【新唐人2012年7月28日讯】【看新闻学英语】
Why Did The Knicks Let Jeremy Lin Go?
为何尼克队让林书豪走人？
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)
台裔美国篮球超级巨星林书豪，将离开纽约尼克队，成为一名自由球员，以三年2500万美元的合约，加入休士顿火箭队。
【新闻关键字】
1. restricted [rɪˋstrɪktɪd] adj. 受限的
2. free agent: n.phr. 自由行动的人
3. option [ˋɑpʃən] n. 选择
4. match [mætʃ] v.匹配、比的上
5. decline [dɪˋklaɪn] v.拒绝
6. lucrative [ˋlukrətɪv] adj.有利可图的
7. stung [stʌŋ] sting的p.p. 刺
8. luxury tax n.phr. 奢侈税
9. stroke of genius: n.phr. 非常天才的作法
10. assassin [əˋsæsɪn] n.刺客
11. sanguine [ˋsæŋgwɪn] adj. 怀着希望的; 乐观的
12. rookie [ˋrʊkɪ] n.新手、新入选选手
13. undrafted rookie: 未经选秀的球员
14. commence [kəˋmɛns] n. 开始
As Lin was a restricted free agent, the Knicks had the option to match the Rockets’ offer by 11:59pm Tuesday, but declined.
当林书豪是受限制的自由球员，尼克队可以有选择在周二晚间11:59分之前，跟进火箭队开的价码。
Maxxis International, a sponsor of the Knicks last season, immediately announced that they will try to follow Lin to Houston.
尼克队上一季的赞助商玛吉斯国际行销（台湾正新轮胎公司），立即宣布他们将试图跟林书豪到休士顿。
“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.
“我们铁定是有兴趣与休士顿火箭队的赞助关系，我们是总部在台湾的公司，不仅我们对林书豪以及他在全美的曝光很兴奋，而且他在亚洲是很巨大的。”玛吉斯国际行销经理麦特‧克拉克，在接受Bloomberg的电访时说。
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".
玛吉斯上一季与尼克队的赞助合约，包括球场边看板、球场边线电子广告、尼克队年刊的封背。这是在“林来疯”爆发之后的第一份签下的合约。
As well as driving lucrative sponsorship deals, Lin increased ticket sales, television ratings and merchandise. So why did the Knicks let him go?
林书豪带来获利高的赞助合约、增加球赛票房销售、电视收视率，以及周边商品，那么为什么尼克队让他走人呢？
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.
虽然纽约队最初说，他们将跟进任何要求林书豪的价码，休士顿火箭队提供了一项在第三季有1500万的年度合约。因为尼克队在2014到2015年前，还有其他在手上的大合约，就会还有3000到4000万的奢侈税。
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公司总裁、运动咨询师马克‧甘尼斯，称这是一项天才的举动：“火箭队做这件事是值得加很多分的，极为聪明─像是刺客的按触。”
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!!"
林书豪自己对整起事件是更乐观的，他在他的推特上陈述，他对将回到火箭队是多么高兴；火箭队最先签他成为undrafted rookie。“非常兴奋与荣幸，再度成为一名休士顿火箭队员”。
Let the next round of Linsanity commence!
让下一回合的林来疯开始吧！
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本专栏由前卫英语李德良老师主编 www.davidlee.url.tw
