@eyesoftara, regardless which path we take, or which Guru to follow, if we take on the Buddha's path, then we need to be kind to everyone, and be respectful to all teachers. Personally I am a Dorje Shugden practitioner, but I don't think we should be disrespectful to HH Dalai Lama even though He imposed the ban on Dorje Shugden. HH Dalai Lama is responsible to spread the Buddha's teaching to the west, by escaping China in the 1950s, and that is a huge effort.
I like your approach of being respectful, and I wish you all the best in you practice.