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About This Page: This is a discussion on News within the LetsGoKings.com forums, at Los Angeles Kings Hockey Fan Forum. As mentioned in my last blog, work has been a bear lately and I have more than one blog on the brain dying to get out. The title of this
As mentioned in my last blog, work has been a bear lately and I have more than one blog on the brain dying to get out. The title of this one comes from XM’s Boomer Gordon when he was doing a review of the Kings. Soon thereafter, Boomer graded Lombardi and gave him an “F” claiming at the time, the team had no coach, no plan and would be sporting an AHL team next year, something to that effect.
I love Boomer’s rants; let’s get that out of the way from the get-go. The head scratching for me started and stopped with the notion Lombardi has no plan. Gordon gets an “F” from me for his non-existent preparation for suggesting Los Angeles has no plan. It is pretty common knowledge for anyone who either reads any interview from him or participates in an interview with Lombardi that the man is hardly a man of few words. The treat of Lombardi is the fact that, if anything, he says too much. Heck, Hextall said at one of this summer’s Town Hall Meetings that he cringed when Lombardi put up the audio-visual at the Breakfast with the GM during the season of the players set to make the club over the next few years.
In other words, he has a plan. If Gordon took issue with the plan, then that I can at least respect. Suggesting he has no plan merely showed Gordon looked at the team ranking, looked at next year’s non-existent payroll and made a gross generalization based on apparently very little. In fairness, Boomer used the phrase “Turbo Suckers” but I prefer my version. Take that Boomer… Bam!
The problem I have with the disparate takes on Lombardi and the Kings of late is how divergent they are. The Hockey News just wrote how Kings’ fans will be rewarded for their patience. Here is a sampling of their take:
“By building mainly through the draft, GM Dean Lombardi has ensured that when the Kings get good, they’ll be good for a long time.
I have no doubt there are Kings fans upset about the slow pace in which the team is rebuilding and wish Lombardi would sign a couple of veterans to get his club into the playoff hunt. But if he did, he might as well rename the Kings the Toronto Maple Leafs.”
Jim Fox in his recent epic fan question and answer he gave this summer with Hammond, also explained how either a team should fully rebuild or not. Half way misses the point altogether.
“(I) believe that once you make the decision to "rebuild" you should go all the way...I know some people believe that you can go half way and still be successful... I don't think there are many examples of that... . . . . right now it is all about development and sticking with the young guys...the Kings have never done this to this extent before...”
The thing that irked me most about the “F” and the suggestion that Kings’ season ticket holders should feel cheated, ask for refunds, or some other negative comment I forget is that Gordon and others who suggest the Kings are being so short-sighted. It is not like this is an original plan when other teams are following the same plan. The Coyotes and Blues are going in this direction. Until Atlanta or Florida gets a clue how to draft, or either finds a more competent GM, I refuse to associate their version of re-building from within as anything near as credible as what the Kings are doing.
To be completely fair, it is a bit unnerving that detractors may be right that the real reason for the Kings being this much under the salary floor may be all financial - as in profit for AEG and not saving for the core’s second and third contracts. I am prepared to apologize if the detractors are proven right.
I wholly reject the notion that the Kings are moving to Kansas City or any other market. Between the team’s 20 year lease, the profitable development around the Staples Center, the Center’s two NBA tenants; thus, AEG’s combined profit from AEG’s real accounting; rather than the selective version for the IRS or the press makes me convinced the smaller set of books will never force Anschutz’ hand. For those who think Anschutz is hurting or even affected by the money lost on hockey, raise your hand? I count none. Does anyone disagree? I somehow doubt it. Seriously.
Bottom Line:
The Kings have a plan. They now have a coach. Next year may prove painful in the standings, but I refuse to believe the effort will appear as listless and scary to watch as last season. I know this much, the players can no longer blame Crawford. The players are out of excuses. It is their dime – time to put up or shut up. Otherwise, the players are the real turbo suckers, not the fans for believing in them.
Thanks for that. I missed their rankings of the Kings. An F? Geez. I really don't like Boomer much and yet I listen every day. (no other hockey coverage) A week ago they were talking about the different directions the Kings and Sharks seem to be going in. They blasted Lombardi for not making any moves and said that King fans should be pissed by the lack of product we will ice. And they also blasted the Sharks for changing philosophies and going with veterans and depleting their farm system. Going away from building through the draft which made them contenders. But they NEVER mentioned that Lombardi was the reason the Sharks built through the draft, and that he was no longer there. I think they are tools. (sorry, I dont know Boomers co-host)
The Kings have a plan. They now have a coach. Next year may prove painful in the standings, but I refuse to believe the effort will appear as listless and scary to watch as last season. I know this much, the players can no longer blame Crawford. The players are out of excuses. It is their dime – time to put up or shut up. Otherwise, the players are the real turbo suckers, not the fans for believing in them.
Hmmmm.....where have I heard this before? Oh yeah, that was the same thing said about previous coaches. On the other hand I love my Kings, win or lose! I dread the day we have another lock out, so enjoy it while you can boys and girls!
Go KINGS!!!!
__________________
Ovechkin, he stole my moves and my number! wupmasta2000-These sudden shifts in emotion from furious to pumped is too much for my fragile frame.
A nice thing about being a fan is that you get to call your own shots. You can love Lombardi's rebuilding plan and be patient, or you can pine for over the hill, high priced free agents (...Demitra would fit right in...). You can recognize a need, and be happy about Stoll and Greene bringing toughness, savvy, and youth to the line-up, or you can lament the trade of a resilient and talented defensemen that did not fit the plan.
You can't blame some radio host for not keeping up with the goings on of the second to last placed team who has long suffered losing seasons far from the spotlight of a traditional hockey market. How many Kings fans were really listening to the program anyway? How many Kings fan's understand the rebuild anyway?
This radio guy probably represents the opinion of many Kings fans. Rebuilds are ethereal; in the early stages you can't see them unless you believe in them, you can't believe in them unless you are in the know, and there would be no reason to be in the know unless you are a die hard Kings fan who'd be paying attention to the team with or without a rebuilding effort.
Personally, I know I'll never root for another NHL team, I don't even like individual players on other teams. I live in Hawaii, and only get out to one or two games a year aside from Frozen Fury; I'm lucky that we get Socal cablle on Maui or I'd have to get Center Ice. I can understand when season ticket holders get testy over parking and crummy food, but the on ice product? If they don't like what the team is doing, then they should not renew their seats. I'm reasonably confident that the team will go on without them. Its not as if we all can't go on without a few people who don't believe in the plan.
Good comments. While Anschutz has deep pockets, I think it not correct to assume he is willing to lose $ forever on the Kings. I think AEG's announcement they are trying to sell and DL's hints the Kings were now budget tied means Anchutz decided to cut back the open check book and to get out of the Kings deal. It seems to me Anschutz had to buy the Kings to make the development of Staples Center work. He was in on a real estate play and had to buy the Kings as an afterthought when their then owners turned out bankrupt. Since then A's been losing 10 to 20 million a year on the Kings part of events (something like that). Now A's man on the ground Lieweke has no big problem with Anschutz losing $--but at some point Anschutz will reign him in. Maybe Anschutz did decide from above to reign things in, set a lowerbudget, and maybe that is whyBlake did not get an offer--DL's budget was changed mid- 5 yr plan right before the free agency period. Maybe. Besides losing $ on the Kings, it is publized that AEG is losing $ on other projects. (Lieweke has nt shown himself any sort of businessman. TL seems like the classic blowhard with bad judgment). Del Baggio $7million blown (maybe it can count against the Kings salary cap?; maybe when Anschutz heard about this blunder he took a look and said wait on big spending?); a 20000 seat stadium in kansas city WITHOUT A TENANT. Not exactly brilliant. Across the street from staples, the big construct is coming on line right into a depression. Not good. Anschutz's long time partner Roski dropped out of that deal before construction started. That was a big event, actually. I predict Lieweke gets fired in 2-3 years as these projects flunk and ANschutz finally bothers to check and see what TL is actually doing. If Anschutz does not want to keep losing $ on the Kings, it changes the Kings budget and makes DL's plan harder to execute. I agree DL's got a plan and it is the right way to go; I question whether any assumption losing $ every year can continue to work out. For me as a fan, last year paying $200 for two to see a live Kings game from the lower bowl was not worth it the last three years. I hope for the best next year. If they make progress in 2 years I would be surprised pleasantly but they have to a) get very good players and b) keep them before anything starts to resemble the Lakers as opposed to the Clippers. DL I think has got a good plan but his negotiating results seem mediocre at best (the players can get more than their worth somewhere else) while on top of that, the Lieweke factor and Anschutz's financial sense and concerns makes the go harder.
Nice blog Carla. You could almost tie this blog and Boomer's perception to your last blog. Boomer is projecting his emotions and views into his analysis of the Kings.
You make some great points, but I cannot be as optimistic as you appear to be. I was listening to the same show, and I can't say I disagree with the "F" grade. In fact, if there were such a thing as an F-, I would give the Kings that grade instead.
I have been a fan since I was a little kid, so about 25 years or so. During that time, we've had exactly one good year. We got hot in the playoffs in 1993, and that was it, even with Gretzky. Other than 1993, we have never gotten past the second round of the playoffs. That is telling, particularly when we have 3 expansion teams winning Cups in the last few years, and another one losing in the Finals.
In the 40 years of the Kings' existence, we have been in a rebuilding mode probably 10 times, maybe more. I am sick and tired of changing coaches/GMs/philosophies every few years, only to end up in the same place, usually last and certainly not within the top 8 in the conference.
We have, by leaps and bounds, the lowest projected salary of all the teams in the league. Now I'm not for spending money for nothing, but that sure looks like what Lombardi did last year, wasting all that money on second-tier talent, and paying first-tier prices.
On top of the salary issue, we make moves that don't make any sense. Take the trade of Luori Tukonen the other day, for Richard Clune. Tukonen was a first round pick, 11th overall, and Clune was a third-round pick, 71st overall. Now math isn't my strongpoint, but any idiot knows that the guy picked 11th is supposed to be a hell of a lot better than the guy picked 71st. This is the epitome of the moves we have made over the years.
In addition to these issues, we apparently don't treat our players very well either. I can understand trading Cammy & Lubo (I don't like it; but I get it), but we don't even call the guys to tell them of the trade? They have to hear about it from an agent, or a reporter, or on TV? And we don't even respond to Blake's agent (even if his salary demand was nuts). What kind of second-class Mickey Mouse organization are we running here?
So the question is, why does this happen, and why does it keep happening every few years? Why do we end up in the same place, where we're re-building while other teams are winning, at least some of the time.
The truth is, it starts at the top. Why is it that teams like Detroit are perennial winners? Because owners like Mike Ilitch and family care about winning. They do what it takes to win. They pay attention, and they put good hockey people in the right places. It's not just about spending money; it's about spending money, and trying to do it wisely. It's about going the extra mile when necessary, spending the extra dollar when necessary, treating the players well, treating the fans well, getting coaches and GMs with experience, intelligence, and poise. They are hands on, but they don't interfere (think Robert Kraft, not Mark Cuban). The same is true of the Lakers, the Red Sox, the Patriots, etc. What do all these teams have in common? They WIN. They win because their owners care, they spend money, they get good coaches/managers, etc. The same used to be true of the Dodgers, though not since the O'Malley family sold, sadly.
Phil Anschutz doesn't give a #$!* about the Kings. He never has. He is the opposite of Jerry Buss. Buss goes to games, he clearly cares about what happens to the team. He has good people in his organization, even if they cost money. Meanwhile, I couldn't pick Anschutz out of a lineup, and I'm about as big a Kings fan as I've ever met.
The Kings constantly complained for years about the need for a salary cap, for the sake of competitive balance. Well they got the cap, and look what happened. They are still pitiful (and now have the lowest salary in the league). Meanwhile, for comparison's sake, take a look at Detroit. Since the cap era started, they are still always competitive. They won the Cup this year and would've won it last year were it not for some fortunate bounces for the Ducks. They have guys signing and re-signing for less money, just to play for a winner. They take care of their players, and they take care of their fans.
Anschutz is busy giving $250 Million to David Beckham (btw, that's like 10 times our salary for this coming season for the whole team). He doesn't live in L.A. He doesn't come to Staples Center, and the Kings just are not that important to him. Jerry Buss is at every home game; hell, even Frank McCourt is at every home game; but as far as I know, Anschutz doesn't go to any games, except maybe when we play in Colorado.
On top of not taking care of their players, we don't take care of our fans either.
I complained to my season ticket rep about three weeks ago that I was concerned about the direction the team was headed in. I wanted to talk to someone from management so that I could confirm that I would get some sort of return on my investment. He finally called me back, about a week later, and told me that someone from management would be contacting me within a couple of weeks. Well, I'm still waiting for that call. So I have to wonder whether the Kings, as an organization, even care about their fans at all. We, the fans, fill the arena, buy the merchandise, despite 40 years of mediocrity.
So, much as I like that the Hockey News thinks the Kings will be good in 4 years, we've been there before, and the results have been anything but stellar. While I share the hope that we will someday be good, I cannot share the optimism that we actually will be.
So, much as I like that the Hockey News thinks the Kings will be good in 4 years, we've been there before, and the results have been anything but stellar. While I share the hope that we will someday be good, I cannot share the optimism that we actually will be.
Mike
Oh they'll be good alright... and the fans in Kansas City will make sure every home game is sold out.
When Boomer talks about the Kings he has no idea what he is talking about. I listen all the time, and he has no knowledge of them whatsoever beyond Kopi, DB and Fro and sometimes Bernier. They need new blood on that station because they are generally tilted towards Canada and the east coast.
Carla Muller
Turbo Suckage 
