Lol so do I. And it turned out to be the complete reverse. Another reminder that we don’t know shit around here but gotta just buckle in and trust the process. Feels good to finally have a real NBA level center.
To be honest it is rare for rookie centers to be this impactful on non lottery teams so ofc nobody saw it coming, he forces Kidd to keep him on the floor as much as possible by how much he improves our defense and rebounding.
Omax was more of the sure thing due to spending 3 years on college.
I think it keys more in on two factors: 1 that we already have a decent amount of depth in the wing department if you have a loose definition, between adding Jones and Williams to the line up and them being instant contributors, to having players like Timmy, Green, Curry already firmly entrenched as players who will command minutes, OMax had some stuff he’d need to work towards to earn time. Whereas the mavs have been STARVED for quality center play for awhile now, (I love them to death but I don’t think Maxi or Dwight would have a shot at starting on any other team in the league.) To only adding holmes as another legitimate option, Lively didn’t have as much competition for minutes, especially if he made the most of his time and did his assignments.
Secondly, I think most of all it speaks to just how good Luka is, that if you buy into his game and how he effects the court, then he’s going to maximize every opportunity that he can for you and Luka finally having a humble center with size and athleticism I think is like a shiny new toy in his tool box that he’s just been itching to get his hands on. I’m sure Luka will do the same for Omax when he starts earning more, but until then we’re not stretched so thin on wings like we have been on the inside.