07-15-2023, 05:09 PM
(07-15-2023, 04:28 PM)hakeemfaan Wrote: If going after projects or question marks anyway, I would have gone for the most talented player at both the spots they picked than pick positions of need.
Many, MANY people, not just Mavs fans, thought both players were taken later than they should have been and were both outstanding values.
I am noticing a trend of distaste with Lively, specifically. People seem to really not like him (no idea why, he checks every box I’d want in a center) and are bending narratives to justify why it was a bad pick. I keep watching him, hoping to see what other people dislike. Is it that he’s smart? Fast? Quick? Long? Defensive minded? Is it that he knows what he’s going to be asked to do in the NBA and seems to be focused on his ACTUAL job description that turns people off? TRULY, I DO NOT GET IT.
I like Lively MORE than the alternatives, with or without the “position of need” angle. I think O-Max might be the steal of the entire draft. We get it - you wanted Whitmore. Obviously, the Mavs weren’t the only ones worried about taking him. Maybe he ends up being great, idk. But the target you’d have them hit to satisfy you seems to be a little small.