Questions about the Southwest divison could make the New Orleans Pelicans’ future promising
By Rick Stone
After a season where everything that could go wrong did for the New Orleans Pelicans, major questions about the Southwest division could lead to a bright future in the Bayou.
Four out of the five teams in the Southwest Division made the playoffs this season. The New Orleans Pelicans were the team left out after a disastrous season where everything that could go wrong did. Many are unsure about where the future of this team is going and how far they can really climb in the Western Conference.
With teams in their division such as the San Antonio Spurs, the Houston Rockets, the Memphis Grizzlies and the Dallas Mavericks, hope has been low for Pelicans fans for quite some time. Yet if you look closely, the tide is beginning to change direction. It’s been a slow process, but it’s nearing.
Each of the powerhouses in the Southwest Division are starting to show age. The wear and tear of these solid cores that have been together for quite some time are hitting the latter ends of their careers. For teams that finished as the 2nd, 6th, 7th and 8th best teams in the Western Conference, the reality of an older roster reaching retirement leads to major questions about each team.
The San Antonio Spurs have been a juggernaut for a long time. Since drafting Tim Duncan in 1997, the team has won five NBA titles while never missing the playoffs. With a core of Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker around Duncan, there was no reason to believe the team would ever slow down.
Duncan is fast approaching 40. Ginobili is 38. Parker is 33. The core is hitting “retirement age”. The team’s bench acquired this season is also in the “older” spectrum. The key for San Antonio after the core retires will be Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge continuing to hold down the fort. Though the Spurs won’t be the dynasty they were before, it likely means San Antonio will stay a fringe-contending team. The other three Southwest teams might not be so lucky.
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The Houston Rockets have the best chance of the remaining three to stay contenders. James Harden is still one of the best scorers in the league and likely to keep his team in playoff form. However, the certainty with Houston after that becomes an issue. Dwight Howard is a near certainty to leave the team this offseason. Other players have not lived up to expectations, such as Trevor Ariza and Terrence Jones.
The rest of the Rockets core has a lot of question mark effort players such as Josh Smith and Corey Brewer. There’s not a lot of star power to get excited about. And the contract situation could make it tricky for Houston to fill their team with more overall talent. While they have one surefire star, the team itself is a major work-in-progress after Dwight leaves. They still have a star player though.
The Dallas Mavericks are still waiting for that surefire star on their team. It used to be Dirk Nowitzki, who is now approaching 38 years old. While Dirk is still a fantastic scorer, his age has limited his other capabilities on the floor. Free Agency has been an area the Dallas Mavericks have lived off of the past few years, with acquisitions like Chandler Parsons and Wesley Matthews. Still, the team has failed to find that game-changing star.
They missed out on DeAndre Jordan this past offseason and missed out on Chris Paul and Dwight Howard in the past. Dallas has stuck around a “decent” team in the NBA since their Title in 2011. Yet they haven’t made much of a mark on late first round draft picks or in free agency. They’re stuck in a bit of limbo.
With Dirk’s retirement looming and so many opportunities missed, a free fall from the Mavericks may not be a surprise. It might be imminent. What is imminent is the final Southwest team’s eventual fall from grace.
The Memphis Grizzlies “grit-and-grind” motto is starting to catch up to them. Since the 2010-2011 season, the Grizzlies have used their physical force across the floor to wear down their opponents and bully their opposition. The combo of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol have been nothing short of destructive inside the paint.
That changed when Marc Gasol broke his right foot this past season. It’s a tough injury to recover from in the span of a season. Pair that with the wear and tear catching up to soon-to-be 35 year old Randolph, and the dynamic duo’s effectiveness is coming into question. The team’s star point guard Mike Conley has been rumored to be testing the free agency waters and might not return to Memphis.
The Grizzlies are in trouble not just for their stars, but their depth. 28 different players wore a Memphis uniform this past season due to the vast amount of injures. Having a portion of the key-bench unit invested in Vince Carter, Lance Stephenson and Jordan Farmar is a scary sign for this team’s future.
With all the uncertainty with the other NBA Southwest teams, it leaves the door open for the New Orleans Pelicans. Unlike the other teams in their division, the Pelicans have youth on their side. Other than the Omer Asik money, the team also has some space to work with, as the departures of Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson loom this offseason. The Southwest Division will still be a tough division, but it won’t be the 16-game a season gauntlet it’s been for the first six years of this decade.
Next: New Orleans Pelicans Draft Profile: Dragan Bender
It’s been difficult to watch Anthony Davis‘ career stall without playoff appearances and mediocre teams. With the window beginning to open from the four other divisional teams, it might finally be time for Davis to have a shining season and become the face of a contending team in the Southwest.