Inglewood, California
July 1, 1983
(J.T. arrives at the Forum at 8 AM. Rogie VACHON is waiting for him.)
VACHON: "I received the go-ahead from Dr. Buss earlier this morning and we're ready to formally offer you the positions of General Manager and Head Coach of the Los Angeles Kings. But we're not going to publicly announce anything as of yet."
"Well, I don't think you guys would've brought me over 35 years into the past if you didn't think I would accept."
"Hmmm ... good thing I'm living alone."
VACHON: "Pardon?"
"Everything looks good, Rogie. Money's fine. Let's get to work."
VACHON: "That's what I thought. Let's talk about Dr. Buss and your expectations."
VACHON: "Dr. Buss isn't going to be around all that much. It's safe to say he likes the glitz and glamour of owning the NBA Lakers, as I mentioned. To say he's a free spirit is the understatement of the century."
VACHON: "But, he does care about us. He feels like he's taken enough abuse from the fans to come to the games if the Kings aren't doing well, but he likes hockey a lot and he'll be around if you win.
I talked to him about the dialogue between you and I yesterday and he seems to think that getting you on board is an act that could mark a turning point with this franchise.
He wants to give it one final try - a last, best shot at bringing consistent success here. He promises the largest budget he's ever allotted to the Kings for payroll and other expenses."
(J.T. responds.)
"That's a good sign. You mentioned that you wanted to talk about his expectations."
VACHON: "Right. His expectation is to be in the race for a playoff spot, which is mildly interesting. My expectation (and yours) will be higher.
This league has 21 teams. SIXTEEN of those 21 teams make the playoffs. In order to miss the playoffs, we would have to finish last in our division. So, we could still be in the "playoff race" if we were in last place, provided we were close enough to the fourth-place team."
(J.T. leans back in his chair and nods.)
VACHON: "You talked yesterday about how you couldn't fathom a team with this nucleus couldn't win more games than it lost. That's going to be our expectation. A winning record. Come ... we need to look at more of our roster."
"They're not here?"
VACHON: "They're up the road a bit, in Culver City. We'll pick up some breakfast on the way."