【新唐人2012年7月28日訊】【看新聞學英語】
Why Did The Knicks Let Jeremy Lin Go?
為何尼克隊讓林書豪走人？
Taiwanese-American basketball superstar Jeremy Lin is leaving the New York Knicks as a free agent, joining the Houston Rockets on a three-year contract worth $25 million.Jeremy Lin (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
台裔美國籃球超級巨星林書豪，將離開紐約尼克隊，成為一名自由球員，以三年2500萬美元的合約，加入休士頓火箭隊。
【新聞關鍵字】
1. restricted [rɪˋstrɪktɪd] adj. 受限的
2. free agent: n.phr. 自由行動的人
3. option [ˋɑpʃən] n. 選擇
4. match [mætʃ] v.匹配、比的上
5. decline [dɪˋklaɪn] v.拒絕
6. lucrative [ˋlukrətɪv] adj.有利可圖的
7. stung [stʌŋ] sting的p.p. 刺
8. luxury tax n.phr. 奢侈稅
9. stroke of genius: n.phr. 非常天才的作法
10. assassin [əˋsæsɪn] n.刺客
11. sanguine [ˋsæŋgwɪn] adj. 懷著希望的; 樂觀的
12. rookie [ˋrʊkɪ] n.新手、新入選選手
13. undrafted rookie: 未經選秀的球員
14. commence [kəˋmɛns] n. 開始
As Lin was a restricted free agent, the Knicks had the option to match the Rockets’ offer by 11:59pm Tuesday, but declined.
當林書豪是受限制的自由球員，尼克隊可以有選擇在週二晚間11:59分之前，跟進火箭隊開的價碼。
Maxxis International, a sponsor of the Knicks last season, immediately announced that they will try to follow Lin to Houston.
尼克隊上一季的贊助商瑪吉斯國際行銷（台灣正新輪胎公司），立即宣佈他們將試圖跟林書豪到休士頓。
“We are definitely interested in a sponsorship with the Houston Rockets. We are a Taiwanese-based company and not only are we excited about Jeremy Lin and the exposure he is getting throughout the U.S., but he is huge over in Asia," said Matt Clark, marketing manager for Maxxis International, USA, in a telephone interview with Bloomberg.
「我們鐵定是有興趣與休士頓火箭隊的贊助關係，我們是總部在台灣的公司，不僅我們對林書豪以及他在全美的曝光很興奮，而且他在亞洲是很巨大的。」瑪吉斯國際行銷經理麥特‧克拉克，在接受Bloomberg的電訪時說。
Last season’s sponsorship deal with the Knicks by Maxxis included courtside signs, an electronic advertising wrap on the court sidelines, and the back cover of the Knicks’ yearbook. It was the first deal signed after the breakout of “Linsanity".
瑪吉斯上一季與尼克隊的贊助合約，包括球場邊看板、球場邊線電子廣告、尼克隊年刊的封背。這是在“林來瘋”爆發之後的第一份簽下的合約。
As well as driving lucrative sponsorship deals, Lin increased ticket sales, television ratings and merchandise. So why did the Knicks let him go?
林書豪帶來獲利高的贊助合約、增加球賽票房銷售、電視收視率，以及週邊商品，那麼為什麼尼克隊讓他走人呢？
Although New York initially said that they would match any offer for Lin, the Houston Rockets offered a back-loaded contract that provides $15 million in the third season. Because of other big contracts on their books, this could have stung the Knicks with a $30 – 40 million luxury tax in 2014-15.
雖然紐約隊最初說，他們將跟進任何要求林書豪的價碼，休士頓火箭隊提供了一項在第三季有1500萬的年度合約。因為尼克隊在2014到2015年前，還有其他在手上的大合約，就會還有3000到4000萬的奢侈稅。
Sports consultant Marc Ganis, president of SportsCorp, has called the move a stroke of genius, according to Sports Illustrated: “The Rockets deserve a lot of credit for the way they’ve gone about this. It was extremely intelligent – with an assassin’s touch."
SportsCorp公司總裁、運動諮詢師馬克‧甘尼斯，稱這是一項天才的舉動：「火箭隊做這件事是值得加很多分的，極為聰明─像是刺客的按觸。」
Jeremy Lin himself was more sanguine about the whole affair, simply stating on his Twitter account how pleased he is to be returning to the Rockets, the club that first signed him as an undrafted rookie: “Extremely excited and honored to be a Houston Rocket again!!"
林書豪自己對整起事件是更樂觀的，他在他的推特上陳述，他對將回到火箭隊是多麼高興；火箭隊最先簽他成為undrafted rookie。“非常興奮與榮幸，再度成為一名休士頓火箭隊員”。
Let the next round of Linsanity commence!
讓下一回合的林來瘋開始吧！
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本專欄由前衛英語李德良老師主編 www.davidlee.url.tw