Swift a reluctant redshirt

The road trips are the worst. Home is a hotel room, as fancy as it might be.

"I pretty much sleep a lot," said Robert Swift, "and watch movies."

Back in Seattle, Swift crawls out of the crowd to stand behind the Sonics' huddle during timeouts. He can't hear what is being said, his gaze shifting to the antics of another Squatch stunt.

"He's handled it well, but this has to be a lonely year for him," said Nick Collison, a 24-year-old rookie.

Swift is a just-turned-19 rookie, at least five years younger than any of his teammates.

He can't play pool with them in a tavern on an off day. He practices by himself on game days because his teammates don't practice. He doesn't dress for games even in Seattle because he isn't on the active roster.

He hovers on the fringe as only a 7-foot kid trying to develop the body of a man can — a reluctant redshirt.

He stops his big Dodge pickup at the gate outside KeyArena to sign autographs. But downtown, where he has rented an apartment, most people notice only that he's very tall. And if they do associate him with basketball, they wonder if he "plays for the U-Dub."

He could have played this season for USC, where he signed a letter of intent.

"He would have been a star player in the Pac-10," Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said.

Swift falls under the category of research and development for the Sonics, who are content to let him develop in anonymity, assuming that it will take a couple of years to happen.

He works daily with Jack Sikma, now a Sonics assistant coach.

Asked if Swift would have gotten better faster playing 35 minutes a game for USC, Sikma said, "For Robert, I don't see a downside for what he did. He's experiencing first-hand what guys are able to do in this league. What he is going through will promote his progress as far as being effective in the league."

Sikma spends hours with Swift and likes him, as his teammates seem to. According to Swift, Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, who was also drafted out of high school, go out of the way to help him. Swift remains upbeat when others wonder how he can.

"Robert needs to spend a lot of time to improve his strength and his size," continued Sikma. "He has to put some weight on. Being 245 pounds is just not going to make it at the position he plays.

"But as I said when we drafted him, if he does not play a meaningful minute for the Sonics this year or next year, it is absolutely not a negative."

But Sikma understands the other side of the coin, as does Collison, who was college basketball's player of the year two seasons ago playing for one of its top programs, Kansas.

"I can't speak for Robert," Sikma said, "but I'm sure he misses the thrill of being on the court when it counts."

Collison said he can't imagine having missed playing basketball in college.

"I can't fault Robert for his decision," Collison said. "But for me personally, I wouldn't have traded playing in college for anything. Just in terms of being a kid and having fun, college is something that is really valuable."

Swift played 13 minutes in the season opener against the Los Angeles Clippers when Danny Fortson and Vitaly Potapenko were injured, but Swift hasn't played much since.

As far as college, he said he doesn't miss the academic side of school. And while far from home, he has brought it with him. His family has purchased a house in Sammamish. His dad, Bruce, accompanies him on some of the road trips.

"We supported the family," said Bruce, "and now we're supporting Robert. It is kind of a role reversal."

Swift signed a three-year contract for $4.4 million.

"His family has taken the position that their fortunate situation financially is going to be used to help protect their asset, to help Robert mature and reach his best potential possible," Sikma said. "I think they are doing a great job with it."

Robert has two puppies that stay with his parents and a younger brother and sister in Sammamish. He said he visits his family four to six times a week and they all enjoy being in and near Seattle and don't regret the move from Bakersfield, Calif.

They were waiting for him after Tuesday's game with the Denver Nuggets.

Swift said the early season firing of coach Henry Bibby at USC helped reinforce his decision to go to the pros. He said money wasn't the driving force in his choice, but rather the opportunity to be in the NBA.

He has his new truck, he enjoys eating a steak at El Gaucho or Morton's, but he says about his NBA contract, "I wouldn't call it being rich, not compared to everyone else."

Everyone else in the NBA.

"You know," Collison said, "it is an individual thing. Guys Robert's age are playing in big arenas, having fun, while he comes in, works out on his own and watches a game.

"I'm glad I went to college. But if I had gotten hurt and not made the NBA, I might think about it differently."

The problem of the precocious.

Blaine Newnham: 206-464-2364 or bnewnham@seattletimes.com