There was some logic¹ to bringing in Carmelo. Houston could use a bigger forward to share some burden for Harden and Paul, which would make their lives easier not only in the regular season but when they face elite² defenses in the playoffs. But Carmelo was never a well-rounded player even in his prime, hasn't been able to adjust his game to his declining athleticism⁴.

起初引进卡梅洛是符合逻辑的。休斯顿火箭队可以用一个更强力的前锋来分担哈登和保罗的一些负担，这不仅会让他们在常规赛打得更容易，而且能让他们在季后赛面对精英防守时也更轻松。但是，卡梅洛即使在他的巅峰时期也从来都不是一个全面的球员，现在也无法调整他的比赛风格来适应他不断下降的运动能力。

The 34-year-old can no longer beat defenders⁶ off the dribble⁷, and he's not reliable enough as a spot-up shooter or ball mover to be effective in a smaller role on offense⁸, and his poor defense³ makes him almost unplayable.

这位34岁的男人已经无法通过运球击破防守者，而且他作为一名定点投手或传球人也不够可靠，无法在更小的进攻端角色中保持效率，他糟糕的防守让他几乎无法保证上场时间。

D'Antoni has never liked going deep into his bench. Even at the height of the Seven Seconds or Less era in Phoenix⁹, he still didn't play more than seven or eight players. The early struggles of Carmelo and Carter-Williams only confirmed something he already believed.

德安东尼从来都不喜欢重用他的板凳球员。即使在凤凰城“七秒钟或更短”的鼎盛时期，他仍然没有让超过七八个球员打一场比赛。卡梅隆和卡特-威廉姆斯早期的挣扎只是让德帅进一步证实了自己的想法。

After a disastrous¹⁰ 98–80 loss in Carmelo's return to Oklahoma City last week, D'Antoni circled the wagons¹¹, cutting his rotation¹² to eight players and forgetting any idea of diversifying¹³ the offense. The Rockets, like a band who tried and failed to change their signature sound, went back to playing the hits.

在上周卡梅罗回到俄克拉荷马城以98 - 80惨败后，德安东尼开始严阵以待，将他的轮换减少到8名球员，忘掉了进攻多样化的想法。火箭队，就像一支试图改变他们的标志性声音却失败了的乐队，又回到了演奏热门歌曲的行列。

There's one dark cloud in the Rockets' suddenly bright forecast. It's not even Thanksgiving, and they are leaning on Paul more than ever. He's averaging more minutes (34.6) and shots per game (14.2) than last season, and his usage rate (24.0) is only half a percentage point lower.

火箭队突然稍显光明的预测中，仍有一片乌云。现在还不到感恩节，他们比以往任何时候都更加依赖保罗。他的平均上场时间( 34.6分钟)和投篮次数( 14.2次)比上赛季多，他的使用率( 24.0次)也只低了半个百分点。

The hope was that the Rockets could keep Paul in neutral for most of the regular season and ramp¹⁴ him up in the playoffs. Instead, they may have to run him into the ground just to get themselves back to where they were last season.

希望火箭能在常规赛的大部分时间里让保罗保持中规中矩的出场时间，并在季后赛中再重用他。可与此相反，他们可能现在就需要保罗全力以赴，只为让球队回到上赛季的状态。

Even beating the Warriors¹⁵ won't be enough to win a title. The Eastern Conference is tougher than it has been in a long time.

即使击败勇士也不足以赢得冠军。长期羸弱的东部，现在也越发厉害。

One of the keys to Houston's turnaround has been a few younger players who have thrived in more limited roles around Harden and Paul. Ennis, a 28-year-old journeyman on his fifth team in five seasons, has fit comfortably into Ariza's former role.

休斯顿火箭好转的关键之一是一些年轻球员，他们在哈登和保罗身边，角色有限但表现不俗。28岁的恩尼斯是一名5个赛季辗转5个球队的流浪汉，现在他已经很好地补充了阿里扎以前的角色。

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At 6-foot-7 and 210 pounds, he has the size and speed to match up with players at multiple positions, and he can knock down enough 3s (he's shooting 39.5 percent on 3.9 attempts per game this season) to keep the defense honest.

身高6英尺7英寸，体重210磅，他有足够的身高和速度与多个位置的球员对位，并且他可以刷下足够的三分球(本赛季他场均投篮3.9次，命中率为39.5 % )让对方防守人不敢小视他。

The whole point of paying Paul and Harden a combined $66 million this season is their ability to lift the games of guys like Ennis.

这个赛季付给保罗和哈登总共6600万美元的全部意义，就在于他们有能力提升像恩尼斯这些球员的表现。

All of the pieces in Houston now fit together. Harden and Paul take turns running pick-and-rolls with Capela, while Ennis and P.J. Tucker spread the floor and take the toughest assignments on defense.

火箭队的所有球员现在都一同互相适应了。哈登、保罗轮流和卡佩拉一起做挡拆，而恩尼斯和P . J .塔克则负责防守和拉空间，承担着最苦最累的任务。

Gordon brings scoring punch off the bench, with Gary Clark, an undrafted free agent on a two-way contract, and Isaiah Hartenstein, the no. 43 overall pick in the 2017 draft, filling out the rotation. Clark and Hartenstein, like Ennis, know exactly what is asked of them on both ends of the floor.

戈登也能从替补席站出来补充得分火力，而加里·克拉克则是一个双向合同中的落选秀，以赛亚·哈滕斯坦恩是2017年选秀中的第43名，他们填补了轮换。克拉克与哈滕斯坦恩，都像恩尼斯一样，之分清楚球队需要自己做什么。

Clark, who will likely have his contract converted, is a tough defender⁵ who can hit spot-up 3s, and Hartenstein has done just enough in his nine minutes per game as a backup center to keep Capela fresh.

克拉克的合同很可能转为保障，他是一名强硬的防守者，也能定点三分跳投，而哈滕斯坦恩作为替补中锋，在每场9分钟的上场时间里做了足够多的努力来给卡佩拉争取休息时间。

Houston doesn't have to make a move. It can hope to be healthy enough in June to take advantage of any drama or injuries in Golden State. It's hard to see the franchise¹⁶ standing¹⁷ pat, though. Rockets GM Daryl Morey is one of the most aggressive executives in the NBA, and the window to win while paying Paul $40 million a season will close soon.

火箭队不必轻举妄动。它可以希望在六月份足够健康，坐观金州勇士的种种内乱与伤病，以此作为优势。然而，管理层其实不太可能就这么按兵不动。火箭总经理达雷尔-莫雷是NBA中最具侵略性的高管之一，每个赛季付给保罗4000万美元的同时，赢得比赛的窗口也将很快关闭。

Carmelo was a low-risk gamble that didn't pay off, but that doesn't mean that Morey shouldn't try again. The Rockets have the pieces to be right there with the Warriors. They need one more to push them over the top.

卡梅隆是一场低风险的赌博，从中没有回报，但这并不意味着莫雷不应该再试一次。火箭队拥有能和勇士队一同对抗的的出色球员，他们只要最后一个拼图来把他们推向冠军之巅。