Are you satisfied with the offseason (so far)

[DallasMaverick]

Yes, Yes, Yes and Yes.  None of this means Lively/OMax/Hardy won't play or aren't important.  It just means there is a nine man rotation that makes sense without hurrying any of them.  

Could Lively overtake Powell by season end (my view of Holmes/Powell)?  Absolutely.  But, you could do a lot worse than Powell/Maxi as your backup C's.  

Could OMax force his way into a playoff rotation?  Absolutely.  If Maxi is closing at Center and we need more D than THJ provides, OMax would be a welcome addition.  I think you have to watch what the O looks like with him on the floor.  He doesn't have to hit 38% of his 3's as a rookie.  But, he can't crush the offense when he's out there either.  His ability to beat closeouts and finish well will get him regular season minutes.  Converting open 3's in addition to that 'might' get him playoff minutes.

I don't think we have a Curry vs. Hardy thing if THJ is moved.  But, if he's here, it gets kind of crowded at the position those guys all fulfill.  Ideally, THJ outgoing would bring back a two-way starter (at almost any position).  If that player was clearly an upgrade from Green to where Green is pushed to the bench resulting in a bench like this: 

Powell or Maxi
OMax
Green
Hardy or Curry
Luka or Kyrie
 
then this team makes great sense to me.  Does that two way player that pushes Josh to the bench have to happen by October?  Probably not.  Even without him, I'd make the case that compared to the WCF team:  

Holmes > Powell, 
Kyrie > Brunson, 
Green > Reggie, 
Williams > DFS (some of those margins are substantial and some...like DFS...are closer).  

We haven't replaced Dinwiddie yet but we have THJ, Curry and Hardy as candidates.  Oh, and I haven't even mentioned Lively and OMax in the comparison to the WCF team.  That is a significant transition of players and we didn't sacrifice youth to do it.  BTW, SD played well in his 28 minutes per game in the playoffs, but his minutes were a net negative during that run.  So, replacing those minutes isn't impossible.

I think we also have to view the first part of the season as an experiment, with lots of different lineups, both starting and bench.  And probably lots of disappointments, with combinations that don't work, rookies that make rookie mistakes, new players that struggle to find their roles, etc.

But we'll probably also catch glimpses of potential and team chemistry that swing our emotions back into irrational exhuberance.

Get your popcorn ready!