Robert Swift was probably destined to hook on with the Celtics, even if just for the summer league in Orlando.
“We’ve always liked what he can do,’’ president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said. “I’ve liked him since the first time I saw him - in high school.’’
And Swift has long had an affinity for the Celtics.
“Great team, great coaches, great players,’’ Swift said. “It’s Boston. I don’t think there’s a better city, all around; it’s the best place you can be.
“Honestly, I’ve always [been] a fan of the Celtics, Red Sox, Patriots. I’m from California, but I never liked the Dodgers or the Angels. I have no idea why. The first time I saw a Red Sox game, when I was young, I liked them. I lived 100 miles from Los Angeles but I never liked the teams.
“I’ve been watching the Celtics the last couple years, but they’ve always been my team - before they were great and after they won, it’s always been the Celtics.’’
Swift grew up in Bakersfield, a 7-footer attracting recruiters at every level. Swift committed to the University of Southern California before deciding to enter the NBA draft after high school. He was selected by Seattle with the No. 12 overall pick in 2004.
After two seasons of apprenticeship, including 20 starts in the 2005-06 season, Swift seemed ready for a breakthrough. At 21, Swift was slated to be one of the youngest starting centers in the league. Then he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in an exhibition game and missed the entire 2006-07 season. He has played just 441 total minutes since.
“It seems like every time it’s been his turn, he has a setback with injuries,’’ Ainge said. “That is what has followed him in his young career.’’
But Swift, who was auditioning in Orlando for an invitation to the Celtics’ training camp, said he has recovered from surgeries to repair the ACL and a torn meniscus.
“This summer is about getting back in shape and showing everybody I’m healthy and ready to play,’’ Swift said. “My knee hasn’t felt better in a long time than it does now. I know I’ve felt better now than in the last five years. No problems, and having that time off - I’m 100 percent for the first time in a long time. A lot of people say it took them two years after ACL surgery to get back to where they were, and it’s just a little past two years now for me.
“It’s been frustrating, especially the ACL. It was the year after I ended up starting for the first time in my career, at the end of my second year. I still remember it . . . The day I was announced starting center for the season, I tore my ACL, in the first quarter of the last preseason game.’’