Sports Teams That Are Stuck in Neutral
Now don't get me wrong, there's nothing worse as a sports fan than having a team head into a new season with absolutely no hope of competing for a championship. I would know—I'm a Cleveland Browns fan.
But something that may be just as frustrating is when a franchise is stuck in neutral, just good enough to reach the playoffs but not good enough to win a championship.
While these teams' fans are excited to be playing into the postseason, because of a lack of talent, leadership or luck, each franchise finds itself in a precarious position, left to either rebuild or to accept that it has reached its peak.
Some of these teams may have experienced a good run over the years, but they'll never again be a champion in their current state, and that's a miserable feeling for everyone to experience.
Los Angeles Dodgers
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The thing about the Los Angeles Dodgers is that they had all the pieces to be a World Series champion in the past few years, but they always seemed to choke at the absolute worst time of the year—the postseason.
After reaching the playoffs in each of the past three years and seeing their ace pitcher, Clayton Kershaw, win two Cy Youngs during that same time, the Dodgers were never capable of even reaching the World Series once, despite winning no less than 92 games over that span.
While the team has All-Stars at a few positions and young stars such as Corey Seager, it sure feels as if L.A. has been passed by when it comes to competing for a championship.
Making matters worse for the Dodgers, according to Spotrac, they have the highest payroll in the majors.
Portland Trail Blazers
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Unlike the aforementioned Los Angeles Dodgers in baseball, the Portland Trail Blazers were, according to experts, never even supposed to be in the position that they found themselves in this year.
That's because, following the departure of four starters from last season's playoff squad, the Blazers—more appropriately, superstar Damian Lillard—refused to go through that whole rebuilding thing, overperforming to reach the postseason as the Western Conference's No. 5 seed.
While the Blazers showed heart by reaching the second round and frustrated the record-setting Golden State Warriors, Portland is in that gray area now that leaves it as a potential playoff team, but not one who can be a serious threat for a title.
Who knows, though, maybe this playoff run only helps the team develop its young players alongside Lillard rather than hurt its rebuilding process.
Nashville Predators
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As someone who is from Nashville, Tennessee, I know all too well about the misfortunes of the Nashville Predators over the years, specifically in the postseason.
And, once again this year, the Preds showed that they're good enough to make a postseason run and energize the city, but they just can't seem to get over the hump to go any further than the second round.
Much like the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA, the Preds are a small-market team that will always have difficulty signing big-named stars in free agency, meaning they have to build through the draft and hope for cohesion and balance.
While Nashville got that this year—and in the past 12 years when it's reached the postseason nine times—the squad has never reached a conference final, making it the little preemptive team when it comes to playing solid without great reward.
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Atlanta Hawks
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Want to know why the Atlanta Hawks have been stuck in neutral over the past few years? The simple answer can be traced back to one man—LeBron Raymone James.
Making the playoffs in each of the past nine years, the Hawks have put together solid regular seasons—even winning 60 games in 2014-15—but have come up short once they see LeBron on the other sideline.
Even with All-Stars on its roster who are good enough to compete for, but not win, a title, Atlanta lacks the superstar necessary to shut down James, as it's never beaten a LeBron-led team when the stakes are the highest.
About to embark in a pivotal offseason, Atlanta has questions that need to be answered as it prepares to either start from scratch or hope to add another piece to go deeper in the playoffs.
New Orleans Saints
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After finding themselves in salary-cap hell the past few seasons for overpaying to try to stay competitive following a Super Bowl win in 2009, the New Orleans Saints have a little relief entering 2016.
It's too bad the team still believes it can play at a Super Bowl level.
While Drew Brees is still under center and has some solid pieces to throw to, NOLA is no longer the team that people fear, as it lacks any defensive identity to remain a consistent playoff team.
The team so badly wants to stay relevant as long as it has Brees and recently re-signed head coach Sean Payton, but is it better than teams such as the Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks? No chance.
Washington Wizards
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With two former top-three picks in John Wall and Bradley Beal to build around, as well as a few years of playoff experience to build off, many would have assumed that it would have been the Washington Wizards who were destined to make the leap to the Eastern Conference Finals this year.
Instead, it was the Toronto Raptors who have continued to develop, leaving the Wizards wondering what might have happened had they stayed healthy.
The Wizards are a curious bunch to figure out, because, on paper, they have the parts to be a postseason team that could make some noise once there.
Unfortunately, they lack something—it was good health this season—complicating matters as they look toward the offseason.
Atlanta Falcons
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A team that has a star duo such as Matt Ryan and Julio Jones would normally be in good position to compete for a playoff spot. It's too bad the Atlanta Falcons haven't been that team for a few years, though.
Even after starting the season 5-0 and looking like they were back to their old ways, the Falcons absolutely fell apart during the rest of the 2015 campaign, finishing 3-8 and missing out on the postseason for the second straight year.
Another team that, on paper, looks good enough to compete for a championship, Atlanta needs to decide how it's going to build back up a roster that has seen its fair share of turnover in the past few months.
Memphis Grizzlies
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After recently firing their head coach, Dave Joerger, the Memphis Grizzlies are now left with the difficult question of where the future should take them.
A playoff team in each of the past six seasons, the Grizzlies have shown that, when healthy, they can be dangerous, even reaching the Western Conference Finals during the 2013 playoffs.
Unfortunately, the team hasn't had much luck, as key players such as Mike Conley and Marc Gasol have been injured at the worst time of the year, with this season's team given all but no chance to even compete in its first-round series against the San Antonio Spurs.
Are the days of the grind-it-out, blue-collar games done in Memphis? If not, does the team even have enough to compete for a title? Probably not, leaving the Grizzlies in a frustrating situation.
Dallas Mavericks
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The Dirk Nowitzki era is slowly churning to an end with the Dallas Mavericks, as the 7'0" German tries his damnedest to keep the franchise relevant each year. But with no star power alongside the aging NBA champion, the Mavs are just stuck in playoff obscurity.
Sure, the Mavs reached the postseason for the 15th time in 16 seasons, but no one gave them much of a prayer to beat the third-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round this year because of lack of talent.
It didn't help that Dallas was missing Chandler Parsons to injury, but even with him, the team probably wasn't going to upset OKC.
Owner Mark Cuban is too competitive to just blow things up, so the Mavs need to figure out what they can do to get another superstar to take over the spotlight for the 37-year-old Dirk as he transitions out of the league in the next few years. Otherwise, it'll be much of the same for Dallas fans.
Indianapolis Colts
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The Indianapolis Colts just missed the playoffs for the first time in three seasons with Andrew Luck starting at quarterback—mostly because the guy was injured all year long—but the team has plenty of question marks.
That's because, even with Luck healthy, the Colts haven't proved to be more than just a good team. They lack the necessary gear it takes to become a championship-worthy squad that the New England Patriots, Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens have shown.
Locking up Luck to a huge deal is the first step in trying to get over that hump, but the franchise needs to find people who can keep the former No. 1 overall pick upright to avoid continuing its current trend of being just another playoff team.
Los Angeles Clippers
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Is it fair to ask if the championship window for the Los Angeles Clippers has officially slammed shut? That's what many Clips fans have to be wondering after a first-round exit from this year's postseason to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Expected to be the main challenger to the Golden State Warriors' title throne this year, Los Angeles had more drama than a Hollywood film all season long, costing the team a chance to ever get things on track.
From Blake Griffin's recurring injuries and suspension to Chris Paul's broken hand that all but ended their season, the Clippers have been good enough to be a top-four team in the Western Conference but have failed to take the next step toward becoming a championship-winning squad.
Maybe next year will be different as the offseason comes, because we've all seen this act since Doc Rivers took over the team in 2013—and it always ends without an NBA Finals trip.
Washington Capitals
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After winning the Presidents' Trophy for finishing the NHL's regular season with the most points in the league, one would think that the Washington Capitals would have been good enough to get past the second round of the playoffs.
Like in previous years, though, they weren't.
After losing another heartbreaking series to the Pittsburgh Penguins, superstar Alex Ovechkin and his teammates were left to wonder what happened again once May rolled around as they watched another team hoist Lord Stanley's Cup.
Until the Caps show that they can be more than just a regular-season team, they'll continue to be stuck in neutral and frustrate their fans.
Detroit Tigers
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What on earth has happened to the Detroit Tigers over the past couple of years?
Once one of the most consistent franchises in all of sports after making the postseason in four straight years—which included a World Series appearance in 2012—Detroit has come across both bad luck and old age in the worst of ways.
Even with the fourth-highest payroll in the big leagues, per Spotrac, Detroit can't decide if it's a World Series contender or just an underachieving team with a bunch of money tied up in players who would be tough to trade.
Until the team makes up its mind on the direction it wants to go, the Tigers will continue to have a roster full of former All-Stars who are still getting paid like superstars.
Chicago Bulls
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After missing the NBA playoffs for the first time since the 2007-08 season, the Chicago Bulls have more questions than answers as they head into a critical offseason that could see them make a bunch of changes.
Among the issues they must address is what to do with Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler, Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah. They must also decide if they want to go into full rebuild mode or play for the present.
No longer a championship contender, at the moment and when healthy, the Bulls are a playoff team. That didn't happen this year, though, and after years of teasing fans, Chicago is finally forced to ponder its future rather than build for April and May.
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