HANG TIME, Texas – Never mind that the weather map says it’ s hurricane season. This is the time of year when there are nothing but blue skies over every NBA franchise from Miami to Portland to Los Angeles to Toronto. 對於每支NBA球隊而言，這是一年中天氣最好的時候，從邁阿密到波特蘭，從洛杉磯到多倫多。選秀已經結束，新秀們都進了訓練營。自由球員也已經簽約，在公眾面前亮相了。陣容的補缺補漏也已經完成。該是頂級球隊和那些渴望球隊實力提升的人們開始奪冠計劃的時候了。

      但事實上，在所有球隊管理層自擂自吹的背後，卻只有少數的球隊主席和總經理在休假期有大收穫。這也是為什麼我們不用等到明年4月(常規賽結束)——甚至只要賽季開始——就可以知道誰的決定是正確的。

      在過去的這個夏天，年度最佳總經理的夢幻人選——火箭隊莫雷。

      除非火花某天早上醒來宣佈加盟火箭是一個錯誤——他其實還是很想和科比做隊友，並且非常地喜歡德安東尼的進攻體系，而且他從來沒有打算離開這些在洛杉磯可愛的招聘標語——莫雷當選就像博爾特跑贏穿著鉛靴的巴克利一樣簡單。如果火花身體健康，他和全明星隊友哈登將帶領火箭立刻變成西部四強的有力挑戰者，甚至有可能變成一路殺進總決賽的黑馬。但在他們還未在排行榜得到一個“W”（獲得一場勝利）之前，就莫雷讓火箭隊這些年來第一次又有了奪冠的機會，他就應該出現在這份榜單上。自從不幸的姚麥組合解散，接著選擇了一籮筐平庸之輩後 ，火箭重新回到人們的視線中。一年前，他們只在全國直播中出現一次。現在他們在ESPN上有10次轉播，9次在TNT上，一次在ABC，甚至和馬刺隊的聖誕大戰也將被直播。
  
      Draft picks have been chosen and brought into camp. Free agents have been signed and trotted out for the TV cameras. Trades have been made to fill holes in the lineups. It’s a time for championship planning among the elite class and fantasizing about moving up by the wannabes.

      But the truth is that, despite so much spin doctoring that comes out of all the front offices, there are a handful of team presidents and general managers that made the most of the offseason. That’s why we don’t have to wait till next April — or even the season openers — to know who’ll be taking bows for their work. They’re our summer dreaming picks for Executive of the Year:

      Daryl Morey, Rockets – Unless Dwight Howard wakes up one morning and declares it was all a mistake — that he really loved having Kobe Bryant as a playmate, that he thoroughly enjoyed Mike D’Antoni’s offense and that he never, ever meant to leave those clever recruiting banners in L.A. — this is as sure a thing as Usain Bolt outrunning a lead-boot-wearing Charles Barkley. If Howard stays healthy, he and fellow All-Star James Harden will team up to make the Rockets instant challengers for one of the top four seeds in the Western Conference and could even be a dark horse contender to advance all the way to The Finals. But before they even chalk up one “W” in the standings, Morey has put a headlock on the award simply by making the Rockets franchise relevant again for the first time in years. After drifting on a sea of anonymity and mediocrity since the star-crossed Tracy McGrady-Yao Ming pairing came undone, the Rockets are back in the spotlight. A year ago, they were on national TV once. Now they have 10 appearances on ESPN, nine on TNT, one on ABC and even made it into the Christmas lineup with a date at San Antonio.

☆☆☆☆☆五星級詞彙
☆the weather map 天氣地圖
☆offseason 淡季
☆season openers 開幕賽
☆team up v. 合作；結成一隊；協作。例句If the integration goes well, it could set an example for other Japanese companies that need a global presence to compete, but are reluctant to team up with others. 如果合併能夠進展順利，就能為那些需要在全球範圍內開展競爭，但又難以與其他企業展開闔作的公司展示一個絕佳的先例。