德懷特 霍華德:超人歸來

This past offseason, it was hard to listen to the unanimous praise for Karl-Anthony Towns — specificAlly, his coronation as the savior of the center position — without thinking about how recently we had seen this story play out through Dwight Howard.

在剛剛過去的休賽期，你很難聽到關於卡爾-安東尼-唐斯的一致好評——特別是作爲中鋒位置上新生代的救世主——如果我們不去考慮曾發生在德懷特-霍華德身上相似的故事。

Following the Big Men Heyday of the 1990s, when Hall of Fame centers — Hakeem, Ewing, Robinson, and Shaq — made up almost half of the league’s top 10 players, the position’s star power started to drop off significantly as jump-shooters and swingmen became the craze.

二十世紀九十年代迎來了中鋒盛世，當時的名人堂中鋒——哈基姆，尤因，羅賓遜和沙克——幾乎佔到了聯盟排名前十球員中的一半，這之後以投射見長的球員和鋒衛搖擺人開始成爲聯盟主流，中鋒位置上的超級明星大量凋零。

Just as the position was becoming an afterthought, in came 18-year-old Dwight, with the muscular build of Robinson combined with the superior athleticism of a young Shaq.

正當這個位置不再是球隊第一進攻選擇時，年僅18歲的霍華德進入了聯盟，他有着羅賓遜一樣健碩的肌肉和年輕版沙克一樣的超級運動能力。

In as much as it’s now become more normal for big men to be among the most athletic players on the floor, Dwight is responsible for singlehandedly elevating the center position from its defensive-anchor, low-post-offense focus of the glory days of yore.

現如今，我們越來越多地看到大個子成爲球場上最有運動天賦的球員之一，回望過去的輝煌，德懷特獨自一人，從防守端、低位進攻端把中鋒這個位置帶到了一個新的高度。

He was the highlight-reel dunk machine before Blake Griffin; a shotblocking, leaping gazelle before Hassan Whiteside; a 7-foot gamechanger at both ends before KAT, Anthony Davis or Kristaps Porzingis.

在布雷克-格里芬之前，他是扣籃集錦製造機；在哈桑-懷特賽德之前，他是飛在空中的蓋帽能手；在卡爾-安東尼-唐斯、安東尼-戴維斯或者克利斯塔普斯-波爾津吉斯之前，他是可以從攻防兩端左右比賽的7尺長人。

We forget that, not so long ago, Dwight was mentioned during the same conversations as the once-in-a-lifetime talent LeBron James in terms of evolving into the league’s next great superstar.

我們已經忘了那些事情，而就在不久之前，德懷特還被當作是和勒布朗-詹姆斯一樣百年一遇的天才，能夠成長爲聯盟下一代的超級巨星。

Dwight’s unfathomable ceiling, nightly jaw-dropping performances, on- and off-court charisma, and freakish athleticism combined to make him worthy of that level of hype.

擁有着無法預估的上限，每晚都能奉獻令人瞠目結舌的表演，場上和場外都有非凡的魅力，再加上超強的運動能力，德懷特配得上那樣的宣傳和期待。

Unfortunately, like LeBron’s inescapable comparisons to Michael Jordan, Dwight often was saddled with living up to the career achievements of his idol, Shaq, one of the five greatest centers in league history.

不幸的是，就像勒布朗難以避免地被拿來和邁克爾-喬丹作比較，德懷特也要經常揹負着生活在他的偶像，沙克，聯盟歷史上最好的五個中鋒之一，職業生涯所取得的成就中。

While LeBron has become the exception in exceeding those types of unreasonable expectations, Dwight has become more of the standard, making it seem that by just approaching those levels, it’s the same as collapsing under their weight.

而當勒布朗例外地已經超過了當初那些不合理的預期時，德懷特則表現地中規中矩，看起來好像只是接近了那個級別，但在他們這個層次，這和失敗沒什麼區別。

From 2005–12, Dwight’s averages and career achievements had him on pace for, at the very least, a no-brainer Hall of Fame career.

從2005年到2012年，德懷特的場均數據和生涯成就都讓他穩步步向前，不用想也至少會是名人堂中鋒了。

He consistently put up seasons of 20 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks; he was a five-time All-NBA First Team member from 2008-12;

他連續多個賽季交出了場均20分，14個籃板，2個蓋帽的數據；從2008年到2012年他五次入選NBA最佳陣容一陣；

a three-time Defensive Player of the Year from 2009–11; the MVP runner-up in 2011; Eastern Conference champion in 2009, when he carried Orlando to within three victories of a championship.

從2009年到2011年三次獲得最佳防守球員；2011年在MVP評選中排名第二；2009年率領奧蘭多魔術隊奪得東部冠軍，如果能多贏三場就能獲得總冠軍。

You know the rest.

而這之後發生的事情你們也都知道了。

He threw his head coach under the bus on his way out of Orlando, struggled with back problems as he helped kill Kobe’s last chance at a title during his one season in L.A.

在出走奧蘭多的時候，和主教練關係十分糟糕。在洛杉磯的那個賽季，因爲掙扎於背部的傷病，也讓科比最後一次衝擊總冠軍的希望破滅。

and never meshed with James Harden during Howard’s three years in Houston, culminating in last year’s averages which were his worst since his rookie year.

在休斯頓的三年裏，和詹姆斯-哈登也從沒有合拍，上個賽季的場均數據甚至降到菜鳥賽季之後的最低點。

Were the injuries that debilitating? Were these teams just bad fits for him and his skills? Or had Dwight actually just peaked during his final season in Orlando, at only 26 years old?

是這些傷病使他變弱了？是這些球隊和他以及他的技術風格不合？還是德懷特在奧蘭多的最後一個賽季已經是他的巔峯了，在他僅有26歲的時候？

With his recent struggles, this narrative has overshadowed Dwight Howard the basketball player. Based on the public’s outright dismissal, you would think he had become an absolute non-factor.

但是看到他最近的努力，這樣的敘事確實掩蓋了德懷特-霍華德仍然是一個籃球運動員的事實。根據公衆對他的全盤否定，你可能認爲他已經變成了一個完全無關緊要的球員。

While Dwight wasn’t a superstar anymore, the argument that he still wasn’t one of the league’s best centers was blasphemous.

儘管德懷特不再是一個超級巨星了，但關於他不再是聯盟最好中鋒之一的論調真的是對他的不尊重。

Sure, his stats aren’t what they once were, but over the last four years before joining Atlanta this past summer, he still averaged 16-12-2.

確實，他的數據不再像過去那麼耀眼，但在去年夏天加盟亞特蘭大老鷹之前，經過了那樣的四個賽季，他仍然能夠交出場均16分，12個籃板，2個蓋帽的數據。

The current crop of NBA bigs is really promising, but so far, none of DeMarcus Cousins, Andre Drummond, Towns, Davis or Porzingis has even carried their team out of the first round of the playoffs.

現如今，NBA的新生代大個子們確實個個前途無量，但是目前爲止，德馬庫斯-考辛斯、安德烈-德拉蒙德、唐斯、戴維斯或者波爾津吉斯之中還沒有一個人率領他們的球隊打進過季後賽第二輪。

Three of the five haven’t even been to the postseason yet (although both KAT and Zing are only in their second seasons after being selected by lottery teams).

這其中有三個人甚至還沒有闖進過季後賽（儘管卡爾-安東尼-唐斯和波爾津吉斯在被樂透球隊選中後剛剛迎來他們的第二個賽季）。

While DeAndre Jordan and Hassan Whiteside have made it past the first round, they were not their team’s best or even second-best player when that happened. Meanwhile, Dwight was just 23 years old when he carried the Magic to the Finals.

雖然德安德魯-喬丹和哈桑-懷特賽德都已經成功地闖過季後賽首輪，但當時他們都不是球隊最好的球員或者甚至連第二好的球員都不是。與此同時，當德懷特率領魔術隊闖進總決賽時，他才僅僅23歲。

Now compare Howard to his generational peers: Lebron, Wade, ‘Melo, and CP3. While LeBron and Wade have three rings each (aided, in part, by teaming up in Miami for four seasons and two titles), ‘Melo has never advanced past the conference finals while CP3 hasn’t even gotten there.

現在，我們把霍華德和與他同時期的球員進行比較：勒布朗、韋德、安東尼和保羅。其中勒布朗和韋德都各自擁有三枚戒指（某種程度上，是互相幫助的結果，在邁阿密作爲隊友一起打了四個賽季，獲得了兩個總冠軍），安東尼從來沒有打進過總決賽而保羅甚至都沒有打進過分區決賽。

Meanwhile, Dwight’s teams have made the playoffs in each of the last 10 years, making an NBA Finals and two other conference finals in that span.

與此同時，德懷特所在的隊伍過去十個賽季都打入了季後賽，這其中包括一次NBA總決賽，和另外兩次分區決賽。

Even without a championship, Dwight — between his personal stats and team accomplishments with him as a central figure — is arguably the third-most successful superstar of his generation.

即使沒有奪得總冠軍，德懷特——作爲球隊核心時，在他的個人數據和球隊戰績方面——在與他同時代的球員中，都是可以論證的第三成功的超級球星。

Given all of that, Dwight has become a victim of unreasonable expectations. Unfortunately, his ability to exceed those expectations in his first eight seasons has only made his relative fall from grace that much more disappointing.

綜上所述，德懷特已經成爲了不合理預期的犧牲品。不幸的是，在最初的八個賽季中，他擁有的本應該超越那些期待的能力，讓他的那些親近者對他失去信任，這更加令人失望。

Dwight’s rise peaked too early and it culminated in messy marriages with Kobe and Harden that may have wasted his final prime years.

德懷特成長的過程中，巔峯來得太早了，最終以與科比和哈登糟糕的合作而告終，這可能也浪費了他最後一段優秀的時光。

So, as you now watch him reinvigorating the Hawks with his rebounding, rim protection and rim-rolling.

所以，現在當你看着他通過自己的籃板、護框能力和近框攻擊能力帶着老鷹隊重新起飛時。

Remember this: Even for a brief period during the rise of LeBron, Dwight possessed the potential to give GMs pause when asked to pick which player they would start a team with.

請記住：即使是在勒布朗成長的那些年裏，當總經理們被問到願意挑選哪一個球員爲建隊核心時，德懷特也擁有讓他們停下思考究竟該選他還是勒布朗的能力。

He was that damn good.

沒錯，他曾經就是那麼的棒！

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