Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers Primed For New Challenges This Season

With the ink barely dry on Shannon Brown's new two-year contract, the Lakers roster for the upcoming season is just about set. Only contracts for LA's two second-round draft picks - Derrick Caracter and Devin Ebanks - are left to be arranged.

香农布朗两年合同上的墨迹已经挥发得差不多了，湖人队的大名单也终于快要尘埃落定。如今，只差两位第二轮选秀的德里克-凯瑞科特和德文-伊班克斯还有待商榷。

Now that everything is in place and speculation about possible moves and signings has given way to the reality of core players returning and new arrivals fortifying the bench, it would seem appropriate to ponder what the 2010-2011 season has in store for the Purple and Gold, with three big questions that Laker Nation had at the start of the offseason:

既然一切已经就位，核心球员回到了队伍，新球员加强了板凳力量，那么所有对下一步签约的猜测都没了意义，也让人自然而然地对2010-2011赛季全新的紫金军团提出到三个问题：

How might the physical health of the team affect its performance this year?

今年的伤病会给队伍带来多大的影响？

After three straight seasons of more than 100 games each and international offseason tournaments sprinkled in between (i.e. the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing), it would stand to reason that LA's current dynastic core of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, and Derek Fisher came into the summer with a fair amount of bumps and bruises, to say the least.

在打了三个NBA赛季每个赛季都是100多长比赛还有一些国际的巡回赛（e.g.2008北京奥运会）之后，湖人的主角们，科比布莱恩特、保罗加索、安德鲁拜纳姆、拉玛尔奥多姆和德里克费舍尔都在夏季出现了相当多的伤病情况。

Kobe and Bynum, in particular, suffered through some rather significant injuries. Like clockwork, Bynum's knee gave way during the Lakers' first-round playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Though not nearly as serious as the knee injuries he'd suffered in each of the previous two seasons, Drew showed some serious grit playing on a bum wheel to help the Lakers eek out a championship against the Boston Celtics.

特别是科比和拜纳姆，他们经历了几次重大的受伤。拜纳姆的膝盖在上赛季季后赛第一轮湖人对阵俄克拉马荷雷霆队的时候受伤了，尽管没有上两赛季那么严重，但他还是咬紧牙关坚持帮助湖人在总决赛艰难地拿下了波士顿凯尔特人。

Meanwhile, Kobe played a large chunk of the season with a broken pointer finger on his shooting hand...and was still arguably the best player in the NBA. Nevertheless, his busted digit has reportedly gone arthritic as a result of his decision to put off proper treatment until after the season.

同时，科比也拖着他受伤的投篮手食指打了整个赛季，但还是成为了联盟中最棒的球员。尽管如此，他的手指据报道因为他的一再拖延最终变成了关节炎。

That's not to leave out Lamar Odom. The Lakers' maddeningly inconsistent sixth man, who's spending the summer training with Team USA for the World Championships in Turkey.

当然我们不能忽略拉玛尔奥多姆。这位湖人为之发狂的不稳定第六人，在整个夏天里跟着美国国家队训练备战在土耳其举办的世锦赛。

On the brighter side of things, Bynum recently had arthroscopic surgery on his knee and should be fit and ready to go with plenty of time before the Lake Show starts its preseason schedule. While Kobe's finger may never be 100% healthy, chances are the rest of his body will never be either, after seven career Finals appearances in fourteen NBA seasons, though a summer off should grant him time enough to be fresh and ready for another title run.

幸运的是，拜纳姆最近完成了他的膝盖关节镜手术，可以在湖人季前赛之前康复。但是在经历了十四个NBA赛季七个季后赛之后，尽管有一个暑假时间可以让他好好休息恢复，科比的手指和身上其他受伤部位还是无法做到百分之一百伤愈。

Lamar, meanwhile, may not enter camp as well-rested as his weary teammates, but his experience as an elder statesman on a young and sprightly American squad will hopefully enhance his confidence and on-court leadership...at least more than Khloe Kardashian has.

同时，拉玛尔也许不能和他的队友一起参加训练营，但是他作为长辈以及首发的经验为他增加了更多的经验和场上的领导力，额…怎么说呢，至少比他的妻子科勒-卡戴珊多..

What will the Lakers' front office, led by GM Mitch Kupchak, do to fortify the squad for another deep playoff run?

由米奇库普切克带领的湖人管理层会如何加强大名单来冲击另外一个总冠军？

While the health of a squad is difficult to predict, especially over the course of a long and grueling schedule, the Lakers now, on paper, boast a much deeper, more versatile squad than either of the previous two title winners.

虽然在经历了一系列紧张激烈的长时间对抗后，队员的健康问题很难预测，但是现在的湖人队，拥有比夺得上两个总冠军时更加深厚，多样的阵容。

Knowing full well that he had to, at the very least, keep the Lakers' core intact, Kupchak bookended the team's dip into free agency by re-signing the old-but-invaluable Derek Fisher and the young-and-improving Shannon Brown, thereby assuring that Kobe would have both his trusty sidekick (Fisher) and a reliable back-up (Brown) for the long haul.

为了保证湖人的核心完整，库普切克在今年的自由市场中续约了两位球员，一位是虽然年老却价值连城的德里克费舍尔，另外一位是虽然年轻却潜力无限的香农布朗，这两份合同确保了科比可以在赛季开始后同时拥有一个可以信任的伙伴和一个可以依赖的后备队员。

In between, the team's brass upgraded the rest of the bench. First they replaced the Triangle-phobic Jordan Farmar, who bolted for the allure of backing up Devin Harris in New Jersey, with veteran stalwart Steve Blake. Blake, while hopping and bopping around the NBA landscape during his career, has proven to be a steady, professional point guard with a consistently solid shooting stroke wherever he's landed.

同时，队伍还调整了板凳的阵容。首先他们用史蒂夫布莱克替换了恐惧三角进攻，去新泽西给戴文哈里斯做替补的乔丹法玛尔。布莱克，尽管在他的职业生涯里一直在联盟中徘徊不定，但是时间证明了他是一个稳定的，专业的得分后卫，无论他在哪里都可以稳定地出手得分。

The saga continued with the surprise addition of Matt Barnes, the UCLA alum who seemed headed to Toronto before a sign-and-trade with the Magic fell through. Though Kupchak swung and missed in his pursuit of the feisty Raja Bell, he quickly recovered by landing Barnes. Barnes, like Bell, ranks among the few players in the NBA with the gumption to get in Kobe's face.
故事因为马特巴恩斯的加入而更加精彩，这位UCLA的校友在被魔术交易之前有想法要去多伦多。尽管库普切克失去了签约拉加贝尔的机会，但是他很快发现并签下了巴恩斯。巴恩斯和贝尔一样，位列少数积极向科比学习，和他一样有进取心的联盟球员中。

Of course, Barnes' merits go far beyond his attitude (or his "tat"-itude). He started consistently for a strong Orlando team last year, during which the Magic demonstrated their viability as a legitimate NBA championship contender. He has also established a reputation in the league as a hard-nosed defender and able shotmaker, though his "thug" image tends to overshadow his positive on-court contributions.
当然，巴恩斯的优点多多于他的态度。去年赛季初他效力于奥兰多魔术队，魔术在去年宣称他们一定要夺得总冠军。尽管巴恩斯的“流氓”形象给他出色的场上贡献减了不少分，但是当时他在联盟中被称作一个顽强的防守者，以及一个有能力的得分王。

Meanwhile, the Lakers quietly brought in veteran big man Theo Ratliff to fortify their front court. While perhaps not exactly the fan favorite that DJ Mbenga was, Ratliff has made a solid career out of playing solid defense and swatting back shots more than just occasionally.

同时，湖人队签下了中锋西奥-拉特利夫来加强前场实力。虽然DJ-姆本加不怎么受粉丝喜爱，但是拉特利夫却用他坚实的防守和瓦解后场进攻来塑造了他稳定的职业生涯。

And lest we forget that draft day wasn't ALL about LeBron. The Lakers did well to snag a couple of first-round talents in the second round. Though the NBA Summer League is far from a fully-functional proving ground, LA's picks–Ebanks, a Trevor Ariza clone in both appearance and playing style, and Caracter, a veritable "Big Baby" clone–both performed well enough to earn praise from scouts and observers around the league as well as contracts from Lakers management.

哦得了吧，交易日并不只是有关勒布朗的消息。湖人在第二轮选秀中抓住了第一轮选秀的优胜者，像阿里扎那样勤奋的伊班克斯和像大宝贝那样真实的凯瑞科特。他们俩表现出色，值得得到湖人管理层以及联盟中那些观察员的称赞。

All in all, these signings should make the Lakers a much deeper club, turning the second unit–last year's biggest weakness–into a potential strength. The additions of Blake, Barnes, and Ratliff should provide much-needed relief for the old (Fisher) and the ailing (Bryant and Bynum), thereby keeping the starters fresh for another deep and arduous run into June.

总的来说，这些合同可以让湖人队的实力更加深厚，使缺乏板凳实力这个去年最大的缺陷变成一股潜在的力量。

Though the draftees may not receive many meaningful minutes, they should get plenty of opportunity to prove themselves to coach Phil Jackson and the rest of the organization in practice and during "garbage time", at least enough so as to groom them to be future assets to the franchise.

也许这些板凳们无法获得太多的有意义的上场时间，但是他们有足够多的机会，在训练时也好在垃圾时间也罢，向菲尔杰克逊教练以及管理层证明他们自己的价值，至少在今后的交易中可以发展成有价值的筹码。

After three consecutive NBA Finals appearances, how will the Lakers stay motivated in the chase for another title?

经历了连续三年季后赛征程，什么还可以激励湖人队去再添一枚总冠军戒指呢？

Going into the season last fall, the Lakers' motivations were basically two-fold–integrating Ron Artest as the latest addition among new players on title contenders (Shaq joined Cleveland, Vince Carter was traded to Orlando, and 'Sheed signed on with the Celtics), and, obviously, defending their crown.

时间流回到上个秋天，当大鲨鱼加盟骑士，文斯卡特被交易至奥兰多，希德和凯尔特人签约来捍卫他们的戒指时，湖人队果断签下了罗恩阿泰斯特。

As evidenced by their newest Larry O'Brien trophy, those factors proved to be just enough to push Kobe and Co. to the 16th title in franchise history. Of course, a shot at redemption against the hated Celtics helped a bit as a motivator, too.

上赛季他们捧起拉里-奥布莱恩杯，那些因素足够可以推动科比和他的队伍去赢下球队历史上那第十六次总冠军。当然，能够击败夙敌凯尔特人完成救赎也是动力之一。

This season looks to be a whole different story.

而这个赛季得动力似乎完全不同了。

For one, according to Phil Jackson himself, this will be the last season for the "Zen Master." What better way for his adoring players to send him off on a motorcycle into the Montana sunset than with a 12th championship? Oh, and did I mention it'd be Phil's FOURTH three-peat? And that another LA victory parade would mean six titles in two different cities (Chicago and Los Angeles) for Phil?

首先，菲尔杰克逊自己说，这将是他，禅师，的最后一个赛季。难道让他可爱的队员们送他去蒙大拿州看日落比获得第12个总冠军还要好么？我是不是忘记说这将会是他的第4个三连冠？而且这一个湖人队总冠军游行意味着菲尔在不同的两个城市都获得了六个总冠军？

Of course, it would stand to reason that Odom, Bynum, Gasol, and Brown wouldn't mind being a part of a three-peat, for the second time in the cases of Kobe and D-Fish.

当然，我相信奥多姆，拜纳姆，加索尔，和布朗不会介意去赢得他们第一个三连冠，科比和老鱼去实现他们的第二个。

And I haven't even mentioned what's happened to the rest of the NBA this offseason!

等等，我好想忘记说在NBA季后赛那会发生了什么！

Before the Lakers can get back to the Finals, they'll likely have to contend with another deep pool of competition in the West, led by league-scoring-leader-at-21 Kevin Durant and his merry band of fellow talented youngsters in Oklahoma City. The same merry band who gave the Purple and Gold all they could handle in the first round of the playoffs this past postseason.

在湖人再次杀入总决赛之前，他们要和一大批西部劲旅竞争，其中包括联盟得分王21岁的凯文杜兰特和他充满活力的俄克拉荷马城。当然，紫金军团在过去的季后赛中顺利地拿下了这支出众的队伍。

Should the Lakers return to the Finals–and they're certainly favored to–they'll likely be challenged by either the SuperFriends–LeBron, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh–in Miami or the now-Shaqtastic Celtics, each of which are likely to divert plenty of limelight away from SoCal and back toward the East Coast.

如果湖人们再次回到了他们非常乐意回到的总决赛，他们将会被他们的超级朋友，迈阿密的勒布朗，德怀恩韦德和克里斯波什，以及现在的鲨鱼化的凯尔特人所挑战，任何一个人都有能力可以把聚光灯从闪耀的西部转向东部。

Now, Kobe may not be quite the hot dog that LeBron and Shaq have proven to be, particularly this summer, but, more than anyone else in the game today, he relishes new challenges. And there's no doubt that either option–defeating LBJ and his Sunshine Gang or (dare I say) stuffing Shaq with humble pie in the Finals–would do much to fuel the Black Mamba's competitive excellence and enhance his already-rich legacy.