kingofkings

A very important season coming up. If any trades emerge I will be sure to update this analysis!

Centre Rotation - Lorenzen Wright, Trybanski, Massenburg
Power Forward - Pau Gasol, Drew Gooden, Stromile Swift
Small Forward - Shane Battier, Grant Long(FA)
Shooting Guards - Michael Dickerson, Wesley Person, Giricek
Points Guards - Jason Williams, Brevin Knight, Earl Watson.

CENTRES

LORENZEN WRIGHT

Well, he has never established himself as a consistent player. In his days with the Clippers, he had his nights but then disappeared for games at a time. He never became the shotblocking power forward that the Hawks had hoped for either. He was having a huge season, before he got injured. Who could forget that monstrous 30 and 20 game he had against Dallas!.

The issue with Wright is that he is 6"11, is long and athletic, but is not a shotblocker. He has the tools to be but he does not reject the shots that he needs to. He likes to sit back and react to the offensive player, instead of going after them with some defense, like Mutombo and Mourning do. He does not seem to contest enough shots for my liking, which is a reason why his blocks are not enough.He never learned what he needed to from Mutombo about post defense. He is not a poor defender by any means but he has the tools to be a Mourning type player. He just needs to be more aggressive!

The problem with not being a shotblocker is that no-one will fear driving at you. He needs to impose his presence on the game more and start having an impact on defense. he likes to sit back and wait for the rebound and this is not the way to go. I remember after a game I heard him criticising Gasol for missed defensive assignments, but in that particular game, I saw Wright not playing the percentages, and getting torched on pick and roll plays. He will not come out of the key and does not feel comfortable playing against centres that can hit the jump shot, as they will draw him out of his comfort zone, the low blocks.I feel that he needs to be more intimidating on defense and make people be aware that he is around!!

On offense he can finish the play and can score when hot. He can step out and hit the jumper, but he has never been a big scorer in the league and should demand the ball more of Williams. But once again he can also disappear. I am not sure if Gasol and Wright can play together to be honest because Wright is more of a natural power forward. The rotation is going to be an important issue here.

TRYBANSKI

A big body who can hit the shot and finish the play. Can he crack the rotation with Wright, Gasol, Swift, Gooden, etc. But they wanted him and the Grizzlies have nothing to lose this season. So they need to look to play him as many minutes as possible. But he is going to be intimidated, which is natural and this can hurt his game.

Massenburg - A big body and tough nut. I am not sure if he will be part of the team, as they have a glut of bigger guys that need minutes. Maybe he can be as insurance and as a mentor to the younger guys. He has never been able to cement a permanent starting role on any team. Look, he is just a big body that can bang and can give some intimidation, for 5-10 minutes per game. He is a guy that can ensure the rookies do not get pushed around and cop verbal attacks from others. As long as the opposition are aware that he is around, that is all that is important.

POWER FORWARD

PAU GASOL

Who can forget his coming out party this year. Immediately cracks the starting rotatuion after 3 games and he is the teams star. The Grizzlies are already building around him, after he only has one year under his belt. This guy can finish and I watched alot of Grizzlies games, because I was intruiged by his play. He likes to dunk the ball hard and that facial on Garnett was huge and unbelievable. It shows me that he is not afraid of serving it up to more established players in the league. His play this year showed me that he wants to make an impression on the game anyway he can. When he gets the ball, something happens, which is a great sign. I hope that he can develop a more consistent outside shot which will make him unstoppable. Some of his low post moves really remind me of Tim Duncan. He can develop a three point shot, which will make him unguardable. I want him to be more of an inside outside threat. No-one is saying he needs to be like Dirk Nowitzki but the more tools you have, the less tools that the opposition can take away from you.

His defense is solid and no-one really expected him to be in the top 10 in blocks for the year. He has a very long and wiry frame that he uses to his advantage. I saw him block guards to big guys with dominance. However, this aside, he did get into foul trouble and he did get scored on at times. He is a defender that wants you to shoot jump shots over him so that he can use his reach and height to block it. This is fine, but sometimes you can be off your game and cannot get to blocks and this results in cheap buckets.But he is a great rebounder but at times against bigger guys they just used their strength to out position him and move him out of the blocks. Against more physical defenders, he can struggle as they will move him out of position with their strong bodies and into positions where he cannot be effective.

He needs to bulk up in the gym to be even more dominant. Their is no reason why he will not raise his scoring even more. But, as we saw at the end of last season, the defense, monitored him more closely and knew that he was going to get the ball. So he was doubled in the post and at times was forced to give the ball up. Often a three point jumper was fired up, because of this.

But, he is going to get some free throws because of the way he plays. Once again he likes to attack on offense which means more "and one" opportunities. If I would look to stop the Grizzlies, I would start with this guy. Play a bigger player on him, who can use his strength to manouver Gasol out of the play. Bang him in the post and make him know that you are around. Go at him on offense and try to get him out of the game. Look to score on him and just lay the ball hard at his body. This is one way to get him out of the play and the game. As you know getting Swift into the game instead of Gasol is a good idea, as the offense is forced to alter its plans and sets. If he is going to drive, make him earn it, as this is his go. Make him think twice about post scoring. Remember if you take this away from him, you can get him shooting long range jumpers, which is not YET his type of game that he likes.

STROMILE SWIFT

Has the tools to be a player but seems to lack the motivation and desire to use his athleticism to his advantage. He was a defensive menace in college, but this was because he was a 6"9 player. In the NBA, he is considered average in height as a power forward as now their are guys that are stronger than him and he struggles to have an impact on the game. Most of his points and numbers came in garbage time and his play is a concern. But it is too early to give up on him YET.

Look he is going to struggle to beat out Gooden, in my opinion as Gooden is a better all round player than him. Swift loves weak side rejections and is adequate in this department. But I can remember one game that he played, how lost he seemed. He literally was standing around on defense and I clearly saw Williams yelling at him because he missed a key defensive assignment. This guy has had two years in the NBA and needs to put it all togther now. Their is no reason why he cannot be a Jermaine O'Neal type of guy if he wants it bad enough. He has all the tools to be a player, athleticism, height and reach, but his time to prove himself is running out. He liked to play some back up centre last year and showed some signs of aggression. He is a good offensive rebounder and got most of his points through dunks and lobs. Once again, I want him to impose himself on the game more and get more aggressive as well. If he gets a chance to stuff it in the defenders grill he should do it. He needs to create aggression. He never had to in college becasue he could dominate easily, but this is big time basketball.

DREW GOODEN

He might be a small forward but I listed him here because this is where he played in college. He will get big minutes this year as the Grizzlies have nothing to lose and play their rookies like Gasol and Battier last year. He needs to develop early and show his game to the team. He is really a jack of all trades kind of player, who can do almost everything, but no-one knows if he can do it in the NBA. Will get minutes at the 3 and 4, at various parts of the game. He is a good solid rebounder and also above average defender. I kept a fairly close eye on him in college and loved his game. He can finish and shoot a decent jumper. But, he will struggle with the pace of the game as all rookies do. Do not expect big things early, as he will not start yet, but he will play bigger minutes during the course of the season. IMO the Grizzlies took the best player available in the draft and you cannot blame them for that. He has all the tools you want to build on, to be a great NBA player.

SMALL FORWARD

SHANE BATTIER

Had a great rookie season and copped all the toughest defensive assignments, as the team really has no beter man on man defender then him. He put up good solid numbers in all categories, yet people are saying that he has reached his peak and cannot get better. WRONG. He has not even started and his rookie season was a great beginning for him. He got some blocks, steals and hit some clutch shots last season. He can only get better with the confidence that he got last season. He defended the scorers of the league and did a decent job. He knows now what is required of him and what he needs to work on in guarding the best players.

He is a bigger body at 6"8, 230 and uses this to his advantage. But he was beaten at times by quicker guys with good ballhandling ability who seemed to get him, by playing a give and go play, where they quickly passed the ball, ran, got it back and scored. He is a solid perimeter defender and can lurk around the passing lanes for some cheap steals and start the fast break.

Good rebounder and positions his body well at all times. That is why he stayed at College for so long, as he has fundamentals. He does not need to have the ball to have an impact on a game of basketball. Like defense, court positioning and awareness are all aspects that he is good at. You cannot play a smaller guy on him as he is too strong and big, but you can get him with an athletic guy that moves around and makes him work.

SHOOTING GUARDS

MICHAEL DICKERSON

Can he make it back after his injury?? He has Battier and Person around waiting to take some minutes off him so he needs to go at training camp hard. He is a good shooter but once again can get hot and cold at times. Not that great a ballhandler and passer but he is not that bad. Gets alot of points of pick and rolls wher he can get free and shoot it. Needs to have the ball given to him on a platter to be effective. Not so good at creating his own shot but he is still only relatively young. He struggles on defense, because he has a fairly light frame. Guys like to isolate him one on one and go to work on him. Effective plays such as pick and rolls, where he has to work, are ploys of scoring on him. A post up orientated guard like a Bonzi Wells give him trouble as he gets into unfamiliar territory defending against guys bigger than him so close to the basket.

He can score the three ball and also can finish which is a good characteristic on this team. Loves the mid range game and loves to use fakes on his defenders before hitting the jumper.

WESLEY PERSON

Came off his best season ever in the NBA. Was a compliment to Andre Miller and got alot of his points from Miller's drive and dish game. Shot at 50% from the field last year which is great for a two guard. He can hit it from anywhere on the court and I am a fan of his, ever since he came out of College. He is strong at 6'6, but he is not such a bad defender as he can use his height and strength as an advantage. Loves the pick and roll play, but he is similar to Michael Dickerson, they are both effectively the same player. Person is a better rebounder as well and can also give it off at times. The team has inside scoring in Gooden and Gasol, which will leave Person open for the long three. You cannot not guard this guy as when he is hot, it just always seems to drop for him. Flourished in Cleveland, initially when Kemp and Ilgauskas, were the inside presence getting all the attention, and Person could go one on one with his defender and score on him. He is a good guy to have come off the bench and light it up. On defense he is adequate but not great and is not that quick. So you can play a faster type guy on him and run him round to get free and shoot uncontested.Look to drive on him and wheel by to score.

GORDON GIRICEK

Might battle for minutes with Dickerson, Person and Battier but the team is high on him, a 6"6 shooting guard. Once again, they are pretty deep here and he can only help the team with his flexibility.

POINT GUARD

JASON WILLIAMS

I am not a fan of his. Sure he can do the flashy play, but he is not the type of guy I want with Gasol, Swift and Gooden around. These guys need a more controlled player on the court. How many times did that three pointer get hoisted when there was enough time on the clock to launch a better attack. There is nothing wrong with wanting to shoot as a point guard, but if you are going to shoot alot, make sure you can at least hit it consistently. This guy has not proved it yet. I know he had 8 assists per game which is great but he is just an average point guard. Great passer but poor defender. Got torched by guys like McInnis,Fisher etc guys who are not top class players, but who can score against poorer defenders. Maybe he can improve this part of his game. He can hit the open man but when he is shooting the offense breaks down and the team looks to lose its focus. Needs to reduce his shot attempts and feed the ball off more. Now he has more options, with Gasol, Gooden, Person and Dickerson. These guys are going to want the ball and he needs to play a more complete game.

I was not happy with his attitude particularly when he told Gasol that he is not passing him the ball. He is 27 now, and it is time to show more leadership on the court than that.He is getting paid well, probably too much to have this kind of attitude. He is not even the most important part of the team, anyway. But he is flashy and crowds come to see him play. Once again, I would like to see more leadership from him and a cooler head in the clutch, or fourth quarter. He seems to panic a bit when the team is down on the scoreboard and takes it upon himself to do something about it. Hopefully other guys can step up and help him out here, as he did put up 8 assists on a team that struggled.But he can and will get better. I hope that he is not satisfied with what he has achieved so far in his career as he can do better and he will! But he has never shot better than 30% from the three and 40% from field goal, which is a huge concern!

BREVIN KNIGHT

Good guy coming off the bench, but not as a starter. One, is his lack of height at 5"9. I remember when he was at Cleveland, Mark Jackson used that old technique of backing him down in the post as much as he could to take advantage of his deficiency. It is a problem, there is no question about that. When he checks into the game, other teams should try and play a bigger makeshift point guard or bigger backcourt just to try and exploit him in this regard. He has small frame so when he is in the ball, look to dominate him and get as many points you can on him.

He can pass and is very quick. Likes to drive but has no three point shot and I am surprised that he has not developed this tool yet. Likes to push the ball hard up court and is a very good ballhandler and distributor. The offense seemed more controlled and cleaner when he was playing last year. A good guy to have on the team with his leadership and veteran status, even though he has been in the league for 5 years.he can get steals by being a ballhawk which leads to easy buckets on the fast break. It is just his lack of height that impacts him and that is why he will have his minutes reduced.

EARL WATSON

Played at the Sonics last year and will take whatever minutes are left.


Depending on any other trades, signings, etc I will update this thread. The team looks to have a lot of depth at most positions, which is always a good sign. The Grizzlies can only get better and have not even scratched the surface yet!! The roster have one power forward and one point guard too many, so maybe a trade is on the cards for a veteran guy who can play some minutes.

Please Reply and Comment!!

Shadows

Wow KingsofKings another great post. I turned this post into a sticky. I'll have it up for about the next week or so.

Is that tru? Wow I must have missed that if he did say that, IMO this guy definetly should go. I have never been a fan of JWILL as most of you have noticed.

I agree 100% with this quote

That is so true. Let's face it Gasol and Swift are not run and gun players. These 2 guys need to make their moves in the block on a post up play. I hear Gooden can run the floor nicely so I'm not sure on that, I'll comment on it when the season starts.

As far ad Dickerson I allways felt since he was in Vancouver that he held his own on D. He might be a little slow moving horizontaly but he makes that up with his effort and heart.


I thought that Mike did a great job comming into the league creating his own shot that's the only part I dissagree with.


Great Post

TheRifleman

Love this post!

I agree with almost all you wrote and I can't add a thing to this unbiased and carefully phrased analysis. One can see you also are a "fan" of this greatest of all games!

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bdachakeya

I love your post, too. You hit it on the head with alot of the players, especially Pau and Shane. The incident involving JWill and Gasol happened at the beginning of the season when they both hadn't gotten used to each others game yet, causing that comment to be made out of frustration. But once JWill became injured and had to sit down and evaluate what Pau was doing on the court, and where he was most comfortable recieving the ball, things started to work out better for both players out on the court together after JWill came back from the injury. There was even a time during the season when Pau and JWill expressed their dislikes to the media about each other's game, but both later changed their sentiments about each other later in the season after adjusting to each other on the floor. If you can remember, JWill became more under control as the pg for the team because he didn't do as many boneheads he was capable of doing, and hopefully things will stay the same when the season starts again. I still think with a little more guidance and input from JWest on how to become a more effective leader on the court, JWill will convert alot of his nay-sayers into believers this year.

w-h-i-t-e-b-o-y

I like all the posts except our own MODERATOR(shadows). Come on you gotta give JWill a chance. As already stated JWill and Pau had many disagreements early in the season and actually didnt like each other. But as the season progressed they grew upon each other and realized each others talents. Pau knows what JWill is all about and vice versa for JWill. And as far as the comment about not having JWill lead Gasol, Gooden, and Battier who do think is gonna lead 1 rookie and 2 2nd year players. I mean come on know these guys aint shaq and kobe. Dont get me wrong they are good but can still get better and to say that he cant lead them is like a slap in the face. Tell that to the kings when in his rookie season as a starter took Sac to the playoffs. And about JWill's D he avg just under 2stls a game. He aint the best on the ball defender but neither are half the other PG's in the L. I like our team and hope to see it the same for the next 2 years to see players gel and feed off others. We are very young and talented and I think the 8 seed is in sight(thats being realistic). I like the info given on Mike D and believe that he will come back stronger and be one of the leaders on this team.
Jerry West is a genius and we'll see exactly what he put together very soon!!!

Wiggum

Jason Williams is one of the most frustrating players in the NBA. He really is a great, great passer; I'll give him that. He DID average 8.0 APG, which is good considering all the shots he took. But, UGGGHHH!!! Why does he jack up so many shots!? Williams placed 7th in the NBA in 3-point attempts this year. 7TH!!! As in, there were only 6 more people in the entire league that took more 3-pointers than him! And this is coming from a guy who averaged a .295 3P%...

Let's look at the people led the league in 3 point attempts:

Antoine Walker: 645 (.344)
Ray Allen: 528 (.434)
Paul Pierce: 520 (.404)
Baron Davis: 478 (.356)
Jason Terry: 444 (.387)
Reggie Miller: 443 (.406)
Jason Williams: 430 (.295)
Latrell Sprewell: 403 (.360)
Darrell Armstrong: 398 (.349)
Pat Garrity: 396 (.427)

Williams placed the lowest in 3P% out of all 10 of the leaders in 3PA.

Williams took 430 3-point shots this season and played in 65 games. That equates out to 6.6 3 point attempts per game. Why would a guy that shoots .295 take that many shots? Compile that with Williams' total .382 FG%...if Williams would stop taking so many shots, he could have easily been in the top 5 in APG, maybe even leading it.

w-h-i-t-e-b-o-y

Ok so he shoots too many 3's and has a bad percentage. Now look at Kobe he shot 25% from behind the arc....thats horrible!!!!
Ok so if he learns better shot selection(he takes about 1 or 2 25-30footers a game) then he would make about 35% of his 3's.

Shadows

Whiteboy I think JWill has been in the NBA long enough he does not need a chance he needs to get better plain and simple. I have been giving him a chance these last 2 season. And by looking at last season he is not getting better IMO.

I seriously think he would be better comming off the bench then starting. If they could get a stable veteran PG to start over him trust me I would be more then happy. To be honest with you I would rather have Brevin Knight playing starter. Juts gives you an idea of how much I dislike his game.

Yes he did bring Sacramento to the playoffs but that team was alot better then that and it showed once JWill left and Bibby took over.

There is no question the Jayson has a ton of potential. I would hate to see him traded only because how good he could be one day. But until he learns to control himself on the court this team will continue to wait for him to do anything significant. He is IMO the key to this team if he could do what you said. Either make more jump shoots at higher shooting % or just not take as many shots the problem will get better.

w-h-i-t-e-b-o-y

I agree with that to a cetain extent the success that the kings have had lately dont exactly start with Bibby. I really get annoyed when everyone says where Bibby took the Kings, he took them no where. What did he do that was sooooo good during the season. Ok so he stepped up during the playoffs when their second best player and an allstar Peja was hurt. Thats what someone one the team is suppose to do. How come no body mentions Peja or Hedo they both had monster years and it somehow always comes back to Bibby. I think almost any starting PG in the L could have taken that team just about as far and dont get me started on 7yrs 80mil thats alot for a guy who had one good postseason and a couple decent seasons in Vancouver. Think about it his and JWills numbers are pretty close when they played for the Grizz and same goes for when jwill played with the Kings......whew.

EJlover

Well, the Earl Watson analysis is lacking just a little, so I'll add my 43 cents (well, it's definitely more than 2 cents ).

Earl didn't get much playing time in Seattle last year, and when he was on the floor he didn't have the ball in his hands much. Either Gary Payton or Brent Barry was on the floor with him at all times, unless it was garbage time. He was an afterthought offensively, generally coming up with his points on the break. He had a couple of games where he was impressive offensively, with his 14 point performance against the Lakers in his first game back in LA since he graduated from UCLA, and in a game against Golden State where he had 13 points. In that Golden State game, Earl had one play in that game that landed him in the NBA Inside Stuff's plays of the week, as he stole the ball, dribbled around defenders, spun around other defenders, and scored on a reverse lay up while being fouled and sent to the floor. He shot threes at a 36% clip and twos at 48%. He was never a very good free throw shooter at UCLA and that translated to the pro level as well, though from what I saw of the two summer league games he played in LA last month he had a sweet stroke going on the 12 of 15 he made from the line. He's a surprisingly strong leaper for his height, though most of you won't believe it until you see it, and he can throw down alley-oop passes with the best of them. He will take whatever role the coaches have for him offensively. If they want him to look to score then he will, but if they want him to get his teammates into the offense and get certain guys the ball at certain times he will do that too. He's not about playing for his ego, he's about getting wins and doing whatever it takes to get the "W".

Defense and leadership are the keys with Earl Watson. "He's got his hands on the ball more on the defensive end than he does on the offensive end," is one of my favorite quotes from Sonics broadcaster Kevin Callabro. Earl makes himself a pest, both against his man and unsuspecting big men who don't see him coming. Opposing guards don't seem to want to bring the ball up court when he's guarding them, and it's not rare to see someone other than the point guard dribble the ball into the front court when Earl's in the game. He holds the record for most steals in a career at UCLA, and he brought his pickpocketing ability to the pro-level, staying in the top four in steals per 48 minutes and steals per turnover in the NBA last season. If they kept stats for deflections he'd be in the tops of the league in that area too. His defensive contributions aren't only measured in the steals he puts up though, as when he enters games the defensive intensity of the entire team increases. At UCLA he wouldn't let his teammates slack off or he'd call them soft and stay on them until they started playing with heart. In Seattle the most common comment was that as soon as he entered the game you could see the defensive effort increase team wide.

Some other key things to Earl's game that almost assuredly endeared him to Jerry West when he watched Earl during his career at UCLA are his leadership, his hustle, his toughness, and his selflessness. Earl is a tremendous leader, and with a young team he will be asked to show his leadership skills more than he could in Seattle with the, uhm, strong personalities on that team. You will be hard pressed to find a time when Earl is not hustling when he's in the games. He's not afraid to get after it, diving for loose balls, fighting for rebounds amongst bigger players, getting floor burns, getting stitches. He's had so many stitches he can probably do them himself by now. He probably got hurt in half of the games that he played in at UCLA, but no matter how severe, he would usually get back in the game. I can only think of two instances when he didn't at least try to play again, and he still managed to become the first player to start every game in a four year career at UCLA. He only missed two practices in those four years. His willingness to do all of the little things that other players don't want to do is something that usually makes him a fan favorite right away. It's always good to have a guy on the team who doesn't need to put up a certain number of shots to feel good, or who isn't concerned with the stats he puts in the box score. If he makes the pass that gets the assist, or the pass that leads to the assist, it's all the same to him, as long as the ball goes in the basket.

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Dakota

To all you people saying that J-Will shoots to much, have you ever played basketball.I mean who else is gonna score on the Griz besides Gasol,Battier, and Wright. Hek half the team was injured last year, so no one should be complaining about the shot situation. The only way to put some points on the board is to shoot. It doesn't matter how many shots he puts up, because the game is 48 minutes long. Tell me now that 7 threes a game is too much. What the hek are you thinking, at least J-Will was willing to put up the shots when no one else was. J-Will has a very good technique shooting the ball and if he was on balance more often than not, than he would without a doubt be shooting over 50%.What other three point threats did the griz have last year. HAHAHAHA besides the point man himself I can't really think of any. Nooo Shane Battier cannot shoot the three consistently. Some of you gotta realize this team has more than just Gasol and Battier

im out

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C-MO's Member Forum - Yes it's still active and Yes Dan Dickau IS the Truth

kingofkings

Damn 270 views and 10 replies. C'mon!! Whoever reads this thread drop a line and give us some comments, otherwise what is the point of this board...

Anyway what is the hype compared with Darius Miles and Stromile Swift. People have already written Swift off, while Miles is considered the next superstar? Check out their Stats:

2001/2002 Season

Date of Birth:

Swift - 11/21/1979
Miles - 10/9/1981

Height

Swift - 6"9
Miles - 6"9

Weight

Swift - 225
Miles - 210

Minutes per Game

Swift - 26.5
Miles - 27.2

Points Per Game

Swift - 11.8
Miles - 9.5

Rebounds Per Game

Swift - 6.3
Miles - 5.5

Blocks Per Game

Swift - 1.66
Miles - 1.26

Field Goal Percentage

Swift - 48%
Miles - 48%

So you can see that there are a great similarity between the players progress this past season, if not in Swift's favour. So why is Miles getting all the hype, yet is not outnumbering Swift??

They are effectively at the same level currently, although Swift has brief college experience.

But what I am trying to say, is that if everyone is enamoured with Miles production and potential, why are they ignoring Swift., as he has done just as much as him. They both have equal athleticism and I believe that Swift needs more respect.

It takes rookies more time to develop in the game and Swift needs more time, what is wrong with that?? I would hate if he gets traded, gets big time minutes and becomes a force to reckon with on defense, with his height, athleticism and shotblocking. He can also be a fan favourite just like Miles, with his high flying dunks and alley-oop plays, as well as his rejections!

So I have shown you, that there is not much between Miles and Swift. All that I can assume is that Miles is ahead on potential at the moment. But does potential mean anything anyomore?? I mean potential is a two edge sword, you either are going to make it, or you are going to be a bust and neither player at the moment has answered this question, YET.

So in fact, has Swift done that bad in his two years in the NBA?? Of course he needs more polish and experience, but he can only improve on this with time. Hopefully he can get enough minutes with Gasol, Wright, Gooden, etc and prove just how far that he can go in the NBA and develop and show his game to the world.

So I say to you, what has Miles done, that Swift has not?? They talk about Miles being a good defender in the future, but yet Swift has more blocks. Swift has just as many tools as Miles to be a good defender, and more weight as well. Granted, Swift has been lost at times, on defense,but he can only improve with better coaching. I know th