虽然太阳本赛季战绩不佳，排在倒数第二，但他们却把球场装扮地光鲜亮丽，好似已经夺冠了一般。走入托金思迪克度假酒店球馆的长廊，球迷马上会被球队浓厚的历史氛围所震撼。

　　There are photos of Suns legends Steve Nash and Charles Barkley; quotes from the likes of Winston Churchill and John Wooden are plastered on the walls;

　　首先映入眼帘的是太阳名宿的照片，有史蒂夫-纳什和查尔斯-巴克利；长廊的墙壁上印着温斯顿-丘吉尔和约翰-伍登的名言；

　　and across from the Suns locker room, there’s a picture of the Larry O’Brien Trophy next to the words "ONE GOAL." That’s what they’re missing: In 49 years of existence, the Suns have never won a title.

　　在更衣室对面的墙上，高悬着拉里-奥布莱恩杯的图案，旁边写有一行字——“同心同德”。这正是太阳朝思暮想的奖杯：建队49年以来，太阳从未登顶。

　　When you enter the Suns locker room, you see an image of a pyramid with five words written in it: family, mindfulness, momentum, joy, and love.

　　走进太阳的更衣室，你便会发现，那儿有个“字金字塔”，里边写着几个词：家、明、勤、乐、仁。

　　"We’re obviously trying to build a championship team and you need a lot of talent—you need versatility, skill—but I think you also need selfless individuals who are willing to sacrifice for the greater good," Suns general manager Ryan McDonough told me last week in a room at the Suns arena. "We’re trying to build something that’s conducive to success over time, and it starts with a lot of those qualities."

　　“我们的目标自然是打造一支王者之师，这不仅需要球技精湛、天赋出众的球员，更重要的是愿意为球队无私奉献，愿意为大局而牺牲小我的精神。”太阳总经理，莱恩-麦克唐纳接着对我说道：“如果说我们构建的是万丈高楼，那些品质便是百尺根基。”

　　It’s head coach Earl Watson’s job to bring that institutional philosophy to life on the court. Watson was hired as interim coach in the middle of last season after the team fired Jeff Hornacek.

　　贯彻落实太阳特色社会主义的重担，自然而然地落在主教练厄尔-沃特森的身上。太阳在上赛季中期炒掉杰夫-霍纳塞克，沃特森随后走马上任。

　　His transition from player to coach happened fast: Watson played 13 seasons in the NBA, spent one year as an assistant coach with the Spurs’ D-League team in 2014–15, started the 2015–16 season as a Suns assistant, and finished it as head coach.

　　沃特森从球员转变为教练的速度超级快，在NBA度过13载球员生涯后，于2014-15赛季担任马刺下属球队的助教，2015-16赛季初被太阳任命为助教，随后成功上位出任主教练。

　　Watson told me he tried to take in everything he could from his one year with the Spurs. "I’ve always said culture doesn’t come from a player. It comes from those in leadership: management, ownership, and coaching.

　　沃特森告诉我，在马刺待的一年中，他像海绵一样吸取知识。“一直以来我都认为，塑造球队的文化不是某个球员，而是高层，是老板、经理、教练。”

　　Culture is important, but talent wins games; that’s why the Suns haven’t made the playoffs since 2010 and don’t appear to be anywhere close to them now. But while the players develop—and make no mistake, the Suns have several interesting, high-upside young pieces—a culture can be installed.

　　球队文化固然很重要，但赢球还得靠天赋；这正是太阳自2010年来缺席季后赛，眼下战绩不佳的原因。目前太阳就有几个潜力巨大的好苗子，随着球员的成长，爱队主义思想教育要及时跟上。

　　That’s where the Suns are now—they are rebuilding, in almost every sense of the word. And the franchise brain trust isn’t shy about it.

　　太阳正在重建，球队的智囊团对此毫不隐瞒。

　　"You can’t say, 'I’m gonna get talented players to play like Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Tim Duncan,' even if the skills are similar," Watson said. "You have to build it, which means you have to gut it and put in a solid foundation with character over talent."

　　“没人能说‘我要球星像托尼-帕克、马努-吉诺比利、蒂姆-邓肯那样打球’，即使技术风格类似也办不到。”沃特森接着说道：“玉不琢不成器，一定要灌输并反复强调‘团队大于天赋’的理念。”

　　McDonough knows this isn’t the most fan-friendly period in team history. "We appreciate the support. We appreciate the patience," McDonough said. "It’s a painful process. … It takes time and it’s something I think is hard—organizationally, it’s hard; as a fan, everybody wants to win."

　　麦克唐纳知道，眼下是太阳队史一个的低谷，这是球迷所不乐意见到的。“我们很感激球迷的支持、理解和耐心，”麦克唐纳说道。“这是个痛苦的过程……需要时间。对管理层和球迷来说，这是段艰难的日子，又有谁不想赢球呢？”

　　The Suns want to be the Spurs, but they are much closer to the stage the Sixers found themselves in last summer: rebuilding with a group of young players that may or may not fit together, and managing the expectations of a frustrated fan base longing to get back to relevance.

　　太阳希望成为像马刺那样的队伍，可如今却更类似于76人去年的处境：手上有一群年轻人，但能不能磨合成功还是未知数；还有急切盼望成功的球迷。理想很丰满，现实很骨感。

　　This is a story about youth. With nine players age 25 or younger, Phoenix’s future will be decided by the kids on their roster—whether they pan out in the desert or are flipped for established stars.

　　太阳队有9名25岁以下的球员，他们能否成功通过亚利桑那沙漠的试炼？能否一飞冲天与日月争辉？无论如何，这是场青春风暴，他们才是菲尼克斯未来的主人翁。

　　But it’s an Arizona story, so it also features senior citizens (at least in basketball terms). The Suns have intentionally surrounded their young players with seasoned vets.

　　但别忘了，这儿可是亚利桑那，老头子的数量可不少。

　　Phoenix’s older players don’t hog the ball and are strong locker room presences. "We’re not running a charity here, but … they can show the young guys how to play and add to that culture," McDonough said.

　　太阳有意召集了一批久经沙场的老将辅佐、指引年轻球员。“我们这儿当然不是养老院，但老将可以传授比赛经验，建立球队文化，”麦克唐纳说道。

　　McDonough calls Devin Booker "the ringleader" of the young players. He’s also the franchise’s cornerstone. Or, he is until someone better comes along. Booker turned 20 years old last October and he’s averaging 21 points per game this season.

　　麦克唐纳非常器重德文-布克，将他视为建队基石（至少目前如此）并称他为年轻人的“首领”。布克在去年10月才满20岁，场均得分却高达21分。

　　That’s rare; per Basketball-Reference, the only players in league history to average that many points in a season before turning 21 are LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Shaquille O’Neal, Kyrie Irving, and Carmelo Anthony. That’s a list of top-three picks, all current or future Hall of Famers.

　　这太罕见了，在21岁前单季场均得到21分的球员只有勒布朗-詹姆斯、凯文-杜兰特、沙奎尔-奥尼尔、凯里-欧文和卡梅罗-安东尼。无一例外，上述球员不是状元榜眼就是探花郎，都是要进名人堂的大佬。

　　But Booker wasn’t a top pick. He went 13th in the 2015 draft. "I look around the league (at) a lot of people in my draft class or the class this year, and they’re doing the normal rookie duties: sit on the bench the first few years, play spot minutes," Booker said to me after a Suns shootaround.

　　而布克呢，他只不过是15赛季的13号新秀。“看看最近这两届新秀吧，大多数球员中规中矩地走常规路线：从替补打起，没有稳定的出场时间。”布克在一次投篮训练后对我说道。

　　"But I have a coaching staff and organization that trusts me. … I know I have a great opportunity, so every day I’m trying to work hard."

　　“但球队和教练组信任我，一直委以重任。我知道这是千载难逢的好机会，定不负众望，撸起袖子加油干。”

　　McDonough told me that during predraft workouts, the Suns run prospects through drills that are designed to test skills they might be uncomfortable with. For Booker, it was ballhandling. He’s pretty comfortable now.

　　麦克唐纳告诉我，太阳在试训的时候，特意考察了参选人不擅长的技术。对布克来说嘛，这自然是持球了，而眼下这已经不是他的短处啦。

　　德文布克

　　This season, his most-used play is the pick-and-roll, and while he isn’t particularly efficient, scoring just 0.77 points per possession, he is getting reps. "You can’t ask him to be great without first giving him the opportunity to fail," said Watson.

　　本赛季，布克最常用的武器是挡拆。虽然效率不算出色，每回合仅得0.77分，他还是获得了肯定。“失败是成功之母嘛。”沃特森表示。

　　The Suns are developing Booker into a combo guard by giving him the freedom to experiment. Right now, he’s getting by on feel; his handle still isn’t airtight, and his first step doesn’t allow him to blow by his man.

　　海阔凭鱼跃，天高任鸟飞；太阳给布克足够的空间去自由发展，希望把他培养成双能卫。布克现在还是得靠感觉过人；运球还不够流畅，第一步爆发力也不够强。

　　"It’s about keeping him in good habits," Dudley said. "He’s at a point now where he’s picked up to a whole new level where he’s ready to contribute every night."

　　“重点是养成好习惯，”杜德利说道。“他像是突然开窍了一样，每场比赛都能做出贡献。”

　　When it comes to shooting, Booker’s level is already pretty high, showing a deft touch at unloading 3s over the top of the defense

　　而谈到投射嘛，布克的水平不知高到哪里去啦，迎着防守也能投得倍儿准。

　　Booker is developing hesitation tricks to snake to the middle of the floor, and he likes to use his 6-foot-6 frame to keep his defender on his back or create space for quick pull-up jumpers. For a player who struggled with scoring at the rim in college, Booker is quickly developing a presence in the paint.

　　布克正在学习如何利用快慢步：先用节奏突破到中距离，再靠6尺6的身躯制造干拔跳投的机会。这招另对手头疼不已。大学时期，布克不擅长在油漆区得分，但他在NBA却很快变得存在感十足。

　　Though Booker rarely had pick-and-roll opportunities in college, his distribution was impressive. Now, in the pros, under the tutelage of the former point guard Watson, he’s developed that part of his game further.

　　虽然布克在大学时不常打挡拆战术，但传球能力却依然不容小视。而到了NBA，在后卫出身的沃特森的调教下，布克的传球能力得到进一步提升。对年轻球员来说，布克的视野极佳，

　　Whether it’s timing a pocket pass, seeing the lob, or handling re-screens, Booker is showcasing solid vision for a young player. He’s also able to fire off-the-bounce lasers to spot-up 3-point shooters.

　　不论是掌握口袋传球的时机，还是找空接的机会，又或者在多次挡拆后找到在空位的队友，他都样样在行。在吸引包夹后，布克还能把弹药送到定点炮兵的手上。

　　Booker looks like an All-Star in the making, and Suns brass are hoping for similar development from their other young players.

　　布克正走在通往全明星的大道上，太阳希望别的年轻人也能如此。

　　Phoenix drafted Dragan Bender with the fourth pick last summer, and then traded up to the eighth pick to grab the equally raw yet enticing prospect Marquese Chriss. Bender and Chriss are very different players.

　　在去年夏天，菲尼克斯分别用用4、8号签摘下令人垂涎的璞玉——德拉甘-本德尔、马基斯-克里斯。本德尔和克里斯球风迥异。

　　Bender is a 7-foot-1 big man with guard skills; he can shoot 3s and handle, and has a high basketball IQ. Chriss, a 6-foot-10 forward out of University of Washington, lacks experience and feel for the game, but he’s an athletic specimen who jumps like he’s wearing rockets for sneakers.

　　本德尔，高七尺一寸，球商过人，身兼后卫之技，能持球能射三分。克里斯，高六尺十寸，华府大学出身，虽初入江湖涉世未深，却凭借高超的轻功闯出一番天地。

　　They share two key traits: versatility and raw upside. The Suns passed on more NBA-ready players like Kris Dunn and Buddy Hield in favor of long-term projects. These picks were a declaration of the team’s intentions to build for the future rather than the present.

　　他俩有个共同点：技术全面，天赋出众。太阳没有选择像克里斯-邓恩、巴迪-希尔德这种已经做好来NBA准备的球员，而是打算做长期投资。这两次签约也表明了太阳的决心：着眼于未来，而非当下。

　　If Booker is the franchise’s future cornerstone and Chriss and Bender are long-term projects, then what does that mean for their current best player, Eric Bledsoe? McDonough acquired Bledsoe from the Los Angeles Clippers for Dudley and a second-round pick in 2013.

　　如果说布克是球队的基石，克里斯和本德尔是未来的希望；那么，目前队内最出色的球员，埃里克-布索又扮演着什么样的角色呢？在2013年的时候，麦克唐纳送走杜德利和次轮签，从快船得到布莱索。

　　Bledsoe is a V4, but the team needs a V6. He’s a good-but-not-great point guard who still pounds the air out of the ball. And while his offense has accelerated, his once-elite defense has regressed. Ideally, Bledsoe is a championship team’s third- or fourth-best player, not the go-to guy.

　　作为一名控卫，布莱索在水准以上，但还不够出色；虽然进攻进步不小，防守却有所下滑。太阳需要的是一台V6发动机，而布莱索顶多是台V4。他是争冠球队理想的三当家，而非老大。

　　The Bledsoe situation is one of several questions McDonough will have to resolve in the coming months. This is a crucial period in his tenure.

　　对麦克唐纳来说，眼下正是关键时期，除了布莱索的未来，他还得解决别的难题。

　　The product on the court is ugly; the Suns have the league’s second-worst record, third-worst defense, and 10th-worst offense. Some fans understandably lack confidence in the McDonough-Watson tandem.

　　摆在他面前的是太阳在场上稀烂的表现：战绩倒数第二、防守倒数第三、进攻倒数第十。很自然的，部分球迷对麦克唐纳-沃特森二人组信心不足。

　　Watson might preach about love and togetherness like a 1960s singer-songwriter and McDonough might sell potential, but on the court the players don’t share or take care of the ball. The Suns are last in assist-turnover ratio, last in assist percentage, and last in potential assists, per NBA.com.

　　沃特森像毛概老师一样，嘚不嘚啵扯个没完；麦克唐纳呢，还是靠吹嘘天赋和未来。理想很丰满，可现实很骨感，球员在场上总处理不好球：太阳的助攻失误比倒数第一、助攻比倒数第一、潜在助攻也是倒数第一。（数据来自NBA.com）

　　The slow path is always more likely than the fast one, though. I talked with Watson multiple times over my week in Arizona, and nearly every time he referenced his playing days with Kevin Durant.

　　说实话，平稳较快的发展道路要更实际些。在亚利桑那的那个星期里，我和沃特森有多次交流，他总是提起自己和杜兰特一起打球的日子。

　　Watson told me he reminded his players that Durant won 20 games as a rookie, then 23 in his second year, and then 50 in year three. The point was that the growing pains they’re going through now won’t last forever.

　　沃特森时常和球员分享杜兰特的例子，他在第一年只赢了20场，第二年略有进步赢了23场，等到第三年才迎来飞跃——胜场数暴增至50！他要传达下信息很明确：成长的痛苦和青春的烦恼都是暂时的。

　　McDonough cites Golden State and how the team struggled for Steph Curry’s first three seasons before exploding on the scene once it added more young talent and savvy vets like Andrew Bogut, Andre Iguodala, and Shaun Livingston.

　　麦克唐纳以勇士为目标，希望能复制他们厚积薄发的成功模式——用安德鲁-博古特、安德烈-伊戈达拉、肖恩-利文斯顿等一干老将辅佐年轻俊才，再静待库里成长三年。

　　The Suns are hoping that Booker is their Kris Bryant. Epstein was fortunate enough to have the Cubs ownership buy in, and that’s what McDonough needs for the chance for it to work in Phoenix.

　　太阳希望布克能成为克里斯-布莱恩特那样牛逼的球员。艾普斯坦很幸运，因为管理层买他的账，这也正是麦克唐纳所需要的。

　　Neither McDonough nor Watson would ever use the word "tanking," but it certainly seems like that’s what is happening this season. They need time to hit rock bottom and then hope fans and ownership give them time to bounce back.

　　虽然沃特森和麦克唐纳都从未提及“摆烂”二字，但太阳本赛季好像就是这么干的。要想反弹，他们先得触底，但这需要管理层和球迷的支持。

　　"The Suns have been in existence 49 years and haven’t won a championship," said McDonough. "We figured it was time to try something a little bit different."

　　“太阳建队49年，却仍为染指总冠军，”麦克唐纳说道。“我们认为，是时候玩点新花样了。”