Rosen hit the nail on the head
- Thread starter Birdman
- Start date
Bollocks
Top Forward
I've been saying this for a long time now.
I have a gut feeling that once all this collapses and they all get fired, Blake will land another job and will be much more successful once given proper ropes to build a team...it's the type of karma one can almost smell coming eventually.
Rogie-Vachon
Sizzler Across The Street
The L.A. Times cared zero about hockey. Not the Ducks - not the Kings.
Add: Angels - Clippers to the mix. No beat writers.
It’s a LAKERS - DODGERS - RAMS town. Chargers are an afterthought….behind usc & UCLA.
DryKing
Power Forward
I actually really like Rob and have supported him up until recently. I think had Luc stayed out of it and not brought on Bergevin, our team would be in a good place today with Rob at the helm. End of day, though, I agree with you that Rob just isn't strong enough. He stood of stood up to Luc when he heard Bergevin was being brought on board, and stood up to both Luc and Bergevin by making the trades and signings that fit his vision rather than caving to the othe two. What this leads me to believe is that Rob values his job more than he values what is good for the Organization.
That said, I agree with you that it is time for Luc, Bergevin and Rob to go. Between bad coaching choices, prospect bottlnecking, constant changes in vision, poor asset management, poor cap management and a profit before winning mentality they really can't be shown the door fast enough.
G Desjardins
3rd Line Winger
I really learned something from the story, thanks for posting it. After following the Kings since the 68/69 season, I had pretty much accepted that I would never see the Kings hoist the Cup. So I will always be grateful to Lombardi and everyone else who put together the 2012 & 2014 teams. Right now, it sure looks like it is going to be a long while before we see another one here.
Statue4Deano
Super Star
“Getting uncomfortable”? Kings executives are preaching it, not practicing it
Sometimes it’s good to read internet message boards.t.co
Interesting that Rosen brings up this anecdote but leaves out Lombardi’s pursuit of Brad Richards in 2011
If Dean got his way and the team broke the bank for a 31 year old Brad Richards (he signed with the Rangers for 9 years 58.5M) there’s no Cup in 2012. Probably no cup in 2014. Primarily because there’s no money available to trade for Jeff Carter or Marian Gaborik.
I think Dean is a genius but let’s not pretend that the Kings won 2 Cups because he made every right move. He tried to make plenty of moves that would’ve been disasters had he been successful. We just have to thank the hockey gods that the worst ones didn’t happen.
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Clif
Super Star
Very important perspective, and part of where Rosen’s article fails. I’ll always love Dean and yes, fortunately his over-arching vision brought glory. However, Rosen’s description cherry picks. Not only were there bad moves we avoided due only to the choices of UFAs, but the Carter trade could hardly be called a matter of long-term vision. Rather it was opportunism in a truly unique situation. Lastly, the Sutter trade was a hail mary, and had it come up just a touch short then Dean’s gone.Interesting that Rosen brings up this anecdote but leaves out Lombardi’s pursuit of Brad Richards in 2011
If Dean got his way and the team broke the bank for a 31 year old Brad Richards (he signed with the Rangers for 9 years 58.5M) there’s no Cup in 2012. Probably no cup in 2014. Primarily because there’s no money available to trade for Jeff Carter or Marian Gaborik.
I think Dean is a genius but let’s not pretend that the Kings won 2 Cups because he made every right move. He tried to make plenty of moves that would’ve been disasters had he been successful. We just have to thank the hockey gods that the worst ones didn’t happen.
Long-term vision mixed with lucky breaks and ultimate success on the knife edge of disaster. It’s as emotional a run as can be imagined but not the basis for a rational article as Rosen’s attempts when comparing two GMs.
Further, his insistence on harping about being “uncomfortable” and trying to paint a picture of hypocrisy omits the fact that Blake is course correcting in a direction he has not yet taken this team. The article relies too heavily on Luc’s denialism, which is legit, without crediting Blake for recognizing the team needs to adjust through toughness and better character.
His thesis is basically that Dean had a plan and it brought Cups, and Blake has not shown a plan and look, stagnation. Far too simplistic for a story that nearly wasn’t contrasted against a story that is not yet completely written.
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Helvetica
Top Forward
I dont think you can claim they wouldnt have won. There's no way to know. Brad Richards was absolutely the type of guy Lombardi coveted, and that this team needed at the time. Certainly the cap hit would have hamstrung additional moves, but Brad Richards would have absolutely been in line with Lombardi's general plan/vision for how to build a team. And i think that's the point of the article. Lombardi had a vision for exactly the type of players he wanted, and how he wanted to construct a roster. You don't get to pick whoever you want. You have to go with the players that are available that fit the mold. Brad Richards fit the mold. Leader. Character. Clutch. Winner. To be honest, i think Carter was a risk, and a move outside of Lombardi's comfort level. But im sure he did his due diligence before making the trade (and obviously it worked out). He was also, to some extent, having to veer away from his plan somewhat because the team was starving for offense. Later on he could make a move for Gaborik because the foundation and culture was there.Interesting that Rosen brings up this anecdote but leaves out Lombardi’s pursuit of Brad Richards in 2011
If Dean got his way and the team broke the bank for a 31 year old Brad Richards (he signed with the Rangers for 9 years 58.5M) there’s no Cup in 2012. Probably no cup in 2014. Primarily because there’s no money available to trade for Jeff Carter or Marian Gaborik.
I think Dean is a genius but let’s not pretend that the Kings won 2 Cups because he made every right move. He tried to make plenty of moves that would’ve been disasters had he been successful. We just have to thank the hockey gods that the worst ones didn’t happen.
In Blake's case, i think there is/was a vision in place. The problem isnt that there was no plan, it's that they probably misidentified the player(s) to bring in, or overestimated certain qualities that they thought the team possessed. They said from the get go they wanted to remain a team that was difficult to play against, but that they wanted to infuse skill and speed. In some respects they accomplished that goal. Unfortunately, they completely whiffed on PLD. Additionally, in their chase for speed and skill, theyve not held onto enough of the "tough to play against" attitude that they wanted to maintain. Blake hasnt solidified teh foundation yet, and i think that's the real problem. And i do agree with Rosen's argument that it appears there's too many cooks in the kitchen.
Statue4Deano
Super Star
I say the Kings don’t win in 2012 because Brad Richards was still on top of his game even at 31. Put B. Richards on that 2012 roster and Terry Murray never loses his job and Sutter is never tapped to take over. Not sure how that group even with the addition of B. Richards wins the cup with Terry Murray behind the bench.
Helvetica
Top Forward
i mean, everything that happened had a hand in a winning season, but i think at the crux of it, Brad Richards was exactly a DL guy. But my point is that DL went after what he felt was the right option. It didnt work. Things changed. And he had to adjust. So... awesome. We won and everyone's happy. But i dont fault him at all for going after B Richards because that was directly in line with his vision of building a winning team. I dont think going after the guy you believe will put the team in contention would be a disaster. They might not have wound up winning the cup, but I do think it would have made the team better and brought in the leadership/compete element that he was trying to reinforce with the team.
Statue4Deano
Super Star
The disaster comes when a 31 year old guy you signed to a 9 year contract runs face first into Father Time and you’re forced to buy out the final years of his contract. Which is exactly what happened to Brad Richards in New York after year 3.
Funny enough the Rangers brass used the buyout amnesty on their Richards problem while Lombardi refused to use the amnesty on his Richards problem.
Hell of player. Totally understand why Dean wanted him. Would’ve loved him in a Kings jersey. Very satisfied with the way things turned out.
I was piqued to read Rosen’s recollections of Sutter’s critique of Muzzin’s play re: his frequent giveaways, which up until today I hadn’t heard or read of before. As a fun little exercise, I wondered what Sutter’s thoughts would be on the performance of some of the current roster, (Looking at you #22), and who, if the farmer were still bench boss, would be seeing ice-time and who would not. Then again, he probably doesn’t even watch anymore.
In fairness, the LA Times had (Kevin Baxter) their soccer reporter (LA Galaxy, LAFC & Int'l.) reporting on the Kings in the playoffs. Not sure if it was just for the playoffs or if he will be covering the Kings this regular season.
You are correct, in SoCal, hockey is dead last in coverage behind NBA, NFL, MLB, & MLS/Int'l soccer.
Hockey in SoCal is a niche sport in terms of fans. Kings had pretty good coverage for 4+ years during the Cup wins. Now with 10 years of mediocrity and no winning, there is no buzz, so media does not want to spend money on it. Too few eyes on the sport translates to too few eyes to read the reporting.
Start winning, and coverage has a better chance of returning.
Earl
Super Star
I don't know about a better record will equate to better coverage as nothing makes me laugh harder than in 2012 when the Kings won the first Cup behind the news guy on channel 7 was a Sacramento Kings logo GTFOH ABC!
LOL. Sac Kings logo and nod was hilarious.
I said more coverage, not better.
2012 was more coverage....and clearly not better.
Totally disagree…only team Blake gets hired with is San Jose.
Bollocks
Top Forward
Yeah...because there are so many GMs available with great resumes, consistent winning % and deep PO runs year in, year out once they are a few years at the helm. Plenty of options. Lol.
That's probably why Oilers chose the dirtiest name out there as soon as he was available.
Now Chirping
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