Sports Teams That Need to Blow Everything Up
No one wants to actually use or hear the word "rebuild" when it comes to sports teams, but, unfortunately, that's what it takes sometimes for a franchise to turn things around.
While some organizations think that they can try to cut corners in the effort to get back to respectability, going all in and just admitting that it's time for a major overhaul is always the best way to go, wiping the slate clean and just starting from scratch.
And, for whatever reason, these are the sports teams who most need to get to that point, as it's time to just blow it all up and get a fresh start.
Arizona State Sun Devils Football
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In each of the past two years, the Arizona State Sun Devils football team entered the preseason inside of the top-20 on the AP Poll with a legitimate shot to compete for the Pac-12 title and earn a berth at a big-time bowl.
Or, so many thought.
The Sun Devils may have finished with 10 total wins in both years, but this year's team is struggling mightily, winning just four of its first nine games and in serious danger of missing out on a bowl game.
Head coach Todd Graham has been at the helm for three-plus seasons in the Valley of the Sun, but it might be time for the school to take a look at replacing him with someone who can actually deliver on the field, because Graham is a good coach, but hasn't shown to be a national title-competing one at ASU.
Cincinnati Reds
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Sharing a division with three teams that reached the postseason in 2015, the Cincinnati Reds learned that they clearly don't have the talent of their rivals, so it might be time to start getting rid of pieces and big contracts for a return on their prior investment.
Already trading away ace pitcher Johnny Cueto during the season to the eventual World Series champion Kansas City Royals, the Reds should consider doing the same for other former All-Stars like Jay Bruce, Brandon Phillips and Todd Frazier.
Sure, all three players are still in their prime, but why let them wilt away on a team that won't be competing for much in the next few years?
Whether or not the list of potential trade chips includes former NL MVP Joey Votto will be something to keep an eye on, but if a team is in full rebuild mode, they might as well be bold.
New Jersey Devils
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While the New Jersey Devils have gotten off to a strong start so far in 2015-16, true fans probably don't expect the solid play to stick around all season long.
That's not to say it won't, but, generally speaking, the Devils are in the midst of a rebuild that needs to stay on schedule in order to produce long-term results, with the front-office resisting any urge to cut corners and compete too soon.
Committing to a young, underpriced team with a first-year head coach in John Hynes, New Jersey needs to stay the course and make sure they don't get too confident by adding pieces that they don't need right now.
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Brooklyn Nets
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The Brooklyn Nets may have unloaded a few of their ridiculous contracts and high-priced players over the past year, but they're still ninth in the league in terms of total payroll—and all but one of the teams ahead of them reached the playoffs last season.
That's just one reason why the Nets need to look at themselves in the mirror and swallow their pride, admitting to themselves that, while the Eastern Conference is wide open, the roster isn't going to compete for anything higher than a No. 6 seed.
With big-time contracts like Joe Johnson,who has the second-highest salary in the league this year, and big man Brook Lopez—who, shockingly, just signed a long-term extension this past summer—the Nets need to start from scratch and take on expiring contracts and young talent to build a good base for the future.
Cleveland Browns
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As a Cleveland Browns fan, I've voiced my displeasure with this team for a long, long time since the organization had a "rebirth" in 1999.
While it seems that the Brownies go through a full rebuild every other season, it's that time of year for the front-office to starting thinking about another one, because this year's team looks like it's getting worse each week.
The first order of business needs to be installing quarterback Johnny Manziel into the starting lineup for the rest of the season to evaluate him moving forward. From there, start plucking out the guys who can get any value in return via trade, because the whole building through the draft thing hasn't been working for Cleveland.
Consider this, in three of the past four seasons, this team has had two first-round picks—and have little to nothing to show for it.
Yeah, it's time to start getting established players rather than trust whatever scouting department they seem to have.
New York Knicks
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Surprisingly, the New York Knicks don't find themselves in the top-half of the league's payrolls this year—comfortably sitting at No. 16—but that doesn't mean they don't have a lot of work to do to return to a title contender.
It seems like the Knicks have one foot in the rebuilding room and another one outside of it, teasing their fans into believing that they can make a playoff run thanks to the talents of Carmelo Anthony alone.
That is probably true in a weak Eastern Conference, but it's not the way to run a franchise.
The smarter move would be to trade Melo, earn some cap relief and use this year's first-rounder, Kristaps Porzingis, and any young players acquired from an Anthony trade as the centerpiece of a two-year rebuilding project.
Will it happen, though? It seems too logical for the Knicks to do, so probably not.
Toronto Maple Leafs
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Currently tied for the fewest points in the NHL, the Toronto Maple Leafs don't appear to be going anywhere fast—and expectations were low even before the season started.
Hiring Mike Babcock this offseason to make his coaching debut, the Leafs all but told fans that the hunt for the team's second playoff berth in 11 years isn't happening, and that rebuilding is the way they're hoping to get competitive.
The problem is, this is the same trick the franchise has, seemingly, been doing for the past few years unsuccessfully, so only time will tell if this one actually pays off.
San Francisco 49ers
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The first move to show that the San Francisco 49ers are already looking to the future may have come this past week when they benched quarterback Colin Kaepernick—just over a year removed from a monster extension with the team.
Of all the NFL teams on this list, the Niners might be the most hopeless at having a quick turnaround, as they have an offseason of turmoil that saw former head coach Jim Harbaugh bolt to return to the college ranks and key cogs on their roster either call it quits and retire or get in trouble.
Just a few years ago, San Francisco was playing in Super Bowl XLVII and went to three-straight NFC Championship Games. Now, they need to just hit the reset button and focus on building from the ground up.
Georgia Bulldogs Football
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In head coach Mark Richt's 14-plus seasons in Athens, the Georgia Bulldogs have gone 142-51, played in a few BCS bowl games and routinely found themselves among national title contenders entering the season.
With such great success comes a natural decline, and the Dawgs find themselves in that gray area that no team wants to be in.
A lot of that has to do with their commitment to Richt, who is one of the most successful coaches the program has ever seen, but has seemed to fall short on expectations over the past several years, leading to grumblings that he will be booted after this season.
Much like the girlfriend you have who feels comfortable, it's time for Georgia to make the bold move and start over, and it begins with finding a new leader on the sidelines.
Dallas Mavericks
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Over the past 15 NBA seasons, the Dallas Mavericks have been one of the most consistent teams in the league, reaching the playoffs in all but one year and staying competitive in the Western Conference.
The problem is, they're at a point now where they're just there, being more satisfied with reaching the postseason than falling into the draft lottery—and it's killing their future.
With superstar Dirk Nowitzki in the twilight of his career, uber-competitive owner Mark Cuban wants the big German to go out in style, refusing to make him suffer through a rebuilding project and hoping that a supporting cast can make a surprising run—but it isn't happening.
After re-signing head coach Rick Carlisle to a long-term extension just last week, Cuban has shown that he's sticking with his pocket book to help turn the Mavs from a lower-seeded playoff team into a top-tier one, and that's no way to transition from an icon.
The wiser move would be to talk trade with Dirk and try to build through the draft, because Dallas might give themselves a chance at winning a title by reaching the postseason each year, but they aren't hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy again anytime soon with their current plan.
Chicago Bears
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I'll give credit where it's due, so I have to admit that the Chicago Bears showed some grit during their Monday Night Football game against the San Diego Chargers in Week 9, overcoming a snoozer of a first half to win in the closing minutes.
That said, Da Bears are still not going anywhere fast, having been passed up by their division rivals, the Minnesota Vikings, who have built a competitive team the right way.
The Bears, who have talent on the offense side of the ball with Jay Cutler, Matt Forte and Alshon Jeffery, are torn between trying to reach the postseason and playing for next year.
With new head coach John Fox hoping to turn things around after two seasons of a combined 13 wins, Chicago seems like they're just putting a Band-Aid over a wound that needs stitches—and, in this case, stitches would require trading or releasing high-priced veterans.
Cutler is a good quarterback who has talent to start for almost any team in the league, he's just not the answer in the current situation in the Windy City, though, and the Bears need to recognize that and move on.
Detroit Tigers
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While they shed some of the salaries off of their books, when the Detroit Tigers started the 2015 season, they were No. 4 in the majors in team payroll, leading many to believe that they would compete for a World Series.
Yeah, that didn't happen.
Finishing dead last in the AL Central with just 74 wins, the Tigers showed, once again, that money can't buy success, as aging and high-priced stars like Justin Verlander, Victor Martinez and even Miguel Cabrera struggled with consistency all season long.
After rumors that the team was intending to fire manager Brad Ausmus, they reneged and decided to bring him back for 2016—which isn't the worst idea, but it should be with different players and lower expectations than what Detroit had prior to the start of 2015.
In a division with the current World Series champs, the Kansas City Royals, the Tigers need to start unloading players and follow the plan the Royals had by building through the draft and low-priced free agents, because the current strategy isn't working.
New Orleans Saints
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Like most of the teams that find themselves high on this list, the New Orleans Saints find themselves trying to stay true to a future Hall of Famer in Drew Brees by appearing to stay competitive, which is honorable, but they should be rebuilding.
Buried in salary cap hell, the Saints have no money to spend to surround Brees with the talent necessary in order to compete, leaving the cupboard barren for playmakers in which he can throw to.
Once one of the most explosive offenses in the league, the defense was always just good enough, capable of holding teams down as Brees tossed the ball all over the field. That's not the case anymore, though, as the Saints are pitiful trying to stop opposing offenses, looking foolish more often than not.
The Brees-Sean Payton pairing has done great things and won a Super Bowl together, but it's time to face reality and move on from the past in the Big Easy.
Los Angeles Lakers
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Ah, yes, the Los Angeles Lakers.
It's easy to hate on the purple and gold because of their rich history and long list of superstars, but what has been going on in Hollywood with the team over the past few years is just sad to see.
Incapable of committing to rebuild because of the pressure from one of the fiercest competitors in all of sports, Kobe Bryant, the Lakers have struck out hunting high-priced free agents, and haven't been able to develop young talent to compliment the Black Mamba, either.
While Bryant reconfirmed his commitment to the franchise recently, that's not a good thing for a team who needs to find a way out of his shadow and start over. This could undeniably happen following this season, which, according to reports, could be Kobe's last.
The Laker aura has worn off on current players for whatever reason, so finding a way to build a competitive roster through the draft is what they'll be looking to do in the coming years—which is something that should have happened years ago.
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