people realize that with all his faults ), Walker can ball and would be a legit 3rd option out there on the floor. he did not have a set position in Dallas AND its not like Peyton and Pierce are high quality teammates
They showed Swift meeting with Carroll Dawson on Fox Sports SW and interviewed him later. Really sounded like he was prepared to come here: "Like to help them build on what they have here...come in and help them win a championship.." of course, these all probably come with a $ sign in the back of his mind, but at least he did say he could see himself coming in and contributing.
Many have taken a closer and critical look at Swift and don't like what they see. Many have thought about Walker with an open mind and realize it could possibly work out. In addition to his flaws, AW has some skills that could be huge (like passing & PnR ability). The dreaded word "potential" has been used too much by supporters of either player. I've been guiltly on the AW side.
I saw part of the interview on ch11cbs or ch2nbc and he also said that some people say the money is not important but the money is important to him.
At least Swift is being honest about the money,but we shouldn't give a big Mo-T like contract if we could get a sign and trade which is unlikely in the first place.
Swift has never played on a team with 2 bonafide superstars. That should be very appealing to him when he makes his decision. The city of Houston is 10 times better than Memphis and its close to his home town of Shreveport, LA. He could end up being this teams Otis Thorpe, and the answer to what we've been missing in our PF position, athleticism.
Or he could be the next MoT or Cato...get the money then suck until contract year comes up again. BTW, OT and Swift are 2 totally different players, and yes we do need an OT type of player...with maybe a jumpshot. Swift, I stll got reservations, fool's gold is what I think about him.
its the devil you know (18 pts 9 rebs a game - low FG%) vs. the devil you don't (9 pts, 4 rebs, 21 mins) I am not sure Swift has ever player well enough to get a big contract... at least Mo T averages 17 a night before he came here
Swift is definitely a big risk, but I think he played well enough during that stretch when Gasol was injured that we can project out that kind of production as a full time starter. I really think he can become the type of player Marcus Camby developed into in his days under Van Gundy. He solves our biggest problem - frontcourt athleticism. Remember, we were still a great defensive rebounding team without a notable rebounder on the team, so rebounding isn't a big issue. It's overall athleticism. The ability to slide over and chase guards so Yao won't have to, and the ability to block shots from the weak side. Anything that keeps Yao out of foul trouble should be our foremost priority, because we are infinitely better with him on the court. My only concern with Swift is his injury history, but hey, you're not going to get the perfect player at only 5 million. It's a risk with high reward. He knows what we can offer, so that he's come in person is a good sign.
