The latest news out of the Southwest Division..
- Even though Vince Carter is closing in on his 37th birthday and is in the final year of his contract, he doesn't plan on retiring anytime soon, writes Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram. He won't talk about a timetable, but he says that his body is telling him he's got a few years of basketball left in him. Carter averaged 13.4 PPG last season off of the bench in just 26 minutes per night.
- Dwight Howard spoke to Howard Beck of Bleacher Report about the importance of coach Kevin McHale in his free agent decision. "I feel like me and Kevin just have a special relationship already, from just the first time we’ve talked until now," the Rockets center said. "He said he watched almost all my games. It was just a shock. You got Kevin McHale, one of the greatest players to play the game, our coach, dissecting my game and all my tapes."
- The Pelicans have an unprecedented amount of depth this season, writes Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune. Point guard Jrue Holiday says the 2011/12 Sixers are the only team he can remember being on with similar strength off the bench. "I think our first team, and our second team, if that's what you want to call it, are starters," Holiday said. "They're just as good as the first team. That definitely makes practice more competitive. It makes the starters better and the second team better, too."
—–