[花邊] Horford:離開賽提主因是JT受傷和財務影響

Al Horford wasn’t planning to leave the Boston Celtics. He was happy there; his family was settled there after two separate stops and a combined seven years playing for the storied organization. But Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury changed everything for the Celtics. For Horford, it altered the course of his summer — and the end of his career. “I think that where Boston was as a team, even though I called them my home and everything was there for me, they just weren’t in a position to offer me the opportunity that I wanted,” Horford told The Athletic. For the 39-year-old Horford, who decided to sign with the Golden State Warriors in early October instead of coming back for another season with Boston, the decision was based on several key factors aside from Tatum’s career-altering injury. Al Horford原本不打算離開波士頓塞爾蒂克，他在那裡感到快樂，經過兩度效力累計七 年，他的家庭早已在那裡安定下來。但Jayson Tatum的阿基里斯腱傷勢改變了塞爾提克 的一切。對Horford來說，這改變了他夏天的走向以及他職業生涯的尾聲。 「我認為儘管波士頓是我的歸屬，儘管我稱它為我的家，但球隊所處的境地已無法提供 我所渴望的機會。」Horford接受《The Athletic》訪問時坦言。 現年39歲的Horford於十月初決定與金州勇士簽約，而不是回歸波士頓再戰一季，這項決 定除了Tatum這項足以改變職業生涯的傷勢外，還基於幾個關鍵因素。 “There was two things there,” Horford explained. “I think the financial part was a component, but more than that, it was the winning part of it, trying to contend for a championship. And I think there was a lot of things up in the air — and it just felt like they weren’t in the same, that same vision, obviously, because JT getting hurt, that takes a big toll. So I think at that point I really had to — up until then I was staying in Boston the whole time.” “I think once that offseason happened and it started to progress, it became clear to me the team had different priorities,” Horford said. “Obviously, getting rid of Jrue (Holiday), getting rid of Kristaps (Porzings). And I know it’s all salary stuff, but it was like a domino effect, and it was tough for me. It was a tough decision, but my wife and I, we prayed about it. I knew that it had to be something that was gonna be — that my family had to be on board with me for us to proceed in something like this. And that was it.” The Warriors provided the type of well-run team — and championship opportunity this season — that made the move smoother, and Horford thought he would fit within their mix of high-level veterans and younger players looking to make their own mark. Horford said at his opening news conference last week that he did not have a relationship with Warriors team leaders Stephen Curry and Draymond Green before signing with Golden State. But once it became clear that playing with the Warriors was a possibility, he started to get a recruiting pitch from both. Horford解釋：「有兩個關鍵因素。財務部分是其中之一，但更重要的是爭冠機會，能否 真正角逐總冠軍。我認為當時存在太多不確定性，而球隊的規劃顯然與我的目標產生了 分歧，畢竟Tatum的受傷對球隊影響巨大，在那個時間點之前我原本打算留在波士頓，但從 那一刻起我必須重新抉擇。」 「當休賽季開始並持續推進時，我逐漸意識球隊的優先事項已經改變。送走Jure Holiday 和Kristaps Porzingis我知道是薪資考量，但這就像骨牌效應，對我而言相當艱難。」 「這是個痛苦的決定但我和妻子為此祈禱。我知道必須獲得家人支持才能邁出這一步， 而他們確實與我同在。」 勇士隊完善的球隊體系與本賽季的爭冠機會，讓這次轉隊更加順理成章。Horford認為自己 既能融入資深老將的組合，也能協助年輕球員成長。 Horford在上週的加盟記者會透露，簽約前他與勇士Steph Curry、Draymond Green並無私 交，但當加盟勇士出現可能性時，兩人立即展開招募行動。 “Yeah, I had communication with them, with Steph and Draymond,” Horford said. “And that was important. It happened very fast because it was at a point where they came to me and they’re like, ‘Hey, we’d love to have you, ’ and all these things. And it was one of these things that, for me, looking at this fit and the potential, it just felt right. So them reaching out to me was important.” 「是的，我和Curry、Draymond有過交流，這至關重要。一切發生得很快，他們直接向我 表示：『我們真心希望你能加入。』當我審視球隊契合度與發展潛力時，一切感覺水到渠 成，所以他們的主動聯繫具有決定性影響。」 來源:https://reurl.cc/Qayx3p 心得:老將最後一拚