WC總經理
General manager, a frequent target ofcriticism from fans, media and even his starplayer, just rolled with the punches, until onegreat trade revitalized the team and of course,his reputation.
總經理總是球迷、媒體甚至明星球員指責的對象。不過忍氣吞聲，直到一次偉大的轉會讓整支球隊重新煥發了活力，當然還有他的名譽。
The first time Mitch Kupchak wasmentioned for one of the most glamorous jobsin sports, general manager of the Lakers, hewas standino at a urinal.
米奇・庫普切克第一次被人提及擔任湖人總經理――體育界最出風頭的職位之一時，他正站在小便池旁。
An All-American at North Carolina whobecame a starting power forward for theShowtime-era Lakers, Kupchak's career wascut short after an injury in 1981 that shatteredhis left knee. After a limited comeback,KUpchak agreed to move over to the frontoffice in 1986 to serve an apprenticeship underthen-general manager Jerry West
他來自北卡，曾入選全美最佳陣容，在湖人“表演時刻”的那個年代，他是首發大前鋒。不過1981年的一次傷病讓他的左膝受到了粉碎性的打擊，他的職業生涯也過早終結了。經過_次不成功的復出後，1986年庫普切克同意轉至前臺，擔任當時湖人總經理傑裡・韋斯特的學徒。
"About the second week I was there,I'm standing in the bathroom at the Forum… when the door flies open and Jerrywalks in, face red, smoke shooting out of hisears, every other word a four-letter word."Kupchak recalled recently. "He's ranting andraving, talking to me, but not really talking tome even though there's nobody else in there.I'm petrified.
“大概是我上任的第二週，我正站在論壇球館的沐浴間裡……門突然開了，傑裡走了進來，臉色通紅，兩支耳朵似乎都要冒煙了，每說一個單詞，後面就跟著一個四個字母組成的單詞，”庫普切克最近回憶說，“他不斷地咆哮亂叫，和我說話，卻似乎又沒有和我說話，儘管當時那裡沒有別人，我驚呆了。”
"'You know, I've had enough. I'm tellingDr. Buss i'm quitting and I'm recommendingyou for the job.' And then he walked out,"Kupchak recalled West saying. "I'm stillstaring straight ahead at the wall, saying tomyself, '1 don't know if I'm ready for this job.'"
“‘你知道，我受夠了。我告訴(傑裡)巴斯博士我不幹了，我還推薦你幹這份差事。’隨後他就出去了，”庫普切克回憶著韋斯特當時說的話。“我還是……直勾勾地盯著前面的牆，對自己說，‘接手這份工作，我還沒做好準備。’”
Kupchak need not have worried. Westwasn't going anywhere for 14 years, althoughhe would periodically threaten to bolt as his jobanxiety continued to dse.
庫普切克並沒必要擔心，韋斯特在湖人總經理的位置上一干就是14年，儘管隨著這份工作壓力的不斷增大，他還是時不時威脅離開。
When West finally stepped aside in2000, Kupchak felt he was qualified to takethe reins from the front-office legend. Othersweren't so sure. There was a perception thatWest continued to pull the strings, first as aLakers consultant, then from the golf coursein retirement, and even, want the uninformedchatter, from Memphis after West went therein 2002 to revive the Grizzlies.
2000年，當韋斯特最終卸任後，庫普切克感覺到自己已經足以勝任從這位管理層的傳奇人物手中接過執掌球隊的大權。其他人並沒有如此肯定。當時有一種觀點是韋斯特以三種不同的身份繼續垂簾聽政，首先是作為球隊顧問，其次是徹底離開湖人後以業餘高爾夫球手的身份，最後也是最誇張的――在2002年擔任灰熊總經理時繼續掌控湖人。
"That is so grossly unfair," said West,once again retired. "Mitch is his own men."
“這實在太不公平了，”韋斯特說，2007年他再次退休了，“米奇可是個很有主見的人。”
West left a smoothly running dynasty thatinitially required Kupchak to do little more thanadd a few role players as the team want on to
complete a three-year title run.
韋斯特留下了一個足以平穩過渡的王朝，起初庫普切克除了為球隊增添幾個角色球員之外，幾乎不用多做什麼就讓這支球隊完成了連續三年奪得總冠軍的偉業。
Then came some heavy lifting. KarlMalone and Gary Payton came and went,Shaquille O'Neal was traded, and Kobe Bryant,apparently horrified at the prospect of wastinghis prime years on a not-ready-for-prime-timeteam, began to question the front office, quietlyat first and then very publiclv.
隨即而來的則不那麼容易。卡爾・馬龍和加里・佩頓來來去去，沙奎爾・奧尼爾被交易離隊，而科比・布萊恩特明顯被嚇壞了，因為他很可能要把自己職業生涯的巔峰期浪費在一支尚未為巔峰期做好準備的球隊裡。他開始質疑管理層，一開始還是私下小聲議論，但隨後漸漸公開。
There was the 2005 trade of Caron Butlerto Washington. "My best friend gets shippedout without me knowing," Bryant said. 2005年巴特勒被送到華盛頓。“我最好的朋友被交易離隊，我卻一無所知，”布萊恩特說。
There were questions about the draftingof Andrew Bynum and Jordan Farmar. Therewas the failure to consummate a deal with theMinnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Garnettand Kupchak's refusal to part with Bynum ina possible deal for Jason Kidd - a decisionBryant ripped in a fan's notorious video.
選中拜納姆和法馬爾這樣的新秀受到質疑，與明尼蘇達森林狼交換凱文-加內特的交易又宣告流產，庫普切克拒絕將拜納姆作為可能換來賈森-基德的籌碼――在一名球迷的臭名昭著的錄像中，科比對這個決定進行了猛烈的攻擊。
"I was on Mitch's [butt]," Bryant conceded."It was just rough for me… not havinganything done. It was extremely frustrating. Wehad talks privately about trying to do somethingto be more aggressive and make changes andstill nothing got done."
“我被米奇氣瘋了，”科比承認，“對我來說難以接受，實在太讓人沮喪了。我們私下裡曾談過，盡力做到一些對於球隊來說有益的事情並做出改變，但他什麼事都沒做。”
All the while, Kupchak had the support ofBuss, the only man who really matters.
從頭至尾，庫普切克都得到了巴斯的支持，而後者也是唯一執掌大權的人。
That support was rewarded with two keydeals. In November, Kupchak obtained TrevorAriza, a solid defender, from the Odando Magicfor Maurice Evans and Bdan Cook.
這種支持在兩筆重要交易後得到了回報。去年11月，庫普切克用莫里斯・伊文斯和庫克從魔術換來了阿里扎，一位強悍的防守型球員。
Than came the move that turned arounda season and Kupchak's image. On Feb. 1, heobtained forward/center Pau Gasol from theGrizzlies for Brown, Javaris Crittenton, twodraft picks and other considerations.
接下來的這筆交易改變了整個賽季的進程，也大大改善了庫普切克的形象。2月1日，他用布朗，賈瓦里斯・克萊滕頓、兩個選秀權和其他一些條件從灰熊換來了前鋒/中鋒保羅，加索爾。
"[Kupchak] had the patience to sit onthe Kwame piece and pulled off the coup degrace," Bryant told reporters recently. "He goesfrom an F to an A-plus."
A first-round draft choice of theWashington Bullets in 1976, Kupchak, by then6-9 and 230 pounds, spent five seasons there.
1976年，身高6尺9寸(2.05米)，體重230磅(110公斤)的庫普切克在選秀大會第一輪被華盛頓子彈隊選中，他在那裡一呆就是5個賽季。
But his life changed because of a picnicheld in a Palm Springs park. Buss had invitedMagic Johnson to share a basket of food afterthe Lakers had been upset in the first round ofthe 1981 playoffs. "You tell me what I have todo to win," Buss recalled saying to Johnson.
但是棕櫚泉公園的一次野餐，卻改變了他的人生的軌跡。湖人剛剛在1981年季後賽第一輪遺憾出局，巴斯請“魔術師”約翰遜一同分享一籃食物。“你告訴我，要贏球我該做些什麼呢，”巴
斯回憶起曾對“魔術師”說過的話。
"If we could get Mitch Kupchak, I knowwe could win," Johnson replied. So the Lakersacquired Kupchak and signed him to a 14-yearcontract (seven playing years, seven inmanagement) for neady $ 8 million.
“如果我們能得到米奇・庫普切克，我知道我們就能贏，”約翰遜答道。隨即湖人得到庫普切克，用接近800萬美元與他簽了14年的合同(7年球員，7年管理層)。
The final piece of the Showtlme puzzle?It seemed that way until the 26th game ofKupchak's first Lakers season. Facing the SanDiego Clippers, Kupchak drove the middle,found Clipper Jos blocking his path,and planted his left leg in an attempt to pull upand avoid the charge. Instead, the leg buckled,fracturing his knee and causing cartilage andligament damage.
他是湖人“表演時刻”拼圖中的最後一塊拼板嗎?在他加盟湖人第一個賽季的前26場比賽似乎讓人覺得確實如此。面對聖迭戈快艇，庫普切克中路突破，發現快艇的喬・布萊恩特(科比的老爹)擋住他的前進線路，他用左腿支撐，試圖跳起避免衝撞。但是他的左腿扭了一下，膝蓋骨折，同時也造成了軟骨與韌帶的損傷。
As he began the long road to recovery,Kupchak took a detour to UCLA to pursue amaster's deoree in business.
在他康復的漫漫長路中，他“繞道”加州大學洛杉磯分校，取得了商科的碩士學位。
Kupchak retired at the end of the 1985-86season and became West's assistant.
庫普切克在1985－86賽季結束之後退役，成了韋斯特的助手。
"From day one, all Jerry West did wasgive me responsibility," Kupchak said. "Hechallenged me……He wasn't trying to protecthis turf. He wasn't questioning what mymotives were. He was great, a true mentor".
“從第一天起，傑裡所做的就是讓我承擔責任，”庫普切克說，“他給予我挑戰……他沒有試圖保護自己的權力範圍，他沒有對我做事的動機有所猜疑。他很偉大，是個真正的導師。”
Said West, "To me, it was an easydecision to bring Mitch in. With his businessexperience, it was a perfect fit. We aretwo people who really liked each other andrespected each other. It was the start of areally special relationship."
韋斯特說：“對我來說，讓米奇進入管理層是個很容易做出的決定，以他在經營方面的經驗，能完美地勝任這樣的位置。我們兩個確實相互喜歡，相互尊重。這是一種特別情誼的開端。”
Kupchak remembers the moment herealized the working relationship was over. Itwas the moming in June 2000 after the Lakershad beaten Indiana for the championship.
庫普切克記得自己意識到這種工作關係即將結束的那一刻，那是2000年湖人擊敗步行者，加冕總冠軍之後的一個6月早晨。
Unable to bear watching in person the teemha had built, West spent the night driving aroundMalibu listening to the game on the radio.
由於無法承受親眼看著他一手建立起的球隊(奪冠與否)比賽，韋斯特當晚上一直開著車在馬利布兜圈子，耳朵裡卻聽著廣播裡的比賽進程。
When Kupchak got to work the nextday, he recalled, he found West already in hisoffice. With the door ajar, Kupchak peekedin. West was seated at his desk in the dark,staring straight ahead, eyes bloodshot. Westacknowledged Kupchak in a somber voice.
庫普切克回憶，當第二天上班時，他發現韋斯特已經來到了自己的辦公室。門微掩著，庫普切克悄悄向裡看去，黑暗中韋斯特正坐在他的辦公桌前，眼睛直勾勾地注視著前方，眼中佈滿血絲。帶著一種低沉、憂鬱的嗓音，韋斯特對庫普切克點頭示意。
"That's not what you expect when you justwoo a championship less than 12 hours earlier,"Kupchak said. "When I left Jerry, I told myself,'This may be it.'"
“你在不到12小時之前剛剛贏得總冠軍，這些顯然不是你所期望的，”庫普切克說，“當我離開傑裡的時候，我告訴自己，‘是時候了’。”
Kupchak shrugs off anypublic perception that hewas constantly on the phonewith West and that West stilldeserved much of the credit for
the Lakers' success.
對於外界對於他經常與韋斯特通話的傳言，以及湖人的成功在很大程度上依然應該歸功於韋斯特的論調，庫普切克顯得不屑一顧。
"Didn't bother me," he said. "That wasnever important to me."
“別煩我了，”他說，“那些對我都不重要。”
Indeed, Kupchak, 53, abhors the spotlight.He was reluctant to be interviewed for thisstory, and guards his family's privacy, refusingto reveal the names or ages of his two children.Asked to be photographed, he insisted onincluding Ronnle Lester, his assistant.
事實上，53歲的庫普切克厭惡自己處於聚光燈下。為了這篇稿，他很不情願地接受了採訪，卻對家庭隱私異常敏感，拒絕透露自己兩個孩子的名字與年齡。在被要求拍攝照片時，他堅持著把自己的助手羅尼-萊斯特也拉進鏡頭。
While Buss remains supportive, he, too,would like to see some of the credit shared.儘管巴斯對他一直保持著支持的態度，但他卻更願意讓更多人分享成功。
Jerry Buss said it was he who initiated theidea of obtaining Gasol.
傑裡・巴斯說，簽下加索爾最初是他的主意。
"I saw that he said in the paper he wantedto be traded," Buss said. "Knowing thatMemphis was losing a great deal of money, Isuggested we pursue it. Mitch made the call,but it was Jim who also stayed on it."
“我看到他在報上說希望被交易出去，”巴斯說，“我知道孟菲斯正在大筆大筆地虧錢，我提出尋求通過交易得到他的途徑。是米奇打的電話，但吉姆也在跟進這件事。”
Kupchak said his toughest time on the jobcame in the summer of 2004, when the Lakershad traded O'Neal, but Bryant had not yetdecided whether he would stay with the Lakersor join the Clippers.
庫普切克說自己在這個位置上經歷的最艱難時刻要數2004年夏天，當時奧尼爾交易出去，但科比卻沒有決定是留下還是加盟快艇。
"I was told Kobe would let both clubs knowhis decision on the morning he was eligible tosign," Kupchak said. "I was in my office when Iheard, 'Mitch, Kobe's on the phone.' That wasa pretty high-stress moment. I got on and hesaid, 'Mitch, I want to be a Laker.'"
“有人告訴我科比會在他有權簽約的那天早上讓兩傢俱樂部知道他的決定，”庫普切克說，“我當時呆在我辦公室裡，我聽到有人說，‘米奇，科比的電話來了。’那真是一個神經高度緊張的時刻。我接過電話，他說，‘米奇，我想留在湖人。’”
Kupchak, though, is ever-cautious: "In sixmonths, I could be back to an F."
庫普切克還是一如既往的謹慎：“六個月後，我的得分還是可能會回到F。”
閱讀更多 質量管理科學研究院 的文章
