I pretty much broke down Dave D.'s article on Swift. A background of sorts, to get to know Swift. If all of it is true (other than Van Gundy's little shindig there), well, we've got another typical Net player....
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (pegs @ Feb 4 2008, 02:09 AM)
<{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>In Swift, Nets acquire an untapped talent - Dave D'Alessandro - Star-Ledger
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>If you wanted to learn about Stromile Swift, the logical place to start is to consult his oldest and closest friend in the NBA. That would be Pau Gasol -- a relationship that makes no sense whatsoever, but there you go. No one would have ever guessed that an urbane global icon from Spain and a timid, sensitive guy from Louisiana would be close, but the NBA is a different kind of place.</div>
Timid and sensitive? Wtf? Is that serious? Crazy.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>"Stro has never been very consistent," Gasol said bluntly. "He could put together streaks, play very good, and then all of a sudden he has a couple of games where he doesn't play all-out and he's totally absent. That's not good for the team."</div>
That's Stro for ya. Inconsistent. He'll go perfectly with the Nets!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Yes, the reason Swift came so cheaply is that the Memphis Grizzlies were tired of him. That doesn't mean he's a bad guy -- no one will ever say that about the 28-year-old forward -- and the Nets are convinced that his suspension last week was a case of Memphis coach Marc Iavaroni trying to make an example of him.
Swift is a world-class athlete, everyone knows that. He simply doesn't have the work ethic to match it; one coach even suggested that Swift "change his approach" to everything he does, because his way was obviously not working.</div>
Ah, so he's not a malcontent. Just that...he has no work ethic. He's lazy, perfect! Just my type of guy.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Still, here's what Van Gundy says now: "It's a great trade for the Nets," the ESPN analyst said yesterday. "He's an intelligent(???), nice guy. He's good in the open-court game. He lacks strength in a grind-it-out halfcourt game, but he's a good bench player who could average 10 and five."</div>
Van Gundy...on drugs. I'm convinced.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>"With Stro, familiarity breeds good success," said Brendan Brown, who coached Swift for four years as an assistant in Memphis. "The more he plays, the better he is. We used to isolate him at the elbow and let him go against bulky (centers). He could beat them to the rim, make a pull-up, or just shoot it in their faces."
Defensively, he is a floater. He can block shots, but he has trouble with remembering schemes, and doesn't always run back as hard as he should -- or worse, he could be too busy celebrating dunks.</div>
Now, I'll listen to Brown. I think he knows what he's talking about. This is EXACTLY what I've seen from him whenever I see him play. The more he's on the court, the more he produces. He's quick, and he does have an okay jumper.
And he's retarded on defense. He doesn't know where he should be, and he's lazy, and is too busy with his birdman shit to actually hustle up the court with every other player. This is what we're bringing in. Can't say I'm all that happy about it.
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