Rockets, Swift Agree to Terms <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The Rockets just could not take their eyes off Stromile Swift. His talents fit their needs. His potential excited their imaginations. So they went after one free agent and Monday, they got him. </div> Read more...
Just like Shareef pushing the Nets over the top in the East, I think Stromile will have the same effect on the Rockets this year. The Rockets might not be dominant at both guard positions but I think McGrady, Yao and now Swift will make this team one of the better ones in the Western Conference. I see the Rockets winning about 48-53 games and being a top 5 seed in the West. I think they will get out of the first round but will lose in the second round to a stronger team.
I wanna see how is gonna be the Rockets lineup with Head Wesley McGrady Swift Yao But i guess the Rockets have to offer something to Mutombo, to have a more solid bench. Sura Barry Bowen* Howard Mutombo *The most weak player that i see
yeah..championship is about a year away =D teams needs to gel and just need a solid pg.. and some consistent perimeter shooters. GO ROCKETS
Adding swift to there team is a great asset, Juwan Howard has the choice of playing less minutes at houston off the bench with a team he has been around with a year which may seem he will have more success with, or move to another team in hope of being a starter playing more minutes but joining a new team that may have less succes as it could be rebuilding. If Juwan doesn't stay with Houston what other teams would be interested.
With Howards expensive contract for an older unathletic power forward with health issues in this new age of basketball, I dont see many teams having a whole lot of interest in him. I think he can be a good back up and mentor to Swift. And I dont really invision Head starting at point. He is not a true point and Van Gundy has never been real big on starting rookies, especially at point. For now Sura is probably still the starter and I think he deserves that after the Rockets took off when he joined the team and got into playing shape mid season last year. Barring a trade or another free agent signing, Sura is our point. Rockets our in a great position with T Mac. All he wants to do is win and has recently sounded like the leader and inspiration the Rockets invisioned. Go Rockets
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Yahoo! Sports:</div><div class="quote_post">Swift's agent told several Houston media outlets on July 18 that the Rockets had reached a deal with the player, but free agents could not be signed until the NBA completed a new collective bargaining agreement. That agreement was signed early Saturday.</div> Yahoo! Sports
I don't understand how this move puts the Rockets over the top. If anything, I feel like they got suckered in to getting one of the most overrated players in this year's free agent market. He definitely has the tools to be a dominant Power Forward, but in Memphis he was lazy and inconsistent. He could always turn around, but I think hoping for that to happen is hoping for too much. If he couldn't play motivated under Hubie Brown or Mike Fratello, then what can Jeff Van Gundy do any different?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Voodoo Child:</div><div class="quote_post">I don't understand how this move puts the Rockets over the top. If anything, I feel like they got suckered in to getting one of the most overrated players in this year's free agent market. He definitely has the tools to be a dominant Power Forward, but in Memphis he was lazy and inconsistent. He could always turn around, but I think hoping for that to happen is hoping for too much. If he couldn't play motivated under Hubie Brown or Mike Fratello, then what can Jeff Van Gundy do any different?</div> u could state a similar case for T-Mac. He was extremely unmotivated in Orlando, but he has proved otherwise last season. I think that Stro coming into a situation with 2 young allstars may allowh im to focus and work hard to impress the team.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting dakeem1:</div><div class="quote_post">u could state a similar case for T-Mac. He was extremely unmotivated in Orlando, but he has proved otherwise last season. I think that Stro coming into a situation with 2 young allstars may allowh im to focus and work hard to impress the team.</div> There's a difference between being unmotivated while putting up 30 ppg and being unmotived while struggling to put up 10 ppg. Their work ethics are not even comparable. No matter how lazy you think McGrady is, I guarantee you Swift is lazier. He has been on better teams that the one the Rockets are returning next year, and he has played for better coaches than Van Gundy, so I don't see where his added motivation is. If anything, he just now has the insurance of a fat contract to fall back on.
Well he's excepted the MLE salary so u know he's going to do all he can to help the team to a title. Swift is actually a very underrated player when you consider he gets 10 pts solid rebounding and 1.5 blocks a game...when playing only about 20 minutes a game...i guess he was unmotivated in memphis, cause he was a backup but in houston, he might actually make a difference especially as a starter
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting houston_owns_u:</div><div class="quote_post">Well he's excepted the MLE salary so u know he's going to do all he can to help the team to a title. Swift is actually a very underrated player when you consider he gets 10 pts solid rebounding and 1.5 blocks a game...when playing only about 20 minutes a game...i guess he was unmotivated in memphis, cause he was a backup but in houston, he might actually make a difference especially as a starter</div> Despite what Chad Ford or whoever else you listen to may say, there was probably not much else out there for Stromile Swift except the MLE. His numbers are really not that impressive at all and I don't think that he'll be anything different as a starter. He's started, he's benched, he's played Center, he's played Power Forward, he's played for a top seed, and he's played for one of the worst teams in the league, so I don't see how any scenario thrown at him at this point will be one we haven't seen him in already. He's a fun player to watch, but if I had to assemble a championship team, I would definitely avoid Stromile Swift.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Voodoo Child:</div><div class="quote_post">Despite what Chad Ford or whoever else you listen to may say, there was probably not much else out there for Stromile Swift except the MLE. His numbers are really not that impressive at all and I don't think that he'll be anything different as a starter. He's started, he's benched, he's played Center, he's played Power Forward, he's played for a top seed, and he's played for one of the worst teams in the league, so I don't see how any scenario thrown at him at this point will be one we haven't seen him in already. He's a fun player to watch, but if I had to assemble a championship team, I would definitely avoid Stromile Swift.</div> You forgot about one situation that swift hasn't been in, on a team with a dominant center that will take pressure off of him. Hubie and fratello were good coaches but i don't think they are as strict as JVG. Im not saying that swift will magically change his work ethic in one offseason but if what you say is true, JVG and TMac couldn't make him any lazier. We only need him for defense and as a spot up shooter anyway.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting KfrumHTOWN!:</div><div class="quote_post">You forgot about one situation that swift hasn't been in, on a team with a dominant center that will take pressure off of him. Hubie and fratello were good coaches but i don't think they are as strict as JVG. Im not saying that swift will magically change his work ethic in one offseason but if what you say is true, JVG and TMac couldn't make him any lazier. We only need him for defense and as a spot up shooter anyway.</div> Seeing how Stromile has played Center for most of the last few years, it'd be kind of hard for him to play with a dominant Center. Yao Ming isn't exactly a "dominant" Center anyway, although he's definitely above average and emerging on that All-Star level. I honestly doubt it makes that much of a difference. As for Jeff Van Gundy being more strict than Mike Fratello, I doubt that. Don't you remember the playoff series between the Grizzlies and the Suns this year? Bonzi Wells was arguing with Fratello, so he benched him for the majority of the series and even gave Wells' backup, Dahntay Jones, 33 minutes in one game. Then in another game, Jason Williams started out with 13 of the team's 26 points and was perfect from the field, but then he gave Fratello attitude in the timeout, so he was benched until the end of the game. If Fratello is so strict that he'd sit some of his best players out in the most important game of the year just because they disrespected him, then it's hard for me to imagine Jeff Van Gundy being any tougher. As for defense, you're barking up the wrong tree with Stromile Swift. If you wanted defense, you guys should have signed Reggie Evans. Swift is not exactly the best "spot up shooter" either.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Voodoo Child:</div><div class="quote_post">There's a difference between being unmotivated while putting up 30 ppg and being unmotived while struggling to put up 10 ppg. Their work ethics are not even comparable. No matter how lazy you think McGrady is, I guarantee you Swift is lazier. He has been on better teams that the one the Rockets are returning next year, and he has played for better coaches than Van Gundy, so I don't see where his added motivation is. If anything, he just now has the insurance of a fat contract to fall back on.</div> Which team was that? The best team he's ever played for was when Memphis was a 6th seed 2 years ago. Houston could be a 4th or 5th seed this season.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Bobcats:</div><div class="quote_post">Which team was that? The best team he's ever played for was when Memphis was a 6th seed 2 years ago. Houston could be a 4th or 5th seed this season.</div> Forget their seeding, because that year the Western Conference was ungodly. They were a fifty win team and were just as good as Houston will be this year. Whether or not they were better than this upcoming team doesn't really matter, and it's just nitpicking to argue that. The point is that he has played on a fifty win team that has had a lot of success, so this is nothing new.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Voodoo Child:</div><div class="quote_post">Forget their seeding, because that year the Western Conference was ungodly. They were a fifty win team and were just as good as Houston will be this year. Whether or not they were better than this upcoming team doesn't really matter, and it's just nitpicking to argue that. The point is that he has played on a fifty win team that has had a lot of success, so this is nothing new.</div> Memphis got sweeped by San Antonio that year. I guarentee you, if this upcoming Rockets team played them that year, they would've got at least one win, probably even more.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Bobcats:</div><div class="quote_post">Memphis got sweeped by San Antonio that year. I guarentee you, if this upcoming Rockets team played them that year, they would've got at least one win, probably even more.</div> Again, you are nitpicking. Why are you even trying to compare a two year old team to a team that has yet to play a regular season game anyway? The point is that Swift has played on a very successful team, and it's not going to be a much different situation this year with the Rockets.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Voodoo Child:</div><div class="quote_post">Again, you are nitpicking. Why are you even trying to compare a two year old team to a team that has yet to play a regular season game anyway? The point is that Swift has played on a very successful team, and it's not going to be a much different situation this year with the Rockets.</div> You said he has played on better teams than the Houston Rockets upcoming team. I know and you know that's not true, barring any serious injuries to a key player. That's the only point I'm trying to get across.
