It's inevitable in professional team sports - players age, change teams and retire, leaving an impact on a team's win/loss record. When a once-successful team starts all over again by assembling a new roster, we call it rebuilding. All teams go through a period of building and rebuilding; some teams seem to be perpetually rebuilding without ever getting closer to the ultimate goal.
There are a few ways of rebuilding: the draft, trades, free agency. There are also different approaches to the rebuiling process - quick fixes, slow and painful, a constantly changing blueprint - but which is the most successful?
One option would be to look to the successful teams of the past and copy the teams that they have assembled. Would this be successful?
For example: What if the Bulls sought to rebuild according to their 1996 championship team?
What if they could get Kobe Bryant to be Michael Jordan? Imagine that he had a Scottie Pippen-like sidekick, say, Kevin Garnett or Shawn Marion. Perhaps even T-Mac could sacrifice some points and fulfil the role.
Now imagine that they could acquire Ben Wallace to fill in for Dennis Rodman. The Beast even brings more blocks and a different kind of hairstyle for fans to pay tribute to. While they're shopping for frontcourt players, they might want to consider picking up a solid big man who can play as well as Luc Longley - though it wouldn't hurt if he was better. Rasho Nesterovic might be a perfect fit.
Now, they need a reformed shooting guard to play the point, a capable scorer off the bench and a player who can come in at any time and provide them with a few points thanks to a deadly jumpshot.
How about Gilbert Arenas, Michael Redd and Wesley Person? Assuming they were willing to sacrifice for the good of the team, they should be able to fill the roles that Ron Harper, Toni Kukoc and Steve Kerr once occupied.
Round out the roster with guys like Samaki Walker, Aaron Williams, Andrew DeClercq and other role players, and you have a team that resembles a team that went 72-10 and won a championship in 1996.
Consider the examples of other championship teams. A dominant centre surrounded by role players and accompanied by a swingman sidekick (Hakeem's Rockets). A team comprised of brutal, physical players led by a talented backcourt duo (the Bad Boy Pistons). Other strong teams of their respective era (the Knicks of 1992 and 1993) might also provide an example of how to build a team that is capable of contending for a title.
Would it work? Would blueprints for success from yesterday work when today's players become part of the equation? I think it would be an interesting experiment. The way some teams struggle to recapture past glory, it's surely worth a try.
Your thoughts?