Is Stromile Swift really that good? I really don't understand why everyone is so enamoured with this guy. In five years in the league, he's never shown that he's particularely tough, mature, or skilled, and the Grizzlies have been a much better team with Swift coming off the bench. Here are some of the facts: He can jump He can dunk He can block shots (1.4 bpg, career) He's foul prone (last year averaged 6.8 PF/48 minutes. Yao "only" committed 5.8/48 minutes) He's injury prone (averaged 68 games played the last 4 years) He has no jumper (last year, 48% of the shots he attempted were jumpers. His effective FG% on those shots? .282. [this is according to 82games.com]) I think that in our PF we need someone who can rebound, and who either excels offensively or defensively. The truth is, Stromile Swift is really not a great offensive player, and his lack of a jump shot certainly wouldn't work well in our offensive system. He can block shots, but he picks up a lot of fouls as well, and I'm not convinced that he's an overly effective defender (the Grizz were better defensively when he was off the court). In my mind, both offensively and defensively, Swift is more style than substance. He'll show up on the highlight reel, but I'm not convinced that he'll show up anywhere else. I just don't see how this guy is our best option, or even a good option. He has not improved at all since his second year in the league. Why is everyone so sure he'll improve as a Rocket?
its because of the P word that everyone likes. either way he will be offered a big contract by some other team and he will take it. before i decide what PF i'm rooting for the rockets to sign i want to see who we draft. as it stands right now i would like to sign marshall.
I like the "P" word, but it's not potential. I'd agree - I don't think Swift is our guy. I'd like a guy that can hit an open jumper. SAR, Marshall, Vladimir Radmanovic.
I've been doing internet searches for "malick badiane" and then entering specific dates in the format that they use in Germany. I really, really hope he's ready to come off of the bench. If you are so inclined you can do a google search like the following: "malick badiane" 18.05.2005 http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q="malick+badiane"+18.05.2005 he had 13 points the other day... here's a q and a from march: http://www.opel-skyliners-fanpage.de/_private/Q&A mit Malick Badiane.htm
After looking at Swift, SAR, and Donyell Marshall, I don't think it's close, even though the obvious choice(Marshall) is what, 32? I basically don't want Swift, SAR would be okay, and Marshall would be a good addition for a year, maybe two. None of these guys are really the answer to the question everyone's asking of the PF spot, but atleast Marshall is a good stop-gap, and would improve the team.
Jermaine O'Neal and Curry took almost 5 years. I am not saying Swift is going to be on that level, but there's not a time limit to gauge a player's progress. The Grizzlies know for sure if he's going to be really good. If they are agressive trying to keep him, you know they think highly of him. Jerry West is the best talent evaluator. You know West is going to make the right decision on Swift. So nobody is going to get Swift for a bargain and outsmart Jerry West. Either Swift is going to be a bust or he'll get a big contract and fulfill his potential.
Swift has the most potential out of the PFs we have "targeted" so far. He has incredible athleticism which he uses well to block and rebound (for the most part). He has only seen bench minutes since he's been in the league, so we definitely haven't seen everything he offers. We know about his dunks and he has shown flashes of being able to hit that mid-range jumper. Like Macfan said, it took JO a long time and a new team for him to become what he is today. Swift may or may not be as good as JO, but he definitely has the potential do be a very, very good player in the NBA.
he doesn't have a good jump shot, as the original poster noted. If you don't have a jump shot, you don't belong on the Rockets. At least as a starter. I'm willing to forgive relatively little range - but I wouldn't want a player on this team who doesn't have a good shot out to at least 12 feet.
I don't know why the lack of jump shot scares people so much. His jump shot has good form and he makes 76% of his free throws. So the guy is capable of becoming a good jumpshooter. Besides, every team left in the playoffs has at least one player in their starting lineup that cannot hit jumpshot.
Maybe, but I think that our line-up is particularly vulnerable to "dead-weight" players. We don't possess a bunch of players who can score at will. We do possess two double-team threats. Yao, especially, is far more dangerous if he's paired w/a PF who can knock down a 12 footer. Someone who you can't double off of without getting punished.
The double teams this season didn't really look to be any less than they were last year with Cato in the starting lineup. Statically, having Howard next to Yao didn't really help Yao score more. Nor did it really improve the offense. We averaged 90 points last year with Cato. We averaged 91 points with Howard.
I thought Howard was a tremendous upgrade over Cato. I thought the dip in scoring was because we traded away two very good scorers for one great scorer. And because the first few games of the year our offense was terrible. At our best this year, our offense was much better than last year. And a good bit of it was Howard's offensive utility at the 4. You can't tell me we didn't miss him a great deal in the playoffs.
We may have missed Howard, but it wasn't because we didn't have enough jump shooters on the floor. For a majority of the series, we saw a lineup of Yao, Mcgrady, Barry, Wesley, and James on the floor. Even with four shooters on the floor with Yao, there were still a ton of double teams on him. So I'm convinced the doubles will come regardless who plays at the 4. I personally think someone like Swift or Cato would have helped out more in the Dallas series than Howard would have. Having a second shotblocker and rebounder would have been huge in keeping Yao out of foul trouble. I'd rather have Yao on floor getting double teamed because his power forward can't hit a jumpshot than on the bench in foul trouble.
The problem is money. If Memphis will S&T for Swift then go for it. If we have to use our entire MLE then it is too risky. Stro is the athletic boarder, defender, blocker we are looking for, maybe. Last year Memphis played him out-of-position (at 5) or didn't play him most of the year so his stats are skewed. We need the MLE for other players, like a 1 or 2/3 that can shoot lights out.
