Robert Covington ：快艇隊前鋒談迷失的賽季 —「我懷著復仇的心態」 https://tinyurl.com/yxvzjmsm (The Athletic) This time a year ago, LA Clippers power forward Robert Covington was eager to begin his tenth NBA season out of Tennessee State. The 2018 All-Defensive First Team selection was traded to the Clippers from the Portland Trail Blazers a week before the 2022 NBA trade deadline, and LA was Covington’s fifth city in four seasons. He was already weary of the constant transactions, but he also fit the Clippers seamlessly for the second half of the 2021-22 NBA season as a backup big behind starting forwards Nicolas Batum and Marcus Morris Sr. and next to backup center Isaiah Hartenstein. Covington anticipated a fun 2022-23 season so much that he didn’t even test free agency, choosing to sign a two-year extension in May 2022 that lined his deal up with stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. Except — nothing about the 2022-23 season was fun for Covington. Someone was always going to be on the short end of the stick with the surplus of wings that president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank had accumulated. Covington was in head coach Tyronn Lue’s rotation in the first two weeks of the season, partly due to the absence of a center behind starter Ivica Zubac in the wake of Hartenstein’s departure to the New York Knicks. But once Covington left the lineup due to health and safety protocols at the end of October, he never found a consistent stretch of minutes again. 就在一年前的這個時候，Robert Covington 迫不及待地要開始他第十個賽季。 Covington 在2018年入選了防守第一隊，於2022年交易截止日前一周，從拓荒者來到了快 艇。而這也是他在過去四年內第五次轉隊。他早已厭倦了不斷地被交易，但在2021-22 賽 季的下半賽季，作為 Nicolas Batum 和 Marcus Morris，以及小球五號的替補，他完美 地融入了快艇隊。Covington 展望著的2022-23賽季，以至於他甚至都沒有測試自由球員 市場水溫，就於2022年5月與快艇簽下了一份為期兩年的續約，而Covington 的合約也讓 他與球隊的核心Paul George 和 Kawhi Leonard 處在同一時間軸上。 然而，2022-23賽季對於Covington 來說，卻一點也不有趣。 在快艇總管Lawrence Frank 積累了大量的側翼球員後，總有人會處於不利的位置。在開 季的前兩周，Covington 仍在球隊的輪換陣容中，部分原因是由於球隊替補中鋒 Isaiah Hartenstein 離開，轉隊至紐約尼克。但在十月底，Covington 因確診短暫缺席後，他再 也沒有找到持續且穩定的上場時間。 At first, Covington understood the sacrifice he was asked to make. But things made less sense to him as the season went on. Covington was bracing to be traded in February, only for him to remain on the roster with Morris starting and Batum in the second unit. Even when Morris’ struggles persisted into the spring and George and Leonard would suffer season-ending knee injuries, Covington’s opportunities to play were sporadic at best. The result: only three games all season with at least 30 minutes, and only 19 games overall with at least 20 minutes. It was the fewest minutes per game (16.2) Covington played in a season since he was an undrafted rookie with the 2013-14 Houston Rockets. On this particular August day, Covington played at the invite-only pro pickup runs at UCLA facilitated by Rico Hines, who is now on Nick Nurse’s coaching staff with the Philadelphia 76ers. As trade talks come and go, Covington got to play with younger Clippers teammates such as Terance Mann, KJ Martin, Bones Hyland, Brandon Boston Jr., and rookie Jordan Miller against the likes of Toronto Raptors’ (Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes, Gradey Dick, Jalen McDaniels), Philadelphia 76ers’ (De’Anthony Melton, Paul Reed, Mo Bamba), and NBA G League Ignite. Also in attendance: Frank and 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey. 起初，Covington 能理解被要求做出犧牲。但隨著賽季的進展，事情對他來說變得越來越 不合理。Covington 曾在二月份做好了被交易的心理準備，但最終他留在了球隊中，而 Morris 繼續做為先發，Batum 進入替補陣容。即使Morris 掙扎的表現持續到了春天，加 上PG和Kawhi 也因膝傷而賽季報銷，Covington也只有零星的上場時間。結果就是：整季 只有三場比賽的上場時間超過30分鐘，19場比賽的上場時間超過20分鐘。本季場均上場時 間16.2分鐘，是他自從新秀賽季後，最少的一季。 在這個月，Covington 受邀參加了由Rico Hines在UCLA舉辦的比賽。Rico Hines現在是費 城76人隊教練團中的一員。在這比賽中，Covington 有機會和年輕的快艇隊隊友一起參加 比賽，如Terance Mann、KJ Martin、Bones Hyland、Brandon Boston Jr.以及新秀 Jordan Miller，對手包括多倫多暴龍隊 Pascal Siakam、Scottie Barnes、Gradey Dick 、Jalen McDaniels、費城76人隊 De’Anthony Melton、Paul Reed、Mo Bamba 和G League Ignite。同樣在現場的，還有快艇總管Lawrence Frank和76人總管Daryl Morey。 There was a time when Covington was worried about trade rumors and extra noise. The Clippers have a roster where the logjam at Covington’s position still exists, and if anything, it may be even more pronounced after the additions of Martin and first-round rookie Kobe Brown. But Covington and his young teammates played well together, winning five straight games to end the day at UCLA. Covington mixed in his usual game of catch-and-shoot 3s on offense and deflections on defense with some aggressive drives, including a baseline fadeaway that caught Siakam by surprise. It’s all a part of a summer for Covington that has included playing in the Nashville Pro-Am, running camps, and staying in top shape for his age 32 summer. In a one-on-one with The Athletic in LA, Covington spoke about where his focus is at right now, what he took away from last season, and how he intends to handle the upcoming season. 曾經有段時間，Covington 對於交易傳聞感到擔憂。而快艇隊的陣容和Covington的定位 仍陷於困局中，如果說有什麼改變的話，那可能在KJ Martin 新秀Kobe Brown加入之後會 更加明顯。 但Covington 和他的年輕隊友在這次比賽中表現得很好，連贏了五場比賽，結束了在UCLA 的一天。Covington 在進攻端展現他的傳球和三分球的技能，而在防守端則不斷進行干擾 ，同時也有一些積極的突破，包括一個在底線的後仰跳投，這讓 Pascal Siakam 感到很 意外。對於Covington 來說，這都是夏天的一部分。其中包括參加了 Nashville Pro-Am 聯賽和訓練營，並且保持著他的最佳狀態。 Covington 在洛杉磯接受The Athletic的一對一專訪中，談到了他目前的專注點、從上個 賽季獲得了什麼，以及他打算如何應對即將到來的賽季。 So you post on your stories a lot. And I’ve seen you working a lot this summer. I saw the one time you put the numbers up on the scale — like 228 or something like that. How do you feel physically right now? How do you feel about your game? I feel great. People been trying to get me to do a lot, put out a lot. Nah. We ’ll see this season. I got a vendetta. It’s a bigger chip on my shoulder. Not playing that much last year really put me in a place — all right. I got to force them. So, come back, do what I got to do. They say this is the mentality of, you know, come back strong, get better. That way, it won’t be none of that. Won’t be no issues of, whatever the case. … It’s the way the year went. It wasn’t how I expected, but I said it’s come back, go to the drawing board, and get better. 問: 你最近常在IG上發布動態。我看到你這個夏天訓練得很勤勞。我記得有一次看到你的 體重——大概是228磅或類似的數字。你現在身體狀況如何？你對比賽感覺如何？ Roco: 我感覺很棒。人們試圖幫助我，投入很多精神。這賽季等著看，我懷著復仇的心態 ，而我肩上的壓力更大了。去年沒怎麼打球真的讓我處於一種心態——好吧，我必須強迫 他們讓我上場。所以，回到球場上，做我應該做的事情。就是人們所說那種回來地更加強 大，變得更好。這樣，就不會有什麼問題了。不會有任何問題，無論是什麼情況......這 一年的發展不是我所期望的，但我說過，我會回來，重新開始，變得更好。 One of the things you were really open about when you got to the Clips in the first place was how you kind of got to be prepared for anything in terms of moves and whatnot. And you signed your extension. You had what your expectations were with the team before the way the year went. You’re in another contract year. You’ve been in this place in your career many times before. How do you feel like it’s different this time compared to all the previous times? It ain’t no difference. Only difference is that I didn’t play last year. I mean, that’s the only difference. I approach every chance, every opportunity like that —it’s no different. So my mentality don’t shift, I don’t get discouraged or anything. I got to do what I do. And I do what I do best. So I ’m never going to stray away. Never going to stray away from anything of that nature. I am going to be who I am, and that’s just what it is. 問: 當初加入快艇隊時，你曾經非常坦率地談到，你需要為可能的轉隊情況做好準備。接 著你續約了。在賽季的進行之前，你對球隊的期望是什麼。你現在又進入了合約年，之前 已經經歷過多次這種情況。你認為這一次與之前相比有何不同？ Roco: 沒有什麼不同。唯一的不同之處就是我去年沒怎麼打到球。我對待每一次機會的態 度都是如此，所以並沒有什麼不同。我的心態不會改變，我不會感到氣餒或其他什麼的。 我必須做我應該做的事情、做我最擅長的事情，所以我永遠不會偏離自己的本性並忠於自 我，就是這樣。 You’ve had a few months away from the end of the season. What do you kind of take away from last season and what kind of feedback did you get? I didn’t take nothing from last year. Last year didn’t go how I expected, so I didn’t take nothing from it. I just wash it away and start over, a new year. That’s just my mentality of it. … It’s nothing that could be talked about. I mean, I really haven’t had much feedback besides, you know, what I’ ve been doing now. I haven’t talked about last year. I’ve put that behind me and focused on right now and moving forward. That’s what it’s all about. Can’t dwell on what happened last year, whatever the case may be. It happened. So I’m just gonna wash, move forward. 問: 賽季結束幾個月了。你從上個賽季中有何收獲，你得到了什麼樣的反饋？ Roco: 我沒有得到什麼。去年的情況不如我所預期，所以我從中沒有得到什麼。我只是將 它遺忘，重新開始，進入新的一年。這就是我的心態……沒有什麼值得討論的。除了我現 在所做的事情之外，我真的沒有得到太多反饋。我沒有談論過去的事情。我已經把那段時 間拋至身後了，專注於當下和未來，就是這樣。不能一直固守著去年發生的事情，不管情 況如何。它已經發生了。所以我會將此忘掉，繼續前進。 How do you get ready for next year outside of the work that you’re putting in? I see you today, when you’re not in LA and everything. How do you kind of say, “I’m going to go in the camp with with the best foot forward?” I do it every year. I approach every summer. I approach every summer the same way. You know, my work ethic doesn’t change. I don’t go into no situation thinking like, “Oh, I’m going to do something differently.” Like, no. What I do in the season is what I primarily focus on. I do some more ballhandling and stuff like that in the summertime, playing off the ball, playing more pick and rolls on ball, doing a lot of different things. But that’s just pushing myself to a different area, a different limit. So just pushing myself. 問: 除了你正在投入的訓練外，你如何為明年做準備？ 當你不在洛杉磯，你又是怎麼想 的，仍會說「我要以最好的狀態進入訓練營」嗎？ 我每年都這麼做。我對待每個夏天的方式都是一樣的。你知道，我的工作態度不會改變。 我不會想著「喔，我這次要做些不同的事情。」我在賽季中做的事情，就是我主要關注的 事。夏天我會多做一些控球和其他一些方面的事情，比如說無球、擋拆，做很多不同的訓 練。但這只是將自己推向一個不同的領域、極限。只是在不斷地提升自己。 Have you gotten a chance to talk to T. Lue? No. 問: 你有機會和 Tyronn Lue談過嗎？ Roco: 沒有。 Do you think that conversation will happen at some point? If it do, it do. If it don’t, I won’t dwell on it. I focus on control, what I control, and I go out and do my job. Whatever happens, happens. I haven’t talked to T (Lue) since the season ended. 問: 你覺得你和Lue的對話會在某個時刻發生嗎？ Roco: 如果會，就會。如果不會，我不會過多思考。我專注於控制我所能控制的，然後去 做我的工作。該發生的事就會發生。賽季結束後我還沒有和Lue 談過話。 You’ve gotten to play with these young guys. KJ is here now. Jordan Miller, Kobe Brown. Like you got to play with them quite a bit today. What’s your takeaways from the new young guys? Man. Those guys are going to be special. I like Jordan’s tenacity, his pressure on defense, I like his cutting off ball. I like the plays and reads he made. The other guys came up here and played really well. You know, BB is starting to get better. Bones is getting better. KJ is athletic as hell. He’ s gotten so much better. It is great to sit up here and see them dudes sit up here and prosper. 問: 你和這些年輕人一起打過球了。KJ現在也在這裡。Jordan Miller、Kobe Brown。你 對這些新人有什麼看法？ Roco: 天哪。這些人會很特別。我喜歡Jordan的韌性和他在防守端給的壓力，我喜歡他的 無球移動。我喜歡他所做的戰術和判斷。其他的人在這裡表現得也非常出色。Brandon Boston Jr. 正在變得越來越好。Bones Hyland 也在進步。KJ的運動能力太驚人了。他進 步了很多。很高興能在這裡看著他們成長茁壯。 We’re not in camp until Oct. 2. What do you want to do between now and then in terms of enjoying your time in addition to getting ready for the season? Personally and professionally? I do my work, I go home, be a dad. You know, there’s some things that have been finally put in place with no interruption. You know, I just enjoy spending time with my little girl. And it’s all I focus on. Whenever I have her, that’s what it’s all about. I’m a father first, family man. My daughter is my world. So when basketball is out, once I’m done within those four lines. Basketball is off my mind. I go home and be a dad. When I have my daughter that’s my focus. I go home and be a dad? There’s nothing else. 問: 快艇要等到10月2日才會開始訓練營。在那之前，你在享受時光的同時，還要為新賽 季做些什麼準備？無論是在個人還是籃球方面？ Roco: 我會訓練，然後回家做一個爸爸。有些事，現在終於不會受干擾去做了。我喜歡和 我的小女兒共度時光，和她在一起，就是我所關注的事情。我是一個父親，顧家庭的人。 我的女兒就是我的全世界。所以當籃球結束，在我離開球場之後，籃球就不再在我腦海中 。當我和我的女兒在一起時，我的焦點就在那裡。回家，當個好爸爸，沒有其他事情了。 ---完--- 心得: 感覺這次訓練目的應該不單純 兩隊總管都到場了0.0 -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc), 來自: 118.161.236.3 (臺灣) ※ 文章網址: https://www.ptt.cc/bbs/NBA/M.1691814854.A.6C7.html