Morning update

This guy just doesn't have it in him to acquire a big time player.
He's gonna keep the 5th pick. Hopefully he won't draft a 23rd ranked player
Trade for Brad Richardson type player.
On July 1st, he'll sign a Handzus like player for $5 Million a year.
That's what all of should expect.
Thats it.

I wonder if the Kings now will try and take a run a Kessel. Given that it looks like Burke is not going to trade for him. The Leafs are asking for way too much in return. (The 7th overall and Kaberle for Kessel)

Anthony...don't ruin what should be a fun thread with more DL bashing. Seriously, do something about being so predictable already. You've had every one of us on this board tell you we don't appreciate your consistent negativity. listen already.

Moving on...I personally thought trading the pick would be a smart move. But I've had a change of opinion as it is becoming clear the price is awfully steep for the names out there. But the Clowe rumors are interesting since he won't be too pricey.

anthonyy

If a trade isn't there to be made. Then don't make it. RIght? The Kings have a real good opportunity to get a stand out player with the 5th pick. Also, a lot of good quality players are going to be looking for new teams this year. i.e. Kessel, Havlat, Gaborik....)

If you look at DL's draft history, he has been making some smart moves. When has he drafted a 23rd ranked player?

hey anthonyy, let's make a deal.

If DL does what you posted, I will never post in here again. If he doesn't do something like that, you can never post on here ever again. Simple as that.

Deal?

posted on the previous thread...
still recent...

the latest tweet from darren dreger...:

http://twitter.com/DarrenDreger/status/2346448811

no details as of yet...

I'll second that TB.

I honestly wonder how anthony is so frequently the first poster to comment????

what about a "medium dog" perhaps?

TB,
I'm not trying to be negative.
I'm just anxious to see something happen already.
To make the playoffs, we need an impact player. That's all there's to it.
But I'll try to do what you just asked.

what time is the first pick? I know coverage starts at 4pm but when is first pick?

Is Anthony Rich's alter ego? Hence, being the first poster. The negative side of Rich. LMAO.

Should be an interesting day? Kane or MSP and I will be happy.

anthonyy...just a suggestion:

try this...

"I hope DL can surprise me and get a big time player
But I think he's gonna keep the 5th pick. Hopefully he'll draft someone we need.
And on July 1st, I bet he'll sign a 2nd tier player. Hopefully for the right price"

...my point is, its about HOW you say things. Your opinons are fine. Its all in the method of delivery. Keep it fun and please forget about the whole DL sucks routine. We get it. Its the biggest day for us fans in more than a decade. So enjoy it and stop thinking we are destined to fail. it helps no one.

If DL manages to swing a deal for Clowe, while drafting one Kane>Schenn/MPS, I'll bring him a box of donuts every morning while he's still the GM for LA.

Period.

If he then signs a UFA such as Hossa>Gaborik after July 1st, I'll buy him a new tie for every day of the week and a bottle 200 year old scotch.

No joke.

kevin e, re richanthony,

remember that rich's "denial" was only that his driver's license doesn't say anthony.

meanwhile, fascinating heatley info via strickland: http://kwisp.wordpress.com/2009/06/26/andy-strickland-will-ottawa-refuse-to-pay-heatley-his-bonus/

Jake...probably 15 mins after the start. Each team has a 15 minute window before their transaction is due.

Anthonyy--
I liked your second posting, I think that is what all Kings fans ultimately want, something to happen, success the bottom line. There are just different ways to go about it.
Building takes time and Lombardi had to start with a team in a mess overall and he has to build it up.
Tonight and July 1st will be big steps in that process don't count Lombardi out just yet.

-J said:

I honestly wonder how anthony is so frequently the first poster to comment????

Very good question. Either anthonyy is one of Rich Hammond's multiple personalities, or he's some guy who sits there all day hitting 'refresh' every 30 seconds.

Superstars don't win championships...they don't hurt, but guts, grit, desire, and the right chemistry wins out in the end, 9 times out of 10.

Clowe would be an excellent addition to this club, and a 3rd line of Simmonds/Handzus/Clowe would vault into the top of the West in that standing...Clowe isn't really a top 6 forward, and shouldn't be playing there.

Haha quisp- i'm watching that movie (GFII) right now (but in english). Anyways, very appropriate.

"Superstars don't win championships...they don't hurt, but guts, grit, desire, and the right chemistry wins out in the end, 9 times out of 10."

Wrong. Take Kobe from the Lakers. Do they win this year? Nope. Would Cleveland haven had the season they had without Lebron? No.

Pens without Geno/Crosby? Nope. Detrot..Datsyuk/Zetterburg/Lidstrom..etc? Nope.
Ducks without Nieds/Pronger/Selanne/Giguere? Nope.

I think Anthony has his responses pre-written and automated for response. As soon as his mobile device notes a hammond post, his pre-written response pops up and he just needs to add a word or two. Or the pre-written bashing is just sent automatically.

IMO, good to see DL and the King's brain trust did not panic and blow up the re-build. So far anyway. We'll draft a most likely very good player, probably Schenn but maybe trade Schenn for MPS Plus some other assets.

Seems to me the Kings boys did their homework and that's all we can really reasonably ask. Except for a deep play off run in 2010 and then stanley cups in 2011-2015. Someone can then complain a really smart GM would have put together a team which won in 2016 also.

Anthony is automated?

If we are going to acquire an elite forward this year, I think it will have to be via trade. Hockey players are not just about money. They also want to win the cup. I don't think our roster is at a point where a guy feels he has a good chance to win a cup in LA. If we don't trade for Heatley or Vinny, I hope we draft well and see some strong improvement from our young core next season. This will put us in a better position for free agency the following year.

Kuklas Korner just posted a video of Lombardi saying he doesn't think the Kings will trade the #5 pick: http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/hockey/comments/lombardi_doesnt_see_kings_moving_their_1st_pick/

Hey Ersberg--
It's not that Kobe and the Lakers don't have chemistry, I beg to differ. They DO have chemistry, which is why they have been so much better since Gasol joined the team last year at the deadline. Kobe-Gasol-Odom have GREAT chemistry when utilized as Jackson utilized them the way he did with the appropriate cast of thousands helping them out. And, if Odom leaves them this year, the chemistry will have to be worked out once again.

It's not about the LACK of chemistry with some superstars that annoys the heck out of a lot of us fans. Fans--by definition, myself definitely one--live in a fantasy world where we take for ourselves the physical attributes of our heroes. When we want a Championship desperately, we project our feelings onto a player or players or team in the hopes that they will actually succeed for us. That is, of course, a crazy delusion, but it is also a powerful, world-wide one transcending sports and all our celebrities. It becomes a drag, though, when our favorite player pulls out the obnoxious habits that so many of them have (can any Toronto hockey fan say Mats Sundeen?).

As fans, we want the HEROIC attributes for our daydreams, not the brattish 'Me-first' bleatings of the truly self-centered. Worse still, it is an unfortunate truth that the narcissistic attitudes of a true Champion may be part in parcel of the attributes necessary for his success. So, when Manny Ramirez dogs the Red Sox, or Dany Heatley mews that he wants out of Ottawa, us fans can have our fantasies crash and burn right before our very eyes because we ourselves would never act that way...

...But like all great love affairs, we likely will come back to our guys like an abused spouse unwilling to say goodbye.

Yeah, Dany Heatley may be an egocentric infant in his demands, but he may also contain that magic spark which could lead the Kings to the Promised Land--all despite his 'lack of character'. Like a machine, it's a matter of the Inventor's vision when a GM slowly creates a Championship team. Puts the right parts together, and the machine works.

I remember when the Lakers traded Shaq, and the detractors said Kobe could never lead a team to a Championship. He proved them wrong. Perhaps part of his drive came from a desire to prove the detractors wrong. All I know is that Kobe made a thirty minute Lakers' video after the big trade and stated, in paraphrase, 'Stick with us, fans. It won't happen right away, but it will happen. And, for all you others out there, this is the time to be a real fan and support us'. It took five years and Coach Jackson's genius, but the Infantile Egomaniac succeeded. And did it with great team game-time on-the-floor chemistry, IMHO.

Champions are rarely made. They rise up from their lesser selves and achieve their true greatness, even if just for a moment.

"La Revolucion is like a great love affair. In the beginning, she is a goddess. A holy cause. But... every love affair has a terrible enemy: time. We see her as she is. La Revolucion is not a goddess but a whore. She was never pure, never saintly, never perfect. And we run away, find another lover, another cause. Quick, sordid affairs. Lust, but no love. Passion, but no compassion. Without love, without a cause, we are... *nothing*!

We stay because we believe. We leave because we are disillusioned. We come back because we are lost. We die because we are committed."

Jesus Raza/Jack Palance in 'The Professionals', 1966

Lombardi did not come here to fail.He's a smart guy that learns from his mistakes.Look what he's done so far.Completly changed the look and attitude of our team, not to mention, given us fans hope for the future.Whatever happens today will be for the better. Congratulations LUC!!!

Bako-

There's just no way to predict chemistry. You just have to go out and get the best guys to fill your needs. Talent along with character, determination, maturity, and experience. That's all you can ask for.

I'd bet my insidesocal account Heatley would do very well here, at least for 4-5 more years. Same with Vinny. They both would come in here and tear **** up.

I want bad guys on this team. Anaheim didn't win the cup, and almost knock off Detroit last season because they're "nice". I want some guys that have attitude and get pissed off when **** doesn't go right.

Heatley may be a labeled a problem child, but with that comes emotion. This -team- lacks EMOTION. We need guys to come in here and kick ass and play with an edge. Most players take a shift off every now and then, but it seems to be an epidemic with this franchise.

You have no idea how much past and present floaters make my blood boil. The 'slacker' LA Kings mentality needs to end last season going forward.

I follow rich on twitter, then I set that account to mobile updates. So sometimes Rich posts, then tweets right away and it sends a text message to my phone. I then refresh page and I am sometimes at a story with no comments. This happens all the time. Sometimes Rich posts it to twitter much later and then that does not work.

Just a thought regarding Automathonyy

Somebody please check Anthony into the Boards! Or spear Him!

I wasn't talking about the NBA, MLB or NFL Ersberg...so no, YOUR wrong.

Superstars CAN have all those attributes, by the way. If you don't know this about hockey, then you haven't been paying much attention.

More often than not, come crunch time, talent does NOT win over desire to win and will to win.

FYI...those other sports...I couldn't give two ****s about them.

The Slacker Mentality of the Los Angeles Kings HAS TO GO AWAY, in 2009-2010...

AMEN TO THAT, Brother!

The sport is irrelevant. If you'd managed to read my 'entire' first post, you would have noticed I stated the 2002 Angels did it without them

I'm sorry, but more times than not a team will lose in ANY sport if they don't have top guns in their crew.

I don't care if it's the NHL, MLB, NFL or polo, you have to have the studs to get it done. Yes, grit determines the overall outcome, but pit a non-star line-up vs. a team boasting 1-2 stars with the SAME motivation, and guess who would win 9 out of 10 times?

Go back start with this years Cup champs back to when you can remember.

Remember the 93' Kings? The only time we've ~ever~ made it to the SC finals? That's what I'm talking about.

I didn't finish one of my sentences.

"Go back start with this years Cup champs back to when you can remember."

I meant to say..

Going back each starting with this years Cup champs to when you can remember, and you'll see a commonality in that they ALL have at least a very great to elite player on each team. You have to have the top talent to pit against the opposing teams checking line. There's no other way around it.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/NHL-Draft-Video-Top-prospects-talk-best-worst-?urn=nhl,173059

LOL, check out Cowen's response (about 1:27 in).

I have a question then....If you have skill players with the "desire" and "want" to win and then, on the other side you have less skilled players with the same "desire" and "want" to win, who comes out on top?

Duck-

We just went through an SC finals with that exact same set of circumstances.

Seven games. Down to the wire. 2-1 game seven finish.

Talent and determination, lines 1-4. Balls to the wall for the cup.

Amen brother, skill and desire will stump less skill and desire.

No offense Anthony, but for the love of god can you guys stop repling to him?

50% of all posts are people arguing with him. It is obvious you will not change his opinion so why bother and stop clutting up this otherwise sweet site.

According to Dreger on TSN, Murray told him he is looking for a secondary player (not top 3 forward) and a draft pick / prospect.

Ersberg et al...

...So, when the Islanders skip Taveras and pick Duchene in a few hours, this will be okay to y'all because Duchene is so much more of a character guy?

symbology,

not seeing that dreger piece. is he talking about heatley?

BakoCAcameraGuy...+1 for "the Professionals" quote.
(I still wonder why Lee Marvin didn't get fired for being drunk the entire time)

Back to topic...LA is a star driven town, and one day It sure would be great to have a superstar to mentioned alongside the words "the LA Kings". I don't see it happening yet, but one day it will.It will also be a combination of the stars and the trench guys that will lead this team to glory, not a bunch of mercenaries and overpaid FA's(see NY Rangers).

Rich is on NOW, guys... NHL home ice

Bako-

You can't go wrong with either player, really. I still think NYI takes JT, though.

it appears that kaberle is going to the bruins...not sure if kessel is coming to toronto...but it appears something has been done and will be announced shortly...

I'm not sure I understand what is happening with this site. Last week the biggest response comes from the hiring of a fitness coach who happened to have major misspellings on his website. Now the biggest response is attempts to rehabilitate Anthony. Hey Anthony, it's nothing against you, but I must say that I don't love the current direction. One person stirring the pot and then everyone (and I must say tip of the cap to all of you guys who are really being very supportive) working towards diminishing the negativity quotient of this section of the blog. I'm all for positive thoughts and kindness... for sure..... but is that what it takes to but it into effect?

I'm sorry, it just seems curious to me. Oh, hi there var.

28 KINGS--

The Professionals: My favorite Western of all time.
Lee Marvin being drunk was essentially worked into the plot. Woody Strode had a great role for a Black actor in 1965-66; still think about nitro sticks sweating explosions. Burt Lancaster was great. Saw that movie in theater with my dad on a Saturday afternoon. My kind of tough men; probably why I like hockey.

More and more discussion about Matt Duchene as the number one pick of the Islanders...

...And, if THAT happens, all hell is going to break loose with trades, etc.

:)

What Fun!!!!!

dreger has reported that snow might be leaning towards duchene...

that deserves a huuuuge WOWOW...! and has the potential to change the whole enchilada...!!!

i think he would be craaaazy not to take tavares...

kaberle deal is OFF...

It really is a great western.I remember reading that Burt Lancaster more than once almost fought Marvin for constantly screwing up the filming.He wasn't the most liked guy on set.They don't make actors like that anymore.

Niedermayer is going to play next year, contract pending...

I would rather have Duchene than Tavares but I would trade down to take him.

apparently the bruins are now trying to offer the isles kessel + ??? for the top pick...

variable -

that would have to be kessel, chara, thomas and bobby orr.

it doesn't make a whole lotta sense to me...but, who knows...? ...maybe there's a third team involved in such a proposal...

snow is really playing a good game of poker...

I hope Deano brought his raincoat for his conversations with Bryan Murray.

I understand DL in deep conversation w Bryan Murray. Let's put it this way, if they trade for Heatley you can pretty much set dreams of an SC parade away for a while. I know that we don't "know" why Heatley wants to be traded.... so I'll put it differently.... trouble has followed that guy so far thru his whole pro career. That being said, I wouldn't be giving up much for him expecting it to radically change and all end in glory. Could it happen? Yes of course it could. Would I expect it to? Honestly no. There are too many problem athletes (A Rod and T.O. to name just two) around who haven't got the big prize in their sport so far... and I wouldn't hold your breath that it will happen here. I just don't like this sort of move at all! But as variable would say.... calm down, as we just don't know anything definitive at this point.