Southwest Notes: Rockets, Livingston, Spurs

Here's a look at some notes out of the Southwest division..

• Guard Shaun Livingston was among the Rockets' final cuts this offseason, but coach Kevin McHale says that the move was based on his contract and not on his play, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.  Livingston was guaranteed just $1MM of his $3.5MM salary for 2012/13 and wound up hooking on with the Cavs after being cut loose.
• One NBA GM told Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (on Twitter) that he believes the Spurs could put together a streak similar to Miami's if Gregg Popovich wasn't so determined to keep his aging stars rested.  If you exclude San Antonio's loss to the Pistons when Tim Duncan was kept out and three overtime losses, the Spurs would have a 25-game winning streak today.
• While the Hornets aren't playing for much on the surface, Greivis Vasquez told reporters, including John Reid of the Times-Picayune, that winning down the stretch is important for the young club.  The Hornets have knocked off two-straight playoff bound teams.