Southwest Notes: Rockets, Mavs, Chandler

All three Southwest Division teams in the playoffs are in action later today, as the Spurs and Grizzlies look to take control of their series, while the Mavs seek to delay their seemingly inevitable elimination at the hands of the Thunder. Here's the latest from around the division:

  • Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld takes a look at the offseason for Rockets, recommending that they package their two picks in the middle of the first round to try to move up into the top five. The team's priorities should be finding a legitimate starting center and going after a franchise player who can be the go-to option late in games, Ingram says.
  • As many as 10 Mavericks could be playing their final game for the team tonight, says Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com, who adds that only Dirk Nowitzki, Vince Carter, Brandan Wright and Kelenna Azubuike seem likely to return.
  • Jason Terry believes the Mavs would be putting up a better title defense if the team had re-signed Tyson Chandler, notes Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, but said he and his teammates can't dwell on that. "Tyson isn't coming back, and we've realized that," Terry said. "I definitely say he had a great season — Defensive Player of the Year — but it's a presence you've missed. An active big man that can cover ground, and so we don't have that. We try to find other ways to win with the group we have."
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