Around the League 2018-2019 Part 3

[KINGS17]

Those aren't the same though. Visnovsky for Stoll and Greene, that's set. You can't really compare that to getting O'Sullivan, who turned into Williams. Nobody had any idea O'Sullivan would eventually turn into Williams 3 years later. If Williams hadn't played only 37 and 44 games in 07-08 and 08-09, is he even available? Stoll and Greene were also 26 and 25 when they got here, with at least a couple years in the league, and even a run to the Final, under their belts. They were younger than Visnovsky, but they weren't ELC guys.

They aren't the same in every respect, though both trades are the epitome of getting younger and better in the future. The Visnovsky deal was all about the rebuild. Not only did the Kings get two younger players, and I will grant Stoll's health was a question mark, you received two leaders.

No one ever said all of the younger assets had to be obtained through the draft, or as prospects. Had the Kings acted at the trade deadline after the first season after the Kopitar contract debacle they could have traded Carter for probably a young NHL roster player, a prospect and a 1st round pick. Too late now.

The whole point of a rebuild is acquiring as many future assets as possible, then using them when the time is right either on your roster, or in trade with other teams to complete your roster for a run to the Stanley Cup.

 

[crassbonanza]

I don't see any players much over 30 outside of Steen (34), Bozak (32), and Bouwmeester (35). How old are Kopitar, Carter, Brown, and Quick? These are the guys you want to rebuild around.

Maybe you are thinking of a different teams in the Conference Finals which better fit your argument. I know it can't be San Jose because the Kings don't have any players in the same ballpark as Couture, Hertl, Meier, and Kane.

You are ignoring Maroon and Gunnarsson.

As for the Sharks. You mention 3 players acquired through a re-tool or after it. So, you are saying that since the Kings do not currently have similar players to what the Sharks acquired through a retool, the Kings should not re-tool. Is that seriously your argument?

I also enjoy how you conveniently ignore Boston.

I am not thinking of different teams in the conference finals that better fit my argument, I said there were 3 teams that went through an on the fly rebuild and you know that is true.

 

[KINGS17]

You are ignoring Maroon and Gunnarsson.

As for the Sharks. You mention 3 players acquired through a re-tool or after it. So, you are saying that since the Kings do not currently have similar players to what the Sharks acquired through a retool, the Kings should not re-tool. Is that seriously your argument?

I also enjoy how you conveniently ignore Boston.

I am not thinking of different teams in the conference finals that better fit my argument, I said there were 3 teams that went through an on the fly rebuild and you k. now that is true.

A retool will not work. Boston started their retool much earlier in the careers of Bergeron and Marchand. Good luck drafting a Pastrnak-type player on the wing. Boston also had a nice stable of young defensemen. Now, had the Kings traded Carter at least two years ago as they should have like Boston did with Lucic, maybe.

When I suggested moving Carter after Kopitar was re-signed, I was called nuts by posters here because the Kings were ready to continue to contend. I will stand by my track record.

You keep comparing the current state of the Kings to the Bruins when they did their "retool", and it isn't a viable comparison. I'm not sure you have a record to run on here.

 

[YP44]

A retool will not work. Boston started their retool much earlier in the careers of Bergeron and Marchand. Good luck drafting a Pastrnak-type player on the wing. Boston also had a nice stable of young defensemen. Now, had the Kings traded Carter at least two years ago as they should have like Boston did with Lucic, maybe.

When I suggested moving Carter after Kopitar was re-signed, I was called nuts by posters here because the Kings were ready to continue to contend. I will stand by my track record.

You keep comparing the current state of the Kings to the Bruins when they did their "retool", and it isn't a viable comparison. I'm not sure you have a record to run on here.

You are very much correct in the fact the Bruins core players your mention were much younger when they started their re-tool than LA. However Chara was much older than Drew is. I think LA has some very solid forward prospects and the key will be solidifying the D, while getting at least drafted top line forward. It is not impossible but is obviously of tough ask.

 

[KINGS17]

You are very much correct in the fact the Bruins core players your mention were much younger when they started their re-tool than LA. However Chara was much older than Drew is. I think LA has some very solid forward prospects and the key will be solidifying the D, while getting at least drafted top line forward. It is not impossible but is obviously of tough ask.

Yes, but I think Boston already had Krug (who I think might have been an undrafted college UFA signing) in the NHL by the time they drafted Pastrnak in 2014. They also had acquired John Moore (a former 1st round pick) by then.

Then they hit on Carlo and McAvoy in back-to-back drafts 15-16.

Really a credit to their scouting department, and also the GM for moving clearing the decks before the 2015 draft.


These trades set the Bruins up for where they are today. Hamilton was only 22 years old when the Bruins traded him to Calgary. Do the Kings have someone like Hamilton to trade for a first and two second round picks? Got another 2016 1st round pick out of the Kings in exchange for Lucic along with Jones and Miller (exposed in the expansion draft, but not a big loss for them). Flipped Jones for an extra first round pick in 2016, and a solid 4th liner in Kuraly.

At the time of the 2016 trades Marchand was age 27, and Bergeron was 30. Kopitar is going to be 32 when the season starts. See why the LA to Boston comparison doesn't work?

San Jose Sharks acquire	Date	Boston Bruins acquire
Martin Jones [TBODY] [/TBODY]	June 30, 2015	Sean Kuraly 2016 1st round pick [TBODY] [/TBODY]

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Los Angeles Kings acquire	Date	Boston Bruins acquire
Milan Lucic [TBODY] [/TBODY]	June 26, 2015	Martin Jones Colin Miller 2015 1st round pick [TBODY] [/TBODY]

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Calgary Flames acquire	Date	Boston Bruins acquire
Dougie Hamilton [TBODY] [/TBODY]	June 26, 2015	2015 1st round pick 2015 2nd round pick 2015 2nd round pick [TBODY] [/TBODY]

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

This trade occurred in 2014:

New York Islanders acquire Date Boston Bruins acquire Johnny Boychuk [TBODY] [/TBODY] October 4, 2014 2015 2nd round pick 2016 2nd round pick 2015 conditional 3rd round pick [TBODY] [/TBODY] [TBODY] [/TBODY]

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

I don't have the time to research what became of all these extra picks in 2015 and 2016, but you get the idea on how aggressive they were in the acquisition of future assets. If Blake could make moves like these, and did it, I would be impressed. Sadly, he doesn't have the assets to do these kind of deals, which is why a rebuild is necessary instead of a retool.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

Yes, but I think Boston already had Krug (who I think might have been an undrafted college UFA signing) in the NHL by the time they drafted Pastrnak in 2014. They also had acquired John Moore (a former 1st round pick) by then.

Then they hit on Carlo and McAvoy in back-to-back drafts 15-16.

Really a credit to their scouting department, and also the GM for moving clearing the decks before the 2015 draft.


These trades set the Bruins up for where they are today. Hamilton was only 22 years old when the Bruins traded him to Calgary. Do the Kings have someone like Hamilton to trade for a first and two second round picks? Got another 2016 1st round pick out of the Kings in exchange for Lucic along with Jones and Miller (exposed in the expansion draft, but not a big loss for them). Flipped Jones for an extra first round pick in 2016, and a solid 4th liner in Kuraly.

At the time of the 2016 trades Marchand was age 27, and Bergeron was 30. Kopitar is going to be 32 when the season starts. See why the LA to Boston comparison doesn't work?

San Jose Sharks acquire	Date	Boston Bruins acquire
Martin Jones [TBODY] [/TBODY]	June 30, 2015	Sean Kuraly 2016 1st round pick [TBODY] [/TBODY]

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Los Angeles Kings acquire	Date	Boston Bruins acquire
Milan Lucic [TBODY] [/TBODY]	June 26, 2015	Martin Jones Colin Miller 2015 1st round pick [TBODY] [/TBODY]

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Calgary Flames acquire	Date	Boston Bruins acquire
Dougie Hamilton [TBODY] [/TBODY]	June 26, 2015	2015 1st round pick 2015 2nd round pick 2015 2nd round pick [TBODY] [/TBODY]

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

You're right, that Hamilton deal was amazing for Boston....turned into....Zenshyn, Forsbacka Karlsson, and Jeremy Lauzon....all three of them were CRITICAL to this this Stanley Cup run.....as was Jakub Zrobil who was the 2015 1st rounder from LA....

Without those 4 guys, not sure if Boston would be there....and let's not forget the 2016 sharks 1st rounder, Trent Frederic....

Absolutely restocked those shelves......

No seriously...those trades you mentioned are the lynchpin to their success today

 

[Chazz Reinhold]

Yes, but I think Boston already had Krug (who I think might have been an undrafted college UFA signing) in the NHL by the time they drafted Pastrnak in 2014. They also had acquired John Moore (a former 1st round pick) by then.

Then they hit on Carlo and McAvoy in back-to-back drafts 15-16.

Really a credit to their scouting department, and also the GM for moving clearing the decks before the 2015 draft.


These trades set the Bruins up for where they are today. Hamilton was only 22 years old when the Bruins traded him to Calgary. Do the Kings have someone like Hamilton to trade for a first and two second round picks? Got another 2016 1st round pick out of the Kings in exchange for Lucic along with Jones and Miller (exposed in the expansion draft, but not a big loss for them). Flipped Jones for an extra first round pick in 2016, and a solid 4th liner in Kuraly.

At the time of the 2016 trades Marchand was age 27, and Bergeron was 30. Kopitar is going to be 32 when the season starts. See why the LA to Boston comparison doesn't work?

San Jose Sharks acquire	Date	Boston Bruins acquire
Martin Jones [TBODY] [/TBODY]	June 30, 2015	Sean Kuraly 2016 1st round pick [TBODY] [/TBODY]

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Los Angeles Kings acquire	Date	Boston Bruins acquire
Milan Lucic [TBODY] [/TBODY]	June 26, 2015	Martin Jones Colin Miller 2015 1st round pick [TBODY] [/TBODY]

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Calgary Flames acquire	Date	Boston Bruins acquire
Dougie Hamilton [TBODY] [/TBODY]	June 26, 2015	2015 1st round pick 2015 2nd round pick 2015 2nd round pick [TBODY] [/TBODY]

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

This trade occurred in 2014:

New York Islanders acquire Date Boston Bruins acquire Johnny Boychuk [TBODY] [/TBODY] October 4, 2014 2015 2nd round pick 2016 2nd round pick 2015 conditional 3rd round pick [TBODY] [/TBODY] [TBODY] [/TBODY]

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

I don't have the time to research what became of all these extra picks in 2015 and 2016, but you get the idea on how aggressive they were in the acquisition of future assets.

They did a pretty terrible job in the 2015 first round. Barzal, Connor, and Chabot all still on the board when they made their three picks. That's certainly stated with hindsight, but I seem to even recall at the time that the picks they made at at 13, 14, and 15 were questioned.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

Yes, but I think Boston already had Krug (who I think might have been an undrafted college UFA signing) in the NHL by the time they drafted Pastrnak in 2014. They also had acquired John Moore (a former 1st round pick) by then.

Then they hit on Carlo and McAvoy in back-to-back drafts 15-16.

Really a credit to their scouting department, and also the GM for moving clearing the decks before the 2015 draft.


These trades set the Bruins up for where they are today. Hamilton was only 22 years old when the Bruins traded him to Calgary. Do the Kings have someone like Hamilton to trade for a first and two second round picks? Got another 2016 1st round pick out of the Kings in exchange for Lucic along with Jones and Miller (exposed in the expansion draft, but not a big loss for them). Flipped Jones for an extra first round pick in 2016, and a solid 4th liner in Kuraly.

At the time of the 2016 trades Marchand was age 27, and Bergeron was 30. Kopitar is going to be 32 when the season starts. See why the LA to Boston comparison doesn't work?

San Jose Sharks acquire	Date	Boston Bruins acquire
Martin Jones [TBODY] [/TBODY]	June 30, 2015	Sean Kuraly 2016 1st round pick [TBODY] [/TBODY]

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Los Angeles Kings acquire	Date	Boston Bruins acquire
Milan Lucic [TBODY] [/TBODY]	June 26, 2015	Martin Jones Colin Miller 2015 1st round pick [TBODY] [/TBODY]

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Calgary Flames acquire	Date	Boston Bruins acquire
Dougie Hamilton [TBODY] [/TBODY]	June 26, 2015	2015 1st round pick 2015 2nd round pick 2015 2nd round pick [TBODY] [/TBODY]

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

This trade occurred in 2014:

New York Islanders acquire Date Boston Bruins acquire Johnny Boychuk [TBODY] [/TBODY] October 4, 2014 2015 2nd round pick 2016 2nd round pick 2015 conditional 3rd round pick [TBODY] [/TBODY] [TBODY] [/TBODY]

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

I don't have the time to research what became of all these extra picks in 2015 and 2016, but you get the idea on how aggressive they were in the acquisition of future assets. If Blake could make moves like these, and did it, I would be impressed. Sadly, he doesn't have the assets to do these kind of deals, which is why a rebuild is necessary instead of a retool.

As far as John Moore, this his first year with them.....he wasn't acquired back in 2014,

The isles deal resulted in Lindgren and Lauzon......again, 2 more absolutely critical players to their success

 

[KINGS17]

You're right, that Hamilton deal was amazing for Boston....turned into....Zenshyn, Forsbacka Karlsson, and Jeremy Lauzon....all three of them were CRITICAL to this this Stanley Cup run.....as was Jakub Zrobil who was the 2015 1st rounder from LA....

Without those 4 guys, not sure if Boston would be there....and let's not forget the 2016 sharks 1st rounder, Trent Frederic....

Absolutely restocked those shelves......

No seriously...those trades you mentioned are the lynchpin to their success today

Notice how you left out Carlo and McAvoy picks in back-to-back drafts. They hit a home run with Pastrnak with the 25th overall in 2014 as well. Why, because they had plenty of picks.

Time will tell. The Kings will miss the playoffs again in the coming season, or if they're lucky be eliminated in the first round, and all they will have to show for it is Carter, Brown, Kopitar, and Doughty are a year older. Probably won't make the playoffs again in 2020-21, and Kopitar will be turning 34 during that off season. Yeah, you're right on the money, the Kings were absolutely right to hang onto all their vets for this long.

Keep going with the failed rhetoric of the retool though by all means. None of the players the Kings took in last year's draft, or in this year's draft will be contributing in the NHL when Kopitar is 34, and Doughty is 31.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

Notice how you left out Carlo and McAvoy picks in back-to-back drafts. They hit a home run with Pastrnak with the 25th overall in 2014 as well. Why, because they had plenty of picks.

Time will tell. The Kings will miss the playoffs again in the coming season, or if they're lucky be eliminated in the first round, and all they will have to show for it is Carter, Brown, Kopitar, and Doughty are a year older. Probably won't make the playoffs again in 2020-21, and Kopitar will be turning 34 during that off season. Yeah, you're right on the money, the Kings were absolutely right to hang onto all their vets for this long.

Keep going with the failed rhetoric of the retool though by all means.

I didn't fail to mention them, you mentioned all three of them,

And then you mentioned how wonderful the Hamilton trade was....and the Lucic trade...and the Jones trade....and completely ignored that they got ZERO back....yet, that's the route you want LA to take......

 

[Chazz Reinhold]

Notice how you left out Carlo and McAvoy picks in back-to-back drafts. They hit a home run with Pastrnak with the 25th overall in 2014 as well. Why, because they had plenty of picks.

Time will tell. The Kings will miss the playoffs again in the coming season, or if they're lucky be eliminated in the first round, and all they will have to show for it is Carter, Brown, Kopitar, and Doughty are a year older. Probably won't make the playoffs again in 2020-21, and Kopitar will be turning 34 during that off season. Yeah, you're right on the money, the Kings were absolutely right to hang onto all their vets for this long.

Keep going with the failed rhetoric of the retool though by all means.

Is this in response to me? All I did was point out that the Bruins did a terrible job with their 3 first round picks in 2015. Nothing more, nothing less. They're not in the SCF right now because of how they did with that draft capital, they're in the SCF right now in spite of how they did with that draft capital.

I never said anything one way or the other about rebuild versus retool, and I generally agree with the points you and BigKing have been making about it. If the above is in response to me, you extrapolated a whole hell of a lot out of what I said. If it's not in response to me and you're quoting someone else, let's just say my ignore list is pretty hefty so it's possible I can't see the quoted material (if it exists).

 

[tomd]

Notice how you left out Carlo and McAvoy picks in back-to-back drafts. They hit a home run with Pastrnak with the 25th overall in 2014 as well. Why, because they had plenty of picks.

Time will tell. The Kings will miss the playoffs again in the coming season, or if they're lucky be eliminated in the first round, and all they will have to show for it is Carter, Brown, Kopitar, and Doughty are a year older. Probably won't make the playoffs again in 2020-21, and Kopitar will be turning 34 during that off season. Yeah, you're right on the money, the Kings were absolutely right to hang onto all their vets for this long.

Keep going with the failed rhetoric of the retool though by all means. None of the players the Kings took in last year's draft, or in this year's draft will be contributing in the NHL when Kopitar is 34, and Doughty is 31.

Since we're now talking comparables...what team(s) are you using as a comparable for the Kings rebuild that you envision? I'm not sure that there is such a comparable in the history of the league since the cap was instituted.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

Notice how you left out Carlo and McAvoy picks in back-to-back drafts. They hit a home run with Pastrnak with the 25th overall in 2014 as well. Why, because they had plenty of picks.

Time will tell. The Kings will miss the playoffs again in the coming season, or if they're lucky be eliminated in the first round, and all they will have to show for it is Carter, Brown, Kopitar, and Doughty are a year older. Probably won't make the playoffs again in 2020-21, and Kopitar will be turning 34 during that off season. Yeah, you're right on the money, the Kings were absolutely right to hang onto all their vets for this long.

Keep going with the failed rhetoric of the retool though by all means. None of the players the Kings took in last year's draft, or in this year's draft will be contributing in the NHL when Kopitar is 34, and Doughty is 31.

Sorry, I just saw this..did you just say they drafted Carlo, McAvoy and Pastrnak because they had plenty of picks???

2014 - 5 picks
2015 - 10 picks
2016 - 6 picks....

Tell me again how PLENTY OF PICKS allowed them to draft McAvoy, Carlo, and Pastrnak? Who...by the way if they made no trades at all.....they STILL WOULD HAVE PICKED..they used their own picks on those players....

 

[KINGS17]

I didn't fail to mention them, you mentioned all three of them,

And then you mentioned how wonderful the Hamilton trade was....and the Lucic trade...and the Jones trade....and completely ignored that they got ZERO back....yet, that's the route you want LA to take......

Yup, because the more picks and prospects you have the better the chances of one or more turning into something good for the NHL roster.

Maybe you and tomd should put your heads together and dazzle all of us with your plan. I mean he had a hell of an idea for trading both of the Kings 1st round picks in the upcoming draft. You guys seem to be a match made in heaven.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

Yup, because the more picks and prospects you have the better the chances of one or more turning into something good for the NHL roster.

Maybe you and tomd should put your heads together and dazzle all of us with your plan. I mean he had a hell of an idea for trading both of the Kings 1st round picks in the upcoming draft. You guys seem to be a match made in heaven.

LOL you realize that Boston had ONE more draft pick in those 3 years than LA did right?

 

[Brodeur]

They did a pretty terrible job in the 2015 first round. Barzal, Connor, and Chabot all still on the board when they made their three picks. That's certainly stated with hindsight, but I seem to even recall at the time that the picks they made at at 13, 14, and 15 were questioned.

I remember being there in person thinking I misheard some of the picks. After the draft, there were some rumors that Barzal and Boston had a pretty contentious interview, so they might have put too much weight into that.

I always found it interesting that Boston had signed Barzal's linemate Justin Hickman a few months before, so it wasn't like they could have been unfamiliar with Barzal. I thought local kid Colin White seemed like a natural fit.

I was relatively high on Zach Senyshyn, but moreso as somebody I thought the Devils could take at #36. Chabot was a junior teammate of the D that Boston did take in Jakub Zboril. In the context of my fantasy draft, I remember liking Chabot's offensive upside more but most of the rankings did have Zboril a bit higher than Chabot.

 

[Chazz Reinhold]

I remember being there in person thinking I misheard some of the picks. After the draft, there were some rumors that Barzal and Boston had a pretty contentious interview, so they might have put too much weight into that.

I always found it interesting that Boston had signed Barzal's linemate Justin Hickman a few months before, so it wasn't like they could have been unfamiliar with Barzal. I thought local kid Colin White seemed like a natural fit.

I was relatively high on Zach Senyshyn, but moreso as somebody I thought the Devils could take at #36. Chabot was a junior teammate of the D that Boston did take in Jakub Zboril. In the context of my fantasy draft, I remember liking Chabot's offensive upside more but most of the rankings did have Zboril a bit higher than Chabot.

I trust your recollection of the rankings that draft better than mine.

 

[YP44]

They did a pretty terrible job in the 2015 first round. Barzal, Connor, and Chabot all still on the board when they made their three picks. That's certainly stated with hindsight, but I seem to even recall at the time that the picks they made at at 13, 14, and 15 were questioned.

yup at the time they were very much questioned. People wondered if they coveted those three guys why they did not move back in the draft to get them

 

[KINGS17]

Sorry, I just saw this..did you just say they drafted Carlo, McAvoy and Pastrnak because they had plenty of picks???

2014 - 5 picks
2015 - 10 picks
2016 - 6 picks....

Tell me again how PLENTY OF PICKS allowed them to draft McAvoy, Carlo, and Pastrnak? Who...by the way if they made no trades at all.....they STILL WOULD HAVE PICKED..they used their own picks on those players....

2014 - Still had their 1st and their 2nd round picks
2015 - 6 picks...three in the 1st, and 3 in the 2nd
2016 - 3 picks...two in the 1st, and 1 in the 2nd

Over those three drafts six 1st round picks, and five 2nd round picks.

 

[KINGS17]

Since we're now talking comparables...what team(s) are you using as a comparable for the Kings rebuild that you envision? I'm not sure that there is such a comparable in the history of the league since the cap was instituted.

Don't need any.

 

[tomd]

Yup, because the more picks and prospects you have the better the chances of one or more turning into something good for the NHL roster.

Maybe you and tomd should put your heads together and dazzle all of us with your plan. I mean he had a hell of an idea for trading both of the Kings 1st round picks in the upcoming draft. You guys seem to be a match made in heaven.

That was a hypothetical that you never answered...it wasn't a plan...sheesh.

My "plan" (if you want to call it that) consists of:
(1) not letting this core whither and die
(2) keep draft picks and get younger
(3) find a 2c this summer to fill a gaping hole which even Blake said needed to be addressed
(4) Add a 4/5 veteran defenseman

That doesn't sound very radical to me...I'm shocked there is such pushback on actually not letting the team become the 1974 Washington Capitals!

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

2014 - Still had their 1st and their 2nd round picks
2015 - 6 picks...three in the 1st, and 3 in the 2nd
2016 - 3 picks...two in the 1st, and 1 in the 2nd

Over those three drafts six 1st round picks, and five 2nd round picks.

Yep, and you know why, because they traded a 22 year old Dman that they would absolutely kill to have now....you know that right?

But I love how you think the reason they were able to draft Pastrnak, McAvoy and Carlo was because they had PLENTY OF PICKS.....not that their scouting was that good....(it was better than LAs by far)

You want LA to travel down the same path....yet you disregard the HUGE risk it is going down that path...again, you realize, they swung and missed on EVERY SINGLE PICK THEY TRADED FOR......you know that right?

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

Don't need any.

Because there is none....not that you don't need any....you can't find any.

 

[tomd]

Don't need any.

That is your worst answer yet (among many)...you are openly advocating pushing the team off a cliff with no plan or parachute. How can anyone even discuss this rationally with you?

 

[crassbonanza]

A retool will not work. Boston started their retool much earlier in the careers of Bergeron and Marchand. Good luck drafting a Pastrnak-type player on the wing. Boston also had a nice stable of young defensemen. Now, had the Kings traded Carter at least two years ago as they should have like Boston did with Lucic, maybe.

When I suggested moving Carter after Kopitar was re-signed, I was called nuts by posters here because the Kings were ready to continue to contend. I will stand by my track record.

You keep comparing the current state of the Kings to the Bruins when they did their "retool", and it isn't a viable comparison. I'm not sure you have a record to run on here.

So, you are now admitting that 3 of the teams that were in the conference finals went through an on the fly retool, rather than a full tear down rebuild right?

As for your second part, I'm not sure exactly what you are saying.

Should I not comment because I don't have a record to run on here?
Are your opinions the only ones that matter because you wanted the team to trade Carter?