In honor of the upcoming NBA draft (tonight at 6:30), let's have a little fun and run down the five worst-run organizations in the Big Three pro sports (NFL, NBA and MLB; sorry hockey fans, but American stopped caring about 3 years ago). In order to make this prestigious list, the organization must show a deliberate and sustained approach to failure, both on the field and off. Teams on this list have been consistently poor in regards to on-field performance and front office decision-making, and while some have made strides at one time or another, all are still considered the worst of the worst in the sport. Let's begin.
5. Los Angeles Clippers - Okay, so many would argue that the Clips deserve to be higher on this list because of the fact that for many years the ownership made no qualms about the fact that their sole intention was to make money, and they thought they knew the dirty little secret of sports: an owner can make a profit without having to spend money on players or coaches, because people will still come. This thinking led to years of misery for Clippers faithful (if there is such a thing) until a story-book run to the conference semifinals in 2005 got fans excited again, moving LA down the list. Unfortunately, this good fortune turned bad as the owners suddenly started overspending on players and extended coach Mike Dunleavy's contract in the middle of yet another losing season. A few injuries to key players later, and the Clips are back in the cellar where the belong.
4. Detroit Lions - The war chant of Detroit sport fans, no matter the venue or sport, has become "Fire Matt Millen" as these tortured souls have watched the front office of the Lions fail to pull the team out of the gutter year after year. Millen, the Lions GM that has been much maligned but evidently has incriminating photos of the teams owners, has been touted as the main cause of the Lions failings. But the fact is, the team has been awful since well before Millen's time, and even a Hall of Fame running back like Barry Sanders couldn't help the team move beyond mediocrity. And let's not forget the drafting of wide receivers with their first pick in four out of five years, including 3 straight from 2003-05. Only one of those three, Roy Williams, is even in the league anymore.
3. Pittsburgh Pirates - The laughing stock of the MLB now that the Rays are starting to turn things around (and the Rays avoid this list because they at least appeared to have a plan for the last couple years) are the woeful Pirates. Pittsburgh, a team with a long and storied history, has not seen the postseason since 1992 and has not even been in contention for a vast majority of the seasons since. The team has a history in that period of trading its best players in order to dump salary (see, most recently, Brian Giles and Aramis Ramirez) and getting little in return. While Jason Bay turned out to be a solid player coming back in the Giles deal, he is currently the only player on that team that you or I have even heard of. Despite a new and very nice stadium, it's hard to say the future looks bright for the Pirates.
2. New York Knicks - Hard to believe they found their way out of the number 1 hole, but the hiring of Donnie Walsh as GM and Mike D'antoni as head coach are two huge steps in the right direction for a franchise that has been downright embarressing since Patrick Ewing retired. The culprit: Isiah Thomas. No man, without committing a heinous crime (yes, we're talking about you Juice), has done more to sully a stellar professional playing career after retirement, than the aforementioned Thomas. Few will remember him now as the fearless leader of one of the great franchises of the late '80s and early '90s. He will now forever be known as the man that virtually destroyed the NBA's flagship franchise with his ludicrous general management and coaching moves. And that's without mentioning the $10+ million blackeye resulting from a sexual harassment suit. Thanks for the memories, Isiah.
1. Oakland Raiders - An easy choice given the downward spiral this franchise has seen in the last 5 years since losing the Super Bowl. The Raiders, who even at the time of their Super Bowl loss were considered an old folks home for NFL players, have added new members to their solid list of past-their-prime stars in the years since, most notably Warren Sapp. Many of these players have received excessive contracts that have left the team crippled by the salary cap and unable to rebuild. Add to this the numerous failed draft picks (here's looking at you, Robert Gallery) and the coaching carousel led by the league's worst owner Al Davis, and you have a recipe for horrible failure. Even with the team finally seeming to go into rebuilding mode, they can't help but make mistakes. Take this offseason, where the signed wideout Javon Walker to a large contract despite his well-known character issues, and the alleged "letter of resignation" sent by Davis to head coach Lane Kiffin for him to sign, and you see why this team has to rank where it does. While there may be other franchises run worse than Oakland, none have fallen so far, so fast.
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2 comments:
I think I would make the Lions #3 and move the Pirates down to #4, but otherwise I think the list is spot on. Look out, though, because the New York Mets are quickly descending the ladder to the basement housing the worst-run organizations.
I would like to offer up an honorable mention for the Arizona Cardinals, who are a study in futility. The Cardinals don't outwardly appear to be that incompetent, but they seem to be able to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory with impressive efficiency.
Another honorable mention might go to the Chicago Cubs, who have had their issues in the past and always seem to manage a collapse at crucial moments.
The only problem with the Cubs is that they really don't have the poor management decisions required to crack this list. While the Cubbies have had more than their share of struggles on the field and plenty of heartbreak to go along with it, it's hard to point at any really poor decisions personnel-wise. They haven't made the bad trades, given out the bad contracts, or had the revolving door at manager within the last 10 years that the Pirates have. Remember, this is a list of the worst-run organizations, not the worst-performing teams.
A lot of the above can apply to the Cardinals as well, although they do have a history of signing questionable free agents and making questionable draft picks. Like the Rays, however, the Cards appear to be moving in the right direction (they were 8-8 last year) and the fans at least have reason to hope for the future.
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