The NBA Offseason is in the past and the regular season is in sight! With just a week and a half remaining until the 2017-18 campaign is underway, let’s break down the final division in the league to cap off the Offseason Playlist series. This final edition features the Southwest Division, but here is a recap of the others:

• Atlantic Division, led by the voice of Drizzy Drake
• Central Division, featuring artists ranging from Chance the Rapper to Jack Johnson
• Southeast Division, explained by Ice Cube, Beyonce, and other big names in music
• Northwest Division, described by Damian Lillard himself, The Black Keys, and more
• Pacific Division, recapped by Reo Cragun, Bryston Tiller, & Queen, among others

As a brand new feature, every song used in the Offseason Playlist is on an actual Spotify playlist now and will be updated as the series continues!

Southwest Division

With the exception of the Houston Rockets, it was a pretty uneventful summer for the Southwest Division this year. That makes the Offseason Playlist even more valuable, though – it makes recapping the boring offseasons fun and interesting. You’ll see what I mean.

San Antonio Spurs: Like A Rock (Bob Seger)

“Like a rock, I was strong as I could be

Like a rock, nothin’ ever got to me”  

Notable Moves

In: Rudy Gay, Joffrey Lauvergne, Derrick White

Out: Jonathon Simmons, Dewayne Dedmon, David Lee

There isn’t a team in this league more consistent than the San Antonio Spurs. They’ve cemented a trip to the playoffs in 20 straight seasons – a mark that is tied for the highest streak in NBA history with Utah (1984-2003). Three things are certain in life: Death, taxes, and the Spurs in the playoffs.

It’s no wonder then that I chose this slower-paced rock song to summarize San Antonio’s summer. After another solid offseason, the Spurs remain near the top of the Western Conference. They didn’t add much, but they also didn’t lose much either. San Antonio’s hope is that Rudy Gay will take over Jonathon Simmon’s role coming off the bench from last year. Similarly, Joffrey Lauvergne will be expected to fill the spot that Dewayne Dedmon had.

At this point in the Offseason Playlist, we’ve discussed all of the big moves that were made in the past few months. The Thunder and Rockets loaded up. The Nuggets and Timberwolves each brought in an All-Star from the Eastern Conference. However, like a rock, nothing ever gets to the Spurs. Like a rock, they’re as strong as they could be. Well, I guess they could be stronger, but you get the point. San Antonio is rock solid every single year, and this offseason suggests they will be again.

Dallas Mavericks: We Are Young (Fun.)

“Tonight – We are young

So let’s set the world on fire”

Notable Moves

In: Dennis Smith Jr., Jeff Whitey, P.J. Dozier, Josh McRoberts

Out: A.J. Hammons, Jared Uthoff

I usually don’t choose to have such directly implied song titles like this. The last occasion I can think of off the top of my head is when I picked “Delusional” to sum up the Knicks’ offseason last year (and for good reason).

What are the Mavs’ thinking this offseason? I’d think something along the lines of “Wow, we are young. I mean we still have Dirk, but man do we have a young team now.” Yeup, its true. Dallas is spending their last couple of precious years with Dirk Nowitzki as a team that’s rebuilding. They had already signed a young Harrison Barnes to a max contract and acquired Nerlens Noel in a trade. They have rolled the dice on young talent like Seth Curry and Yogi Ferrell. The Mavs further invested themselves in their youth this summer where most of their additions were through the draft.

While I am determined to stick to my initial opinion that Dennis Smith Jr. will not be anything huge in the NBA, I am becoming more and more nervous by the day that I will be completely wrong. Either way, I suppose that he’s a tantalizing player to have and one that could work out great for Dallas. P.J. Dozier and Jonathan Motley are two later picks that I like as well – especially Dozier. With their new young arsenal, they could put an interesting and energetic lineup on the floor with Smith Jr., Dozier, Barnes, Motley (maybe?) and Noel. I don’t know, it’s not a bad accumulation of young pieces.

The one thing we know for sure is that the Mavericks are going young and that their much-needed transition will bring much more energy and athleticism to their roster. These new players will be trying to set the world on fire with their passion and determination to breakout to the next level.

Memphis Grizzlies: I Fall Apart (Post Malone)

“Oooh, I fall apart

Down to my core”

Notable Moves

In: Tyreke Evans, Ben McLemore, Ivan Rabb, Dillon Brooks 

Out: Zach Randolph, Tony Allen, Vince Carter, Troy Daniels

Is it just me, or does it feel like the Grizzlies have had the same exact team every year for the last five years? Mike Conley and Marc Gasol have spent their whole careers in Memphis for ten and nine years, respectively. Zach Randolph has been there for eight years, and Tony Allen for seven. Even Vince Carter has been there for three seasons. This team has had the same core for the better side of a decade. However, that core has officially begun to fall apart after this offseason.

As free agents this summer, Randolph took his talents to Sacramento and Allen inked a deal with New Orleans. These are two guys who have brought grit, toughness, and great defense to the Grizzlies and will greatly be missed. More importantly, though, it shows that the Grizzlies are slowly beginning to fall apart – even down to their core. Randolph was such a big part of their core that they are retiring his No. 50 jersey.

Now I wouldn’t be looking at the Grizzlies as “falling apart” if they replaced their departing talent with at least some capable players. But they didn’t. When Tyreke Evans isn’t in a body cast from an array of injuries, he is an enigma in this league. At this point, I question if he can really bring anything to their team. And don’t even get me started on Ben McLemore. The dude has been so useless in the NBA, that even the Kings didn’t want him. The Kings! These moves do not match up with what the Grizzlies usually value – consistency, reliability, and availability – and make me wonder if the Grizzlies might blow up the rest of their lineup before season’s end.

Houston Rockets: I Won’t Back Down (Tom Petty)

“Hey baby, there ain’t no easy way out

I won’t back down”

Notable Moves

In: Chris Paul, Luc Mbah a Moute, P.J. Tucker, Tarik Black, 

Out: Patrick Beverly, Lou Williams, Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrell

R.I.P. Tommy P. A great talent and man was taken from the world too early. I wanted to use one of his tracks in the segment this week in honor of him, and it turns out this is the perfect one.

When there is a super team like the Warriors formed in your conference, it’s easy to sell out, tank, and wait for them to burn out. Houston wasn’t about to back down, though. No way. Instead, they’re loading up to go head-to-head with the juggernauts in Golden State the best way they know how – with the three ball.

Chris Paul does a lot for a team. His exceptional and efficient passing and playmaking, defense, leadership, and shooting are contagious wherever he goes. Although I still question how the ball-dominant point guard will function with ball dominant James Harden, the Rockets are going to have a crazy good offense no matter what. CP3 and Harden are two of the best facilitators in the game, and they’re now on the same team.

Also, though, Houston’s defense will improve as well. Patrick Beverly was a good defender, but Paul is an All-NBA defender for many years in a row. Luc Mbah a Moute and P.J. Tucker are good three-and-D guys who could help defend the Warrior’s notorious lineup of death. Overall, one thing is clear about Houston’s offseason – they aren’t backing down. You can stand them up at the gates of hell (AKA the Warriors), but they won’t back down. They’ll stand their ground.

New Orleans Pelicans: Nowhere Fast (Old Dominion)

“We had our foot on the gas

Goin’ nowhere fast”

Notable Moves

In: Rajon Rondo, Tony Allen, Ian Clark

Out: Tyreke Evans, Donatas Motiejūnas, Quincy Pondexter

The Pelicans’ expiration date is approaching faster than people realize. Anthony Davis is locked down until 2021, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s how long they have to build a contender around him. Since 2012, New Orleans has been scrambling to add talent alongside The Brow. They’ve been struggling to do so, up until last winter when they traded for DeMarcus Cousins. It was a gamble, but I respected their attempt to make a contender. However, it is not going to get it done.

This is Cousins’ last year under contract before he can walk in 2018. That means that this is likely the Pelican’s last chance to put together something special. Yet, all they did was add another former Kentucky player at guard (who played with Cousins in Sacramento) and a veteran wing defender.

These offseason transactions attest to the song choice and overall theme with this team: they’re going nowhere fast. They have the building block at their core, and they’re trying to get somewhere with his, but they really aren’t going to be able to get anywhere. It is very much a possibility that Cousins gets shipped out of town before next February and if that happens, Davis could potentially also go on the block.

The time is ticking. If they don’t put together a legit competitor soon, they may need to cash out and trade Davis before he is tempted to walk away from the franchise in a couple of seasons. Another year has gone by, and the Pelicans are still going nowhere fast.

That’s a wrap for this year’s Offseason Playlist! It’s been a fun ride filled with various artists and genres, new music discoveries, and informative team recaps. I hope you enjoyed reading the series as much as I enjoyed putting it together! And don’t forget to check out the actual playlist on Spotify.

-Erik

Follow Erik J Johnson on Twitter: @erikjohnson32

Cropped photos of Evans, Rondo, and Paul via Flickr/BigThreeSports artwork

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