The timing of this core's window was EXACTLY why people here were arguing against the Benning Blunders of Beagle, Roussel and Eriksson in the first place. But those mistakes were made, and if we had the foresight and discipline to wait it out then we'd be able to have the maneuvering room and assets to make the most of what's left.
Now the remaining window is handicapped as well, and people are still defending it. Denying that Benning made bad decisions and then defending this bad decision using the argument that it's needed to get us out of the situation we're in (caused by the mistakes his defenders denied were mistakes all along) shows how much people aren't learning despite being repeatedly proven wrong for going on a decade now.
Exactly. Benning made a number of cap-killing mistakes that he 'cleaned up' with the trade, only to saddle us with a bigger anchor - Kudos to the poster with the Simpson's Stonecutter reference; it's perfectly apt.
The only way this works out is if the following things happen:
1) OEL re-invents his game to be the high minute tough match up dman this team desperately needs. He was that guy through most of the teens but a number of worrying injuries to his knee and wrist have robbed him of his lateral mobility and shot, respectively. But stranger things have happened.
2) OEL maintains that level of play for 3 years minimum when the buyout is a bit less rocky.
3) The salary cap rises and further dilutes the buyout penalty.
4) Garland shows he's a legit top6 forward and lives up the big contract we're about to award to him.
I can see 3 and 4 kind of working out. 1 and 2 are very iffy bets and the consequences of them not working out are dire.
