Stromile Swift Houston's New Big Man In today’s NBA climate, key off-season acquisitions can often make or break a season. After a disappointing conclusion to the 2004-05 season, the Rockets earmarked an athletic big man as their top off-season priority. With the signing of Stromile Swift on August 2, 2005, the Rockets seem to have found what they were looking for. In six preseason games for the Rockets, Swift manifested himself as a terror around the basket. Coming mainly off the bench, Swift gave coach Jeff Van Gundy a change of pace from starter Juwan Howard and the ability to play center if need be. Originally selected as the second pick overall in the 2000 NBA Draft by Vancouver, Houston will be Swift’s second NBA franchise. For the Grizzlies, Swift was sometimes criticized for inconsistency. The numbers suggest otherwise. After a rookie campaign that saw him play in 80 of 82 games, Swift has averaged at least nine points and four rebounds each of the last four seasons in Memphis. Last year, he averaged 10.1 points, 4.6 rebounds a game, and well over a block per contest. In the playoffs, those numbers were similar with Swift pouring in 9.3 points a game and pulling down 4.7 rebounds. That’s pretty consistent, which suggests the problems in Memphis could have gone deeper. “They weren’t looking for me to be the main guy in Memphis,” Swift said. “A lot of times they were saying I wasn’t being consistent, but I was never really a part of the offense. When I was in, I just had to try to make plays on my own, and block shots, and rebound.” The problem in Vancouver and then Memphis was that great expectations come with being selected second overall. Failing to meet those expectations made Swift expendable this off-season in the eyes of the Grizzlies’ front office. He had many suitors but ultimately chose Houston for a fresh start and an opportunity to contend for a NBA title. However, despite solid numbers thus far, the transition to a new offense, new teammates, and new coaches has not been easy. “It’s been tough for me,” Swift said. “I’ve been trying to take this as a learning experience and just trying to learn all the plays, learn Jeff’s terminology for the game. That’s basically what I have been trying to do. It’s been coming along slowly.” To the average fan, it looks as if Swift has picked up the Rockets’ system pretty well. He was third on the team in points per game (12.5), fourth in rebounds (5.8), and first in blocked shots (1.67). Even Swift admits that despite some early difficulties, things have started to come together lately. “I think I am catching on pretty good,” Swift said. “It’s a process and I make mistakes, but I learn from them. The coaching staff has been good. They’ve been teaching so I’ve been learning as I go.” As his education continues, Rockets fans’ expectations will continue to grow. While some might be looking for Swift to score 20 points a game, he has more reasonable goals for himself and knows what he can bring to this talented Houston team. “They have scorers and a lot of talent on this team,” Swift said. “I can just come in and bring what I have to the table, which is to block shots, rebound, and get out into the open court, and I can score if they need me. So I can contribute in a lot of different ways to the team in order to get wins.” As for his new home, Swift says he hasn’t been able to see much of Houston, but he is looking forward to getting to know the city and the fans. “I haven’t really been anywhere yet, but everything has turned out good,” Swift said. “It’s been fun so far, I like it.”
