Robert Swift!

[DelMonte West]

Agree that people need to put this into perspective. Regardless of what he looks like (why that kind of stuff fascinates everyone is beyond me), he has plenty of strength and size to offer. After watching Mikki "tooth-pick" Moore out there why wouldn't we offer this kid a shot at our SL squad? With his combination of power, size, and B.O., he'll be able to keep anyone out of the paint.

[Rocky5000]

Fazekas vs. Swift. Who do you got?

[Joselo16]

Wasn't there a period where he played great for the Sonics before going down with that knee injury, where he demonstrated his post moves??? Can't recall! But I remember that the Sonics thought highly of this kid along with Ainge who almost chose him over Big Al or at least thats what it seemed like!

[Scalamental]

He reminds me of Tom Delong from Blink 182, that red head from salute your shorts (and T2), and... Tim Burton? He at least looks like he's getting advice from Tim Burton.

[Joekickass2008]

so does Scal get bumped to mascot duty? Scal=new lucky

[Celtics_Champs]

^^ I would rather watch scal on the starting roster again, than watch robert swift make this team. At least scal showed flashes of talent before ainge grabbed him. I don't understand his infatuation with this guy. Or this board, the fact that there is 5 pages on swift, and only 20 on rasheed makes me angry.

[BillessuR6]

Celtics_Champs, you had to expect that. I think we all hoped that one day Danny get`s Swift in green and fulfills his year long dream. I am happy for Danny!

And I remember watching Swift a few times in his best season and he looked really good. Like someone who could be a solid starting center for many years. Now, that was a few years ago and he has been injured most of the time but I definitely think he has potential to be a solid role player in this league. I am looking forward to seeing him in SL...

[billfromBoston]

Swift has some very good shot-blocking and rebounding ability...his post game showed some promise and his shooting is non-existent...

The biggest thing with Swift is injuries...coupled with his quirky personality, OKC just decided to move on...but the kid had some skill and showed a ton of promise up until that ACL injury...this will be his 2nd season off of that injury so he has a chance to show.

We are talking about filling the 5th big man role/3rd center role with a minimum contract player - if Swift shows anything, he can sit on the bench as a 23 year old reserve...he has heart - somethingn POB did not - worth a look in SL to be sure....

[campybatman]

I'm taking it all in fun. I don't have anything personal against Swift. If Ainge wants to take a flier on him, albeit much later than he'd thought. I don't see the harm. I'm all for adding quality to decent depth at either center or point guard. So there's a thread on Swift. It's better than reading one about Marbury. I was patient enough with him and gave him the benefit of the doubt longer than I might have had had I'd known it would be for naught this past season. With that said, I want an overhauled bench, new faces and possibilities. I'm alone in wanting to move on from House, Scalabrine, Tony, Powe (I'm a fan but personal sentiment should never get in the way of logical business sense), Davis and Marbury. Rasheed Wallace would replace Davis, another veteran could be signed to replace Marbury. Yeah, right. I know a Marbury sequel is coming. Shrug. I don't get the continued support for him. But, yet, no one wants to give Swift a chance. It's summer league play. I wrote before, personally, I wouldn't mind it if he could make the final roster. I like his youth, length and room for improvement. He has raw materials that Clifford Ray might can salvage. I mean it isn't like Ainge hasn't taken chances before on questionable big men.

Coughcoughcoughpollardo'bryantmoorecoughcough.

Admittedly, I gave some support and had an open mind about O'Bryant, initially. But, I was never on board withe the additions of Pollard and Moore. Never.

[sox839]

This is not a bad pickup at all by Ainge. I think Swift has a decent chance to make the team and could be one of perks backups either second but most likely third string. I got to think that if Swift shows he is over his injuries that Clifford Ray could work with this guy as he has several other big men and improved there games dramatically like Ben Wallace, Powe, Big Baby, Dwight Howard even though he did have lots of talent. Swift was working with sonics coach Jack Sikma a year or two ago and Sikma was raving about his skills. If Swift plays defense he will get playing time. Remember Patrick O'bryant wasn't showing enough defense or hustle according to Doc and he didn't play. I would rather have Swift than Gabe Pruitt. We do need a backup center and he has talent if he isn't hurt a low risk my prediction is he makes the team.

[campybatman]

This is an old article, but I found out a few new things about the person that's Robert Swift. I'm really beginning to hope that he can return to showing that promise he had in his second season, and do so with Boston. Ainge might eventually prove critics wrong on why he likes this players so much. If anything, he's intriguing... He just has to start over and have some good fortunate in his career for a change. In other words, he needs to come into a pressure free environment (a veteran team with strong leaders) as a reserve and build up his confidence and learn from other veterans at his position. He needs a Clifford Ray or another former player turn coach to really work with him. Perkins can be that brother, Garnett cousin and Clifford Ray that grizzled uncle.

"Don't say 'like a NBA player,' because I didn't do any of this to live up to some sort of image or make myself look a certain way," Swift said. "Just say I'm growing up. This is who I am."

Who knew? Certainly not the Sonics and those who've watched him grow up over the past three years. This isn't the same tall, lanky kid whom teammates jokingly called "Napoleon Dynamite" last year and who hardly uttered a peep during games, practices and team meetings.

Although it's a stretch to say that he has been playing like Bill Walton reincarnate during training camp, the new-look Swift is forcing everyone to view him differently.

"I guess just by being here a couple of years, he just got used to being around the guys and he got comfortable being himself," forward Rashard Lewis said. "He grew his hair out and got tattoos. I feel that he's just being more Robert Swift instead of what people wanted him to be.

"Just look at him. That's Swift. That's the real Robert Swift. The first couple of years, we've seen Swift, but that wasn't Robert Swift. He was trying to hide the things he liked to do and didn't really express himself."

So who is Robert Swift?

If he had attended USC, which was the plan before entering the NBA draft out of high school, he might have majored in Japanese studies because he's fascinated with the culture. Swift talks about learning the language, partly because his father is half Japanese, and he has a strong desire to visit extended family members who live in Okinawa, Japan.

"Robert, as a young man, is just now finding out who he is, what's important to him and what type of man he wants to be," said Sonics assistant Jack Sikma, who is in charge of Swift's basketball development. "There's more going on inside him than you'd think."

Swift developed a love affair with tattoos during his rookie year and admittedly, he's addicted. By his count, he has 15, which decorate his back, torso, arms and legs. It's difficult to know for certain how many he has because a few of the intricate designs are intertwined and some are in varying stages of being complete.

"The easier way to say it is, overall I've gotten about 40 to 43 hours of work," Swift said. And he's not done.

But beneath the body art and underneath the overgrown hair, Swift in many ways is still the same shy young man.

"It depends on the situation," he said. "Around the team, I'm not shy anymore at all. In public, when the lights come on at the last minute and I've got to say something, I get nervous. I'm not good in public like that. I have no idea why."

Who is Robert Swift?

The Sonics would certainly like to find out. When they selected him with the 12th pick in the 2004 draft, the coaching staff and front office executives said they had found the team's center for the future.

"It's time for him to break out," said Lewis, who also took the preps-to-pros route. "It took me a couple of years and around my third year, that was when I first started to feel comfortable. Those first couple of years, you get that experience out on the floor, and I think this is a year that he has a chance to make a name for himself."

"Every one tells some type of a story," Swift said. "I don't look at them as making me any tougher or mature or anything like that. They just explain me without me ever having to say a word."

He's particularly fond of a couple of new tattoos on his arms that read: "Anything Is Possible" and "Just Believe."

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/n ... oni09.html

[Andrew McCeltic]

Swift has "Anything is possible!" tattooed on his arm?

[GreenMachine]

Swift has "Anything is possible!" tattooed on his arm?

That should be good enough to earn the 15th roster spot!

[AlCelticFan]

That should be good enough to earn the 15th roster spot!

Sign him up!

Seriously though, Swift is a good guy to take a look at. He had a lot of potential, enough to be picked 12th. If he's a hard worker who knows, he might show something.

[return2glory]

I would like him to make the team and think he will. Hope he has a good summer league and stays healthy.

[Dogen]

Swift has "Anything is possible!" tattooed on his arm?

That should be good enough to earn the 15th roster spot!

If he adds, "Top of the world, ma!", I'd even give him the 14th spot.

[Fidel Sarcasmo]

I drink my own pee takes the 13th spot

[Collinto]

I drink my own pee takes the 13th spot

It worked for Ghandi!