[ESPN's Ric Bucher] Rockets & Stromile Swift

If a starting caliber 4 comes in then JHo will be traded.

 

Howard's going to be making the same money that Weatherspoon made to sit on the bench.

Further, even if we sign Swift, Howard can still play an integral role. Swift is not going to play 40 minutes a game. Even last year, Howard averaged 26 minutes a game. I'd expect Swift to potentially average 28 minutes or so a game- the amount he averaged when he started for Memphis. In addition, JVG doesn't like to play Mutombo against certain quicker mismatches at the 5. During these times, Swift would be a logical choice to play the 5, opening up more minutes for Howard. Taking into account injuries as well, Howard would see a 3-5 mpg minute reduction.

Howard will do what Van Gundy tells him to do. Period.

Depends on how the new CBA gets hammered out. If it gets done without a lockout, teams can begin negotiations with free agents and agree to terms on July 1, but no contracts can be officially signed until July 15. It used to be the July Moratorium lasted all of July, but they shortened the period to 2 weeks.

The purpose of the July Moratorium is calculate the necessary cap figures (salary cap, exceptions, etc.). Any numbers you hear before then are estimates/leaks.

 

Swift has proven in Memphis that he's capable of playing backup minutes at center. Which leaves plenty of playing time for Howard.

 

Whispers about Swift to the Rockets is pretty exciting to me. Not just for Swift, but because the only way that I see him coming to Houston is via sign and trade. And since reports say that the Grizz are looking to trim payroll, the only way they would do a sign and trade is if it is part of a larger deal that ultimately sheds salary. We would probably need to take on Voskul with our TE, and one or more of their longterm contract guys like Cardinal/Battier/Miller for expiring contracts.

Time for CD to bust out another stone cold highway robbery. And it's about time for Jerry West to start up a firesale.

 

Here's a nice Stromile Swift mix I found.

http://s8.yousendit.com/e.aspx?id=2M7X3N3Y8EE1B1IBPKKXY5EBTD

 

I'd love to get Swift along with Mike Miller, not to mention he played with TMac in Orlando and he would give us a younger dead eye shooter.

 

That would be really nice!

We would have two new young starters. We would still need a point guard.

 

Thanks. He is really athletic. It would be really nice to have him with Yao and Tmac. Very good jumper..dunker.

I hope we get him.

 

Nice video. The dunk on Dirk and the one handed putback slam on Ostertoast were especially good. If only Swift came to play every day and had a midrange game.

 

Yea, I would rather trade Moochie for KG.

 

I think playing alongside TMac is plenty of motivation to bring it every night.

 

Things are getting interesting...

 

Pros and Cons of having Swift as our primary PF.

Pros:

1. He's a very good weakside shotblocker. Along with Yao, these two would be a fearsome defensive tandem, locking down the paint and improving on an already excellent interior defense.

2. Besides a Kidd-like ball pushing PG, there isn't anything that can ignite a team's fastbreak than a big man that can run the floor. With T-Mac and Swift at the forward positions, we would bankrupt the "Break Check" in a matter of weeks.

3. Swift will benefit Yao's interior passing a lot. And I mean A LOT. How often have you seen Yao send a pass to Bowen, or Padge, or Howard and have them lay it up for either a miss or a foul call. If Swift was receiving those passes, those would be monster throwdowns and 3 pt plays.


Cons:

1. It seems like Swift always seems to make open jumpers against the Rox, but apparently things are a lot different against the rest of the league. This year according to 82games.com Swift shot a miserable .282 eFG% on jumpers. Last year he was better at .386 eFG%, but that's still a terrible number. The only silver lining that I can say is that at worst he becomes a Cato without the "stone hands", and Cato was pretty good for us as a starting PF.

2. While Swift's weakside shotblocking is very good, his on ball defense and rebounding isn't anything to write home about. Like most shotblockers, he can be faked out and he's too light in the trunk to handle strong PFs on the block. Going by last year he grabs about as many rebounds per minute as Juwan did. I know Juwan did a pretty good job on the boards for the most part, but I was kind of hoping for a bit more out of Stro.

3. There's still questions about his heart. He was openly mocked by his teammates, which is never a good sign. And he did practically nothing in a contract year. It makes you wonder where his head is at.


I think he would fit the team well. But he's definitely got weaknesses. So I don't think I would do a deal with Memphis if they wanted to dump some of their less savory long-term contracts. I'd probably say no to Cardinal, and J-Will (I just don't like his game). But I'd go for Posey, Miller, or Battier. Add one of those guys along with Swift, and our talent level takes a big step forward.

And if West goes into full firesale mode and sends us Posey, Miller, and Swift (along with Voskul as filler), for cash, expiring contracts and future draft picks, then they might as well punch our tickets to the Finals right now.

 

So basically it boils down to getting a young athletic guy that can run and jump. I don't think thats worth the MLE, must be options for a guy that can run and jump without paying the MLE. The more I hear about Swift the less I like him.

 

Good analysis. I like his upside "potential" but his weaknesses are scary. Jerry West definitely won't be having a firesale but he can't dictate SnT terms with an UFA or he simply gets nothing in return.

If Swift wants to go to the Hornets and they offer him the most money, we are out of the picture. With J.R. Smith already there and two lottery picks on the way this summer, the Hornets have some appeal for a young player looking to cash in and get his first big contract.

 

Except that since Memphis is reported to be trying to keep their payroll down, they would probably rather let Swift walk for free than take on salary for anything but an impact player.

The only reason that I'm even considering the possiblity of Swift is because of Bucher's "more than one person" comment. That either means that the Rox think they can legitimately land Swift for the MLE (Not likely with New Orleans having a bunch of cap room), or that West might be amendable to a deal (Might not be likely either since the Grizz want to hold down salary).

Hopefully Bucher got some good sources, because then either we are in for a bargain (Swift signing for the MLE. Even with his weaknesses, Swift is worth as much as Juwan is getting), or a blockbuster trade.

 

I'm not on the Swift bandwagon. Regardless, New Orleans has some strength at the 4, but are weak at 2 and 3. I can't see SS being a NO target.

 

Can anyone comment on the reliability of Bucher as a source of inside info?

I don't remember his work all that well, but his name doesn't ring any alarm bells like with Vescey, Ford, Sam Smith, etc.

I could see Swift wanting to come here and not high on Atlanta's and NO's fagency list, so I do think something could happen even w/o a trade.

 

http://s37.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=27K6GIL1XLOGT33EF6T7V203BI

swift would be great, especially if he could work on that mid range jumper...