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Waiting for a change.
I woke up this morning, fired up the computer and anxiously looked for the news that Sacco was fired. Nothing. I also was anxious to look up the moves in the NBA free agency, but that's a different story.
Robert Ciubotaru, Romania, eurolanche@eurolanche.com
11/12/2011 - 10:00
Postgame thoughts: Oilers
Waiting for a change.I woke up this morning, fired up the computer and anxiously looked for the news that Sacco was fired. Nothing. I also was anxious to look up the moves in the NBA free agency, but that's a different story.
It's getting to the point where not doing anything is a sign that the owners or the front office just gave up on this team. To be honest, I had this feeling when Sacco was kept, despite the fact that his team had something like a gazillion losses in a row last season. Are they trying to breed a losing culture in this team? Because it's working big time. And the attendance is way bigger than this team deserves. I've used the word embarrassment before but it seems the most fitting one. Actually, the most fitting one is "joke". This front office is a joke. They traded their 1st round pick and now they're pushing hard to make it a lottery pick. They're the joke of this league. GMs are calling each other: "Next year is my turn to take advantage of them."
"Well, you can still do it. See if you can get them to give you Duchene and Elliot for some "great prospect" that you've already given up on."
"I can do that, but I'll try to get them for a 3rd round pick. It might just work."
It was somewhat refreshing to hear the Oilers announcers during the game. No more BS from McNab and Hayes, two guys that know tons of hockey, but aren't allowed to speak the truth. The guys from Canada were very honest and on the nose regarding the Avs and Sacco. They were amazed that when the Oilers iced the puck and had a very tired group on the ice, instead of going to his top lines Sacco used the checking line. That's coaching 101! Not even that, it's common sense, something he appears to lack. They were also saying something we all know by now, that the Avs lack an identity. And until you get that, you might see some good games followed by awful stretches where they get hammered by everybody in the league.
What I found personally disturbing is that the organization is in such a mess that they were caught without enough forwards after Stastny was injured and Porter was suspended, so they resorted to using Hunwick on offense. Nothing against Matt, but he didn't even play his natural position this year, let alone trying to play offense!
Also, and this relates to the great trade they pulled this year, there's nothing in the system to be overjoyed about. There's Barrie at the blue line, but the offense is iffy. Hishon is concussed, Stoa is an everlasting prospect and the other guys just don't seem to cut it. I was always in favor of bringing Bordeleau up, maybe to replace McLeod, since he's a very good fighter and his production can't be worse than Cody's. Still, that's not a solution for the bigger problems that are facing the Avs right now. Players are going into slumps, decent goalies aren't able to show their true worth, the defense is just as bad as last year, despite major changes. There's a rule in sports, you can't change the whole team when it's playing bad, you change the coach. And I want to see at least that. I'd take that, even though I think the issues are deeper than this, starting from the owners that are hugging the cap floor like it's a warm blanket and the GM that is responsible for hiring coaches and making trades.
One thing bothers me though. Before, with Q and Granato, we said we couldn't pick a worse coach and we did. What if we do it again? My bet is Sacco stays a few more games. If the Avs lose the next two, he's gone, replaced by... David Quinn. Yes, don't expect some big name to be hired. It's the old boys club in Denver and Quinn is next in line. Well, compared to Sacco, Quinn is great. And he actually may be a great coach. He has a better record than Sacco, he took the Monsters to the playoffs last year, something Sacco never did, he shows he cares. One thing he doesn't have is the crucial NHL experience.
Or maybe Sacco stays, because, as I said, nobody seems to care anymore. Or maybe it's not about caring. Kroenke has Arsenal, the team that is always 3rd or 4th in Premier League, never capable of making a run at the title, St. Louis Rams, the 2nd worst team in the NFL (they would've been the worst, if the Colts didn't lose Manning to injury) , and the Nuggets, that are currently losing their stars, like Nene and Afflalo, after losing Melo last season. I don't know... Food for thought, I guess...
Robert Ciubotaru, Romania, eurolanche@eurolanche.com
11/12/2011 - 10:00
