双轨时代

Michael Scotto

Two-way contracts werecreated with the hope of givingmore players jobs， strengtheningthe relationship with the G Leagueand team affiliates， increasing payand more， but was it a success in theeye of those involved？ It depends onwho you ask.

双向合同的设立初衷，是希望为球员提供更多工作机会，强化发展联盟球队与母队的联系，增加球员收入。但在参与其中的人眼中，双向合同的试验是成功的吗？这取决于提问的对象。

For players， a two-waycontract represents a foot in thedoor to living their dream full-timeat the NBA level with the caveatof a burdensome travel schedule.For executives， two-way playersrepresent the opportunity to find adiamond in the rough and developcheaper and younger talent for thefuture. For agents， the two-waycontract can offer their clients lessopportunity and more obstaclesthan advertised.

对球员来说，双向合同意味着一只脚迈入全职在NBA打球这个梦想的大门;但其中隐含的一个问题，繁重的旅行。对管理层来说，双向合同意味着找到璞玉的机会，为未来培养廉价的年轻天赋。对经纪人来说，双向合同并非如宣传的那样，只能为客户提供更少的机会，制造更多的障碍。

NBA teams are allowed upto two players under two-waycontracts. Those players spend thebulk of the season in the G Leagueand a maximum of 45 days withtheir NBA team. Those playersare paid a corresponding dailysalary based on the number ofdays they play in each league. Onlyplayers with four NBA seasons ofexperience or less can sign two-waydeals， which can be for either oneor two seasons. A player has to beactive for one day to get credit for ayear of service.

NBA球队最多可以拥有两名双向合同球员。这些球员赛季大部分时间在发展联盟度过，最多可以在NBA球队停留45天。这些球员根据在两个联盟打球的天数，按照日工资获得相应的报酬。只有在NBA效力时间不多于四年的球员可以签双向合同，双向合同的时长为一年到两年。想获得一赛季的NBA履历，球员必须至少有一天在NBA处于激活状态。

While two-way contractsgenerally go to young playerswith potential upside， some olderplayers with overseas experiencetook advantage of the opportunity.C.J. Williams， who previouslyplayed in Greece， Italy， France，and the former D League， earneda two-way contract at 27 with theClippers.

盡管双向合同大部分归属拥有上升潜力的年轻球员，但也有一些有着海外职业经验的老球员抓住了这个机会。曾经在希腊，意大利，法国和发展联盟打过球的CJ·威廉姆斯，就在27岁时和快船签下了双向合同。

"It's a dream come true， to behonest，" Williams said. "I alwayswanted to play in the NBA andget an opportunity. It's not exactlyan NBA contract， but at the sametime I get an opportunity， and that'sall I can ask for， and I've just beenenjoying every moment of it， butI know my work isn't done. I can'tbe satisfied with just a two-waycontract， I have to work to progressto get more."

“说实话，这就是梦想成真。”威廉姆斯说，“我一直想在NBA打球，想得到一个机会。严格来说这不是NBA合同，但与此同时我得到了机会，这就是我想要的一切。我真的很享受每一个瞬间，但我知道自己的工作还没完成。我不能只满足于双向合同，我需要继续努力得到更多。”

Williams admitted it was"weird" to play for two differentteams technically， but played wellenough to force the Clippers togive him a multi-year contract withsome guaranteed money.

威廉姆斯承认，为两支球队打球是一种“怪异”的感觉，但如果足够优秀，他就能让快船送上一份带有部分保障的多年合同。

Williams was eventuallywaived and signed a two-way dealwith the Minnesota Timberwolvesfor this season.

威廉姆斯最终被快船裁掉，他在本赛季与森林狼签下了双向合同。

Former Rockets two-wayguard Markel Brown， 26， used thetwo-way contract as an opportunityto return to the NBA. The formersecond-round draft pick played twoseasons for the Nets before spendingone season in Russia with BCKhimki. After making substantiallymore overseas in Russia， Brownreturned to the States with the hopeof making the NBA again.

前火箭队双向球员，26岁的马克尔·布朗，将双向合同看作重返NBA的机会。这个二轮秀在篮网打了两赛季后，又在俄罗斯的希姆基队打了一年。布朗的海外生涯大部分在俄罗斯度过，回美国后，他希望能再次进入NBA。

"On the court， I feel like foroverseas there is a lot of competitiondepending on what league you're in，depending on what team you go andplay for， it's a lot of competition，"Brown said. "There are a lot of guysthat used to be in the NBA that areoverseas now， and I think it's great.

“球场上，我觉得竞争的压力取决于你在哪个联赛，效力什么球队以及对手，海外联赛的竞争是很激烈的。”布朗表示，“有很多曾经在NBA打球的人现在在海外打比赛，我觉得这很好。”

"Going overseas， being ableto make some money to be able totake care of your family， but I thinkstaying in the States and playingin the G League is also good aswell. You've got great coaches inthe G League who are constantlypreparing you for their affiliateteam， so I think both are great onthe court. Off the court， for me，being in Russia the language， food，traveling around trying to ventureout and see new things versus beingin the States it's just like beinghome， so I think it opens up youreyes and makes you more thankfulfor what you have around you."

“去海外打球能賺钱养家，但我觉得留在美国，在发展联盟打球也很好。发展联盟有很优秀的教练，他们一直让你为加入母队做准备，所以我觉得在篮球方面，这两种选择都很好。篮球之外，对我来说，在俄罗斯，无论是语言，食物，四处旅行能看到新事物，相比美国，我觉得这能打开眼界，让你更珍惜身边的一切。”

Brown played four gamesfor the Rockets last seasonbefore signing in Turkey for theupcoming season.

布朗上赛季为火箭打了四场比赛，随后在新赛季与土耳其球队签约。

"I think it's great for a lot ofyoung players who are on the cuspto making rosters，" Brown said. "Ithink it was great for me being thatguy， coming back from injuries andtrying to continue to fight to getinto the NBA."

“我觉得对很多接近进入大名单的年轻球员，这是很不错的选择。”布朗说，“我觉得这对我来说也很好，我受伤之后想要继续拼搏重返NBA。”

In addition to inconvenienttravel plans on a moment's notice，some agents worried about thephysical toll their clients enduredand lack of sleep as formerBrooklyn Nets two-way playerMilton Doyle noted.

除了接到通知需要立刻动身的不方便旅行计划外，一些经纪人担心自己的客户身体上会承受更多压力，睡眠时间也会减少，正如前篮网双向球员米尔顿·多尔说的那样。

"It gets crazy sometimes justbecause you never know whenyou're going to get the call，" Doylesaid. "Somebody might get hurtor be sick or anything. You mightget a call at twelve， one， or two inthe morning and they tell you thatyou've got to fly out at 6：00 in themorning. The flight， just to get tothe airport — especially in NewYork — is crazy traffic and thena flight. It just takes a toll on yourbody with whatever traveling you'redoing."

“有时候会变得很疯狂，因为你不知道什么时候会接到电话。”多尔说，“有人会受伤或者生病。你可能在凌晨12点，1点或2点接到电话，对方说你得在早上6点坐飞机赶来。特别是在纽约，去机场的交通太痛苦了，接着还有航班。不管什么样的旅行都会对身体产生影响。”

These are the types of tripsplayers will endure for that NBAdaily paycheck， and even pass ona mother's home-cooked meal， asDetroit Pistons two-way playerReggie Hearn explained.

为了获得NBA级别的薪水，球员愿意忍受这样的旅行，有时甚至会放弃妈妈做的饭，活塞的双向球员雷吉·赫恩做出了解释。

"There was one where we hada game at Grand Rapids at sevenand Detroit had a game in Detroit atseven，" Hearn said. "At 3：45 I got acall saying that I needed to come toDetroit and I think that was to playMiami. I think at the last second，one of the guys was a no go， so Stan（Van Gundy） wanted to make surehe had an extra wing on the bench，so I packed up all my stuff in 15minutes. My mom was at my houseready to go to the game that nightat Grand Rapids. I had to tell her，‘Hey， sorry.' She made some chili，and mom makes some bomb chili（laughs）. Then we got in the car，and as we pulled away they decidedthat the roads were too bad， so I waswith Jon Phelps， our GM， so we justended up heading straight to thegame in Grand Rapids. I thought Iwas going to Detroit and making aheck of a lot more money that day."

“有一次我們在大急流城有场7点的比赛，活塞在底特律7点也有场比赛。”赫恩说，“3点45时我接到一个电话，让我去底特律，那场比赛是打热火。我觉得是在最后一刻，他们有球员不能不上场了，所以斯坦（范甘迪）希望板凳上有额外的侧翼球员，为此我15分钟就打包好了行李。我妈妈当时在我家，准备那天晚上去看大急流的比赛。我只能跟她说，'嘿，对不起。'她做了些辣味的饭，我妈做辣的东西特好吃。开车后我们被拦下了，因为路况太差了，最终我和总经理乔·菲尔普斯一起只能改道去了大急流城的比赛。那天我以为自己能去底特律挣一大笔钱。”

Quinn Cook may have beenthe biggest winner of the two-waysweepstakes. He began the seasonas a two-way player for GoldenState， averaged 9.5 points and 2.7assists in 33 games played duringthe regular season， signed a multiyeardeal with the Warriors andwon a ring. For each executive，Cook offers hope that a two-wayplayer can become a component tosuccess.

奎恩·库克可能算是双向合同的最大受益者。他先是成为勇士的双向球员，在常规赛的33场比赛里拿到9.5分2.7助攻的场均数据，接着和勇士签下多年合同，最终赢得了一枚总冠军戒指。对球队管理层来说，库克就是双向球员能够成为胜利拼图的希望。

"I like having another youngplayer under our control to develop，and it allows for more flexibilityand bodies to work with ouryounger roster players duringdevelopment work，" an EasternConference general manager said."I don't like that the 10-day talentpool is more diminished for teams."

“我希望拥有一个受自己控制的年轻球员，在培养的过程中我们可以有更大的灵活性，年轻球员可以得到更多锻炼机会。”一个东部球队的总经理表示，“我不喜欢10天短合同的球员池越来越小的情况。”

Along the lines of theexecutive's point regarding thedilution of talent for the 10-daypool， agents are hesitant to the newtwo-way idea of locking a playerinto one team for the season. Inthe past， their client could earn acall-up to a team that had a morepressing need and playing timereadily available.

除了管理层以为10天短合同球员越来越少的说法外，经纪人也对双向合同将一名球员锁定在一支球队一个赛季的做法存在犹豫态度。过去，他们通常可能赢得更有需求球队的召回，并能立刻获得上场时间。

Some two-way players suchas Jalen Moore （Bucks）， BronsonKoenig （Bucks）， Yakuba Ouattara（Nets）， Eric Griffin （Jazz） andMichael Young （Wizards） neverplayed a minute in the NBA.Several other players appeared infive or fewer games while on twowaycontracts for their NBA team.

一些双向球员，如贾伦·摩尔（雄鹿），布朗森·科尼格（雄鹿），亞布巴·奥特洛（篮网），埃里克·格里芬（爵士）和迈克尔·杨（奇才）从未打过一分钟NBA的比赛。另一些双向球员在NBA只出场过五场或更少的比赛。

"Teams previously couldaccess all the top players in the GLeague if they needed or wantedto，" another agent said. "Now they'revery limited. If a team needs tocall up a point guard， they will notbe able to call up the best pointguard in the G League since he'slikely locked in on a two-way withsomeone else."

“如果有需要或者想要，球队过去可以找到发展联盟的所有顶尖球员。”另一名经纪人说，“现在他们受限了。如果有球队想招名控卫，他们不会找到发展联盟最好的控卫，因为他可能已经和别的球队签了双向合同。”

Looking ahead， some agentssuggested changes to improvethe two-way system. Multipleagents said they want the leagueto eliminate multi-year， two-waydeals and limit the number of twowaycontracts a team can use perseason.

展望未来，一些经纪人建议做出改变，改善双向合同体系。多名经纪人希望联盟取消多年双向合同，取消限制球队每个赛季可以签下双向球员的数量。

"Teams like Milwaukee andHouston had at least four differentguys on them （two-way contracts）said. "They are not being used for'development' players. They're beingused as a way to circumvent the capand a free （no cap hit） insurancepolicy against injury."

“一个赛季里，雄鹿和火箭拥有至少四名（双向）球员。”一名经纪人说，“双向合同没有被用来‘培养球员，它们只是被用来规避工资帽，这是对受伤球员的一种免费保险（还不触及工资帽）。”

Multiple agents also said theybelieve late second-round picksare being selected partly due toa willingness to take a two-waydeal and it could become a trendgoing forward. In last year's draft，Shake Milton （54）， Thomas Welsh（58）， George King （59） and KostasAntetokounmpo （60） all signedtwo-way contracts.

多名经纪人还表示，他们认为二轮末段的新秀之所以被选择，是因为他们有接受双向合同的意愿，这可能在未来成为趋势。去年的选秀中，谢克·米尔顿（54），托马斯·威尔什（58），乔治·金（59）和科斯塔斯·安德托昆博（60）签的都是双向合同。

Overall， if you're a fringeNBA player coming out of college，looking for a second chance in theleague or preferring to remain inthe States instead of going overseas，the two-way contract gives you achance to make an impression ona team over the course of a seasonand become a full-time NBAplayer. In the process， you'll enduredifficulty with travel schedules. Ifyou're an executive， you can usemultiple two-way players such asthe Rockets and Bucks last seasonto save money against the salarycap， try out reclamation projectsfor an extended time and finda difference maker such as theWarriors with Cook. If you're anagent， it's imperative to correctlyplace your client with a team thatwill prioritize development， offer achance to play and as concise travelplan as possible.

总的来说，如果你是一名刚离开大学的NBA边缘球员，想寻找进入联盟的第二次机会，或者不想去海外想留在美国，那么双向合同能为你提供一个在赛季过程中给球队留下印象的机会，让你有可能成为全职的NBA球员。在这个过程中，你要忍受艱苦的旅行安排。如果你是管理层，你可以像上赛季的火箭及雄鹿那样，使用多名双向球员以规避工资帽的现实，在较长的时间里尝试不同球员，像勇士找到库克那样找到一个与众不同的球员。如果你是一名经纪人，那么让客户进入一支强调球员发展，提供上场机会，且旅行计划尽可能简单的球队就非常重要了。