LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki and 10 Stars Who've Defined a Franchise
Last July, LeBron James relieved himself of a burden Dirk Nowitzki could have walked away from a long time ago: franchise savior. LeBron was everything to the Cavs franchise because he single-handedly elevated them to an elite level of relevance they had never experienced through the long, dark days of Terrell Brandon and Darius Miles. The King's "decision" immediately rendered the tortured franchise back to the bottom-dwelling state that has defined much of its history.
While it's difficult to blame James for his desire to build a super dynasty with his best friends in one of the most happening cities in America, his status as a modern-day Benedict Arnold is only compounded by his George Washington-like foil in the 2011 NBA Finals. Nowitzki could have made the very same "decision" last summer, albeit with considerably less publicity.
Hey, LeBron pieced together his own AAU team with his best buds. Who could have blamed Nowitzki if he had decided to re-connect with his best friend and former running mate Steve Nash? Who knows, maybe Pau Gasol or Manu Ginobli would have joined them in a sign-and-trade and they could have formed an international super team.
Instead, the German legend accepted a four-year, $80 million contract to stay with the only franchise he's ever known. The deal was $16 million shy of the $96 million max deal Nowitzki would have received from a team with more cap room. He also understood that the cash-strapped Mavs would not be able to afford one of the many worthy sidekicks on the free-agent docket. But Nowitzki stuck with the Mavs because of his unwavering goal to bring a championship to a city he loves (Dallas) and an owner with whom he shares a uniquely special bond (Marc Cuban).
Both Dirk and LeBron kick-started two of the most prominent franchise-building jobs in recent NBA history. They took a pair of franchises that were as much of a commodity as Blockbuster in the on-demand era and turned them into perennial title contenders. The Mavs and Cavs are also similar in the sense that their elite status is (or was in Cleveland's case) dependent upon a single all-world centerpiece.
Dirk has navigated through tropical storms (2006 NBA Finals) and a mass exodus in his mission to finish the job he and Cuban have seen through since the beginning. LeBron, infamously, has already jumped ship. Now they're squaring off in a climactic battle pitting the good, old-fashioned neighborhood loyalist against the corner-cutting AAU trendsetter.
While Nowitzki may have a much better supporting cast than LeBron had in Cleveland, let's not kid ourselves into thinking Dallas would even be a playoff team with Jason Terry and Shawn Marion as its go-to scorers. No matter how many titles LeBron wins, his unwillingness to persevere as the franchise meal ticket will always be the ripest, legacy-defining talking point for basketball nation. Until Cleveland becomes a contender again, the "King" will always define the franchise, just as Dirk defines the Mavs. This is the true definition of a franchise meal ticket.
For a contrasting example, the Lakers would still be the second-most storied franchise in NBA history even if they never traded for Kobe or signed Shaq. Heck, Los Angeles probably would have used its gold mine of resources to find another star or stars to build around. But if Kobe had been drafted by Dallas or Cleveland, he too would be alone in the spotlight as the franchise savior.
Shaq himself ran away from that role in 1996 when he left Orlando for dead by signing with Los Angeles. It worked out for the Big Aristotle. Now we're about to see if it will work out for LeBron. In the meantime, let's see where Dirk and LeBron rank among the 10 most prominent franchise meal tickets in sports history.
10. Reggie Miller: Indiana Pacers
1 of 10
Quick—name one notable Pacer between the team's final season as an ABA dynasty (1976) and its first playoff appearance of the Reggie Miller era (1990). You can't.
This is because the Pacers made just two playoff appearances (both first-round exits) in their first 14 seasons in the NBA. They also haven't won a playoff series since Miller's retirement in 2005.
Imagine how pathetic Indiana's NBA history would be if it had never drafted Cheryl's little brother in 1987. Sorry, Pacers fans, but it's hard to envision Rik Smits as anything more than an over-sized boy toy, let alone a franchise player.
9. Dirk Nowitzki: Dallas Mavericks
2 of 10
It's a tribute to Nowitzki that Dallas' greatest success during its recent run has come after the team said good-bye to its two other original cornerstones Michael Finley (waived in 2005) and Steve Nash (signed w/Phoenix in 2004).
The only reason Nowitzki ranks above Miller on this list is because his Mavs are a slightly more successful '00s version of Miller's Pacers: a perennial contender that always seemed to fall short against more powerful rivals in the NBA's power conference (East in the '90s, West in the '00s).
But Dallas has registered 10 consecutive 50-win seasons and a pair of Finals appearances with Dirk as its front man. Indiana recorded just five 50-win seasons and one Finals appearance during "Miller-time."
8. LeBron James: Cleveland Cavaliers
3 of 10
Only 12 teams in NBA history have posted at least back-to-back 60-plus-win seasons.
The fact that LeBron could accomplish this with a Cleveland supporting cast that would have trouble posting a .500 record in a suburban rec league is one of the most impressive feats in modern NBA history.
In the year after James left, Cleveland went 19-63 with virtually the same roster. Never before has a single athlete made such a difference in the standings.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
7. Steve Yzerman: Detroit Red Wings
4 of 10
No player is more synonymous with the resurrection of a classic franchise than the "Captain." In modern professional sports, maintaining a title contender for over two decades is as rare as a stable government in the Middle East.
Yet that's exactly what the Red Wings have managed to do, winning 16 division titles and recording 14 100-plus-point seasons since 1988.
It all started with the 1983 first-round selection of Yzerman, who captained the Wings for an NHL-record 19 seasons and 1,303 games.
While Detroit had won six Stanley Cups prior to the Yzerman era, it had fallen into a consistent bottom-dweller position in the years leading up to the "Captain's" selection, missing the playoffs 15 times in 16 years between 1966-67 and 1982-83.
6. Peyton Manning: Indianapolis Colts
5 of 10
In 2009, the Colts nearly ran the table with a paltry rushing attack, a mediocre defense and one of the worst decision-makers in NFL history stalking the sidelines (Jim Caldwell).
That season is, in many ways, the most accurate microcosm of Indy's decade-long run as the NFL's most successful regular season franchise.
And to think they actually considered taking a business development manager for a Vancouver travel company (Ryan Leaf) over a four-time MVP who can make Austin Collie look like a cross between Jerry Rice and Lynn Swann.
5. Tom Brady: New England Patriots
6 of 10
This is an argument Manning will likely never be able to escape: the only reason Brady ranks higher than his Indy foil is because he's turned his once-obscure franchise into the most unlikely dynasty in NFL history.
It's easy to argue that Bill Belichick is the real reason the Pats are now more known for winning than being the only sports team in North America to represent an entire region of states (New England consists of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut).
But the fact is the players play the games. And Belichick made just one playoff appearance in six seasons as a head coach (five with the Browns, one with the Pats) before Brady replaced Drew Bledsoe in 2001.
4. Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Greg Maddux: Atlanta Braves
7 of 10
The '90s and early '00s Braves were defined by two simple traits: historical regular-season success and mind-numbing postseason failure. Since no other dynasty could boast three future Hall of Fame starters in the same rotation for 10 years*, Bobby Cox's team was the ultimate example of pitching giveth and pitching taketh away.
Atlanta's All-Star staff was the reason it won an incredible 14 consecutive division titles from 1991-2005. But Maddux and Glavine were also notoriously mediocre postseason performers.
Not ironically, Atlanta's only championship came in the only postseason (1995) where Maddux and Glavine pitched as well as Smoltz (Glavine was the World Series MVP and pitched a 1-0 Series-clinching shutout against the Indians in Game 6; Maddux went 3-1 with a 2.81 ERA in three postseason series).
*Maddux signed with Atlanta in 1993, two years after its run started. Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz were in the same rotation until 2002, Glavine's final season in a Braves uniform.
3. Martin Broduer: New Jersey Devils
8 of 10
All hail the King of Parking Lot Parades. Broduer has brought three of them to the smelly, New Jersey Prudential Center streets.
Only in Jersey could a team build a dynasty and ruin a sport's popularity with its boorish style of play (neutral zone trap) at the same time.
But hey, you have got to give the most versatile puck-handling goalie in NHL history his due. Without Broduer, the Devils would still just be that irrelevant team confused Northeast hockey fans turned to when they couldn't decide between the Flyers and Rangers.
2. Babe Ruth: Boston Red Sox
9 of 10
Why is Ruth associated with the Red Sox here and not the Yankees? Because as a standout pitcher in the early stages of his career, Ruth was a primary catalyst for Boston's early-century dynasty (four World Series titles in seven years between 1912 and 1918).
Of course, he's also the "sole reason" they didn't win another title for 86 years.
1. Michael Jordan: Chicago Bulls
10 of 10
When you define your league and your sport, it's hard not to define the team with which you built such a lofty legacy. But it's also a Bulls thing.
While Chicago has always been one of the best basketball towns in America, the Bulls were as much of a winner as the Cubs before Jordan arrived on the scene in 1984.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
