[外絮] Ja與灰熊的未來？

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6779151/2025/11/05/ja-morant-grizzlies-future-relationship/

This is certainly how a typical superstar exit starts.

這確實是典型超級球星出走事件的開端。

The player in question — in this case Memphis’ Ja Morant — pulls back the curtain on the sordid state of internal affairs. He expresses frustrations that raise concerns about the relationship with the organization that employs him, and makes his discontent quite clear. The pressure builds. A deal eventually goes down. Wash, rinse and repeat: That’s the formula in today’s NBA.

當事球員——在這裡是灰熊的Ja Morant——揭開了球隊內部混亂狀況的帷幕。他表達了對
球團的不滿，引發外界對他與球隊關係的疑慮，並明確展現出自己的不快。壓力逐漸累積，交易最終發生。重複上演——這就是現今NBA的劇本。

Yet before we all go running to John Hollinger’s trade machine to figure out where Morant might be headed next, let’s hit the “back” button for a moment and acknowledge the fact that this isn’t quite as simple as it might seem. For starters, the Grizzlies — like every small market team in the 76-year history of the league — must think long and hard about the prospect of parting ways with aplayer who is still widely considered to be an elite talent. Add in the fact that they still haven’t finalized a lease agreement for FedEx Forum past the 2028-29 season, with negotiations having been drawn out and the threat of relocationalways looming, and you start to understand why this is bigger than just basketball.

但在大家急著打開John Hollinger的交易模擬器、猜測Morant下一站會是哪裡之前，讓我們先按下「返回鍵」，承認這件事並不像看起來那麼簡單。首先，灰熊——就像聯盟76年歷史中所有小市場球隊一樣——必須深思熟慮，是否要與仍被視為頂尖天賦的球星分道揚鑣。再加上球隊至今尚未確定2028–29賽季之後的FedEx Forum租約，談判一再拖延、遷隊威脅始終存在，你就能明白這件事遠不只是籃球問題。

Even with all the controversies that have surrounded Morant in recent years, with the steady stream of suspensions and health problems undercutting this once-promising era, he remains a wildly popular and entertaining player who puts buttsin their seats. The Grizzlies already ranked near the bottom of the league in home attendance in recent years, but just imagine how grim it might look if they didn’t get a legitimate box office draw in exchange for Morant. That sort of deal just isn’t happening anytime soon, in part because there are no indications that Memphis wants to move him, but also because they’re (extremely) light on leverage at the moment.

即使Morant近年爭議不斷，禁賽與傷病削弱了這個原本充滿希望的時代，他仍是能吸引觀眾、極具娛樂性的超人氣球員。灰熊隊近年主場出席率本就偏低，試想若他們在交易中沒換回一位具票房號召力的球星，場面會有多慘淡。這樣的交易短期內根本不可能發生，一方面因為沒有跡象顯示灰熊想交易他，另一方面則是球隊目前在談判上幾乎毫無籌碼。

It’s one thing to trade Desmond Bane to Orlando at the height of his powers for two rotation players, four unprotected first-round picks and a first-round pick swap, like general manager Zack Kleiman did in June. It’s quite another to give away your most dynamic player during this time when the sharks, i.e. rival teams, are most certainly circling.

像總經理Zack Kleiman在六月那樣，把正值巔峰的Desmond Bane交易到奧蘭多、換回兩名輪替球員、四個無保護首輪籤與一個首輪互換權，這是一回事；但在如今各隊都在伺機而動的情況下，送走你陣中最具爆發力的球星，那可是完全不同的層級。

Which brings us back to the strategic staring contest at hand.

這就讓我們回到目前這場策略性的對峙。

In the wake of Morant’s “ask the coaching staff” media session on Friday night which led to his one-game suspension by the team, coach Tuomas Iisalo discussed the very offensive system that has caused his point guard (and other Grizzlies as well) so much angst of late. The Finnish coach, who has been celebrated forhis innovative success with Paris Basketball, and whose arrival in Memphis as awell-paid assistant two summers ago led to the stunning replacement of longtimehead coach Taylor Jenkins in late March, didn’t fully implement his preferred offensive system until this season. He wants pace from beginning to end (the Grizzlies are currently seventh in that department). He wants high intensity from every player during every stretch, all in an attempt to maximize impact and minimize risk. When it comes to his rotations, that means there will be a hectic schedule of sorts — no matter who you are — that is seen as a necessary means to this end.

在Morant於週五晚間的媒體訪談中拋出「去問教練團」的言論、並因此被球隊禁賽一場後，教練Tuomas Iisalo談到了那套近期令Morant（以及其他灰熊球員）相當不滿的進攻體系。這位曾因執教巴黎籃球隊的創新成功而受讚譽的芬蘭籍教練，於兩年前以助理身分高薪加入曼菲斯，最終在三月底取代了長期執教的Taylor Jenkins，不過他直到本季才真正全面實施自己的進攻理念。他希望球隊從頭到尾都保持節奏（灰熊目前在這項數據中排名第七），希望所有球員在每一個階段都全力以赴，藉此最大化影響力並降低風險。至於輪換，他採取的是高度流動的方式——無論你是誰——這被視為達成目標的必要手段。

Quite remarkably, Morant’s minutes mark (29.4 per game) is a career-low pace for him as well as a team high. Eleven players are averaging double-digit minutes— 12 if you count Charles Bassey and his one game. There’s a committee approach happening here that is clearly causing a bit of culture shock.

值得注意的是，Morant場均29.4分鐘，這既是他生涯新低，也是球隊最高。共有十一名球員場均出賽時間達兩位數——若算上只打過一場的Charles Bassey則是十二人。這種「委員會式」的分配模式，顯然帶來了一些文化衝擊。

This all sounds well and good on paper, and perhaps it will be the new norm oneday in the Association. But as other international coaches have learned the hard way before, the NBA might as well stand for Nothing-But-Alphas when it comes to the egos that must be managed in times like these. And the problem, it seems, is that Morant is the kind of creative hoops artist who clearly struggles to be himself within this kind of structure.

這樣的系統聽起來不錯，也許有朝一日會成為聯盟新常態。但正如其他外籍教練學到的慘痛教訓，NBA幾乎可說是「Nothing-But-Alphas（盡是大哥）」的縮寫——在這種環境下，如何照顧球星的自尊是一門極難的學問。而問題在於，Morant正是一位極具創造力的籃球藝術家，他顯然難以在如此僵化的結構中做自己。

While the up-tempo approach certainly fits his skill set, the shorter playing stints and rigid routine have led to some of the worst basketball of his career during the early days of this season (the Grizzlies are 3-5). He’s averaging just 20.4 points (his lowest total since his 2020-21 season) while shooting just 39.3 percent overall (career low) and a putrid 13.9 percent from 3 (5-of-36).

雖然快節奏打法確實契合他的技術特質，但縮短的上場時間與僵硬的輪替制度，使他在本季初期打出職業生涯最掙扎的表現之一（灰熊戰績為3勝5敗）。他場均僅得20.4分（自2020–21賽季以來最低），投籃命中率僅39.3%（生涯新低），三分命中率更慘至13.9%（36投中5）。

No one, in other words, should be surprised that he isn’t feeling all that joyful at work these days.

換言之，他這陣子在球場上顯得意興闌珊，一點也不令人意外。

Yet while Morant’s decline has been alarming, there’s another strange trend emerging that, at first glance, doesn’t reflect the way these Grizzlies were built: The de-emphasis of their Morant-Jaren Jackson Jr. dynamic duo. In the four seasons together in which Morant and Jackson Jr. have been healthy at the same time, they never averaged fewer than 17.8 minutes per game of time together on thecourt (with a high of 21.4 last season). Yet through seven games together this time around, they’ve averaged just 15.3 minutes together per game (it’s the Grizzlies’ 12th-most used two-man combo).

然而，除了Morant狀態下滑之外，還有另一個奇怪的趨勢正在浮現——那就是灰熊對「Morant–Jaren Jackson Jr.雙核心組合」的淡化。在過去四個兩人都保持健康的賽季中，他們場均同場時間從未低於17.8分鐘（上季最高達21.4分鐘）；但本季前七場，他們場均僅同場15.3分鐘，僅為球隊第12常用的雙人組合。

To review, that’s the same Morant who signed a five-year, $197 million deal inthe summer of 2022 (he is signed through the 2027-28 campaign) and the same Jackson who signed a five-year, $240 million extension in late June. Both are two-time All-Stars, and both — one would think — are even more important than before in light of the losses to core players like Bane and Dillon Brooks in recent years.

要知道，這是那位在2022年夏天簽下5年1.97億美元合約、合約期至2027–28賽季的Morant；以及那位在六月底簽下5年2.4億美元延長合約的Jackson。兩人皆是兩屆全明星球員，理論上在Bane與Dillon Brooks等核心流失後，應該比以往更具關鍵地位。

As for where this is all headed, it’s worth remembering that Morant is still just 26 years old. At his best, he’s a player who was in the running for “face of the league” honors not too long ago. His baggage has been well chronicled, but there is still no shortage of teams that will continue monitoring his situation.

至於這一切將走向何方，可別忘了，Morant才26歲。在他巔峰時期，他曾是「聯盟門面」的候選人之一。雖然他的種種爭議早已被記錄在案，但仍有不少球隊在密切關注他的動向。

The Minnesota Timberwolves, per a team source, are one. Ditto for the Sacramento Kings. The Grizzlies’ next opponent, the Houston Rockets, need a point guard after losing Fred Van Vleet to a torn ACL in the preseason but, per a team source, are unlikely to pursue him. That’s just a small sample size of what might beout there, and not out there, if the Morant sweepstakes ever actually begin.

根據消息來源，明尼蘇達灰狼就是其中之一，沙加緬度國王也一樣。灰熊的下一個對手休士頓火箭在Fred Van Vleet於季前賽因ACL撕裂報銷後確實需要控衛，但消息人士指出他們不太可能追逐Morant。這只是可能潛在追逐者的冰山一角，若「Morant爭奪戰」真的開打，情勢將更加複雜。

We’re not there yet, though, and may never be. No matter how inevitable it might seem.

不過，我們尚未到那一步，也可能永遠不會。無論這看起來多麼不可避免。

-

小打小鬧

--

11/06 11:02