If I have a D7 and get a first residence card(which is for 1 year) and prior to my 1st renewal(which is for 2 years) and concurrently lodge a GV application(right after getting my 1st renewal) , then my understanding is that the GV will take about a year and half and until then I would still be an article 78 resident and once resident card for GV is issued, it would be GV resident from the day its approved. So no time wasted I guess.
If I were to do the above right after getting the 1st residency card, then the issue you raised might arise- would I be a deemed resident in the mean time if GV were to take more than a year?
Looking forward to your counter arguments as it helps understand better how the system works. I might be totally wrong. 
Thank you.