The Southwest division is the most competitive division in the Western
conference, having earned 4 playoff spots last season. The four returning
playoff teams have lots of depth and should compete for the division title
again next season. In addition, New Orleans has a chance to jumpstart their
rebuilding process with the # 4 pick in the draft.
San Antonio Spurs, 1st Place,
# 2 seed
59-23, NBA Finals
Pick # 28
San Antonio is perhaps the deepest team in the league. They have no real
needs or desperate holes, especially with Argentine star power forward Luis
Scola (former 2nd round pick) expected to join the team next season. He
would be a great backup for Duncan off the bench. Aside from Duncan up
front, the Spurs are extremely deep at the wing positions with budding
superstar Manu Ginobili, defensive stopper Bruce Bowen, Brent Barry, Devin
Brown and Glenn Robinson. In addition, the Spurs have made an art of getting
quality veteran free agents (read: Robert Horry) to play for less money in
return for the chance to play on a championship team. That said, they do not
have a desperate need for a young player to come in and contribute right
away – but if anything they could use a sharpshooter to stretch the defense
with the 3-point shot. Possibilities include Frenchman Mickael Gelabale,
Rashad McCants,
Francisco Garcia and
Luther Head.
Dallas Mavericks, 2nd Place, # 4 seed
58-24, Lost to Phoenix 4-2 in Conference Semifinals
No Picks
Dallas is another deep team, especially on the wings with Michael Finley,
Jerry Stackhouse, Josh Howard and Marquis Daniels. Dirk Nowitzki is the
go-to option and Erick Dampier has been solid in holding down the low post.
Jason Terry is no Steve Nash at the point, but he did a good enough job to
keep this team in the top half of the Western Conference. The Mavs have no
picks in this draft and will likely just add a role player or two via free
agency. But if Mark Cuban and company make a move to get into the draft,
they could use a big banging type body to add some toughness in the paint.
Wayne Simien,
Ronny Turiaf, and
David Lee would all fit the bill if they
wanted to trade some of their depth to get into the end of the first round.
Houston Rockets, 3rd Place, # 5 seed
51-31, lost to Dallas 4-3 in first round
Pick # 24
The trade for Tracy McGrady paid off for Houston in the form of 51 wins.
Unfortunately, in this division that was only good enough for 3rd place and
the # 5 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. McGrady and Yao are a
two-man show – much like Miami they need to upgrade the supporting cast. The
Rockets could really use an enforcer up front for Yao – someone to bang in
the paint and bring some rebounding, defense and toughness to the
frontcourt. Possibilities at # 24 include
Wayne Simien,
Ike Diogu,
Ronny Turiaf and
Chris Taft.
Jeff Van Gundy could also use an upgrade in the backcourt to support
McGrady on the perimeter. Mike James, David Wesley, Bob Sura, and Jon Barry
were serviceable but the backcourt by committee is not the long-term answer.
If the Rockets choose to go this route, a young athletic shooter like
Rashad McCants,
Francisco Garcia,
Jarrett Jack, or
Rudy Fernandez would be a good
option at # 24.
Memphis Grizzlies, 4th Place, # 8 seed
45-37, lost to Phoenix 4-0 in first round
Pick # 19
Jerry West has stocked Memphis with a lot of young talent. He has
positioned the franchise to build around Pau Gasol and Mike Miller. They are
well-stocked at the wing with Miller, Bonzi Wells, Shane Battier, James
Posey and Dahntay Jones. Stromile Swift, Lorenzen Wright and Brian Cardinal
provide good support to Gasol up front. The backcourt is the only real
question – rumor has it that West wants to move Jason Williams and replace
him with someone that can contribute more to Mike Fratello’s defensive
philosophy. Don’t be surprised to see West take
Jarrett Jack or Roko-Leni
Ukic with the 19th pick to push Williams out the door. If he doesn’t go that
route, another big body would be good insurance if Swift leaves via free
agency. Ike Diogu,
Sean May,
Chris Taft,
Johan Petro, and
Hakim Warrick are
good possibilities if the Grizzlies go that route.
New Orleans Hornets, 5th Place
18-64, no playoffs
Picks # 4, 33
The Hornets need just about everything. After trading Baron Davis to the
Warriors, the only established player New Orleans has in place is Jamaal
Magloire in the paint. They have good prospects in the backcourt in Speedy
Claxton, Dan Dickau and JR Smith, but with the # 4 pick they could choose an
immediate upgrade instead of waiting for those guys to fully develop. They
could certainly use someone to replace PJ Brown and Lee Nailon at the power
forward position, but after Bogut it would be a reach to select a big man
with the 4th pick.
While the point guard position isn’t the biggest need, it does seem to be
the smartest pick for the Hornets if they stay at # 4.
Chris Paul or
Deron
Williams should be there for the taking and would have free-reign to run the
team. This would allow New Orleans to shop Dickau or Claxton to fill other
needs via trade. If either Paul or Williams is off the board by the 4th
pick, the Hornets should have a chance to take high-schooler
Gerald Green,
who has as much upside as anyone in the draft and fills a bigger need on the
wing. Green would fit nicely with shooting guard JR Smith to provide
multiple scoring threats on the wing.
