The Houston Rockets have always been willing to be bold, and that was the case once again this offseason when GM Daryl Morey made a blockbuster trade for star point guard Russell Westbrook. By teaming him with James Harden, the Rockets unquestionably have two of the best individual players in the NBA. The question now is how they work together on the court. Houston has by far the most talent in the Southwest Division and is thus the favorite, and it will be interesting to see if anyone else can give them a run for their money.
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NBA Odds To Win Southwest Division
Houston Rockets -294
San Antonio Spurs +488
New Orleans Pelicans +870
Dallas Mavericks +1045
Memphis Grizzlies +9500
Southwest Division Odds Analysis
The Rockets have been on the short list of championship contenders the past several years but have not been able to come away with the title. Chris Paul was brought in to be Harden’s running mate a few years back and now Westbrook will take over and try to help lead Houston to the championship. There are many of the other key pieces back, as players like Clint Capela, P.J. Tucker and Eric Gordon should help the group find success.
The biggest challenger to Houston’s throne is expected to be the San Antonio Spurs. They are not as good as in past years without Kawhi Leonard, but there is still enough talent for this team to be in the hunt and possibly make a run at the Southwest Division title. The Spurs will be led once again by forward Lamarcus Aldridge and guard DeMar DeRozan, and there are also some intriguing young pieces on this team which could help raise its ceiling.
It doesn’t seem likely that any other teams in the Southwest make a run at the division title. The Pelicans traded away superstar center Anthony Davis, and even though they got a return that included Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball, the team is expected to take a step back.
The Dallas Mavericks have an intriguing young pair of players in Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. Doncic looks like a burgeoning star while Porzingis is looking to get back to that form after missing last season due to a torn ACL. If those two jell quickly and take a big step forward, the Mavericks may be able to surprise some people. However, the idea of winning the division seems like a longshot as there is not a ton of talent around them for Dallas this year.
The team that is expected to finish in the cellar of the division is the Memphis Grizzlies. They took Ja Morant with the No. 2 overall pick of the draft and he could be a really good player, but there is precious little talent to help him out. Memphis is in the midst of a rebuild and it will be awhile until this team is competitive.
The Rockets are pretty heavy favorites to win the division, but even at these odds it is a good play. It will take some guts to put a large sum of money on Houston in case disaster strikes, but it is the clear-cut best team in the Southwest Division. Houston should be wagered on with confidence as Harden and Westbrook should work well together and lead the team to a strong season.
NBA Pick: Houston Rockets to win the Southwest Division at -294 odds
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