Tim Duncan signed an extension in the offseason, guaranteeing that he’ll finish his career in San Antonio. (GETTY IMAGES)

The Southwest Division is one of the tougher divisions in the NBA and it is still led by the San Antonio Spurs, who may be getting older, but that is just a different word for experienced.

1-SAN ANTONIO SPURS — They didn’t go out and sign any flashy free agents, but that isn’t the Spurs way. However, they extended Tim Duncan’s contract and will continue to do what they always do – win and hope the experience pays off in the postseason. Stephen Jackson and Boris Diaw return to play defense and add some scoring when needed. Tony Parker’s continued development is needed for San Antonio to challenge the Thunder and the reloaded Lakers.

2-MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES — The Grizzlies’ strength is their frontcourt with Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. Not many teams in the league can boast a squad this talented. The backcourt is solid with Mike Conley Jr. and Tony Allen. Memphis added Jeryd Bayless, who averaged 11.4 points and 3.8 assists last season with the Toronto Raptors. He’s not a starter on a good team, but a solid backup. A lot better than Gilbert Arenas, last season’s backup at PG.

3-DALLAS MAVERICKS — The Mavs made some nice offseason moves after failing to land Dwight Howard and Deron Williams. Chris Kaman, Darren Collison, O.J. Mayo, and Elton Brand were decent moves, but they all have a certain amount of risk. Kaman has been injury prone the last two years, averaging just 39.5 games played. Oh, and he just turned 30. However, he’s a huge upgrade over Brendan Haywood. At 7 feet and around 270 pounds, he gives Dallas a legit presence in the paint and he could easily average 15 points and eight rebounds. Collison is an undersized point guard, but he brings youth, energy, and much-needed scoring in the starting lineup – something Jason Kidd (now with the Knicks) didn’t do last season. Mayo has a reputation for being a cancer in the locker room, but the Mavs are willing to take that risk after losing supersub Jason Terry to the Boston Celtics. Brand is on the downside of a very good career, but he gives Dallas a nice frontcourt option.

4-HOUSTON ROCKETS — The team pulled off a major blockbuster deal, sending Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, and several draft picks to Oklahoma City for James Harden. Acquiring Harden was a nice move after the Rockets struck out in their pursuit of Dwight Howard in the offseason, and let go of Luis Scola, Kyle Lowry, and Goran Dragic. It won’t help them much this season as the team is loaded with young players looking to make a name for themselves in the league, but I can see this team winning 28-32 games. Harden should lead the Rockets in scoring, somewhere close to 20 points per game.

5-NEW ORLEANS HORNETS — They are young and talented, but they will need a season to play together and pray for good health, something that eluded them last year. Anthony Davis is a solid player. He’s a slightly better offensive version of Marcus Camby, and not a player who can carry a team. Davis should be a good role player who will hustle, play defense, and rebound. I see him average 13-15 points. He will make up for any defensive shortcomings of Eric Gordon. Speaking of Gordon, he should provide the offense for the Hornets this year, but he has to stay healthy and remain on the court. Ryan Anderson was a nice pickup to play power forward, but he may not be the same player he was in Orlando because he benefited greatly from having Dwight Howard in the low post and saw a lot of open looks at the basket.

Darren Jacks is a regular contributor to OneManFastBreak.net. Send him an email at: djroxalot@hotmail.com

Austin Rivers (left) and Anthony Davis (middle) form the young nucleus of Monty Williams’ New Orleans squad. (GETTY IMAGES)

In the first week of training camp, New Orleans Hornets head coach Monty Williams asked his squad that was gathered around him if anyone of them watched the presidential debate. Nearly all of them raised their hands. Then, Williams asked if they have spoken to their players’ union representative. No show of hands.

Williams reminded his young team that they need to be aware of their surroundings because our climate is changing, not just politically but also economically. They need to be aware of what is going on outside of basketball such as knowing their rights as players and details of the new collective bargaining agreement. Williams asked if any of them are aware of their union, and none of them seem to know. The coach also pointed to Roger Mason Jr., one of the main players during a very contentious negotiations with the league during the summer of 2011. Williams let his team know that Mason is a great source for anything union related, so they should take advantage.

Hornets camp is almost like a three-hour summer school session, with Williams playing the role of teacher and addressing a bunch of high school students. In reality, the Hornets are so young half of the team is only a few years removed from high school. The foundation of Williams’ squad are two 19-year-olds: Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers.

In his one and only season at the University of Kentucky, Davis was the consensus choice for college player of the year and powered the Wildcats to a national championship, in which he was named MVP of the Final Four. Rivers also played one season in college at Duke, and even though he didn’t have nearly the success Davis had the son of Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers was one of the most dynamic players.

“We’re think of Austin (Rivers) and Eric (Gordon) as guys who can put the ball on the floor,” Hornets general manager Dell Demps told NBA TV. Demps firmly believes Gordon can become the leader of the Hornets, which is why he matched Phoenix’s $58 million offer sheet this offseason to keep the 6-foot-3, 215-pound shooting guard in New Orleans.

“I really want us to grow. That is the most important thing for us. We want to get better, and get ready for the future. We’re still in the early stages,” says Demps, who points to the fact that Gordon, center Robyn Lopez and forward Ryan Anderson are all going into their fifth seasons but are all under 25 years old.

Gordon remains sidelined with a knee injury but when he returns the Hornets will have a nice young talented nucleus that includes the 6-10 Davis, who has a unique skill set that is already NBA ready. “He’s definitely a power forward. He’s very long. He’s definitely one of the longest players I’ve ever played with,” Gordon said of the No. 1 overall pick of the 2012 draft.

“His intangibles is crazy. He can block shots, he can rebound, and he can knock down that jump shot,” Gordon added.

The Hornets won only 21 games last season and was dead-last in the NBA in scoring. If Gordon can stay healthy, and Davis and Rivers contribute right away, the Hornets could be the surprise team in the Western Conference.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Austin Rivers is introduced at a press conference as the newest member of the New Orleans Hornets. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Learning on the job is part of the culture in the NBA. Austin Rivers knows this very well because his father, Glen “Doc”  Rivers, went through the same thing 30 years ago. But even though 19-year-old Austin has been groomed and prepped for life in the Association, it’s still a painful process — literally.

In his second game at the NBA Summer Pro League in Las Vegas, Austin Rivers took a beating against the Milwaukee Bucks. He hit the deck numerous times, slammed his left elbow on the floor, and took a shot to the knee that forced him to the bench for a few minutes. It’s the kind of physical game most first-year NBA players dread, a realization that this is a man’s game and the training wheels are off.

“Now is his time to grow. We’re putting the ball in his hands, putting the ball in the summer in his hands to see what he’s got,” Hornets assistant James Borrego told The Associated Press. Borrego, the Hornets’ head coach for their summer league team in Las Vegas, has Rivers playing point guard almost exclusively; a preview of what the Hornets are planning to do with the 10th overall selection in the 2012 NBA draft, who played mostly shooting guard at Duke and Winter Park High School (Fla.).

“Hopefully Austin’s that guy that can take that point guard position and run with it,” Borrego said. “There’s some things he’s got to learn as you go, but I think we’re all confident he can get there.”

So far Rivers is struggling as he adjusts to his new role as an NBA point guard. He went 1-for-6 and scored just six points against the Bucks on Monday. In two games, he’s now 4-for-19 from the field. He was outplayed by fellow rookie Damian Lillard in his summer league debut on July 15, as Lillard scored 25 points and looked more comfortable.

But in fairness to Rivers, Lillard was playing his natural point guard position while Rivers is still finding his way as a playmaker. Rivers did show some flashes of brilliance, splitting double teams with some nifty dribbling and getting to the free throw line by relentlessly attacking the basket.

“He’s a natural scorer. As a point guard, he can make it work though,” Borrego said. “He’s got to get better and he will. He’s putting in the time. He’s teachable. He’s coachable. He understands the game, which you want in a point guard. His instinct is to score but we’re trying to slow him down, learn our offense, learn our pace, learn our rhythm and I think those are things he’s going to get.”

The Hornets don’t want to slow Rivers down too much, seeing how Oklahoma City succeeded in turning Russell Westbrook from shooting guard to point guard. According to Hornets general manager Dell Demps, the team has matched the Phoenix Suns’ contract offer to guard Eric Gordon, so the Hornets envision a Rivers-Gordon backcourt in New Orleans to go with No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis in the frontcourt.

“We don’t want to put too much pressure on [Austin]. That’s what summer league is for. We’re here just evaluating,” Demps said. “It’s real early in the process. He only played one year in college. We’re going to take this slowly.”

Kentucky All-American Anthony Davis is the biggest catch in the 2012 NBA draft. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Anthony Davis is the consensus No. 1 pick in the 2012 NBA draft. His resume reads like a laundry list that is normally reserved for legends: SEC player of the year, Naismith Award and Wooden Award winner, AP player of the year, AP first-team All-American, and the most outstanding player in the Final Four after leading Kentucky to a national title.

So what’s next for Davis? How about NBA superstar.

That may be quite a lofty status for a guy who only burst onto the scene two years ago after a 7-inch growth spurt catapulted him from an unknown shooting guard in high school to being named the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft. But Davis is a special talent. He has the skill set comparable to Kevin Garnett and a demeanor similar to Tim Duncan. If Davis comes close to accomplishing what KG and TD did in their NBA careers, he’ll do just fine.

“He understands how to play basketball. He is always in position defensively,” former college coach and current ESPNU analyst Dan Dakich said about Davis, who rejected 186 shots as a freshman and averaged five blocked shots per game.

“There’s a confidence there that only comes out when it’s game time,” Hornets coach Monty Williams said. “His job is continue to improve, win games, and increase his earning power. But at the same time I want him to have fun.”

Davis has an unlimited ceiling. He is listed at 6 feet 9 inches tall but has a eye-popping 7-6 wingspan. At 222 pounds, he may need to add a few more pounds to absorb all the banging in the paint, but his athleticism is off the charts and has guard-like skills.

And as far as that ridiculous unibrow, well, let’s just say it is not going away anytime soon.

“When I first got to Kentucky guys were saying ‘Get rid of it.’ But me being me loving who I am and being thankful the way God created me, I just said ‘No.’ I really can’t cut it because it has gone global so I really have to keep it now.”

Now that Davis’ famous unibrow is here to stay, one nickname seems appropriate: The Unablocker.

Davis’ basketball acumen will be tested immediately at the NBA level. The New Orleans Hornets are already calling him “the savior,” which is a ton of pressure placed on guy who is just two years removed from high school. New Orleans is starving for a superstar after its favorite son, Chris Paul, turned his back on the city and approved a trade to the Los Angeles Clippers.

New Hornets owner Tom Benson needs a headliner to fill seats and Davis is going to be the face of the franchise for years to come. “Boy, he is just a delight. I get a good feeling from him,” said Benson, who also owns the New Orleans Saints.

“New Orleans is a great city. I know [the team] really works hard. Their main goal is play hard and play defense,” Davis said. “When I come here I just try to contribute as much as I can and do what Coach [Monty] Williams want me to do.”

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

New York Knicks guard Baron Davis left Game 4 in the third quarter after injuring his kneecap. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Baron Davis is an old basketball warrior, and sometimes they don’t know when to quit. Well, on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks guard may have played his last game in the NBA but it’s probably not the way Boom Dizzle wanted to go out.

With 5:15 left in the third quarter of Game 4 between the Knicks and Miami Heat, Davis drove in for a layup on a fastbreak, something he’s done a thousand times. When Davis planted his right foot he slipped and went down in obvious pain, holding his knee.

As fans chanted his name — “Baron Davis, Baron Davis” — Davis acknowledged the crowd with his fist in the air.

The Knicks later announced the injury as a dislocated right patella. Tests will be done Monday.

If this was the last time we’ll see B.Diddy in a NBA game, it will be a career that included more than 13,000 points and some fantastic seasons when he was a Hornet and Warrior.

His best season came in 2003-04 as a member of the New Orleans Hornets. That season, Davis averaged a career-best 22.9 points per game. His most memorable moment came in the 2007 playoffs when he led the eighth-seeded Golden State Warriors to a monumental upset in the first round over the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks. He punctuated his incredible playoff run when he threw down a monster dunk over Andrei Kirilenko of the Utah Jazz in the conference semifinals.

Hopefully, Davis will be able to return from this devastating injury. If not, he left us with some great basketball memories.

All-Star guard Chris Paul remains in New Orleans for now, but he'll likely be wearing a different uniform this season. (US PRESSWIRE)

LeBron James opened a new can of worms last summer with his controversial “Decision.”

Chris Paul and Dwight Howard are now following James’ villainous lead, holding their teams hostage by refusing to sign long-term deals with their current teams. Paul is on his way to the Los Angeles Clippers after the Hornets were unable to convinced him to sign an extension. The Orlando Magic are on the brink of losing Howard, who recently told Orlando management that he wants to be traded.

If these storylines look and sound familiar it’s the same predicament the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Denver Nuggets found themselves in 2010 when LeBron held the Cavaliers hostage before signing with the Miami Heat, and months later Carmelo Anthony practically followed LeBron’s lead by putting the Nuggets on pause until he found a new home with the New York Knicks.

This player power play is the very reason why NBA owners wanted to change the system. Small-market teams don’t want another LeBron or Carmelo situation in which they were left empty-handed and nothing to showcase for their fans. Teams want a headliner to fill seats. The Hornets will feel the sting of losing Paul, considered one of the top points guards in the league and a four-time NBA All-Star. Even though the Hornets got some nice pieces in the trade – Eric Gordon, Al-Farouq Aminu, Chris Kaman and a first-round pick – you don’t give up a Chris Paul and get equal value. The same goes for the Magic. Should Howard leave Orlando, how are the Magic going to satisfy their season-ticket holders at new Amway Center without the best center in the game today? These are legitimate concerns by the owners, but their hands seem to be tied because today’s stars seem determined to dictate where they want to go.

“First and foremost, we want Dwight to re-sign here,” Magic president Alex Martins said. “We’re going to continue to give him every resource, every asset that he needs and that we need to be successful. I think we’re proven that over the course of the last four years in particular, but certainly his entire time here. Only two other teams in the league have won more than we have over the last four years.”

An Orlando Magic fan shows her support for Dwight Howard during the third quarter of game five of the 2011 NBA playoffs at Amway Center. (US PRESSWIRE)

Howard publicly criticized the Magic recently for not doing enough to meet his demands. His wise list, of course, includes big-market, sexy teams like the Lakers (so he could join forces with Kobe Bryant), the Mavericks (so he could play with Dirk Nowitzki), and the Nets (so he could play with Deron Williams). The Magic went through this before with Shaquille O’Neal in 1996, and it took the franchise nearly a decade before they were able to recover from Shaq’s departure.

It’s a little baffling that current star players are hell-bent on joining other stars. It is definitely a complete turn from the 1980s and ’90s when megastars such as Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan would never dream of playing elsewhere. What ever happened to competitive ego? Twenty years ago, superstars preferred to build their own niche and won championships as the centerpiece. Now, it seems today’s stars are more than willing to share the limelight with other all-stars.

“Gone are the days when teams are built around [star players] and they end their careers there,” said former Toronto Raptors coach Sam Mitchell. “These players today are about quick gratification. They see guys moving around and they see guys having success [elsewhere]. So what you have to do is make the best deal you can. Try to make a deal, get young players , draft picks, be bad for a couple of years and suck it up.”

Paul says he wanted out of New Orleans because he didn’t think he had a chance to win a title with the Hornets. Howard’s Magic career so far has been defined by his numerous failures in the playoffs and the big man is becoming impatient with each passing season. However, not everybody can play in L.A. or New York. Someone has to play in these small markets.

Message to Dwight: Suck it up and try to win in Orlando instead of riding someone’s tail.

Chris Paul is averaging 18.7 points, 10.2 assists and 6.0 rebounds through six games, leading the Hornets to a 6-0 start. (GETTY IMAGES)

NBA TV is currently airing a show titled “24 Hours with …. Chris Paul.” It shows a very revealing look at the life of an NBA star, from the time he leaves his home to attend practice, to his game preparation and then back home again to recharge and deal with family life.

If you haven’t seen it, I suggest watching it because it provides a very personal look at the best point guard in the NBA. Yes, the BEST point guard in the NBA. He’s back! Just like the song, “Y’all must have forgot,” we all seem to have forgotten CP3.

Last year, he missed most of last season with an injury and a lot of pundits elevated guys such as Deron Williams, Rajon Rondo and Derrick Rose to the top of the point guard competition.

Well, the king is back and he wants his crown back.

D-Will is nice, but he doesn’t have CP3’s ball-handling and passing skills. Rondo is an amazing passer, but he can’t score like Paul can. And D-Rose may be the quickest PG in the NBA, but he still has a long ways to go in terms of managing a game and running an offense.

Chris Paul is the most complete point guard in the league, and if there were any questions regarding his status as the top guard he has certainly answered the call with the way he has played during the first two weeks of the 2010-11 season.

Paul has the Hornets buzzing again, sitting atop the Southwest Division at 6-0. The Hornets are one of three undefeated teams in the Association and one of their wins came against Eastern Conference power Miami. Against the Heat, Paul had 13 points and 19 assists and powered the Hornets to a 96-93 victory at home. It was New Orleans’ signature victory of the young season, and the team owes it all to its perennial All-NBA performer.

“We just got to keep playing, man. I’m not surprised just because we’re all professionals,” Paul told the Associated Press. “It doesn’t matter what it looks like on paper, you just have to go out and play the game and that’s what we’re doing.”

The Hornets are off to the best start in their history, but it depends on how this season ends that could decide what Paul will do in the offseason. He will become a free agent after this season and the Hornets are caught in a LeBron-like situation. They could very well lose Paul without any compensation (sound familiar), which would likely end basketball in New Orleans.

Paul said publicly during the offseason that he wants to play for a championship and he’s getting a little frustrated with the direction of the franchise. Then he saw his good friend LeBron James jump ship and join forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, so that got his blood boiling even more.

That was before Paul met with Monty Williams, a young and bright assistant coach who was hired last summer to be the head man of the Hornets. Williams has convinced Paul that things will be different, and so far he has delivered on his promise.

The Hornets are playing with more energy and their defense has been superb. Also, offensively, Emeka Okafor and David West have benefited greatly from Paul’s return and the addition of Trevor Ariza has given the team a versatile player who can score and defend at the wing position.

“It’s nice to be part of a group who plays hard every night. Different guys are stepping up. The start is great, but we are going to win a lot of games if we play defense like that,” said Williams, who worked as Nate McMillan’s assistant coach from 2005-10 so he knows a thing or two about playing defense. He also played for Gregg Popovich so he puts a premium on stability and organization.

Seems as though Paul has bought into Williams’ philosophies and things are looking up. Their relationship will ultimately determine whether the New Orleans Hornets will be a perennial playoff team or a franchise that could be contracted.

Shaquille O'Neal has yet to sign with an NBA team. (GETTY IMAGES)

August is nearly here and Shaquille O’Neal is still a free agent. Not many teams are jumping at the chance to snag The Big Diesel, who is reportedly asking for a two-year deal worth around $8 million. O’Neal will be 39 years old in March and his once imposing presence and larger-than-life reputation has become nothing but a distant memory.

If O’Neal posted his resume on Craigslist it would read something like this: Three-time NBA Finals MVP looking for work …. Funny, outgoing and likes to come up with nicknames …. Prefers to play for a winning program ….  can only work half a season, and preferably just 24 minutes a day  and no more than 150 minutes per week …. Salary: negotiable …. Medical benefits: needs full coverage because of preexisting condition …. Work experience (by city): Orlando, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix and Cleveland …. Unique skills: space eater, hard to move, very strong …. Hobbies: likes to rap and dance (part-time member of the hip-hop group Jabbawockeez: America’s Best Dance Crew) …. References: available upon request.

If he retires now, after 18 seasons, O’Neal will leave with four championships, three NBA Finals most valuable player trophies and 15 All-Star game appearances, and he is second all-time in field-goal percentage at .581.

All those numbers are certainly good enough to put him in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., but they all could have been better.

Shaq says he wanted to leave the game with at least five championships. He won three with the Lakers and one with the Heat, which leaves him one short of his goal. O’Neal could have won more than three with the Lakers, but he wasted a lot of “company time” arguing with Kobe Bryant. He won just one regular season MVP (2000) and never played more than 79 games in each of his eight seasons in L.A.

Although he helped lead the Heat to an NBA title in 2006, it was Dwyane Wade who was named Finals MVP. The last time O’Neal was an MVP was his first year in Miami (2005). From that point on, O’Neal’s scoring average has dropped like the stock market.

His 28,255 points puts him fifth on the all-time list for now, but he could have easily surpassed 30,000 had he not missed more than 5,000 free throws. Last year, he averaged just 12 points and six rebounds – half of what he averages for his career.

There were reports that the Hawks were interested in signing O’Neal, but their interest has diminished. The Celtics, who are in need of big men, toyed with idea of bringing in Shaq to fill the void left by Kendrick Perkins, who is expected to be out until January after knee surgery. Boston ended up signing an O’Neal, but it wasn’t Shaquille. Instead, the Celtics and Jermaine O’Neal agreed to a two-year deal and if Rasheed Wallace comes out of retirement it would be foolish for the Celtics to go after Shaq.

The Spurs were in The Diesel’s radar, but the signing of Brazilian center Tiago Splitter, the best big man in Europe last season, pretty much ended a Shaq-Duncan pairing.

So which teams can afford to fit O’Neal into their plans? Here are seven possible destinations for Shaq:

— New Orleans Hornets: Shaq played at LSU and wouldn’t mind a return to the Bayou. The Hornets have Emeka Okafor as their starting center, but he’s not immune to getting dealt. If the Hornets decide to keep Okafor, O’Neal will have to swallow his pride, take a pay cut and be Okafor’s backup. Not likely to happen, unless Chris Paul tells management that he wants to play with Shaq.

— Milwaukee Bucks: The injury to Andrew Bogut may take a while to heal, so the Bucks are looking to rent a center for a few months. Head coach Scott Skiles still holds Shaq in high regard and has maintained a solid relationship with The Big Aristotle. Shaq would fit right in Milwaukee and be the strong personality in the locker room for the young Bucks.

— Oklahoma City Thunder: OKC acquired 6-11 center Cole Aldrich in the draft, but they certainly wouldn’t mind adding more size to their already very quick and athletic roster. However, Shaq will be a huge liability on both ends of the court and GM Sam Presti may be reluctant to bring in a big personality like the self-proclaimed MDE that would stunt the growth of 21-year-old leaders Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

— Atlanta Hawks: There is still an outside chance that O’Neal signs with the Hawks to bolster their very small frontline. But O’Neal must take less money or else this could be a deal-breaker.

— Boston Celtics: Ditto. If Shaq wants to have another shot at winning a championship ring, the Celtics may be his best opportunity. But, are the Celtics still interested?

— L.A. Clippers: Shaq back in L.A.? Wouldn’t that be something. This would be a longshot given the Clippers’ history of not being big players in the offseason, but bringing in a guy like Shaq would certainly upgrade the Clippers brand off the court. On the court, O’Neal would have to play behind Chris Kaman, but that’s easier said than done. O’Neal’s massive ego may not be able to handle that demotion. But if O’Neal agrees to play second fiddle and takes less money, it would certainly would inject some HGH into the Lakers-Clippers rivalry.

— Cleveland Cavaliers: Another longshot given Shaq’s wish of playing for contender. The Cavaliers’ championship aspirations went out the door as soon as LeBron James said “Good-bye to Cleveland” and “Hello to Miami.” O’Neal played with new Cavs head coach Byron Scott with the Lakers so playing for B-Scott shouldn’t be problem.

And should all of these teams pass on The Big Free Agent, there’s always a spot open with the Jabbawockees.

Shaquille O'Neal performs with the Jabbawockeez at the 2009 NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)