林書豪迴歸尼克斯在所難免?

July 18, 2030

2030年7月18日

The man stepping to the podium at the New New New Madison Square Garden was not the phenom who'd captivated this franchise so many years ago. Twenty NBA seasons - a longer career than any expert ever imagined for him - had taken a toll. His walk, slowed by knee surgery, was cautious, and his hair, though still asymmetrically hip, was now gray.

眼前這名邁向新新新麥迪遜廣場花園(New New New Madison Square Garden)講臺的男子，已不是多年前那個讓整個NBA爲之折服的天才球員。他在NBA已經征戰了二十個賽季，超過了任何一位專業人士對其職業生涯的預想，這也讓他付出了不少代價。受到膝蓋手術的拖累，他步履緩慢，走起路來小心翼翼。他的頭髮雖然依舊是時尚的不對稱髮型，卻已然花白。

Jeremy Lin was 41 years old, and a New York Knick again.

這時的林書豪已經41歲，他再次成爲了紐約尼克斯隊(New York Knicks)的一員。

'Hello everyone,' he said, smiling behind those familiar thick glasses, so trendy once. 'Remember me?'

“大家好，”林書豪微笑着向衆人打招呼，“你們還記得我嗎？”他還戴着那副我們熟悉的厚厚的眼鏡，它曾經是那麼地時尚新潮。

How many of us do? It seems like such ancient history, when a 23-year-old Lin entranced this city, a backup to the backup, summoned off the couch in his brother's apartment to become the starting point guard for an imperfect team. There was a magical fortnight, an incandescent win streak, and an epic 38-point outburst versus the Las Vegas Lakers, then of Los Angeles. In a half month he became the most popular athlete in the city, a global phenomenon with a buzzy nickname: Linsanity.

我們當中還有多少人記得他？那似乎是很久很久以前的事情了，當年林書豪只有23歲，從一名寄居在哥哥公寓中的沙發、替補的替補一躍成爲一支不盡完美的球隊中的控球后衛新星，讓整個城市都爲之癡狂。那是神奇的兩個星期，一段連連得勝的輝煌時期。他在與拉斯維加斯湖人隊（當時還是洛杉磯湖人隊(Los Angeles Lakers)）的交鋒中迎來大爆發，傳奇般地砍下38分。在半個月的時間內，他一舉成爲紐約人氣最高的運動員，締造出了一個席捲全球的現象，它還有一個響噹噹的名號──“林來瘋”(Linsanity)。

But it got weird, fast. Lin was injured, missed the playoffs. It was presumed he'd be back, but when the Houston Rockets presented a three-year $25 million offer, the Knicks grew irritated, comically stingy, and passed. Linsanity vaporized as another New York fad, like that summer everyone in Brooklyn decided to become a beekeeper.

然而，事情很快就變得匪夷所思。林書豪受了傷，並因此錯過季後賽。大家都以爲他會迴歸尼克斯，但是當休斯頓火箭隊(Houston Rockets)開出一份2500萬美元的三年合約時，尼克斯感到惱火併且吝嗇得可笑，把林書豪交易了出去。於是，林來瘋熱潮也隨之消退，就如同某年夏天紐約的另一股風潮一般──那時布魯克林區的每一個人都決意要成爲一名養蜂人。

What happened next is better forgotten. The Knicks sunk deeper into the muck. Over the next three seasons Carmelo Anthony (remember him?) averaged 39 points and .004 assists but the Knicks never cracked .500.

至於隨後發生的事情，不如把它們忘掉更好。尼克斯在泥沼中越陷越深。在接下去的三個賽季中，卡梅羅•安東尼(Carmelo Anthony)（還記得他嗎？）平均每場砍下39分，貢獻0.004次助攻，但是尼克斯隊卻從未取得過半數勝率。

Amar'e Stoudemire lost another fight with Miami's fire extinguisher.

同時，阿瑪雷•斯塔德邁爾(Amar'e Stoudemire)再次輸給了邁阿密的滅火器（譯者注：斯塔德邁爾曾在與邁阿密熱火隊交戰後手捶存放滅火器的玻璃門泄憤以致手臂受傷）。

The Knicks signed the fire extinguisher. The point-guard rotation was so bleak the Knicks brought aboard a loopy Stephon Marbury, who insisted on playing each Game barefoot, with a green parrot on his shoulder.

尼克斯簽下了那臺滅火器。控球后衛幾乎無人可以替換，於是尼克斯便請來了瘋瘋癲癲的斯蒂芬•馬布裏(Stephon Marbury)上場比賽。他堅持在每場比賽中赤腳上陣，肩上還停着一隻綠鸚鵡。

Then the inevitable happened. Isiah Thomas returned to the front office, then the bench, then finally, the court, at 54.

然後，不可避免的事情發生了。伊賽亞•托馬斯(Isiah Thomas)回到了前臺，然後坐上了替補席，最終開始上場比賽，這是他已是54歲。

'I feel like I'm the best option for this team,' Isiah said. 'Where's Jim?'

托馬斯說，“我覺得我是這支隊伍的最佳選擇。吉姆在哪兒呢？”

Owner James Dolan signed Thomas to a five-year, $120 million deal, then, bizarrely, attempted to trade him three hours into it, finding no takers, before trading Thomas back to himself, and signing him to a 10-year, $240 million deal. A parade of coaches rotated through the locker room: Mike Woodson, Mike Dunleavy, Mike Dunlap, Mike Bibby, Mike Francesa. It was known as Dolan's Mike Period. Larry Brown returned for six weeks, then quit for a 'once in a lifetime opportunity' to coach a Belgian slow-pitch softball team. Dolan grew furious and hired ancient rocker Lou Reed to coach. Sticking to a strategy of sitting Carmelo, reading old copies of Interview magazine and taking a nap on the bench during the second half, Reed did shockingly well; the Knicks made the second round of the playoffs.

尼克斯的老闆詹姆斯•多蘭(James Dolan)和托馬斯簽了一份爲期五年的1.2億美元的合同，非常詭異的是，他在簽完合同三小時後就想把他交易出去。在找不到接手之人之後，他又將托馬斯交易給了自己，並且簽了一份爲期10年的2.4億美元的合同。後來，球隊的教練如走馬燈似地換來換去，其中包括邁克•伍德森(Mike Woodson)、邁克•鄧利維(Mike Dunleavy)、邁克•鄧拉普(Mike Dunlap)、邁克•畢比(Mike Bibby)以及邁克•弗朗西薩(Mike Francesa)，這被稱爲多蘭的“邁克時代”。拉里•布朗(Larry Brown)也曾返隊執教六週時間，但隨後爲了一個“千載難逢的機會”辭職赴比利時執教一支慢速壘球隊。多蘭盛怒難卻，請來老牌搖滾歌星盧•裏德(Lou Reed)執掌教鞭。裏德依然堅守讓卡梅羅坐冷板凳的策略，坐在場邊讀讀過期的《訪談》(Interview)雜誌，到了下半場還會打個盹。裏德的表現非常不錯，在他的執教下，尼克斯闖進了季後賽的第二輪。

But the details are just details. The end result was the same. There's been no title banner since the days of Clyde and Walt, almost 60 sorrowful years. Brooklyn, smug and annoying, has won four.

然而，細節終究只是細節，最終的結果卻依舊沒有起色。自克萊德(Clyde)和沃爾特(Walt)時代以來，尼克斯已有近60年的悲慘歲月未再問鼎冠軍，而自命不凡、讓人討厭的布魯克林籃網隊(Brooklyn Nets)卻已攬得四尊冠軍獎盃。

In Houston, Lin proved steady. He was not a Hall-of-Famer but he was consistent - 17.5 points a game, nine assists, better than anything the Knicks ever got. The Rockets were lousy in the first year of the deal but they improved, reached the Western Conference finals by Lin's third season. Lin pushed on to Los Angeles, where he rejoined former Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni in a high-octane offense led by a veteran Kevin Durant, taking it all the way to a Finals Game 7 before losing 232-229.

在休斯敦，林書豪的表現頗爲穩定。雖然他沒能入選名人堂，但其表現卻一貫保持穩定，每場貢獻17.5分和九次助攻，超過尼克斯歷任控球后衛的表現。火箭隊在第一個賽季的表現乏善可陳，但隨後提高了自己的戰績，在林書豪進入該隊第三個賽季時闖進了西部賽區的決賽。後來，林書豪加盟洛杉磯，在那兒與自己當初在尼克斯的老教練邁克•德安東尼(Mike D'Antoni)重逢。在老將凱文•杜蘭特(Kevin Durant)的帶領之下，這支充滿活力的進攻型隊伍一路過關斬將殺入總決賽第七場，但最終以229-232的比分惜敗。

He made a few All-Star teams. He earned a lot of money, became one of the most recognized athletes on the planet. But there was always the nagging melancholy of an opportunity lost, by leaving New York too soon. Given a choice between risk and stubborn, stubborn won.

在這些年，林書豪入選過幾次全明星陣容，他還賺了不少錢，成爲全球知名度最高的運動員之一。然而，過早離開紐約而錯失良機的惆悵總是揮之不去。在風險與固執之間，固執最終勝出。

Here was an effort to correct the past. Dolan, still in control, shook Lin's hand at the podium, but took no questions. The irony of Lin's new deal was not lost: four years, $50 million, twice what New York declined to pay in 2012. Lin will be 45 when it's through.

現在，糾正以往過失的時刻到來了。依舊掌管着尼克斯的多蘭在舞臺上和林書豪握着手，但是並不接受記者的提問。尼克斯與林書豪簽署的新合同的諷刺之處沒有逃過記者們的眼睛，合同爲期四年，報價5000萬美元，是尼克斯在2012年拒絕匹配的報價的兩倍！在這一次，合同完成後，林書豪就要45歲了。

Lin said all the polite things. He offered a hearty hello to the new Knicks coach, Gwyneth Paltrow. He said he was thrilled to play with Knicks center Marcus Camby, active at 56, in the first year of a new 11-year deal, and praised the recent signing of journeyman Juwan Howard. He offered nice tributes to his former teammates. Lin still speaks to Steve Novak every day. Carmelo Anthony, he heard, was averaging 78 points and .008 assists in Luxembourg. Landry Fields started a venture capital fund in Palo Alto. Amar'e had become a firefighter. J.R. Smith was now a U.S. senator.

林書豪說了很多客套話，還向尼克斯新任教練格溫妮絲•帕特洛(Gwyneth Paltrow)表達了自己的誠摯問候。他說他很激動可以與該隊中鋒馬庫斯•坎比(Marcus Camby)（56歲的坎比依然活躍在球場上，這是其11年合約的第一年）一起並肩作戰，同時還讚許了球隊最近簽下老將朱萬•霍華德(Juwan Howard)的舉動，此外他還向昔日的隊友表達了自己的敬意。他依然每天都和史蒂夫•諾瓦克(Steve Novak)交談。他聽說卡梅羅•安東尼在盧森堡打比賽每場平均拿下78分、貢獻0.008次助攻。蘭德里•菲爾茲(Landry Fields)則在帕洛阿爾託(Palo Alto)創辦了一家風投基金，阿瑪雷改行當了消防員，J.R.史密斯(J.R. Smith)則當上了參議員。

'J.R. could be president,' Lin said. 'Amazing. Just like President Tebow.'

“J.R.能當總統呢，”林書豪說道，“他太了不起了。就像蒂博(Tebow)總統一樣。”

When the questions were over, a small scrum of fans circled the podium. An older gentleman reached into a white plastic bag and removed an article of clothing, covered by a thick layer of dust. It was a blue and orange ANITY 17, it read on the back.

提問環節結束後，一小羣球迷圍住了講臺。一位老先生把手伸進一個白色塑料袋中，拿出了一件滿是灰塵的T恤。這是一件藍橙相間的T恤衫，衣服背面印着“LINSANITY 17”。

'Where did you find this?' Lin asked, inspecting the 50/50 tee.

“您在哪裏找到它的？”林書豪問道，一邊打量着這件50%棉50%聚酯纖維布料的T恤。

'The Duane Reade pharmacy,' the man said. 'They still have a pile of them, in back. Twelve for $2.'

“在Duane Reade雜貨店買的。”老先生說道，“他們那兒還有一堆存貨，兩美元能買一打。”

Lin smiled and signed the shirt. He was back: older, richer, wearier, on the downside. What he was then, he was not now. He had finally become a true New York Knick.

林書豪笑了笑，在T恤上籤上了自己的名字。林書豪回來了，更老、更富有、更疲憊、走在下坡路上的林書豪回來了。只是，現時的林書豪已非當年的林書豪。最終，他成爲了一名名副其實的紐約尼克斯人。