5 Things I Think I Know About the Southwest Division
With the vision of the 2009-’10 NBA season becoming more and more clear each day, we’ll take a look at each division and explain what we think we know about each. Sure, there are a lot of things that could change before opening day, but we have a pretty good idea of how each team will look and where we think they’re headed in the upcoming year.
Next up, 5 things I think I know about the Southwest Division…
5. I think I know that I feel bad for the Rockets.
Contrary to popular belief lately, I am actually not a Knicks fan. On the contrary, I am cursed with the Suns being my team of choice as I grew up in Phoenix. Thought being a Suns fan was unlucky? Try being a Rockets fan. Yao is out for the season, you never know what you’ll get from T-Mac, you lose Artest, sign a player for $33.5 million who averaged 9 ppg last year, and find out you play 22 back-to-backs next season (next closest team is at 17). Still, I think this team is good enough and so well coached that they’ll still end up making the playoffs. McGrady has been talking a huge game so far this offseason, and if he can stay on the floor, will obviously be a huge plus for the Rockets. Still, even without McGrady, the team plays their collective asses off every game which is something I respect more than anything.
4. I think I know that Mark Cuban wants to win.
Though I absolutely don’t agree with the extension of 38 year-old Jason Kidd for almost $30 million (wasn’t Nash too old 5 years ago at 31?) Mark Cuban has realized the Mavericks were simply not good enough to contend for a conference title last year and needed to address their weaknesses. Cuban brought back a productive Jason Kidd to helm the Mavericks attack, pulled off one of the most confusing trades I’ve ever seen to get Shawn Marion, and picked up a very solid Drew Gooden to highlight their off-season moves. As if those weren’t good enough, he solidified a bench that can contribute with a forgotten Quinton Ross for his defense and Tim Thomas to solely shoot three’s (no surprise there). Though Cuban added a bunch of salary to the fold for the next few years, the moves allowed Dallas to improve in every area they were lacking last year. No matter your feelings for Cuban or the Mavs, it was impressive and something I’d love to see in a owner – spend the money it takes to put your team in the best possible position to win.
3. I think I know that the Spurs are going to be scary.
Since the cat is out of the bag on my Suns fandom, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Spurs aren’t a team I particularly enjoy. However, it should be noted it’s not because they’ve continually beat the Suns over the past decade, it’s because I’m insanely jealous of how their franchise is being run. With arguably still one of the best 1-2-3 punches in Parker, Ginobili, and Duncan the Spurs still feel they can compete for a title but they’ll need a deeper team to get past the Lakers and a much improved Dallas squad. The acquisition of Richard Jefferson from Milwaukee should take a ton of pressure off the entire team offensively and provides another solid defender along the perimeter. Antonio McDyess has proven he can still play and is certainly an upgrade from the aging Kurt Thomas. Perhaps their best move of all is taking a chance on rookie DeJuan Blair; his knees may only allow him to play 3-5 years of good ball in this league, but he was more than worth the shot at the 7th pick of the 2nd round. It seems, once again, that the Spurs will be a thorn in many teams’ sides.
2. I think I know that the Grizzlies made the wrong choice in Hasheem Thabeet.
Hasheem Thabeet has a lot of upside. He’s 7-3 and has only played basketball competitively for less than 10 years. I get that. But, justifying him as the No. 2 pick in front of the likes of James Harden, Jonny Flynn, or even DeMar DeRozan just seems too risky to me. The Grizzlies have the capability of developing a very good core of players for the next few years with Mayo, Gay, Conley, and Marc Gasol – I’m just not sure Thabeet fits into that core. Hey, I could be way off and Thabeet could develop into a great center in the NBA but there are just too many question marks. Though, I do commend Memphis for taking the risk as the ends could end up justifying the means.
1. I think I know that this will be a very competitive division.
When all is said and done, the Southwest Division could potentially yield half of the Western Conference playoff teams – San Antonio, New Orleans, Dallas, and Houston. Two of those teams I predict will give the Lakers a run for their money in the West (Dallas, San Antonio) and the other two have the ability to still be very good (New Orleans and, yes, even Houston). Hence, I’d expect the division (as always) to be extremely intense throughout the entire year as playoff positioning will be a constant ebb and flow. It may not be the most exciting basketball to watch in terms of flash, but with several of the best basketball minds in the game coaching these teams; it will make for some of the best overall basketball in the league.
What’s your take on the Southwest Division?
5 Things I Think I Know About the Atlantic Division
5 Things I Think I Know About the Central Division
5 Things I Think I Know About the Southeast Division
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August 11th, 2009 at 10:03 am
Celts Fan says:
Spurs will win the West if everyone stays healthy.
August 11th, 2009 at 10:17 am
Patrick says:
Scola and TMac are going to put up numbers for the rockets, but they are still going to be terrible. If they were in the East they would still make the playoffs, but this isn’t the East.
August 11th, 2009 at 10:18 am
Michorizo says:
Spurs are breaking down….there time has passed
August 11th, 2009 at 10:34 am
Chaos says:
Spurs will win the division, and beat out dallas for the number 2 seed in the playoffs. suns will suck. The grizzlies have absolutely no identity. They have 2 scorers and potential mainstays in mayo and gay but after that it gets hazy. Randolph is a walking 20-10 loser, the pg situation hasnt worked it self out and will probably kill whaever pg they go with (conley or williams) because they may not be able to keep everyone happy and the center position is still weak as hell (thabeet is years off and gasol is good evey 5 to 6 games and doesnt have the skill of othre centers in the L).
August 11th, 2009 at 10:37 am
capnkimo says:
@Michorizo
lol I’ve been saying that for years.
I expect the trend to continue for the Spurs to exceed my expectations
August 11th, 2009 at 10:44 am
LakeShow84 says:
Spurs cant see us..
Kobe is a celebrated Spur killer..
August 11th, 2009 at 10:56 am
Kobeef says:
5. 100% agree with Ben on the Thabeet selection.
James Harden or Demar DeRozan or hell, Tyreke Evans would have been REALLY nice beside OJ Mayo - who has already stated he wants to play PG in the NBA. Thabeet won’t be able to move Marc Gasol out of the starting lineup.
4. By the end of the year, Marc Cuban still won’t know what to do with the Mavericks. They will be good but not good enough to matter. And we will again be reminded that Marion is over-rated.
3. Chris Paul will resurrect Emeka’s career, causing the Emeka vs Dwight debate to resurface for the first time since they were drafted.
2. It will be amazing if T-Mac makes it to the end of the season on the Rockets. That $23 Million expiring deal will be very appealing for teams who decide they need to cut their losses and go for broke with the free agent class of 2010.
1. This is Tim Duncan’s last stand. If the Spurs don’t make it to the finals this year we can officially say that this version of the spurs, and Duncan, are past their prime. Does Duncan leave the spurs in 2011 if this happens?
August 11th, 2009 at 11:04 am
Nukky G. says:
San Antonio 59-23
Dallas 51-31
New Orleans 47-35
Houston 44-38
Memphis 22-60
August 11th, 2009 at 11:26 am
Ben York says:
@Kobeef - 100% correct, this really is an attempt for the Spurs last stand, one more run. I don’t see Duncan going anywhere though, no matter what.
I’m also looking forward to seeing what Paul can do with Emeka. Should be fun.
@Nukky G. - I like those predictions. I have Dallas at 55 wins and New Orleans at 49.
@chaos - You’re probably right about the Suns.
August 11th, 2009 at 11:39 am
BERN BROGDEN aka BINO BROWN STR8 UP N DOWN says:
5. I think the Rockets are in deep doo doo no matter what anybody else says. And while it hearts my heart to hear TMAC all revived and confident again. I still can’t get the sight of the one-and-only Beno Udrih give him work. But what do I know??? Notta dam teng.
4. I like the Mav’s new ATTACK. Yay! But can their new crew D UP??? We’ll see. They should be worried about the 1 and 5 though. Thier PG is a triple double legend on his last wheels. Thier C is hydroplaning on hub caps, plus he’s outta gas.
Another thing about thier C, a Redwood doesn’t belong in a garden of Azaleas.
3. I think I agree.
2. Maybe. But if they can get Marc and him on the floor together, they could be like TD/Admiral or Pau/AB…and Memphis will have collectively turned into a younger Pistons 2004.
1. DUH
August 11th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
karizmatic says:
I think I know that Thabeet is not going to be good at all, he is projected as the next Mutumbo. Mutombo was a great defensive player and little else. If Thabeet is that good that’s still not necessarily a gamechanger.
I think Dallas is not going to be that good at all. How much does Kidd have left? Will Josh Howard stay healthy, or even play any better than he did last season? Is Dirk going to magically develop a post game? That team could use AI as well. At least then they’d have some heart.
The only teams in that division that stand even a chance of giving the Lakers a run is San Antonio and New Orleans if they can get their act together.
August 11th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Michorizo says:
Chris Paul needs more help if you think that they will be in the top 4 in the West…I seee NO possibly missing the playoffs if no help is provided soon.
August 11th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
JH says:
1. Spurs
2. Dallas
3. NO
4. Houston
5. Memphis.
I can’t guess their records but the ranking is pretty much set in stone. 3 guaranteed spots…probably 4 of the eight playoff spots.
August 11th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
ticktock6 says:
Hornets not make the playoffs? Won’t happen unless Chris Paul gets hurt.
They had basically the same team last year as 07-08. The only difference was injuries. They have basically the same team now. Healthy, I still think they’re potentially better than Dallas. Mavs have kind of taken a risk assembling an older bunch there.
August 11th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Ross says:
I don’t think Houston will make the playoffs this year. Spurs should win the west.
August 11th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Ben York says:
Is there any team that health WON’T be essential for this year? There are a few teams that are deep enough that they’ll continue on no matter what, but I can think of probably 22-24 teams that if a star player is out for a considerable amount of time they are screwed.
August 11th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
ticktock6 says:
If health is essential for everyone, you can’t discount teams who had injury seasons last year. Like the Jazz for instance. You can SAY they’re an 8 seed and on the bubble for the playoffs, but it’s about the same team that with better luck in 08 was, what, #4? Sometimes I feel like people can’t see beyond one season.
August 11th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Ben York says:
ticktock6 - 100% agree. As far as the Hornets are concerned, like you said, they are a much better team than last year indicated. Ultimately, I think (like the Suns) they function better with a chip on their shoulder and as an “underdog.”
August 11th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Willis says:
Kings play 20 b-to-b games this season.
August 11th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Ian says:
ben york
thanks for pointing out from where the spurs hate comes from.
spurs vs celts 10 finals if health allows it.
kobeef this isnt the spurs last stance they can go 2-3 seasons if manu doesnt die.
August 11th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
the cynic says:
can we just have Spurs vs Lakers in a 15 game series right off the bat so I don’t have to watch any 2nd rate basketball this year
August 11th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
Ian says:
cynic
one can only dream.
August 11th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Kobeef says:
@Ben
let’s officially ban the “if a key player gets injured this team is screwed, therefore they are not that good” argument.
This applies for every team in the league so you can’t use it to suggest a specific team is not that good.
August 11th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Kobeef says:
@Cynic and Ian
You need the season to tell you things like the Magic are better than anyone thought, KG is getting old and is no longer indestructable and Chauncey Billups is still capable of being the most important player on a western conference contender.
I think the spurs good but over rated and that the Nuggets will again be better than them - with New Orleans possibly jumping ahead of them - since RJ is only good when Kidd is showing him how to play.
August 11th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
Kermit the Washington says:
Just like always, the Spurs are the only team standing in LA’s way. And as much as I thought the power had shifted to the East, it’s still a step below the West. LA needs another rang!!
August 11th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
heavy d says:
Fact check. Several teams play 22 back-to-backs next year with many more over 20. 17 is the league low by a couple teams not the next highest number.
August 11th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
Heckler...formerly 'Yallallreadyknow' says:
grizz did a great job by drafting hasheem thabeet. he will be a defensive enforcer after 1.5yrs.
think dikembe mutombo all over again. that kind of defense will win you many games.
but for the grizz, mike conley should never be mentioned in anything. this guy is gonna leave as a FA and sign wherever greg oden is. hes jocked oden since 5th grade and i dont see him staying away from odens nuttsack. so if the grizz were smart, they would bet any kind of future on mike conley; besides conley is a bum anyway.
zach randolph is gonna lead all players from this division in scoring and rebounding…
August 11th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
Heckler...formerly 'Yallallreadyknow' says:
by the way…
i really dont see new orleans being all that good. they have a WEAK bench! no decision makers other than paul with the ball. they rely on him too much. they have no perimeter defense. no shooting guard. and is emeka okafor really an upgrade over tyson chandler?
sad to say, but this team actually needs larry hughes. yes i said it, larry hughes. i know he aint no star player, just a dude who thinks he better than he really is….
but skip his name and look at his game and think about the way larry hughes’ game is tailored to fit with the hornets right now. he can give them another playmaker. a perimeter defender (he plays passing lanes well). he cant shoot for percentage, but he has range and can spread the floor. he can play uo-tempo or half court. yep, as sad as it sounds (and looks to read) the hornets need larry hughes
August 11th, 2009 at 11:18 pm
Heckler...formerly 'Yallallreadyknow' says:
Rockets probably wont make the playoffs.
they replaced ron artest with trevor ariza. hmmmm. i dont see that as getting you more wins. ariza is a role player. not worth much else. ask the knicks and magic.
rockets coaching is solid. rick adelman is one of the best in the league. but where are the wins going to come from? who is going to rebound for the rockets? how is this team going to score 85pts a game next year?
August 11th, 2009 at 11:21 pm
Heckler...formerly 'Yallallreadyknow' says:
spurs made the best move of the offseason by trading for richard jefferson. he gives them what they’ve needed and been missing for the last few yrs; an athletic wing.
but i dunno if they have what it takes to beat (lets say) the lakers 4 times
parker, ginobli, jefferson, duncan, mcdyess VS artest, kobe, odom, gasol bynum?!!?
thats the 4th quarter lineup for each team.
hmmm….gee, i wonder which 5 you gonna pick to win that game?!?
August 11th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
fLaVa says:
Before i point anything out, i like to say i am a HUGE Rockets fan…I don’t know how people can actually beleive they will make the playoffs without Yao and losing RonRon even with TMAC healthy..
Recently losing a vital piece in Von Wafer, Rockets will still compete because they have players that D it up Scola, Battier, Ariza, Landry and Dorsey but i just dont think they have enough talent to make it in the playoffs w/o Yao
The team that’ll take the rockets playoff spot will be the suns. With Gentry implementing the run and gun style for the Suns without SHaq, the suns would be a force with Nash, Amare, Barbosa, Jrich and rookie Earl Clark in that system.
With that said i REALLY HOPE its OKC that sneaks in the final playoff spot and we’ll finally get to see KD on national TV doing this thang!
August 12th, 2009 at 1:00 am
johnsacrimoni says:
Jason Kidd just turned 36..not 38. I do agree that the deal was a risky move, though I think he will play well this year. The Rockets will not make the playoffs. The Hornets to me are an iffy team. They are really shaky at the wings and have very poor depth. We will see how much Paul, West and Okafor can carry them. The Spurs are a lock for a top 4 seed and I think Dallas will surprise a lot of people barring injuries. Here’s my west playoff overview:
IN FOR SURE (BARRING MAJOR INJURIES)
Lakers
Spurs
Mavs
Blazers
MOST LIKELY IN:
Jazz
Nuggets
BUBBLE:
Hornets
Suns
Thunder
Clippers
SLIM CHANCE:
Rockets
Warriors
NO WAY:
Kings
Grizzlies
Wolves
August 12th, 2009 at 6:44 am
chief youngblood says:
as always i have high hopes for my new orleans hornets. but just like with the saints it just serves to frustrate me .
and i don’t really know if we did get any better , we got someone to step in for paul and lighten the minutes ,and i do consider emeka an upgrade trust me as someone who gets to watch most hornets games chandler is broke down , real broke down. our A squad was the gimpy-ist in the leauge with him and peja. but we didn’t make enough moves to fulfill our two guard needs
julian wright is a bust
rasual butler is a wild card
same with petterson
i’m still holding out on some hamilton prince action
August 12th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
baron von faulk says:
I think I know that any team with Ericka Dampier, Tim Thomas, and Drew Gooden will not make the WCF.
@flaVa, co-sign. Rockets prolly won’t make the playoffs unless they overachieve like a mofo (22-game win streak?). OKC would be more entertaining.
@Heckler, your 4th quarter Lakers squad doesn’t have a PG. Not even Ron Artest can check Tony Parker, mang. I suppose you’re implying that Kobe can?
August 18th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
GoSpursGo says:
Heckler…formerly ‘Yallallreadyknow’ says: hmmm….gee, i wonder which 5 you gonna pick to win that game?!?
The Spurs 5, of course. Like bvf said, who’s going to stop TP?