Howard Beck

It would not be in politics， despite his acute interest in the subject.

這份工作與政治無關(guān)，盡管他本人對政治有著濃厚的興趣。

It would not be a speaking tour， a surely lucrative but empty pursuit.

巡回演講也不行，這是一份誘人卻空虛的工作。

It would not be in coaching. Jackson seemed certain of that much， too. His mind was willing， but his body was uncooperative. Several surgeries lay ahead.

執(zhí)教也不可能了，杰克遜也相當明確這一點。他還有執(zhí)教的意愿，可他的身體已經(jīng)跟不上了。還有好幾場手術(shù)等著他。

One idea， broad and undefined， held the most appeal.

有一個想法，既宏大又模糊，但卻也最有吸引力。

“I think mentoring is something that Id be very comfortable doing，” Jackson told me over lunch in February 2011.

“我覺得指導別人是我非常想做的事?！?011年2月和我一起吃午餐時，杰克遜這樣對我說。

Mentor who？ Coaches， preferably， though coaches can be famously headstrong， Jackson noted.

指導誰？教練當然是最合適的。但杰克遜也明白，教練一向以頑固出名。

The seeds of a broader vision were evident， even then. Jackson wanted to share the wisdom he had accumulated over four decades in basketball. What form that might take， he wasnt yet sure.

即便在那時，他已經(jīng)開始考慮更長遠的問題。杰克遜想去分享自己在籃球界打拼40多年積累下來的智慧。但要用何種形式去分享，他還沒確定。

Now we know. Jackson， 68， is close to joining the New York Knicks as their top basketball executive， according to an NBA source. The Knicks PR department reported on Friday， March 14 that a "major announcement" is set for Tuesday， March 18. Per Marc J. Spears of Yahoo！ Sports， its expected that Jackson will be introduced in his new role with the team.

現(xiàn)在，我們知道了。根據(jù)NBA的消息，68歲的杰克遜即將加入紐約尼克斯隊，成為球隊的高層管理人員。3月14日，周五那天，尼克斯公關(guān)部門宣布，球隊在3月18日，也就是周二，將宣布一個重大決定。根據(jù)雅虎體育邁克·J·斯皮爾斯的報道，尼克斯會在這次發(fā)布會上宣布杰克遜在球隊的新職務(wù)。

This is the ultimate evolution of Jacksons mentoring impulse： to teach an entire franchise—indeed， the leagues most dysfunctional franchise—how to win. To impart all that he knows about team building， trust， strategy， training， preparation， work habits and， yes， Eastern philosophy. If any team needs a lesson in Zen， its the Knicks.

這就是杰克遜指導他人的終極階段：他要教會整整一支球隊——一支聯(lián)盟里最混亂的球隊——如何去贏球。他要把自己所有有關(guān)球隊建設(shè)、信任、策略、訓練、準備、工作習慣的知識傳授給他們，是的，這其中還包括東方哲學。如果說有哪支球隊需要學習禪道的，那支球隊就是尼克斯。

And no building needs a karmic cleansing more badly than Madison Square Garden， the worlds most toxic arena.

也沒有哪個球館比麥迪遜廣場花園球員更需要禪道的洗禮，這可是全世界中毒最深的球館了。

In Jackson， the Knicks are buying themselves a sheen of credibility， a stabilizing figure after 15 years of wild instability. They are also buying a new symbol of hope， something the Garden does almost annually.

有了杰克遜，尼克斯多了一份可靠，在15年瘋狂的不穩(wěn)定過后，杰克遜帶來了一份穩(wěn)重。尼克斯同樣還花錢買來了新的一線希望，幾乎每一年，麥迪遜廣場花園都會沉浸在這種希望中。

Some skepticism is understandable.

當然，也存在一些可以理解的質(zhì)疑。

Though Jacksons credibility is engraved in those 11 shiny rings， he has never run a front office. Yet isnt this the same path Pat Riley traveled， from coaching icon to exalted executive？ Didnt Larry Bird make a similar（and much quicker） leap from coach to team president？

憑借那11枚閃閃發(fā)光的戒指，杰克遜的可靠性毋庸置疑，可他從來沒在管理層任過職。但這不正是帕特·萊利走過的路嗎？從一個傳奇教練變身為頂級管理人？拉里·伯德不也是由教練變?yōu)榍蜿牽偛?，只是更快而已?/p>

The sharpest basketball minds find a way to channel their genius in whatever role they find. And Jackson is not seeking a traditional daily general manager job.

無論擔任什么角色，籃球界最敏銳的頭腦總有辦法發(fā)揮自己的才能。杰克遜想要的，也不只是傳統(tǒng)的總經(jīng)理職位。

T h e r o l e Jackson covets is best described as“philosopher-inchief.” He wants to set the agenda， to establish a culture and a values system， to identify the type of players and coaches a team should pursue， the offensive and defensive philosophies it should adopt.

杰克遜想要職位，最準確的描述應(yīng)該是“總思想家”。他想為球隊確定目標，確立一種球隊文化，確立一套價值體系，從而明確球隊應(yīng)該追逐的球員和教練，確定球隊應(yīng)當采納的進攻防守體系。

That could even extend to shaping the teams training regimen and its use of analytics—an area that fascinates Jackson， and one he would surely seek to bolster. （The Knicks lag far behind many teams in this area.）

這些當然也會延伸到整合球隊的訓練方式，以及球隊對數(shù)據(jù)分析的應(yīng)用——這是杰克遜相當感興趣的地方，他當然會加大對此的投入。（在這個領(lǐng)域，尼克斯遠遠落后于聯(lián)盟的很多球隊。）

Contrary to speculation， its unlikely that Jackson would attempt to do the job from his beach house in Playa Del Rey， Calif. Those who know Jackson best say he would not take a job like this without relocating. And there is no doubting Jacksons affection for New York—“a magical place to live，” he told me in 2011.

和之前的猜測不同，杰克遜不太可能坐在位于加州普拉亞德爾雷的海邊豪宅里指揮球隊。那些最了解杰克遜的人表示，他不可能在接受這份工作后又不搬家。我們也不用懷疑杰克遜對紐約的熱愛，他在2011年對我說過：“這是一個充滿魔力的地方?！?/p>

This much is also true： Jackson has no interest in getting cozy with agents， or poring over salary-cap minutiae or scouting college games. He will need a strong and experienced front office working with him. That might spell the end for Steve Mills， who was just hired as president and general manager last September. Mills is a savvy business executive， but he had never worked in basketball operations， and he has done nothing significant to date.

當然，下面要說的也是事實：杰克遜沒興趣和經(jīng)紀人稱兄道弟，沒空死摳薪金空間的細節(jié)，也沒空考察大學籃球比賽。他需要一個強大而有經(jīng)驗的管理層配合他。這意味著，史蒂文·米爾斯在尼克斯的日子要到頭了，而他在去年九月剛剛被聘為尼克斯的總裁和總經(jīng)理。米爾斯對商業(yè)管理很熟悉，但他過去從來沒涉及過籃球運營，而且到目前為止，他也沒做出什么值得稱道的操作。

Indeed， Jackson could conceivably overhaul the entire front office. Its hard to seem him coming out of retirement to be a distant figurehead， overseeing the same feckless crew of Garden loyalists and Creative Artists Agency① cronies.

杰克遜也確實可能對整個管理層做出大調(diào)整。很難想象，他放棄退休生活，就為了遠遠觀察球隊，看著過去那群無能的球隊管理層和CAA經(jīng)紀人操控球隊。

And its a safe bet that Jackson would not risk his reputation without getting strict assurances that he can work without interference from those same forces—and freedom from Dolans infamous media policies.

我們也可以很保險地預測，在沒有得到明確保證自己不會受到上述勢力影響的情況下，他不會冒著損害自己名譽的風險接下這份工作。這其中當然也包括不受多蘭著名的媒體政策的影響。

Donnie Walsh sought similar assurances before becoming team president in 2008. He resigned three years later， fed up with the incessant meddling by owner James L. Dolan and his advisers， including CAA （Creative Artists Agency） and the ubiquitous power broker William Wesley.

唐尼·沃爾什在2008年擔任尼克斯總裁的時候也曾經(jīng)尋求過這樣的保證。三年后，在受夠了球隊老板詹姆斯·L·多蘭、多蘭的顧問們包括CAA經(jīng)紀公司人，還有無處不在的大牌經(jīng)紀人威廉·韋斯利的干擾后，沃爾什宣布辭職。

Since then， CAA has only dug its tentacles deeper. The agency represents Carmelo Anthony， J.R. Smith， coach Mike Woodson， assistant general manager Allan Houston and director of player personnel Mark Warkentien. Wesley played a role in Mills hiring last fall.

那之后，CAA的觸角越來越長。CAA是卡梅隆·安東尼、JR·史密斯、主教練邁克·伍德森、助理總經(jīng)理阿蘭·休斯頓和球員主管馬克·沃克西恩的經(jīng)紀人。去年秋天，韋斯利在尼克斯聘用米爾斯的事情上也產(chǎn)生了作用。

And it was CAA， according to sources， that persuaded Dolan to make the ill-fated trade for its client Andrea Bargnani—over the concerns of the Knicks front office.

據(jù)某消息源表示，正是CAA勸說多蘭，在不顧尼克斯管理層擔憂的情況下，完成了簽約球員安德烈·巴格納尼這次不成功的交易。

“If （Jacksons hiring） breaks the stranglehold of CAA， I want it to happen，” said an agent who does business with the Knicks. “I cant see him in a million years working with them.”

“如果（聘請杰克遜）能打破CAA的束縛，我希望這事能成功。”一個和尼克斯有生意來往的經(jīng)紀人表示，“我完全看不出來杰克遜和CAA能合作下去?！?/p>

Jackson， a fiercely independent soul who has no ties to CAA， seems like the right man to break that stranglehold. He will certainly look to hire his own people—that is， assuming Dolan is finally ready to grant full authority to his top basketball executive， and get out of the way.

作為具有獨立精神且與CAA沒有任何聯(lián)系的人，杰克遜看上去正是那個能打破CAA束縛的人。我們能預期他聘用自己人——不過前提條件是，多蘭真的做好準備賦予自己的管理層全部自主經(jīng)營的權(quán)力，不再橫加干預。

And really， this is the key calculation for everyone： Has a decade of meddling and misery convinced Dolan that hes been doing this the wrong way？ That its time to try a different approach？ Has he noticed that he is the only NBA owner whose fans are staging a protest next week？

說真的，對所有人來說，這也是最重要的預判：過去10年對球隊的干預及由此帶來的后果，是否讓多蘭明白他做事的方法是錯的？現(xiàn)在該換種運營方式了？他是否意識到他是唯一一個有球迷針對示威活動的NBA老板？

If Dolan provides Jackson with the autonomy he needs， if Jackson proves as adept fostering a healthy office culture as he is at promoting a harmonious locker room， then the Knicks may yet have a ray of hope， and Dolan may yet find redemption.

如果多蘭賦予杰克遜想要的自主權(quán)力，如果杰克遜證明自己能像培養(yǎng)和諧更衣室氛圍那樣培養(yǎng)出健康的球隊文化，尼克斯也許真能迎來希望之光，多蘭也許真的能得到救贖。

It will be a fascinating culture clash： Dolans paranoid， iron-fisted autocracy vs. Jacksons free-spirited individualism. Dolan is intolerant of dissent and known for profanely upbraiding anyone who challenges him. Jackson is candid， unfailingly outspoken and headstrong. No one tells him how to run his team—or when he can speak to the media. Dolan isnt likely to be the first.

這將是一場令人激動的觀念對撞：多蘭那多疑而鐵腕的獨裁統(tǒng)治，與杰克遜自由主義的對決。多蘭容不下任何異議，所有人都知道他不會放過挑戰(zhàn)自己權(quán)威的人。杰克遜是一個坦白且不懼說出自己想法的人，而且桀驁不馴。沒人可以去教他如何管理球隊，或者何時該與媒體交流。多蘭也不會是打破這個規(guī)矩的第一人。

If this ends badly， as so many are predicting， it will only serve as fodder for another Jackson tell-all book. That alone should motivate Dolan to release his suffocating grip.

如果像很多人預測的那樣，這次合作以失敗收場，這件事不過成為另一個杰克遜自傳的素材。就因為這個原因，也能刺激多蘭放松他對球隊的控制。

Three years ago， as Jackson picked over his lunch at a Boston hotel， I asked whether he had any sentimental pangs about what would be his final trip to Madison Square Garden as an NBA coach. No， he said. Hes not the sentimental type. I asked about a possible reunion with the Knicks， the team that drafted him in 1967. Jackson demurred there， too. A front-office job？ “I cant see why，” he said， dismissively.

三年前，當杰克遜在波士頓的酒店里吃午餐時，我問他，以NBA主教練身份最后一次造訪麥迪遜廣場花園，他的情緒是否會有波動。他回答，沒有。他不是多愁善感的那類人。我問他有沒有可能和當初在1967年選中他的尼克斯再續(xù)前緣，杰克遜在這里遲疑了一下。管理層職位嘛？“我不知道為什么要做這件事?！彼敃r給出了否定的回答。

So， what then？

所以，之后呢？

“I think theres going to be opportunities that lead me in directions， and I hope I have the distinction to know how to move inside of those，” Jackson said.

“我覺得會有給我指引出方向的機會，我希望自己能清楚如何在其中做出選擇。”杰克森表示。

It was a perfectly Jacksonian response， sounding confounding and reasonable all at once. Sort of like deciding to work for the Knicks.

這是一個完美的杰克遜式的回答，既讓人迷惑，又讓人感覺合情合理。就像他決定為尼克斯工作一樣。