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B/R Exclusive: Jalen Brunson Dishes on Dallas Exit, Defying Critics
BR專訪:Jalen Brunson分享離開達拉斯、反擊批評者

The New York Knicks acquired a player last offseason with the perfect
temperament for the Big Apple market, and one who has emerged as one of the
best at his position.

No matter the obstacles, the criticisms or the disrespect, Jalen Brunson does
not get rattled.

"It's kind of been the story of my career," the point guard told Bleacher
Report in an exclusive interview over the phone Thursday night. "Ever since I
stepped foot in high school, it's, 'Yeah, Jalen's good, but he's just not
that guy.' I've never got my props until I accomplished something. It's very
repetitive, but I know what I'm getting myself into. Proving people wrong is
not what gets me going. Unfortunately, it's something that I have to go
through. I'm not bothered at all by it."

紐約尼克在上個休賽季簽下了氣質與大蘋果市場完美相符的球員，而他也成為了該位置最
好的球員之一。

無論遭遇到了多少困難、批評或不尊重，Jalen Brunson從未擔憂過。

"這些事情在我的生涯中經常發生。自從我在高中打球後，都會有人說'對，Jalen打得很好
，但他就不是最棒的那個人'。我從沒在我達成任何成就前得到任何尊重。這些不斷地發生
，但我知道我處在什麼處境。證明其他人是錯誤的並不是我的動力。但不幸的那卻是我必
須做的事情。不過我並未因此感到困擾。"Brunson在星期四晚上接受BR電話專訪時言道。

In his first year with the Knicks since signing his four-year, $104 million
contract, Brunson made a leap that not many envisioned. With Brunson as the
point guard running the show, New York (42-33) is fifth in the Eastern
Conference, and Brunson is averaging career highs in points (23.8), assists
(6.2) and steals (0.9) per game as well as three-point percentage (41.1).

Those enhanced statistics positioned him firmly in the Most Improved Player
conversation, which is ironic considering how much scrutiny came with Brunson
leaving the Dallas Mavericks to sign that colossal contract.

Pundits pronounced that the Knicks overpaid and said he was nothing more than
a middle-tier point guard. Combined with the Knicks' hiring of his father,
Rick Brunson, as an assistant coach a month before 2022 free agency and the
tampering investigation that followed— resulting in New York losing a
second-round pick in 2025 for engaging in contract dialogue before the start
of free agency—many believed Brunson wasn't worth the hassle.

在他與尼克4年104M合約的第一年中，Brunson達成了不多人遇見的進步。作為紐約主控，
Brunson帶領尼克打出了東區第五(42-33)的戰績，且他個人也交出場均得分(23.8)、助攻
(6.2)、抄截(0.9)與三分球命中率(41.1)皆為生涯新高的成績單。

這些進步的數據也讓他進入了最有進步球員的討論中，這也顯示了他當初為了大約而離開
獨行俠的批評有多諷刺。

許多專家說尼克開給他過大的合約且說Brunson只是個中庸的控球。綜合尼克因為在2022自
由市場開市前一個月僱用了他的父親Rick Brunson作為助教以及緊接其後造成尼克損失
2025一隻二輪籤的違規招募調查，許多人認為Brunson並不值得這樣的代價。

"It's impossible not to hear the [naysayers]," Brunson told B/R. "But I do my
best to not let that drive me now because at some point, I know I have the
ability to prove people wrong. I really don't want to just use it as
motivation. My motivation is just to go out there and be the best player I
can be every single day. That's how I've always been. It's how my parents
raised me. You can't listen to what people say, good or bad. You got to stay
level-headed. It's kind of a blessing in disguise for me because it keeps me
working, it keeps me going, it keeps me hungry."

Brunson說:"不可能不聽那些酸言酸語的，但是我必須做出最大的努力來推動自己因為我知
道在某個時間點我會有能證明大家是錯的的能力。我不想要讓他只是我的動力而已。我的
動力是要每天成為最好的我。這也是我一直在做的事。這也是我父母教導我的。你不能在
意其他人說的話，無論是好是壞。你需要昂首挺胸。這隱隱之中對我來說應該是一種好運
因為它讓我持續努力、持續前行、保持飢渴。"

Not to mention, he was an All-Star snub.

"I think my parents might have been more mad than me," Brunson said.

Constant critiques that have been associated with the 26-year-old guard are
that he's not the greatest athlete and he's not one of the fastest in the
backcourt. Those concerns are why he was a second-round pick at No. 33,
drafted by the Mavericks in 2018.

The 6'1" guard has excelled with his intellect, misdirection of angles, the
use of his body to get to his spots, a lightning first step and a stop-and-go
hesitation dribble that keeps defenders off balance. Those capabilities are
mentioned infrequently.

"I think it motivates my parents more than it motivates me because when I
hear from them, they're like: 'You heard that? What are you going to do about
it?'" Brunson said. "I'm going to continue to be me and continue to do what
I've been doing. All the talk about what I can't do or what I don't [deserve]
definitely doesn't go unnoticed, I'll say that."

更不用說，他成了全明星賽的遺珠。

Brunson說:"我覺得我的父母可能比我還要氣。"

這名26歲的後衛一直遭受到他不是最好的運動健將與最快的後衛之類的質疑。這些疑慮也
造成了他2018年一直落到第二輪33順位才被獨行俠選中。

這名身高6呎1吋的後衛武器有他的球商、角度的誤導及身體的控制能力來到他舒服的位置
、迅速的第一步以及讓防守者失去平衡的假晃運球。這些能力並不常被提及。

"當我聽到這些時，這些影響我的父母甚至比我還多。他們就像是'你聽到了嗎?你要為此做
出些什麼嗎?'我只是要繼續做我自己並繼續做我在做的事。那些說我我不行或是我不應得
的言論不會被埋沒，我只會說這些。"

Mavs Exit
離開小牛
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The question of what Brunson deserves didn't begin in New York; it came up in
Dallas, too, which ultimately led to his departure.

"I can't say anything bad about Dallas," Brunson told B/R, "but obviously I
wish things would've happened differently."

那些對Brunson不值得的質疑並非從紐約而起;這些在達拉斯就已經開始了，且這最終造成
了他的離開。

Brunson:"我不會說達拉斯的壞話，但我絕對希望這些事情可以有不一樣的結果。"

Prior to the 2021-22 season, he was eligible for a four-year, $55.5 million
extension. It was an offer Brunson's camp would have accepted if the
Mavericks made it, sources tell B/R. In January 2022, his representatives
tried to initiate dialogue on getting a deal done, but the Mavericks resisted.

Brunson began cementing himself as the second-best player on the team behind
Luka Doncic And after the February trade deadline, the team contacted
Brunson about agreeing to the same four-year, $55.5 million extension Dorian
Finney-Smith had just signed. At that point, it was clear that the guard's
value in free agency would be worth exponentially more if he tested the
market.

在2021-22賽季前，他符合簽下一紙4年55.5M延長合約的資格。這也是Brunson方只要獨行
俠提供便會點頭的方案。2022年一月時，他的經紀人嘗試與獨行俠達成這項協議，但獨行
俠拒絕了。

隨後，Brunson在2月交易大限後鞏固了自己作為球隊除了Luka Doncic以外最佳球員的角色
。獨行俠隨後聯絡了Brunson並希望他同意同一張4年55.5M並與Dorian Finney-Smith同等
價值的延長合約。但在這個時候，Brunson的價值早就已經指數性的成長並在自由市場可以
獲得遠大於此的合約。

Brunson recalled how the matter played out.

"There were two times that I thought we had offers on the table before the
season, and then around, I think December or January, they looked the other
way," Brunson said. "They had every right in the world to do so. I don't
blame them for making any business decisions. That's on them."

He was complimentary of his time in Dallas.

"At the same time, I respect them," Brunson told B/R. "They brought me into
this league and jump-started my career. Business is business. My four years
in Dallas were special. When I first got drafted there, I had that mindset of
seeing myself being there for a very long time. My vet at the time, J.J.
Barea, he taught me so much and he was there for such a long time. I wanted
that role of being with the Mavericks for the long haul of my career. I truly
loved that place. As I continued to get older, I got better, and I got more
opportunities to showcase my game.

"Both coaching staffs I had there were amazing. Jason Kidd helped unlock
something in me that I didn't think would happen that fast. I was growing as
a player, but when the playoffs hit, he pushed me to a new level. It was
great there. The whole organization and the city of Dallas was special to me
and my family. Those four years were amazing."

Brunson回憶起這些事情是如何發生的。

"有兩次開季前我認為我該拿到我的合約但在大約12還1月時，他們想法變了。他們當然有
權利這麼做。我不責怪他們做出商業決定，這是他們的責任。"

他對於他在達拉斯的日子是相當滿意的。

"同時，我尊重他們。他們帶我進入了這個聯盟並開啟了我的生涯。商業就是商業。我在達
拉斯四年的時光很特別。當我被選中並第一次去那裡時，我就想要讓自己待在這裡非常久
。當時帶我的老將J.J. Barea教導我非常多的東西並花了很多的時間帶領我。我想要花我
生涯很多的時間來扮演我在獨行俠的角色。我真心愛這個地方。隨著我年紀漸長，我變強
了，我也獲得更多機會來展示我的球技。"

"兩組教練團都非常棒。Jason Kidd解鎖了我一些東西並讓我比預期還早開竅。我作為一個
球員時有成長，但當季後賽來臨時，他把我推向了另一個層級。在那邊很棒。整支球隊與
整個城市對我與我的家人都非常特別。這四年非常精彩。"

Settling In New York
定居於紐約
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All that remains for the Knicks before the postseason are seven
regular-season games. Brunson says it's too soon to reflect on his season and
how far he's come.

But he made an attempt.

"I knew I had the opportunity to be where I'm at, but it did happen pretty
fast," Brunson said. "I thought we had a good chance of doing something
special as a team, and we're continuing to do so. Personally, it's always
been a goal of mine to be an All-Star, but I never would allow for my
individual goals to trump my team goals. I want to win. And if I'm helping my
team do that, all the individual awards will come into place when it's that
time. We got to the point where I was in the conversation to be named an
All-Star. I was very honored, but I think if I win more, I'll get that
opportunity. I'd love to be there."

在尼克的季後賽開始前只剩下7場例行賽。Brunson說要對這個賽季下結論還太早了。

不過他嘗試了。

"我知道我有機會可以達到我現在所處的位置，但這一切來得好快。我認為我們有機會可以
作為一支隊伍帶來特別的東西，而我們也持續在努力。我認為，全明星一直都是我的目標
，但我絕對不會讓個人目標影響我的團隊目標。我想要贏球。且如果我能幫助我的團隊達
成目標，我認為個人的獎賞也會隨之到來。我到達了進入全明星的討論之中。我感到非常
光榮，但我覺得我們如果贏了更多，我遲早可以得到這個機會。我也樂意得到這些。"

At the start of the 2022-23 NBA season, former Brooklyn Nets stars Kevin
Durant and Kyrie Irving represented New York as the elite basketball pillars.
With both since migrating to the Western Conference, Brunson, the player
least expected among the two franchises' notables, is holding it down for New
York and its heralded guard history.

In such a short time, he's filling some big shoes and is comfortable doing so.

"Sandra and Rick Brunson raised me to always be a leader and never be a
follower," Brunson said. "I was always taught to finish what I started.
They've always instilled that mindset in me to be a person who doesn't back
down from a challenge and to be someone who steps up. When it comes to facing
adversity, my parents have helped me so much to keep me right mentally. It's
how they raised me, and it translates to the basketball court. It's a
blessing from them."

2022-23賽季開始前，前布魯克林籃網球星Kevin Durant與Kyrie Irving代表了紐約籃球的
精英巨星。在他們兩個都去到西區後，Brunson作為兩支球隊中最不被期待的亮點，接下了
紐約以及其公認的後衛光榮史。

在這短短時間內，他已經超越了很多人的期待並適應了這些。

"Sandra與Rick Brunson一直養育我成為一名領導者而不隨波逐流。我一直被教導做事要有
始有終。他們一直向我植入這種價值冠並讓我成為一名不畏懼挑戰且可以站出來的人。當
我面對敵意時，我的父母幫助我很多並讓我維持正確的心態。這是他們養育我的方式。而
這些也轉換到了籃球場上。這是來自他們的祝福。"

翻一下維持手感@@

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