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來源：San Antonio Express News
網址：http://tinyurl.com/y7appss4

For Spurs, hot stove heating up
馬刺的今夏補完計畫....

The Spurs have been cooling their heels since May 22, when those same
dominant Warriors dumped them from the postseason as well. Star forward Kawhi
Leonard, meanwhile, has been cooling his ankle since the May 14 sprain that
ended his season.
馬刺2016-2017的球季在5/22號就結束了，可愛的球季在5/14扭傷腳踝後也結束惹。

In the time since the ouster, Spurs fans have filled their heads with visions
of what comes next in the quest to unseat the Warriors once NBA free agency
opens for business July 1.
為了要把勇士拉下來，刺粉已經開始幻想要簽市場上哪些大魚。

Could the Spurs add Chris Paul? Could a George Hill homecoming be in the
offing? Is there some other needle-moving free agent who might find his way
to San Antonio?
馬刺會拿到CP3嗎? George Hill會回到聖安東尼奧嗎? 還有沒有其他市場上的可以釣到的
大魚呢?

There is no shortage of potential scenarios, so long as one does not let a
pesky thing like reality get in the way.
幻想最美，想又不用錢。

Let's indulge a few, for entertainment purposes only:
講幾個來自爽一下：

Would LeBron leap to San Antonio?
The不讓來馬刺?

Let's make one thing crystal clear: There is no indication LeBron James
intends to join the Spurs, nor is there a sense that general manager R.C.
Buford has devised a master plan involving the world's greatest basketball
player.
那當然是他媽的不可能！馬刺制服組當然也不是頭殼壞掉去想簽The不讓。

But one Fox Sports columnist boldly questioned James' "competitive fire" —
 yes, seriously — should he decide to remain in Cleveland.
但是還真的有(白目)記者問The不讓要不要來馬刺....

James can decline his $35.6 million player option next summer and become a
free agent, perfectly aligning with the Spurs' mass roster exodus. Only Kawhi
Leonard is under contract through the 2018-19 season; Tony Parker will become
a 36-year-old free agent, while LaMarcus Aldridge and Danny Green are both
expected to decline player options worth a combined $32.3 million.

$1.54 million player option, the cupboard will be remarkably bare.
除了可愛的兩千萬跟Dejounte Murray的154萬鎂的球員選擇權，馬刺的銀彈沒剩多少了。

If James opts to once again shatter Cleveland's fragile heart into millions
of little pieces, the Spurs should obviously pursue him. As should every
other professional basketball team in the world.
如果，The不讓再次要讓騎迷玻璃心碎滿地的話，馬刺應該要搶搶看The不讓；其他球隊也
都應該試試試看。

If Buford somehow wins over Chris Paul this summer — another tequila-tinged
pipe dream — James would at least have to consider traveling south to create
a monstrous new Big Three.
所以今夏馬刺制服組，想得美的話，有搶到CP3的話，The不讓應該可以考慮一下來馬刺組
三巨頭。

A likelier destination for James, bandied about openly in recent days, is Los
Angeles. Both the Lakers and Clippers lurk as attractive escapes for the
four-time MVP.
不過比較有可能發生的應該還是The不讓去洛杉磯，湖人跟快艇都很想要他。

It seems those lusting for a glimpse James and Leonard running Gregg
Popovich's offense might just have to wait until the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

CP3來馬刺?

The hottest of hot stove topics in San Antonio, since even before the final
buzzer sounded against Golden State, involves Paul's potential – if unlikely
-- defection to the Alamo City.
CP3會不會來馬刺始終是個熱門話題。

The Spurs are considered a strong contender to pitch the nine-time All-Star,
should Paul opt to leave the Los Angeles Clippers this summer. Paul is
reportedly intrigued by the thought of joining the Spurs.
馬刺在競逐CP3的行列中，是極有競爭力的。CP3多次被問到會不會考慮馬刺。

It seems like a match made in hoops heaven, arguably the world's best point
guard – even at age 32 -- joining forces with Popovich, the world's best
coach.
看起來應該是一拍即合的組合，最好的控球後衛，配上最好的教練。

What could keep it from happening? To quote the words to an old ABBA song:
"Money, money, money."
到底是哪裡出問題呢？當然是錢的問題。

Paul would have to leave a total of $53 million on the table just to leave
L.A. in the first place.
要讓CP3離開洛杉磯就先要花5300萬鎂。

The Spurs, meanwhile, would face painful cost-cutting measures simply to make
room for the maximum $35.7 million they could pay Paul next season.
馬刺得要瘦身擠出3570萬鎂來付CP3來年的薪水。

The cap gymnastics general R.C. Buford and his team would have to perform are
complicated. They would almost certainly begin with Pau Gasol opting out of
the $16.2 million remaining on his deal (not likely) or being traded, injured
franchise cornerstone Tony Parker retiring or being waived, and the Spurs
letting free-agents-to-be Patty Mills, Jonathon Simmons and Dewayne Dedmon
walk.
馬刺制服組得要叫姐姐跳出他的1620萬鎂的合約或是交易走；叫小(?)跑車退休，然後把
馬刺一票自由球員(Patty Mills, Jonathon Simmons跟Dewayne Dedmon)捲鋪蓋。

There could also be tough decisions to make involving Green, Manu Ginobili,
and David Lee.
更不要說還有丹尼綠，鬼禿，還有大衛李要處理。

The Clippers remain the favorites to retain Paul, especially given the
financial advantages they have to keep him.
快艇有錢也想留下CP3。

Still, the prospect of forging an All-Star alliance between Leonard, Paul and
Aldridge to take a run at the star-studded Warriors might be too alluring for
the Spurs to ignore.
雖然很難，但是若可以組成CP3+可愛+AGG的組合，實在讓馬刺制服組很難不想試試。

The Hill homecoming
George Hill回到他的家鄉

It has been six years since the Spurs sent up-and-coming backup point guard
George Hill to Indiana in exchange for the draft rights to a cornrowed kid
from San Diego State named Kawhi Leonard
六年前馬刺換走George Hill到溜馬，換回可愛。

The trade clearly worked for the Spurs, who in Leonard uncovered an
unexpected franchise player for years to come.
對馬刺來說，這交易是正確的，可愛這幾年在馬刺發光發熱。

Hill, in the meantime, developed if a solid – if not quite spectacular –
 NBA point guard.
對George Hill來說，他也成為一個不錯的控球後衛。

Hill, now 31, is set to become a free agent this offseason. Could a return to
San Antonio be in the cards for a player Popovich once dubbed one of his
favorites?

has created atop the Spurs' depth chart at point guard.
小(?)跑車受傷，馬刺需要一個控球後衛。

Hill played well in his first season in Utah, a key reason the Jazz were able
to not only break into the Western Conference playoff field but finish in a
tie with the Clippers for fourth.
George Hill在宅爵打的極好，他也是宅爵可以打季後賽，跟快艇可以纏鬥的原因。

The Jazz have made no secret about their intention to bring Hill back, and
Hill has made no secret of his desire to return to Salt Lake – though he did
turn down an extension during the season worth $88.3 million.
宅爵想留下George Hill，George Hill也想留在鹽湖城，雖然他拒絕了價值8830萬鎂的續
約。

According to reports, Hill will seek a maximum contract or something close to
it in free agency, which would force the Spurs to undergo the same sort of
salary cap machinations mentioned above to carve room for him.
George Hill想要一份大約，所以若馬刺想要簽George Hill，就得要砍掉一堆人才有可
能有足夠的薪資空間。

The Spurs might consider making over their roster for a star player like
Paul. It seems like overkill for a not-quite star like Hill.
所以，若真的要砍掉一堆人的話，簽CP3似乎比簽George Hill來的有價值。

The Rose by another name
簽飆風玫瑰？

The Spurs clearly have questions to answer at point guard in light of
Parker's injury. If they don't shore up the position this summer, they will
probably begin the 2017-18 season with 21-year-old Murray running the show.
馬刺得趕快解決因為小(?)跑車受傷後的控球後衛的空缺。如果不趕快解決，明年球季就  
會是21歲小將Murray上場。

It isn't a terrible option. Murray is the team's undisputed point guard of
the future, boasts an explosive set of skills and mostly performed well when
thrust into the playoff pressure cooker after Parker went down.
這也沒太糟。Murray有天分，在小(?)跑車受傷後成為球隊的發動機，將會成為馬刺將來
的主要控球後衛。

There is also an argument for signing a low-cost veteran to ease Murray's
transition to full-time starter. That's where a player like Derrick Rose
might enter the picture.
所以，簽下一個便宜好用的老將來替補Murray似乎合理，所以大家想到了飆風玫瑰。

Once upon a time, the words "Derrick Rose" and "low-cost veteran" wouldn't
have appeared in the same sentence. He was the NBA's MVP in 2011, before a
spate of knee injury derailed his All-Star career with Chicago.
誰能想到飆風玫瑰會跟「便宜好用的老將」連在一起？一個2011年的年度MVP，雖然之
後因為膝傷走下坡而跟芝加哥分道揚鑣。

The torn meniscus Rose suffered in his left knee while playing with New York
in April was his fifth major knee injury since 2012. Given such pre-existing
conditions, Rose is clearly a risk.
今年四月，飆風玫瑰又傷了他的左膝半月軟骨，他的第五次膝傷。也因為他的這些傷，
要簽羅斯是個風險。

Still, Rose is only 28 and did average 18 points for the Knicks last season
before going down. If the Spurs could convince him to work cheap, he might
become next season's version of David West or David Lee – long-in-the-tooth
veterans who took short money to resurrect their careers in San Antonio.

一群「保羅」們可以選？

The Warriors and Cavs are embroiled in a Finals series that includes seven
All-Stars. The Spurs just finished a season in which they boasted one
(Leonard), though Aldridge remains in the ballpark.
勇騎的FINAL裡，總共有7個明星球員在裡面；馬刺傷了一個(可愛)，一個(AGG)還能打。

Stockpiling stars seems to be the order of the day for teams that fancy
themselves a title contender. If the Spurs fail to land Paul, perhaps there's
another 32-year-old All-Star with a similar name who might wind up on their
radar.
聯盟現在好像「報大團」似乎是一種趨勢。如果馬刺搶不到快艇保羅，有另外一個保羅或
許可以看看。

Paul Millsap opted out of $21.4 million in Atlanta to become a free agent,
and will be the top power forward on the market this summer. The process for
creating cap space for Millsap is basically identical to the work required to
fit Paul, so the same caveats apply. It would probably be cost-prohibitive,
but the idea of a Leonard-Millsap-Aldridge frontcourt is not without its
appeal.
老鷹保羅Paul Millsap跳出他的2140萬鎂的合約成為自由球員，會是今年市場上的熱門強
力前鋒。馬刺若是要像為快艇保羅清出薪資空間的話，簽老鷹保羅似乎也是可以。想想
看，前場擺出可愛-Millsap-AGG....

The 2018 plan
2018年馬刺的計畫

It doesn't take a math whiz or a salary cap-ologist to conclude all this
should be easier next summer. As of now, the Spurs only have four players totaling $52 million on the books
for 2018-19, and that's if Aldridge and Green exercise player options.
馬刺明年會比今年簡單的多。明年馬刺只有4名球員，而且那是AGG跟丹尼綠執行球員選擇  
權的狀況。

The Spurs could have something like $40 million in cap space to play with in
July 2018, when the free agent class could include the likes of DeMarcus
Cousins, Russell Westbrook, Paul George, DeAndre Jordan and – since we're
getting nutty – LeBron James.
那時馬刺制服組有4000萬鎂可以玩，想買表弟，龜龜，PG，DeAndre Jordan，或是The不
讓，好像不是不可能。

The Spurs' best tack for this offseason might be to work to preserve that cap
space to come, while still remaining competitive in 2017-18.
No sense mortgaging the future for a short-term patch, in other words.
所以馬刺今年休賽的時候最好的策略就是存好足夠的薪資總額，同時保持競爭力。換句話
說，不要飲鴆止渴只為了短期補強。

That means running back the bulk of a team that won 61 games last season and
had Golden State down by 25 points in the second half of Game 1 before
Leonard went down, and filling in roster blanks with inexpensive veterans.
維持目前的輪值，馬刺是一支季賽61勝，在可愛沒受傷之前，可以在西決第一場領先勇士
25分的隊伍；只要簽一些便宜的老將就夠了。

Adding a sharpshooter like Kyle Korver or a bench wing defender like Thabo
Sefolosha won't strike immediate fear in the Bay Area, but those players will
be available for cheap, allowing the Spurs to improve the roster while
keeping their powder dry to hook a bigger fish in 2018.


It's not the sexiest approach to an NBA offseason, but it might wind up being
the correct one for this Spurs team.
雖然這樣不會是馬刺休賽季中最令人興奮的策略，但是應該會是正確的策略。

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