零起点上岗

Howard Beck

Steve Kerr was roaming Oklahoma City on Tuesday， near the midpoint of the U.S. map—a fitting position for the man who just became the center of the NBAs 2014 coaching pageant.

周二，史蒂夫·科尔漫步在俄克拉荷马城，这里几乎接近美国版图的正中央——对于这位2014年NBA教练争夺战的中心人物而言，这的确是一个恰如其分的位置。

Thirteen hundred miles to the northeast， Phil Jackson was lobbying Kerr to coach the New York Knicks. Thirteen hundred miles to the west， the Golden State Warriors were quickly assembling a candidate list， with Kerrs name near the top.

1300英里之外的东北方，菲尔·杰克逊正在说服科尔担任纽约尼克斯的主教练。1300英里之外的西边，金州勇士迅速列出了一份候选名单，科尔的名字排在非常靠前的位置。

Other teams are making inquiries， making Kerr the most popular target of the offseason， the first domino in the hiring cycle. To borrow a phrase from George Costanza①， its looking like the Spring of Steve.

还有其他球队在打听科尔的情况，这让他成了休赛期最热门的目标，也是备选主教练多米诺骨牌的第一张。借用乔治·克斯坦扎的一句话，如今就好像史蒂夫的春天一样。

We should mention here that Kerr， a color commentator for TNT， has never coached at any level.

在这里我们需要提醒一下，作为TNT的评论员，科尔至今没有任何执教经验。

We should mention， too， that no one seems altogether concerned about that.

我们还要提请各位注意的是，似乎没有一个人对此表达过忧虑。

That itself is a noteworthy development in NBA coach-hiring annals.

在NBA聘请教练的历史上，单单这一点就值得关注。

Last summer， the Brooklyn Nets were second-， third- and fourth-guessed for choosing Jason Kidd as their head coach， just weeks after he retired as a player.

去年夏天，布鲁克林篮网在是否聘请贾森·基德担任主教练时就反复了多次，那时距离基德结束球员职业生涯只过去了几周时间。

Three years ago， the Warriors raised eyebrows by plucking Jackson—with zero bench experience of any kind—from his comfy seat in the commentator booth.

三年前，当勇士找来当解说正开心、且毫无指教经验的杰克逊时，也引来了不少争议。

Fourteen years ago， it was Doc Rivers， jumping from TV analyst to Orlando Magic head coach， who raised the doubts and concerns.

十四年前，那时是道格·里弗斯从电视评论员成为奥兰多魔术主教练的时光，他也曾引来了怀疑和担心。

But Kerr？ The discussion is focused solely on where he will coach， not whether he can.（Kerr， who was in Oklahoma City to call the Thunder-Clippers series， declined to comment for this story.）

科尔呢？现在所有的讨论只集中在他会去哪里执教，而不是他有没有能力执教。（在俄克拉荷马城解说雷霆对快船系列赛的科尔拒绝对此发表评论。）

There are a lot of factors in play here—including a universal high regard for Kerr in NBA circles—but the most significant might be this： Experience is no longer considered an absolute prerequisite.

这其中掺杂了很多因素——NBA圈内人普遍对科尔有很高的评价——而最重要的一点则是：经验已经不再是决定因素。

The emerging new view： Find a strong leader with high basketball intelligence and great communication skills， and they will find a way. That model also applies to the Celtics bold decision last year to hire Butlers Brad Stevens， who did have head coaching experience， but none at the NBA level.

联盟当下正在成为主流的新观点是：找一个篮球智商高、并且有超强沟通能力的领袖，他自然会找到办法。这一模式同样适用于去年凯尔特人聘请巴特勒大学的布拉德·史蒂芬斯，史蒂芬斯确实有执教经验，但他却没有执教过NBA球队。

"I think it allows people to look a little broader than they once did，" Nets general manager Billy King said. He nevertheless cautioned， "I think each situation is different.”

“我想这让人们有比过去更开阔的眼界，”篮网总经理比利·金如是说道，不过之后他还是比较谨慎地表示，“我觉得每个情况都是不一样的。”

Still， the fact that Kerr has become this years hottest candidate speaks to how quickly things have changed.

尽管如此，科尔成为今年最热门的候选人还是说明了事态的变化之快。

Credit Kidd， Rivers， Mark Jackson and Larry Bird for nudging along that evolution of thought.

这种观念的转变要归功于基德、里弗斯、马克·杰克逊和拉里·伯德。

Bird guided the Indiana Pacers to the Finals in 2000， just three years after becoming head coach with no prior experience.

伯德在2000年把印第安纳步行者带进了总决赛，那时他才执教了三年，而且之前没有任何经验。

That same season， Rivers went from heavily scrutinized rookie coach to Coach of the Year for coaxing a .500 record out of a thoroughly anonymous Magic team. Eight years later， Rivers took the Boston Celtics to the championship， cementing his place among the NBAs elite.

同样的原因，里弗斯从一个被放在显微镜下观察的菜鸟教练，变成了把一支名不见经传的魔术带成胜率超过五成的年度最佳教练。八年后，里弗斯带领波士顿凯尔特人拿到了总冠军，确立了自己NBA顶级教练的地位。

Kidd looked overmatched in the fall， but he recovered quickly， earned two Coach of the Month awards and now has the Nets in the second round of the playoffs.

去年秋天，基德看上去不堪一击，不过他很快就恢复了，并赢得了两次月最佳教练的荣誉，而篮网现在也打进了季后赛第二轮。

And Jackson？ Well， he was fired Tuesday—apparently for alienating the entire Golden State front office—but he did mold the Warriors into an elite defensive team and preside over their best season in 20 years.

至于杰克逊？好吧，他在周二被解雇了——显然整个勇士管理层都站在了他的对立面，但他确实把勇士打造成了一支防守强队，而且带队打出了20年来的最佳成绩。

You can fault Jackson for his uninspired playbook. You can make the case that he still has much to learn， as any young coach does. But Jackson has proven himself a capable bench leader， and he probably wont be unemployed for long.

你可以因为杰克逊不怎么出色的战术而责怪他，你可以说他还有很多要学的，就像任何年轻教练那样。但杰克逊已经证明自己是一位称职的球队领袖，他失业的时间想来也不会太长。

That the Warriors would pursue Kerr， whose resume today is nearly identical to Jacksons in 2011 （player-turned-commentator， no coaching experience） underlines how quickly things have changed.

勇士也会追求科尔，科尔今天的情况和2011年的马克·杰克逊非常相似（都是球员转电视评论员，没有执教经验），这也进一步强调了当下的形势变化之快。

Then again， some of the Kerr phenomenon is attributable solely to Kerr. He has been analyzing the game on TV for eight of the last 11 years， so his aptitude， insight and sharp mind have been on display for some time. He is immensely personable and well networked among team executives， coaches and players.

需要强调的一点是，科尔现象有一部分还是要归功于科尔本人的。过去11年，他有8年在电视台做比赛解说，所以他的才能，他对比赛的深刻见解和敏锐的思维已经在公众面前展示了一段时间。他非常受人喜欢，在球队管理层、教练和球员之间也有着极好的人缘。

Kerr also spent three seasons as general manager of the Phoenix Suns， so he is well versed in team operations. His championship experience as a player—three rings with the Chicago Bulls， two with the San Antonio Spurs—only enhances Kerrs standing as a winner. He has learned from two of the greatest coaches of all time， Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich.

科尔还在菲尼克斯太阳做过三年总经理，所以他很熟悉球队的操作流程。球员时期他的总冠军经历——包括和芝加哥公牛三次赢得总冠军，和圣安东尼奥马刺两次赢得总冠军——只会进一步提升科尔作为胜利者的形象。他有两位历史上最伟大的教练做自己的导师，菲尔·杰克逊和格雷格·波波维奇。

So while Kerr is unproven， few doubt that he has the right makeup for the job.

所以，即便科尔还没有证明自己，也不会有人质疑他是否适合教练工作。

The most difficult decision here is the one Kerr will make. Although multiple teams have reached out to Kerr， NBA sources say he is focused strictly on the Warriors and the Knicks， each with a unique set of pros and cons.

最艰难的决定，其实要由科尔来做。尽管很多球队都接触了科尔，但有消息源表示，他的兴趣只集中在勇士和尼克斯，这是两支特点和缺点都很突出的球队。

The allure of working for Phil Jackson， Kerrs longtime friend and mentor， is strong， according to associates of both men. Kerr knows he has much to learn， and having Jackson nearby would be a huge comfort. The New York stage is always a draw.

据和科尔、菲尔·杰克逊都有联系的人表示，对能为自己长久以来的朋友和导师菲尔·杰克逊工作，科尔非常向往。科尔知道自己还有很多要学的，无疑，有杰克逊在身边，这将是巨大的便利。而且，纽约的这个大舞台也一直很有吸引力。

But if Kerr wants to contend immediately， the Warriors offer a much better opportunity—a roster that just won 51 games， and a backcourt tandem （Stephen Curry， Klay Thompson） that ranks among the NBAs best. The Warriors are young， talented and brimming with potential.

但是，如果科尔想立刻带领球队成为总冠军竞争者，勇士则会是更好的选择。他们的阵容刚刚赢下了51场比赛，后场组合（史蒂芬·库里和克莱·汤普森）也在NBA排名前列，他们年轻、富有天赋，未来更光明。

The Knicks rotation is aging， flawed and locked in place for another year. They will have cap room in 2015， but their franchise star， Carmelo Anthony， could leave as a free agent this summer. （Kerr has never been a big fan of Anthonys game， in any case.） The specter of James Dolan， the meddling， ham-handed Knicks owner， always looms as a concern.

尼克斯阵容则是老化、有缺陷的，而且未来一年也不会有大变化。他们在2015年会得到薪金空间，但球队招牌球星卡梅洛·安东尼今年夏天却可能以自由球员身份离开。（科尔一直不是特别喜欢安东尼）此外，爱插手球队管理的老板詹姆斯·多兰，始终是一个威胁。

Then again， the Eastern Conference is so weak that the Knicks could jump back into playoff contention with just a few tweaks. The West， by contrast， is stacked with great teams， and the Warriors expectations are so high that they just fired a coach who won 98 games the last two years.

但是，东部联盟实在太弱，尼克斯只需要一些小改动就能重回季后赛。相比之下，西部却是强队云集。勇士的期望值也非常高，他们刚刚炒掉了一个在过去两个赛季总共为球队赢下了98场胜利的教练。

There are personal considerations in play， as well. All three of Kerrs children are in California—a daughter attending Cal and two sons in San Diego （one in high school， one in college）， where the family lives. When Kerr left the Suns in 2010， it was largely because he felt he was missing too much time with his family.

同样，这其中还掺杂了一些私人考量。科尔的三个孩子都在加州，女儿在加州大学读书，两个儿子住在圣迭戈（一个上高中，一个上大学），他的家也在这里。2010年科尔离开太阳时，其中很大一部分原因在于他感觉自己错过了太多和家人在一起的时光。

With two kids in college， Kerr has said he is now ready to return to the NBA grind. But he strongly prefers to stay close to home， according to sources.

两个孩子上大学后，科尔才说他做好了重回NBA的准备。但据消息源表示，他非常希望能离家人更近些。

Wherever he ends up， Kerr will present the next fascinating case study， the next test of how much experience matters on the bench. Twelve years ago， George Karl， then coaching the Milwaukee Bucks， bemoaned the quick elevation of Rivers and made the case that coaches are better off working their way up， after spending time as an assistant. It is a belief still held by most in the coaching profession.

无论最终在何处落脚，科尔都将成为下一个完美的研究案例，通过他来研究执教经验是否重要。12年前，那时还是密尔沃基雄鹿主教练的乔治·卡尔曾经对里弗斯的快速转变颇为不满，他说教练最好是一步一步来，他们先要做一段时间助理教练。这种想法至今在教练领域仍是主流。

"Steve Kerr， I think， is a very good basketball guy，" Karl， who is now working as an ESPN commentator， said in a telephone interview.

“史蒂夫·科尔，我觉得是个非常好的篮球人。”现在在ESPN担任评论的卡尔在电话采访里表示。

"Very good. Very talented brain. Very good instincts. A championship pedigree. But every young player， and I really feel every young coach， has a growing-up period. Some guys will do it in a year. Some guys will take two.”

“非常好，非常聪明，有非常好的直觉，他有冠军经验。但就像年轻球员一样，我真心觉得年轻教练也需要成长的过程。有些人需要一年，有些人需要两年。”

Karl added， "I think Steve knows enough about an 82-game season that he understands it. But living it is totally different than understanding it. And New York， the heat in the kitchen is way higher.”

卡尔补充道，“我想史蒂夫完全理解82场比赛是怎么回事，但以此为生和理解完全是两回事。还有纽约，那里压力实在太大了。”

Everyone in the NBA who knows Kerr—which is to say， most of the NBA—views him as engaging， intelligent， affable and a skilled communicator. As a TV analyst， he ranks among the best.

任何在NBA里认识科尔的人——其实也就是大多数NBA从业者，都把他视为一个投入、聪明、亲切且高水平的沟通者。在电视解说行业里，他就是最好之一。

A great coach？ We dont know yet. Kerr doesnt know yet. But were going to find out pretty soon.

他是否是好教练？我们现在还不知道。科尔自己也不知道，但我们很快就会知道了。