在大概一年之後，如果沒能在火爆的自由球員市場中拿下康利，當前球隊的建隊基石也將隨之動搖。

It’s natural to worry about the final years of Conley’s deal, in which he’ll make upwards of $30 million as a 31-, 32-, and 33-year-old.

很自然的，人們會擔心康利最後幾年合同的價值，因爲那個時候他將會以31，32和33歲的“高齡”每年領到超過3000萬美元的薪水。

It’s understandable to worry about what Conley’s recent injury history (a combination of freak accidents and more concerning ailments) might mean for this team as he ages and his salary climbs, all alongside two other highly-paid teammates who have missed time of late.

考慮到康利近期的傷病史可能會對球隊造成影響（一次較大的意外以及接連不斷的小傷小病），尤其是當他的年齡和薪酬都在日漸增長的時候，隊中另外兩位高薪球員也都因傷錯過大量的比賽，所以這種擔心也並非不無道理。

Yet we can’t pretend as if the Grizzlies could opt for half-measure replacements or a refusal of Conley’s contract on principle without it amounting to a franchise reset.

然而我們也不能假裝灰熊會找個半吊子的替代品或者在不重建的前提下拒絕康利的合同吧。

That’s how much even a sub-superstar guard can mean in the right context.

康利的成功表明，對於一個準巨星級別的球員而言，如果能處在正確的位置上也能獲得大額的頂薪合同。

The clever, jitterbug improvisations of Conley’s off-the-dribble work make the most of even simple basketball actions.

康利聰明，像舞步般的即興運球表演能夠讓簡單的籃球動作發揮它最大的價值。

Few can match the diversity of his in-between game.

很少有人能夠匹敵康利在中距離的豐富進攻手段。

Defensively, Conley walks the fine line between pestering opponents and keeping good guarding position.

在防守端，康利能夠很好地掌控好防守的分寸，既能騷擾對手又能保持住自己的防守位置。

Never does Conley need to be prompted to give up the ball, nor is he reluctant to shoot when the opportunity calls for it. Some aspects of Conley’s game will fade with age, as happens with all players and smaller guards in particular.

而且他從不獨佔球權，也不會在其他隊友出現機會時選擇勉強出手。康利的一些特質會隨着歲月逐漸消退，這對所有的球員都適用，尤其是小個子的控球后衛尤爲如此。

Yet as much as anything, the Grizzlies are paying for Conley as a leader, an intelligent operator on the floor, and a franchise institution.

然而，灰熊所付出的薪水更多則是因爲康利是球隊的領袖，是明智的球場指揮官，也是球隊的象徵。

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