The latest on Stromile...??

[Serpo]

Diop and Swift starting wow thats even less offense then we have now from the big positions . Boone has proven he's more then solid and deserves to start he's a good rebounder and decent defender and has at least a decent offensive game around the basket . Krstic isn't 100% ready but we need to give him time to get him ready for next season so he needs his minutes .

And playing Hassel before Boki would be just stupid without having 4 other scorers on the floor and our bench doesn't have enough scoring to give him a lot of minutes .

A player like Swift or Tyrus Thomas is only good with a good PG and a Center draws attention from defenders . Nobody needs to defend Diop at all he's one of the most offensively inempt player in the whole league .

You can't start Diop if you don't have a PF able to score 20+ PPG like Dirk in Dallas . He's just an incredible liability and has shown in on several of occasions since the trade .

And one thing i agree with benching Swift ( he doesn't have a great trade value anyway , he got his reputation) and playing the Sean and the other players with value to the team.

Boki's playing so many minutes because he at least streches the floor a bit because teams still respect his shooting ability .

I would disagree with playing Boki at the 4 ( and remember he mostly plays there when opponents are smaller as well or we need points ) if we had a healthy reliable scorer at one of the big positions but we don't . If you say Swift would be that you're just an incredible Swift homer . He's just not reliable in scoring , defense and especially effort . Boki at least gives 100% effort , for example he's plays injured for quite a while now .

I don't like the way the Nets play right now too but the rotations used are mostly right . This team is just not that good we have 3 good players some young guys , a mentally not ready big and guys we don't need . Thats just not going to cut is .

[Serpo]

I really hope Swifts not picking up his option since this trade would have been pointless otherwise . Twin was a great locker room guy and allways gave 100% effort and would play through injuries and everything .

Btw Interesting Stat Over the past 20 games, the Grizzlies are 5-8 when Collins plays more than 10 minutes.

They are 0-7 when he plays less than 10 minutes.

They are 19-55 overall. ( wins against Lakers, Sacramento, Charlotte, Knicks, and the Nets )

Coincidence ? Maybe , maybe not but still interesting .

I really hated Collins for so many reason's but he's a guy the Nets need would need on defense right now .

At least Collins can play defense AND co-ordinate the other 4 guys on defense.

[jerseyjac]

Stro is underused, underappreciated and misunderstood...

I know there are a couple of Stro fans on this board...but the truth may be that the Nets aren't interested him...and they rather see Sean get more run...

as far as the Boki complaints...others have said it...while being inconsistent...he is one of our better shooters, well liked by the coaching staff just based on his versatility...now can Stro play the 4 defensively better than Boki, I would think so...However, we need a guy at the other end that can shoot from deep...

[stro4swift]

I really hope Swifts not picking up his option since this trade would have been pointless otherwise . Twin was a great locker room guy and allways gave 100% effort and would play through injuries and everything .

Btw Interesting Stat Over the past 20 games, the Grizzlies are 5-8 when Collins plays more than 10 minutes.

They are 0-7 when he plays less than 10 minutes.

They are 19-55 overall. ( wins against Lakers, Sacramento, Charlotte, Knicks, and the Nets )

Coincidence ? Maybe , maybe not but still interesting .

I really hated Collins for so many reason's but he's a guy the Nets need would need on defense right now .

At least Collins can play defense AND co-ordinate the other 4 guys on defense.

You're posting on sportstwo? This is just some ridiculous bull...

[Serpo]

Question whos better at defending T.Young , Rashard Lewis and other
SF 's playing the 4 at some team Boki , SWill or Swift ?

Answer : Neither but Boki is one of our better shooters and thats the reason he plays more

Sean or Krstic play more if the opponent has real 4's but Swift should NOT get minutes . There's no reason for it , he's neither a part of our future or good enough to be a impact player .

BTW. Playing him OR not doesn't lower his value he's an expiring contract if he picks up his option and will not become more or less .

[jcrack32]

This Swift-love is just absolutely bogus. I'm glad you guys are fans of him but you're missing the big picture if you think he's a part of the Nets' future. We just drafted SWAT who is the exact same body build and has the exact same skill set as Swift. Why would the Nets prefer to play Swift over SWAT?? The Swift trade was made simply because it gave us a way to get rid of Collins...not because Swift was such an appealing player to us.

I don't know why its so difficult for guys to understand why Frank plays Boki at the 4. We need the offense and the outside shooting. We know Boki is inconsistent and turnover prone but we don't have another option. Look at the bench...anyone else that can provide offense?? Frank plays Boki when we are down...which is practically most of our games. If we are playing with a lead, I can understand giving the defensive player the minutes. Playing Boki at the 4 is a poor option right now but its what we're stuck with. This is why its crucial that we pick up a scorer/shooter for our bench.

[SpeedyG]

In an interview done Wednesday, Lawrence Frank told WFAN that the Nets

[MrDollarBills]

-= original quote snipped =-



He's a ROOKIE. Aside from a handful of guys that come in to the NBA like Dwight, Lebron, etc..most guys that come in needed to add strength and weight from their rookie year. Newsflash Frank, he's not going to gain that IN SEASON. What he can gain during the season is experience and better feel for the NBA game.

So what happens? Next season he comes back heavier and stronger, and he sits because he doesn't have enough experience?!?!

[rag-time4]

This Swift-love is just absolutely bogus. I'm glad you guys are fans of him but you're missing the big picture if you think he's a part of the Nets' future. We just drafted SWAT who is the exact same body build and has the exact same skill set as Swift. Why would the Nets prefer to play Swift over SWAT?? The Swift trade was made simply because it gave us a way to get rid of Collins...not because Swift was such an appealing player to us.

I don't know why its so difficult for guys to understand why Frank plays Boki at the 4. We need the offense and the outside shooting. We know Boki is inconsistent and turnover prone but we don't have another option. Look at the bench...anyone else that can provide offense?? Frank plays Boki when we are down...which is practically most of our games. If we are playing with a lead, I can understand giving the defensive player the minutes. Playing Boki at the 4 is a poor option right now but its what we're stuck with. This is why its crucial that we pick up a scorer/shooter for our bench.

Stromile can provide low post scoring at the PF position, much better than Boki can.

What kind of offense in the paint can Boki provide? From what I've seen, he can finish open dunks, and occasionaly drive on his own for dunks...

Stromile can do that and he plays good defense.

If Coach Frank actually played his best big men (Swift, Diop, Williams) instead of scrubs, the team wouldn't be consistently playing from behind.

[NjNeTs1029]

serious question im not trying to be an ass or anything.. are you related to stromile swift or were you friends with him in high school or something?

[Serpo]

He has to be somekind of relative of close friend . I mean Stromile Swift a reliable low post scorer ?

When has he even been that other then your dreams ?

Boki's one of our best shooters that provides outside shooting and has the ability to attack the basket when healthy . The funny thing is Boki isn't even a much worse defender then Swift not because of his ability but his effort . Swift doesn't play with enough intensity to constantly defend and do anything but blocking some shots while leaving his man.

And our best bigmean Sean , Diop and Swift wtf ? Sean has no real offensive game yet , Diop has no offense at all and shouldn't touch the ball in O and Swift his just one of the guys living off real bigmen that provide some space on O just with their pressence . Since we don't have that he's useless .

Playing these 3 more is tanking then anything else we had on the court this season. Sean is the only of the 3 who deserves more minutes but not because he's so good but because he needs to develop .

The others and their spot up minutes when needed is just fine.

[thierry]

rag-time4 and stro4swift, I have a question to both of you on how come you both are so into Stromile Swift? Honestly, I'm not trying to be funny here or anything but are you related to him, or know him personally? I'm guessing not since you both are bringing quotes from the internet which leads me to ask on why are you such big fans of him? I've always loved him because of his highlight plays, but even when he gets no PT? Please explain, thanks!

[ViNNNsanity]

Swift can finish around the basket, there shouldn't be any question about that. Whether he can do it on his own, isn't necessarily a problem. We have 3 perimeter players that can't be guarded 1on1, and they're unselfish. They can create for him. Kristic is a willing passer, too. Swift can relieve some of the pressure. No need for inconsistent Boki to launch bricks instead of our big 3.

As far as defense goes...anything is better than the small-ball crap we play. Swift isn't going to win DPOY anytime soon, but his shotblocking ability can be extremely beneficial if you're playing team/help defense. His strength and experience should also get him the nod over Swat. Swat's body is just not ready yet for NBA PFs.

[MrDollarBills]

Boki got soft over the summer, regardless of injuries that is not the same guy who was a key factor in our playoff run last year.

[Serpo]

We still should resign him AND bring him another swingmen . Why ?

Because what if the new guy's not better then Boki or is hurt or or or ?

Boki right now has to play just because we have no other guy off the bench able to really score . Bring in an alternative to Boki if he plays bad but still keep Boki if the new guy's bad.

[MrDollarBills]

As long as Boki is kept for a cheap price, he can stay.

[rag-time4]

We still should resign him AND bring him another swingmen . Why ?

Because what if the new guy's not better then Boki or is hurt or or or ?

Boki right now has to play just because we have no other guy off the bench able to really score . Bring in an alternative to Boki if he plays bad but still keep Boki if the new guy's bad.

Wow looks like Stromile played a lot today... while Boone got killed in his +/- with the starters...

So, who provided more scoring off the bench, Boki or Swift?

Who provided more offense off the bench in the Chicago game?

Boki is inconsistent offensively and consistently poor defensively.

Swift is a reliable low post player when he has a size advantage, and at any rate and at all times is a better low post scorer than Boki is, unless maybe Boki has a PG on him....

When Swift has a bigger guy on him, he's explosive enough and a good enough ball handler to do some serious damage with his slashing ability.

rag-time4 and stro4swift, I have a question to both of you on how come you both are so into Stromile Swift? Honestly, I'm not trying to be funny here or anything but are you related to him, or know him personally? I'm guessing not since you both are bringing quotes from the internet which leads me to ask on why are you such big fans of him? I've always loved him because of his highlight plays, but even when he gets no PT? Please explain, thanks!

I'm going to take a shower and say some prayers, and then I'll tell you my story on this.

[Serpo]

These are the Games where he actually looks like a real NBA player that could make an impact when in fact thats not true ....

[rag-time4]

These are the Games where he actually looks like a real NBA player that could make an impact when in fact thats not true ....

Anyways, as to thierry's question about why I like Stromile so much... I'll tell my story about it..

I started watching the Grizzlies back in the 02/03 season. I started watching them actually to see what Jason Williams was up to. Tim Hardaway used to be my favorite player when i was younger, but when he retired i didn't really have anyone to root for, so I wanted to see what Jason Williams was going to do as far as helping the Grizzlies improve...

I didn't start watching them to watch Stromile, but I noticed him right away. One of the first games I saw that season was a game against the Spurs, which went into overtime on a Swift slam in traffic off a behind the back pass from Jason Williams.

I remember in that game seeing Stromile play 1 on 1 defense against Duncan at some points in the game, and other points where Gasol played 1 on 1 defense. The game ended up being decided by a short jumper by Duncan over Gasol... and I thought it was really stupid that it was Gasol and not Swift being used to defend Duncan, because Duncan seemed to have a tough time shooting those shots over Swift.

It seemed like the coach (Sidney Lowe) wasn't using Swift the way I would... then I began comparing Swift to the other big men on the team who were being played over him at times: Lorenzen Wright and Drew Gooden, and from the beginning I thought Swift was way better defensively than Gooden or Wright.

During that season, the Grizzlies began using Gooden at SF, and it really didn't work. Gooden was useless defensively at that position and didn't make up for it on offense. That's what first drew me to using online message boards... I wanted to see what other people thought about Gooden playing SF instead of Swift... many Memphis fans responded that Swift was too dumb to play SF, or he didn't shoot 3's...

My whole thing was that Gooden was useless at that spot, so why not use the more athletic Swift? At that point I began to feel like there were cultural forces behind people's perceptions of Swift beyond his abilities as a basketball player. Stromile has always had an undeniable hip-hop aesthetic to his playing style and his off-court persona.

I've loved his handsign from the very beginning. For me, when I see him do that, I see a "black power fist" because I see it being very much an expression of "hip-hop culture" and very nationalistic because there is often a conservative backlash to celebrations like that, particularly when they express "hip-hop culture", or "gangsta culture," which conservatives see as immoral or subversive, among other things...

One thing I've always loved about Stromile is that he plays aggressively on offense and defense. I remember a play from the 04/05 season, one of the Grizzlies earlier games under Mike Fratello against the Heat. Stromile was on the court at the end of the third and the start of the fourth quarters, before being replaced by Lorenzen Wright, but in the fourth quarter there was a play where Shaq was posting up against Gasol. Shaq backed him down, and went up for a power dunk, and Swift rotated over and tried to actually block the dunk, straight up! Swift didn't successfully block it, he fouled Shaq on the wrist or the arm, but Shaq did miss the dunk.. but that type of play is why I love his playing style so much.

Stromile is never afraid to bring it and be aggressive, against any opponent. That's a winning attitude... and from what I've seen watching the Nets in recent years, it's something that Vince Carter struggles with at times, as great as he is. There are times when Carter settles waaaaay too much. Stromile, if he misses a jumper, or maybe two, is going to adjust and start making aggressive moves to the basket.

His style of play, to me, was totally superior to Juwan Howard, who started over Stromile in Houston. Juwan, when he misses a jumper, will just keep firing away... I took my dad with me to see the Rockets play @ the Warriors that season (the second game @ the warriors) and my dad thought that Stromile was the only player on the whole team who really had the intensity that it takes to win in basketball.

So yeah, that's why I'm so passionate about him.. I like his playing style and his personality... and I believe there are racial and cultural factors at play with regard to how he is perceived.

[thierry]

Interesting, I've always loved his highlight plays, and actually have ALWAYS wanted him on the Nets. Right now its just not the right scenario. And I'm also a fan of his little thumb together hand gesture after his slams. He is a player I've really rooted for, and put on my teams in video games.