Southwest Division Standings 2/7/09
1. San Antonio Spurs 33-15
2. New Orleans Hornets 29-18
3. Houston Rockets 30-20
4. Dallas Mavericks 29-20
5. Memphis Grizzlies 13-36
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs have been one of the best teams in basketball ever since Tim Duncan was drafted. San Antonio has won multiple titles with Duncan as the centerpiece. Manu Ginoblii and Tony Parker have also developed as stars for this ball club. The Spurs h! ave battled injuries all season to their stars, but have still managed to position themselves in first in the NBA's most competitive division. The Spurs struggled early this season without Manu Ginoblii, but since his return have been very good winning 8 of their last 10. The Spurs will without a doubt be in the playoffs once again this season, but the health of Tim Duncan will decide how far they can go. San Antonio is still a title contender.
New Orleans Hornets
New Orleans became a force in the We! stern Conference last season. Lead by superstar PG Chris Paul ! who has had multiple triple-doubles this season, NO looks like a championship contender once again. The Hornets added SF James Posey in the offseason to be their 6th man, much like he was for Boston in their title run last season. Posey also provides additional depth for oft-injured Peja Stojakovic. David West and Tyson Chandler still control the inside for New Orleans, but their is a lack of depth behind them. Look for NO to shop around for a big man at the trade deadline. The Hornets are very much alive for this division title, and I expect them to go back-and-forth with San Antonio the rest of the way.
Houston Rockets
The offseason addition of embattled star Ron Artest had Rockets' fans thinking NBA title. Houston is right there in the thick of this division title, but things have not run as smoothly as expected. Artest has always been a controversial player and it is tough to tell how good of a relationship he has with his teammates in Houston. C Yao Ming must stay healthy, as well as SG Tracy McGrady. Houston has been eliminated early in the playoffs for quite some time, but with Artest this team could finally end that skid. I expect Houston to be the 4 or 5 seed and meet division rival San Antonio or New Orleans in the first round. In the end it could be more of the same for the Rockets, which means a first round exit.
Dallas Mavericks
Dallas is right in the thick of things as well in this division. Rick Carlisle has his Mavs playing very good basketball. Dirk Nowitzki is still the star of this team, but Jason Terry and Josh Howard are very good complements. Last year's trade deadline acquisition of PG Jason Kidd was supposed to turn this team into a championship contender. That did not happen as Dallas was the 7th seed and was knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. Dallas seems a lot better chemistry wise, but I do not foresee a championship in their future. I still think the Avery Johnson firing was premature and they would be better with him as their coach. Dallas has s! ome good pieces, but it will be tough for them to get into the postseason.
Memphis Grizzlies
Lets be honest, the Memphis Grizzlies are a joke. They have been forever it seems. This being said, Memphis is starting to have the looks of a team with a future. SG O.J. Mayo is a rising star and C Marc Gasol looks like a very solid big man. Let us not forget about SF Rudy Gay who has an unlimited amount of potential as well. Memphis is still a bit away from the playoffs, but finally ther! e is hope for a once seemingly-hopeless franchise.
