10 Teams Who Can't Catch a Break While Rebuilding
It's one of the bad words that sports fans have to hear every once in a while—rebuilding. Unfortunately, it's a reality that hits all too often, especially for fanbases who have to suffer through lots of losing.
And while teams like the New England Patriots and San Antonio Spurs seem to never have to go through the "R" word, other franchises aren't so lucky, as they routinely find themselves rotating through coaches, picking near the top of the draft and hoping to splurge with terrible free-agent signings.
But just because some teams have their pick of the litter of the top talent each draft, that doesn't mean they're good at it, as these teams who can't catch a break while rebuilding have proven time and time again.
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Toronto Maple Leafs
With three top-10 picks in the previous four NHL drafts, three different head coaches in the past three seasons and just one playoff appearance in the past 11 years, Toronto Maple Leafs fans have to be frustrated as hell with the team's rebuilding strategy.
I really wish I could tell them something to cheer them up.
Unfortunately, the Leafs are a mess, with just one player scoring 20-plus goals this season and starting goaltender Jonathan Bernier struggling to keep the puck from getting behind him.
The 2015-16 season was supposed to bring some hope thanks to Mike Babcock as head coach and the trades of older players. It's too bad things didn't go as expected.
Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets have zero plan on how they want to approach the next few years, making it hard for fans to really understand what it is they're trying to do.
After trading for over-the-hill players and former All-Stars Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in 2013, the Nets went to the playoffs in three straight seasons but completely bottomed out this year with a paltry 21-61 record.
And while all of that losing might give hope that the team can get lucky in the lottery, that would only lead to more heartache for Brooklyn fans since the team's first-round pick was traded to the Boston Celtics as part of that Garnett-Pierce trade, meaning this team has very few assets for a quick turnaround.
Chicago Bears
The problem with the Chicago Bears is that they're almost too good for their own selves, as they've failed to fully commit to rebuilding by trying to stay competitive. Sadly, even that strategy hasn't worked well for them, as they've missed the postseason in each of the past five years.
That's exactly why quarterback Jay Cutler is under constant scrutiny, as he's failed to guide the team beyond an average of 7.4 wins during that same span, making Bears fans antsy with the direction of the team.
While Da Bears would seem competitive on paper, the front office has made major mistakes during the rebuild, currently working on the team's third head coach since 2012 while continuously missing on draft picks and free-agent signings.
Prior to last season, though, Chicago finally seemed to have some plan to get a rebuilding project underway, which should make Bears fans at least hopeful for the future.
Philadelphia Phillies
For five years, the Philadelphia Phillies only knew one way to operate—go for it.
That was the sense from 2007 to 2011 when the Phils reached the postseason each season, which included a World Series title in 2008 and another Fall Classic appearance the following campaign.
Players like Cole Hamels, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley became household names, but when those players reached that dreaded age of decline, their contracts were so outrageous that it was tough for the team to unload all of them and get solid returns.
That's what has seemed to happen to Philly, as the team just hasn't received enough talent in return for players who were former All-Stars and league MVPs.
With the hiring of a new GM this past offseason, there's a robust plan to overhaul the team starting this season, but it's going to require patience and discipline if it's going to fully work since things haven't gone as planned with those aforementioned trades.
New York Knicks
Whatever happened to the Phil Jackson hire being the turnaround that the New York Knicks and their fans were hoping for? Two years later, is anyone impressed?
Seriously, ask 100 Knicks fans their opinion now of the former head coach who won 11 NBA championships from the sideline and there wouldn't be too many happy campers.
"When @PhilJackson11 doesn't even call Tom Thibodeau for the @nyknicks coaching job! pic.twitter.com/YSCY2XWCHo
— Vincent Koppel (@Koppel4) April 20, 2016"
Failing to find an identity, New York overpaid for an aging and disgruntled superstar in Carmelo Anthony during Jackson's first summer on the job and has yet to find the right man to lead the team from the bench, already cycling through two coaches—and looking for a third—since Jackson took his front-office post.
While the team will always be open to spending, because there's constant pressure to win now and patience isn't a word used by many in the Big Apple, things have gone horribly wrong for the franchise as it tries to restore itself.
Sacramento Kings
Like a few other teams on this list, the Sacramento Kings appear, on paper, to have a team who could at least compete for a playoff spot thanks to stars like center DeMarcus Cousins and point guard Rajon Rondo. But major dysfunction with the franchise has halted any reality of that happening soon.
While the relationship between Cousins and recently fired coach George Karl was always salty, the Kings' failure to select accompanying pieces to build around Boogie is what has really stunted their growth as a franchise, completely striking out on picks like guard Ben McLemore, forward Thomas Robinson and guard Jimmer Fredette—via trade—over the past few years.
For all that losing, one would think that, at some point, the Kings would finish with the No. 1 overall pick, but that hasn't even happened, costing them the chance to take a surefire superstar-in-the-making like Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving or Minnesota Timberwolves swingman Andrew Wiggins.
Things are ugly in Sac-Town, and it'll be a while until they turn around.
Edmonton Oilers
The most depressing thing about the Edmonton Oilers' hope to rebuild is that they have been set up with the best chance to do so, as they've "won" the rights to the top overall pick in four of the past six NHL drafts, which included three straight years from 2010-12.
Unfortunately, not every one of those No. 1 choices has panned out the way fans would have hoped.
While the most recent top pick, Connor McDavid, looks like a stud, even he battled an early injury that cost him time during his rookie campaign. When you couple that with inconsistent play and general unhappiness from those other top selections, Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nail Yakupov, it's easy to see why Edmonton is so unlucky in its rebuilding hopes.
Los Angeles Lakers
One of the proudest franchises in all of sports, the Los Angeles Lakers' failure to fully commit to rebuilding is what has done them in.
Instead of standing firm and refusing to bring in older players like forward Metta World Peace and center Roy Hibbert, the Lakers overpaid recently retiring Kobe Bryant with an absurd contract worth $48.5 million over two years in 2013 and then brought in young kids who just never clicked with The Black Mamba.
Hoping to hit the jackpot by signing another All-Star to pair with Bryant in the past, the Lakers are crossing their fingers that this is the summer they finally get that big name to start building around.
From injuries to top picks like forward Julius Randle and the embarrassing debacle that was caused by last year's No. 2 overall selection, point guard D'Angelo Russell, the Lakers haven't exactly shown the proper way to rebuild a franchise.
Cleveland Browns
What makes the Cleveland Browns' rebuild so frustrating for their fans is that it's been ongoing since the team returned to the NFL in 1999, failing to establish any sense of consistency or continuity.
While there have been head coaches who have come and gone—including an absurd four different ones in the past five seasons alone, not including the team's newest hire, Hue Jackson—the biggest dilemma the team has had is in finding a quarterback.
Clearly the most important position on the field, the Browns have gone from Tim Couch—who was drafted No. 1 overall in 1999—through 23 more signal-callers who have started at least one game since their rebirth.
After striking out on former Texas A&M Aggies star Johnny Manziel and reshuffling their front office once again, the Browns hope that a new analytical approach is the way to finally overcome their putrid play. But if history is any indication, the team will be on the hunt for a new coach, quarterback and front office once again in a couple years.
Philadelphia 76ers
Can someone, anyone, please tell me what in the hell the Philadelphia 76ers are trying to do? Seriously. After finding themselves with three top-three picks in the past six NBA drafts, the Sixers have nearly nothing to show for any of that supposed talent.
While problems existed well before the trade of point guard Michael Carter-Williams—who won the Rookie of the Year in 2013-14 and was shipped out just 10 months later—that was the first sign to Philly fans that there was plenty of dysfunction within the entire organization.
And to prove that Sixers supporters were right, the team then drafted a player who was damaged goods—Kansas Jayhawks center Joel Embiid—and hasn't been able to hit with one of those high draft picks since.
Now that the man responsible for "rebuilding" this team the past few years, then-GM Sam Hinkie, has left his post, maybe there's hope. Then again, with a new leadership regime coming in led by Jerry Colangelo, there's a good chance that he, once again, guts the roster and starts from scratch.
Bless you for your patience, Philly fans.
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