Ed's Look at the NBA's Southwest Division

After yesterday's somewhat controversial look at the NBA East's playoff picture (in which I had Miami NOT winning the East, which I stand by), I move on to the West, starting with the highly competitive Southwest Division. Here are my thoughts.


Dallas Mavericks- Dallas is a VERY talented team, with future HOFer Dirk Nowitzki at the helm. On top of Nowitzki, they have an aging, but still effective Jason Kidd and Jason Terry leading the backcourt. Aside from the Celtics, Heat, and Lakers, this team has one of the most solid starting five's in the league; Kidd, Caron Butler, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki, and Tyson Chandler, with Terry and Brendon Hayward as quality bench players who could easily be starters. The Mavs are like the Celtics of the west it seems; an aging yet talented team with depth on the bench. And like the Celtics, the big issue for this team will be health and stamina. If their stamina can hold up and they remain healthy, they could be in the hunt for the championship.

Mavericks Prediction: 1st in the Southwest Division.





Houston Rockets- Houston is a good team. However, in a competitive Southwest Division, good just may not be good enough to win it, but they could easiy sneak into the playoffs. The Rockets' success this season basically hinges on Yao Ming; if Yao can put up good minutes and remain healthy, this team will easily slide into the playoffs. They will panic, though, if Yao is unable to stay healthy over the course of the season.

Rockets Prediction: 3rd in the Southwest Division.


Memphis Grizzlies- In a couple of years, this team could make some noise. But for now, they'll have to be satisfied with another trip to the lottery. The two main knocks against the Grizzlies are that Michael Conley isn't getting it done at PG and that they have no bench depth. Conley, who is still young (and improving), is one of the league's weakest starting PGs. No team can make a true splash without a reliable PG. Also, Memphis' bench is pretty weak, and it's hard to make a push later in the season without solid role-players. Plus, 2009 number 2 pick Hasheem Thabeet is already considered a bust, after spending some time in the NBA's D-League last season. Though Zach Randolph, OJ Mayo, and Rudy Gay are a dangerous triangle, the supporting cast is a different story, which will ultimately be the demise of this team.

Grizzlies Prediction: 5th in the Southwest Division.



New Orleans Hornets- As talented as Chris Paul is, he can't carry this team to the playoffs. The main knock against the Hornets is lack of depth. An injury to one of the starting five spells doom for this team. There are a lot of things that need to happen in order for the Hornets to make the playoffs, and I don't see them making it, especially when the "Texas Triangle" is playing in your division. If the Hornet's fail to make the playoffs the next two years, it could mean bon voyage to their franchise player, Chris Paul.

Hornets Prediction: 4th in the Southwest Division.


San Antonio Spurs- This season may be the last season of Spurs glory in the league. It's no secret that Tim Duncan is getting older, and this could be his last hurrah, capping off a HOF career and an easy top-10 player of all time nomination. However, don't sleep on this team because of age. Duncan is still a great center, and playing with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli will only help him. Like a lot of teams in this division, health and stamina are major factors. Not to sound like a broken record, but if this team remains healthy, they should easily make the playoffs.

Spurs prediction: 2nd in the Southwest Division.




So there you have it, the Southwest. What are YOUR rankings of this division? Which of these teams do you think will make the playoffs? Let us know your thoughts.