I know you said you don't want to keep having the discussion, and that's fine. But I have to point out that the GM may not have been convinced they were an elite group. Maybe the real problem is that the GM doesn't think you need an elite group - that he still believes a tight-knit group of gritty, solid, defensively sound players that adhere to a system can overcome elite teams. And any chance of that happening went out the window as the league has moved to a more open, offensive style, and the GM failed to keep up with the times.