Lombardi: Buyer? Seller? Aggressive? Passive?
Question: The terms ``buyer'' and ``seller'' are easy to throw around, but they don't necessarily describe what's happening before the deadline. Would you say, in terms of talking to GMs, that you're an aggressor, or that you're taking more calls than you're making?
LOMBARDI: ``The problem is that everyone is still in it. There aren't many sellers, period. There are a few out there that are fairly obvious, but not a lot. Nobody in our conference is out of it, and you've got a few in the East. Things can shake out a little more as you get to the deadline. Some people might realize, `You know, instead of holding this middle ground, we have to rebuild.'
``So a team that's technically not out of the playoffs might just face reality (and say), `We're never going to be any good,' and stop trying to get stuck in the middle. So they wouldn't be your classic `seller,' in the sense that they're out of the playoffs, but there are two things that are different. One, they realize that they have to go back to the draft table and basically rebuild, and/or they're concerned about the cap coming down. So you might run into a little of that.
``People might say, `Screw it. It's not worth it to stay in the playoff race, or give the illusion of staying in it. Let's see if we can get some of this cash out of here.' I don't have any evidence of that yet, but if you're trying to think about the marketplace, I can see that entering into the equation. Again, I have no evidence of that just yet. It's just my instincts and some of the chatter, that it might happen.''
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Rich Hammond has covered the Kings, on a full-time or part-time basis, since the 2000-01 season. He was the beat writer for the entire John Torchetti era and has witnessed Bob Miller singing country music in a Nashville honky-tonk bar. A native of Los Angeles, Rich has worked at the Daily News since 1999 and also serves as the paper's deputy sports editor. E-mail Rich at rich.hammond@dailynews.com.
Jill Painter joined the Daily News in 2000 and during the last eight years she's covered the Dodgers, Cal State Northridge, UCLA, Kings, golf and everything in between. Even though she's from Colorado, she still freezes in the Staples Center press box but always manages to thaw her fingers in time to make deadline. E-mail Jill at jill.painter@dailynews.com.
How long till the Frolov/Core question comes up?
This is why Lombardi is good. He knows this stuff....he's in the trenches...not just a guy who gets hired cause he's an x-player or x-agent. Those guys get in just because they think the fans will be happy and then they're in over their heads.
THANK GOD we have someone who can analyze and really see the big picture. It REALLY IS rocket science in a way.
This is awesome work Rich. Your interviewing skills give a great insight into one of the greatest managing minds in the game. I fully appreciate just how important the Dean's views are in the construction and stabilization of this franchise. The talent, from San Jose to LA, that this man is accountable for is astounding, and getting to know his views allows us a window into what the future holds for this team. I think the only downside to Dean's genius is that other teams know just how smart he is, which severely limits his trading options. You do a deal with Dean, and you're going to lose in the long run.
Thanks Rich! ! !
Bob Gainey just sent Kostitsyn to the minors and told Kovalev he will be staying home while MTL goes on the road.
The best thing would be to trade Gauthier while he's still "hot"... I don't think too many Kings fans will be mourning this loss...