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Kings Article: How Much Credit Does Dean Lombardi Really Deserve For His Team’s Success?

Between just about all of it to all of it. I'm sure he is thankful for Kopitar, Quick, and Brown, but usually all organizations come with at least a few pieces to work with. He did virtually everything.
 
Telos said:
Between just about all of it to all of it. I'm sure he is thankful for Kopitar, Quick, and Brown, but usually all organizations come with at least a few pieces to work with. He did virtually everything.
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Not if you ask him! Hence, the stories...
 
FrozenRoyalty said:
First in a mult-part series on LA Kings GM Dean Lombardi...

Dean Lombardi Says “It Ain’t Me.†But How Much Credit Does LA Kings GM Really Deserve For His Team’s Success?
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He's the glue that makes the vision a possibility. He has all the qualities of a terrific leader. Some teams have a vision, but the pressure to win right away creates mistakes, particularly with free agency. It's helpful he was in Los Angeles. You have to find the right staff (Sutter was a godsend), the right owner (hands off and provides the resources, also terrific), and create a winning culture by surrounding yourself with great people (Luc and Company). Somebody has to bring it all together. Lombardi is essentially a great CEO.
 
Telos said:
Between just about all of it to all of it. I'm sure he is thankful for Kopitar, Quick, and Brown, but usually all organizations come with at least a few pieces to work with. He did virtually everything.
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I'd say this is about right on.... Last year was brutal between the cap coming down, and injuries tying up cap space and leaving questions marks all over the roster. He recovered from the whole Frattin/Carcillo debacle and this is looking like the strongest team the Kings have had yet.

Looking forward to next year I'm excited to see what DL can pull off...

Also his fleecing of Philly/CBJ's has been amazing. :laugh:
 
I'm glad he mentioned Daryl Sutter (of course, he would).

Sutter's moves during the playoffs were nothing short of brilliant. He seemed to always be two steps ahead of the competing coach...and all his decisions worked. 100%. Absolutely incredible.
 
Wait... 95%... just remembered the Greene contract... It may take me a while to understand/come to terms with that one.
 
Understandably he is being modest, however, the man hired all of the right people and took the right risks and made the right moves to put this franchise in the position to succeed. He definitely deserves the credit for building the winning culture by knowing which guys to keep, which ones to trade, and which ones to trade for.

Look at how little the roster turnover has been since the Kings have been on the right path. They've clearly identified a core group and have kept that group intact. We've seen some guys come and go, but the mainstays are going to keep this team going.

What's more significant to me is that Lombardi built a team that isn't built for one strong run and they're done, unlike the '99 Stars, the '04 Lightning, and the '06 Hurricanes. He's built a team that can contend for a long time.
 
FrozenRoyalty said:
Not if you ask him! Hence, the stories...
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While it'd be a great interview I don't think anyone would ever expect him to say "It's all on me *****es. WOOOOOOOO!"

For PR sake he has to defer and make it a collective effort. And it is a collective effort. A general can be brilliant, but he still needs a proper army to fight with. It's why we didn't even make the playoffs for the first few years of his time here. That said, he deserves the lions share of the credit. Sutter deserves a fair chunk of the rest as do the players. I'm sure someone will give Taylor some credit but DL also had to have the knowledge to know who to trade and who not to trade. I wonder if we have the same culture, attitude and number of rings if DL had elected to keep Cammy and deal Brown for example.

Not to mention the grade A drafting his scouting staff has done.

I'd say give DL 70% of the credit and sprinkle the rest as you see fit. Afterall, he's the only guy who has had his hands in every department of this team over the past seven years. His influence is everywhere, something no one else can say.
 
kingsfan said:
While it'd be a great interview I don't think anyone would ever expect him to say "It's all on me *****es. WOOOOOOOO!"

For PR sake he has to defer and make it a collective effort. And it is a collective effort. A general can be brilliant, but he still needs a proper army to fight with. It's why we didn't even make the playoffs for the first few years of his time here. That said, he deserves the lions share of the credit. Sutter deserves a fair chunk of the rest as do the players. I'm sure someone will give Taylor some credit but DL also had to have the knowledge to know who to trade and who not to trade. I wonder if we have the same culture, attitude and number of rings if DL had elected to keep Cammy and deal Brown for example.

Not to mention the grade A drafting his scouting staff has done.

I'd say give DL 70% of the credit and sprinkle the rest as you see fit. Afterall, he's the only guy who has had his hands in every department of this team over the past seven years. His influence is everywhere, something no one else can say.
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No one expected him to say it's all on him. However, he is actually deflecting ALL of the credit. That he isn't responsible at all.
 
FrozenRoyalty said:
No one expected him to say it's all on him. However, he is actually deflecting ALL of the credit. That he isn't responsible at all.
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Then tell him to send some my way. Do you have any idea how many crazy superstitions I had to do for these two cups?
 
2 cups. TWO. In 3 years! This hasn't sunk in yet for most folks, but 2 cups in 3 years, 3 straight WCF's, more playoff games than anyone, a couple dozen playoff records set or broken... this is the KINGS.

Hallelujah! Holy ****! Where's the Tylenol? I still can't believe it.
 
He certainly deserve the bulk of the credit for building a very solid team

But its funny to think back that if it wasn't for March 2012 when the team caught a hot streak and reel off 20 something points in that month, we would have been eliminated in the regular season and Dean would have packed his bag. No Stanley cup. Yes Dean did pull the Jeff Carter trade, but no one in their right mind would expect the team to suddenly click into gear like that especially after a bad Feb

So yes, Dean deserve the credit...but at the same time luck played a big part as well
 
TonySCV said:
2 cups. TWO. In 3 years! This hasn't sunk in yet for most folks, but 2 cups in 3 years, 3 straight WCF's, more playoff games than anyone, a couple dozen playoff records set or broken... this is the KINGS.

Hallelujah! Holy ****! Where's the Tylenol? I still can't believe it.
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For me, 2012 seemed like a fantasy. And still is, in some ways.

But I believe it now, to my core, after experiencing 2014. The pain and suffering of the ups and downs of THAT playoff run CONVINCED me we won the championship.
 
Ron said:
For me, 2012 seemed like a fantasy. And still is, in some ways.

But I believe it now, to my core, after experiencing 2014. The pain and suffering of the ups and downs of THAT playoff run CONVINCED me we won the championship.
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Yet, 2014 doesn't happen with 2012. Those months from March 2012 to June 2012 were transformative for every player and the franchise as a whole. It's amazing to think that after that run you can see them change from boys to men in very substantial ways. I'm still in awe.
 
Without Dean Lombardi and his team building strategy the succes doesn't happen. He has been essential.

But to say he deserves all the credit is not fair for everyone else involved. Ownership who didn't meddle but paid the big bucks when required for big contracts and investing in scouting and player development. The coaching staff lead by Darryl Sutter. The players who worked so hard, who bought into the team first mentality, who plays hard for each other every game and every shift. And a stroke of good luck here and there.

Winning the Stanley Cup isn't a 1 man thing - it's the ultimate team sport. It takes a team.
 
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