Money Can Buy Players, Not a Championship

The potential of the "dream" team was only a dream. The Heat cooled off when the stars needed to catch fire. The Buffalo Sabres have the highest payroll in the NHL but are fighting to avoid last place in their division.

What's the catch? Money buys players, chemistry wins championships.

Is it cliché? How many times have we as sports fans heard this? Yet teams do what they think is best for their organization.

Oftentimes, if pouring out money is the best way to lure players, teams will do it. Unfortunately for those teams, rarely do they win the championship.

Let's look at some examples.

New England Patriots 2007

Tom Brady had some new tools to work with. Donte Stallworth, Wes Welker and an off-the-wall Randy Moss. Are you kidding me?

The Patriots were as good as advertised, heading into the Super Bowl with an astonishing 18-0 record. But they lost the only game that matters.

In fact, David Tyree was the difference in the game. Not Randy Moss, who had 23 touchdowns that season. The Patriots fell victim to a special teams player. They dominated the regular season and failed when their stars needed to shine.

Miami Heat 2011

They were hated from the start. The way they conducted themselves disgusted sports fans.

Well, the Heat got hot and found themselves in the NBA Finals. After all, with Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh, they should be in the finals every year.

The Heat brought the pressure on themselves—and they choked. They lost the series in six games to Dallas. Are you kidding me? Dallas could get over the hump with one star while the Heat couldn't get it done with three All-Stars.

You are telling me the Mavericks are more talented than the Heat? Not even Dallas would tell you that. They were a team, not three players, and trusted each other. They each did their job and earned the trophy.

Philadelphia Eagles 2011

Vince Young dubbed them the "dream team." That's a pretty big title to give yourself, especially when you are the backup quarterback.

Well, with Steve Smith, Ronnie Brown, Jason Babin, Nnandi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie among those joining the mix, it was hard to dispute their talent. On paper, the Eagles should have torn up the NFL.

But as we all know, paper doesn't win football games. How does a team with so much talent not finish with a winning record?  There are no excuses—they had the players but lacked the execution.

So what does this all mean? Star players and studs don't guarantee team success. Look at the New York Knicks. Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler "led" the team to an 8-15 record. However, with the play of Jeremy Lin, the undrafted player out of Harvard, the team is thriving. The stars couldn't get it done, but an unproven player held the team together.

The Florida Panthers are competing with the high-profile Washington Capitals for the division title. The Panthers don't need any star players. Although the addition of an All-Star wouldn't hurt, they are doing just fine without one. The players trust each other and play as a unit.

Every year the New York Yankees don't make the World Series, it should be a shame. Every year they miss the playoffs, it should be a crime. For the hundreds of millions of dollars they pour out, most years end in disappointment. Money has kept them as competitive as any team in the league, but they aren't being rewarded with as much as they invest.

The list can go on and on. Teams without superstars continue to thrive while teams built of superstars continue to fall short. One unit is more effective than any number of phenomenal individuals. So while teams in this generation continue to dish out the money, the championships aren't coming.

With high-priced players, teams are essentially making the teams they play "underdogs." Any team can win on any given day. So while money brings in high-profile players, intense television air time and all the paparazzi, it can't guarantee anything else.