Promising team= players sign at reasonable terms. Bottom dwelling team= GM has to overpay to fill the roster. Maybe Benning was never such a terrible negotiator after all?
People, including myself, often lose sight of that fact. Even Eriksson's contract wasn't terrible at the time it was signed. He wanted to come here and play with the twins so it was a reasonable contract. Nobody anticipated he would fall off a cliff when he gets here.
Alf- Yes this is exactly what made me realize this. There are so many factors in whether a GM can get a good deal or not. In my mind Bending has done as well as could with the cards he has been dealt at each stage.