Ainge finally gets his man..... Robert Swift

[grayjonv]

Congratulations are in order.  Danny Ainge finally is getting his man in green.... Robert Swift has been added to the Summer League squad.

He initially wanted to draft the 7 foot high schooler from Bakersfield, California ahead of Al Jefferson, but Seattle nabbed him ahead fortunately.

Ainge has since been rumored to try to acquire every year since.

If Seattle (now Oklahoma City) doesn't value him, though they lack a center, how much value could he bring to the Celtics.

Hope Danny enjoys his long lost boy crush for the summer.

Otherwise, hopefully and more importantly Danny gets Rasheed Wallace to sign on.

[celticinorlando]

well...if boston can get sheed and this kid can play defense and actually have a pulse more than POB or moore...then it was a steal

[hwangjini_1]

well, it's not as if swift has zero talent. injuries have taken quite a toll on him.

for comparison sakes, here are the lines for perkins in his THIRD year compared to swift in his SECOND year. can you tell which numbers belongs to which player?

player A
21 min
6.4 pts
5.6 rbs
1.2 blocks

player B
19 min
5.2 pts
5.9 rbs
1.5 blocks

similar starts, but injuries limited swift to 34 games in the past 2 years.

just found some info about his injuries. maybe he and powe should talk to one another.

from a wiki page... "In 2006 Swift was awarded the starting job at center but disaster struck when he ruptured the ACL in his right knee after playing just over one minute in a pre-season game vs the Sacramento Kings. The resulting injury occurred when he twisted his right knee when he fell and went out of bounds awkwardly in front of the Seattle bench. Swift suffered another injury to his right knee in February 2008, a torn lateral meniscus."

who knows? if he stays healthy he may provide some help.

[CoachBo]

Danny is addicted to 7-foot stiffs. Swift is another one.

Surely the Celtics' insurance can cover a 12-step program to help Ainge work through this terrible illness.

"Hello. I'm Danny Ainge and I'm a stiffaholic."

[Rondo2287]

Hey I am pumped about a couple names on that list, Bryce Taylor being one of them.  Son of Brian Taylor who played for the Utah Jazz, Bryce is a great shooter and athletic 2 guard.  I was on here last year petitioning the Celts to draft him but it didnt happen.  I think hes got the NBA pettigree and is at a position the Celts need help, I know its a long shot, but I hope they at least put him on their D-league roster, because I think this guy can play in the NBA.

[Roy Hobbs]

So long as he's not taking a roster spot from a more deserving player, I wouldn't have a problem gambling on Swift.  However, to clear up room for him, I'd like to see us trade Tony and Giddens for a competent player.

[Michael Anthony]

At a generous 6'8", Powe needed every bit of his athletiscism to efectively use his scoring skills.

Swift is a very skilled scorer and rebounder, and at 7'1", is not as dependent on his athletiscm. If he is a step slower, but maintained his skills, this will be a huge steal for Ainge.

Who else are we looking at as a third center, Oberto? Gray? Moore?

[CoachBo]

So long as he's not taking a roster spot from a more deserving player, I wouldn't have a problem gambling on Swift.  However, to clear up room for him, I'd like to see us trade Tony and Giddens for a competent player.

Yeah, it's really not an issue - as long as there's a competent 5 coming off the bench between Swift and the floor. He's not going to be of any use to the club next year, if he's signed. The claims he's actually skilled are exaggerated.

The predictability of Ainge is funny.

[2short]

I think he is a worthwhile gamble (of course i felt the same way about pob).  You can't knock a gm gambling on big centers and like pob its a cheap gamble.  If healthy swift is a player.  We have at c posisiton Perk & Garnett right now, maybe davis?  This is a posistion we need depth at, move some sgs!
Ray Allen, Eddie House, Tony Allen (trade him please), Giddens, then summer league guys etc

[Roy Hobbs]

So long as he's not taking a roster spot from a more deserving player, I wouldn't have a problem gambling on Swift.  However, to clear up room for him, I'd like to see us trade Tony and Giddens for a competent player.

Yeah, it's really not an issue - as long as there's a competent 5 coming off the bench between Swift and the floor. He's not going to be of any use to the club next year, if he's signed. The claims he's actually skilled are exaggerated.

The predictability of Ainge is funny.

Yep.  He's got to be the *third* center, essentially playing the Scot Pollard role.  I'd be fine with that.  However, I don't ever want to see him as the primary backup.

And oh yeah, this was the most predictable move of the off-season.

[yall hate]

the guy is a goofball who has never been able to stay healthy...

but when he does, he has some talent.  If he can stay healthy, I certainly wouldnt mind him at the end of the bench

[footey]

Danny has to be thinking matchups with the Lakers in next season's championship (he can dream just like us).   If Swift is healthy, he can cover Bynum i short stints when Perk is resting or in foul trouble.  Swift is very strong and long, and is more athletic than folks give him credit for.

[the_Bird]

He was progressing very nicely before he got hurt; I recall a lot of Big Al-for-Swift rumors being shot down with "Seattle would never do that."  We'll see if he's healthy in Summer League and probably training camp.  I'd rather take a chance on a big guy who's been dealing with injuries than a big guy who doesn't seem to like playing basketball (POB). 

Frontcourt rotation next year of Perk, KG, 'Sheed, and Swift (assuming Scal gets traded)?  You'd still like to have one other guy in there, someone for BBD's minutes, but that seems pretty good to me.

[lostjumper]

While talking about his stats from 2006 is nice, they are from 2006, before 2 serious knee injuries. I hear the 2 years or rehab have not been nice, and now that he's filling out at 280lbs, he's got manboobs to make BBD jealous. He'll need to get on the Perk workout schedule pretty quick if he has any hope of being productive in the summer league, let alone the NBA. I hope for the best because at one point, he did have alot of talent, but I'm not goign to hold my breath.

[RayRay4MVP]

How tall is he?