Sports Teams Who Rebuilt the Right Way

For sports fans everywhere, hearing the dreaded word "rebuilding" is like finding out that you just lost your job, with weeks, months and, possibly, years of uncertainty coming your way.

Just as you give everything you have to a team, someone comes and rips your heart out for whatever reason, deciding to go in a different direction and banking on young players and bargain-priced free agents as the best way to go.

While some teams are really bad at doing it (see: Philadelphia 76ers), there have been some success stories in sports that should keep spirits high for those fans forced to experience the "long-term vision" that franchises hope for.

These are the best teams who rebuilt the right way.

Dallas Stars

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After five straight seasons of missing the playoffs, from 2008-'13, the Dallas Stars decided it was time to go all-in on a youth movement in these past couple years—and the result has been that one of the best duos in the league was formed.

With Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn being that duo, the Stars have now become, arguably, the most exciting team in the NHL, capable of putting up serious amounts of goals on any opponent they face.

While Dallas narrowly missed out on the playoffs in 2014-'15, the two young stars have the team off to a blazing start, showing that the decision to go younger has made a world of difference in Big D.

Oakland Raiders

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Who would have ever thought that the Oakland Raiders, who haven't had a winning season since 2002, would find themselves on this list? With the moves they've made over the past couple of years, the Silver and Black earn some applause.

Realizing that the cache of playing for the Raiders wasn't what it once was, the front office scrapped the plan of trying to build by signing overpriced and older free agents, deciding that a good mix of young talent and being patient was the right plan.

In young players Khalil Mack, Derek Carr and Amari Cooper, the Raiders have three young studs who look to turn the team back into a playoff contender—as they've shown that they might be a year early based on this year's performance so far.

Who knows how things will turn out in 2015 for the Raiders? But after years of obscurity, the team finally has some hope in the coming seasons rather than the carousel of coaches and quarterbacks that had been taking place.

Baylor Bears Football

Baylor Bears head football coach Art Briles took over the position in 2008 and has seen his program go from Big 12 bottom feeder to one of the biggest bullies on the block, improving in nearly every season since his first year.

Although the Bears missed out on last season's College Football Playoff with great debate—and their chances took a serious hit with a recent loss to Oklahoma—that doesn't mean what Briles has done in Waco isn't short of spectacular.

From his grooming of former Bear superstar Robert Griffin III into a Heisman Trophy winner to the way Briles has brought national attention to his team ever since, the Baylor football program has seen an unbelievable transformation that's unlike almost any other in the sport.

Welcoming a strong recruiting class in 2016, Briles and the Bears should only continue to find themselves being among the elite in college football.

Cincinnati Bengals

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Under the guidance of head coach Marvin Lewis, the Cincinnati Bengals have actually had two rebuilding projects, seeing themselves transition from the Carson Palmer-Chad Ochocinco era to the current Andy Dalton-A.J. Green one.

Lewis, who has been at the helm since 2003, needs to be commended for the way he took a perennial loser in Cincy and has made it one of the most consistent NFL teams over the past five years.

With the front office hitting home runs on Dalton and Green in the 2011 draft, along with developing Pro Bowlers on the defensive side of the ball, the Bengals have reached the postseason in each of the past four years. So far this season, they sit at 8-1 and look like a serious Super Bowl contender.

Minnesota Timberwolves

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The rebuilding project going on right now with the Minnesota Timberwolves is one of the most intriguing in all of sports, as the team boasts talent in the form of two No. 1 overall picks, Karl Anthony-Towns and Andrew Wiggins, and exciting talent around them in Ricky Rubio and Zach LaVine.

While the immediate success isn't as prevalent as some of the others on this list, the T-Wolves have gotten off to a formidable start in this young season and, just recently, had ESPN's Zach Lowe write a piece about why the future is so bright in Minny.

Since trading away superstar Kevin Love during the 2014 offseason, the Wolves have stockpiled young stars who have breakout ability that could see them competing for deep playoff runs in a year or two—with a championship not too extreme to think about should these guys turn into the players they're expected to become.

Houston Astros

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The past couple of seasons have been long and suffering for the Houston Astros and their fans, but 2015 proved that rest assured, the team did have a vision that actually worked.

After losing a combined 416 games from 2011-'14, the 'stros had a breakout 2015 campaign that saw them go all the way to the ALDS, getting bounced by the eventual World Series champion Kansas City Royals.

Getting that deep in the postseason was a shocker to many, with experts admitting the performance was a couple of years ahead of schedule. But seeing it done with developing stars like pitcher Dallas Keuchel—this year's Cy Young Award winner—and Carlos Correa—this year's AL Rookie of the Year—makes the future even sweeter for Astros fans to think about.

Mississippi State Bulldogs Football

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When head coach Dan Mullen took over the Mississippi State Bulldogs football program in 2009 after a successful run as offensive coordinator for Florida, the hope was that he would take this team to where it is today.

While the Bulldogs have ascended toward the top of the SEC and have become serious contenders in the toughest conference in the nation over the past few years, they still do have some room to grow, which should excite Bulldogs fans moving forward. But MSU is now a team that every opponent needs to take seriously.

With winning seasons in each of the past six years, Mullen has built a program that has now gone 20-6 in its past 26 games, a record that is close to some guy named Nick Saban at Alabama.

There are a lot of exciting things Mississippi State fans should be looking forward to in the coming years.

Chicago Cubs

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When the Chicago Cubs introduced Theo Epstein as their President of Baseball Operations in 2011, the architect of the Boston Red Sox's World Series teams in 2004 and 2007 was bringing his sharp baseball mind and uncanny success to the Windy City.

And as expected, the rebuilding plan was a bit of a stressful one that saw numerous bumps in the road. But 2015 showed that Epstein's vision was one that could work on the North Side.

Winning 97 games and reaching the postseason for the first time since 2008, the Cubbies may not have ended their now 107-year World Series drought after being bounced in the NLCS. But with NL Rookie of the Year Kris Bryant and a bundle of other young talent at different positions, the team has a great shot at finally ending that lovable loser mantra that they're stuck with.

Oklahoma City Thunder

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The only reason why the Oklahoma City Thunder don't find themselves higher on this list is because they've had a season-and-a-half worth of bad luck, battling injuries to superstars, inconsistency and going through a coaching change this past offseason.

That doesn't take anything away from the rebuilding project that the front office has done, though, as it's the most desirable result by any sports team, not just teams in the NBA.

Beginning with the selections of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in back-to-back drafts in 2007 and 2008 respectively, the Thunder have ridden their two All-Stars to an NBA Finals appearance and numerous postseason berths.

While he's no longer with the team anymore, one can't overlook the effect that James Harden had on the development of this franchise before getting traded to the Houston Rockets in 2012. He helped make the Thunder a three-headed monster that was one of the most-feared in the league.

Even if it feels like OKC has aged a ton in recent years, its core is still super young, meaning the Thunder will continue to be in a position to compete for titles.

Carolina Panthers

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As we've seen in sports plenty of times before, it's crazy to think how just a few draft picks at key positions can change the complete identity of a franchise. In the case of the Carolina Panthers, things have worked out quite well for them because of it.

After going just 2-14 in 2010, Carolina's bad luck turned around by getting the No. 1 pick in the 2011 draft, which they used on former Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton.

Going through some tough luck his first two seasons in terms of team success, Newton finally guided the team to the playoffs in both 2013 and '14, and has them sitting undefeated so far in the 2015 campaign.

When you sprinkle in two of the best defenders in the league at their positions, Luke Kuechly and Josh Norman, it's easy to see why the Panthers' rebuilding success has turned out to be one of the model plans in the NFL.

Golden State Warriors

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It wasn't long ago that the Golden State Warriors were where a team like the aforementioned Minnesota Timberwolves were, hoping that young players selected in the first round would payoff and develop into stars.

Well, after an NBA title in 2014-15 and a perfect start to this season, it's safe to say the rebuilding project worked for the Dubs.

Of course, that's not to say it was all roses for Golden State, as the team went from one head coach in Mark Jackson—who helped groom reigning MVP Steph Curry and backcourt mate Klay Thompson—to Steve Kerr, with the latter guiding the Warriors to a championship in his first season at the helm.

With a start to the season that's one of the best-ever witnessed in NBA history and a complementary cast of talented players like Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes alongside the Splash Brothers, the Golden State Warriors have put together a rebuilding project for the ages.

Kansas City Royals

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If there was ever a team on this list that proved the whole, "trust the process" promise that front offices make to fans, it's this year's World Series champion Kansas City Royals.

For years, the team banked on developing its own young players, mixing in a few crafty veterans along the way, with the past two years showing that the rebuilding patience paid off.

Reaching the last two Fall Classics, the Royals ended their 30-year title drought in fitting fashion in 2015, riding the coattails of homegrown stars like Alex Gordon, Eric Hosmer and Lorenzo Cain, who were all part of a Royals team that led the majors with seven All-Stars in 2015, too.

There are question marks heading into 2016—especially because of their small-market label and limited funds—but K.C. has shown these past two seasons to be royal at rebuilding.

Chicago Blackhawks

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It would be easy to sit here and praise the Chicago Blackhawks because they've won three Stanley Cup titles in the past six years. But when you get to the root of the story, it was the rebuilding plan by the team's general manager Stan Bowman that should get the credit.

Following the Hawks' title in 2010, the team had a ton of question marks in regard to continued success because of salary-cap issues. With stars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, Bowman made the key decisions on which players to keep and move forward with around his young guns.

The result has been a minidynasty ever since, showing that one step backward after a championship can mean two steps forward in the form of two more titles—proving that the Blackhawks have made all the right moves in the past five years.

Seattle Seahawks

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To be frank, while all of these other franchises have had success at rebuilding themselves, the gold standard is in Seattle, where the Seattle Seahawks have turned themselves into an annual contender because of the pieces they've assembled.

Starting with the hiring of head coach Pete Carroll prior to the 2010 season, the Hawks have reached the playoffs in all but one of Carroll's seasons at the helm, and have gone to two Super Bowls, winning one.

Taking chances on Pro Bowlers Richard Sherman, Russell Wilson and others during the draft, Seattle put together a plan years ago that has more than paid off today.