Small market teams, can they build 'winners'?

 Playing winning basketball at the end of the day saves all grace. If a team just wins, then everything follows, the love, the accolades, the endorsements, the fame. With sports there are winners and losers. No one likes to be a loser, people want to be winners. However most American’s hate losers. If someone isn’t winning they will neglect that person as an athlete.

Spot the winner in this bunch...

Lebron James’ decision to leave Cleveland was a tough one. His desire to win combined with his desire to play with close friends led to his ultimate decision. However, in the eyes of the masses he made the wrong decision. Many say that he "took the easy way out." His inability to bring a championship to Cleveland will forever haunt his legacy. But can one really blame the guy for wanting out? America saw a loser, not a winner. An athlete with incredible skills and abilities, but just could not win. They contrasted him with the likes of Kobe and Paul Pierce and view Lebron inferior to these players. But that all changes when Lebron becomes a winner. Sure he’ll have Wade and Bosh helping him but to America and the NBA world, he’ll be a winner.

What about Cleveland? The small market city that craves that elusive championship. That saw Lebron as their messiah. The NBA is changing into a tiered league, where you have your big market teams at the top and small market teams at the bottom. Over the long course of history, bigger market teams will win more championships, the money is just there and that’s how professional sports works. But is there any hope for the likes of Cleveland, Milwaukee, Sacramento, Memphis, Charlotte, Minnesota and New Orleans? Well not really. However the is one example where a team built around its stars to form a winning product and this is the San Antonio Spurs.

With the likes of David Robinson and Tim Duncan, San Antonio was able to build a consistent championship winner. How did they do this? Patience. This attribute was not only a part of the front office, but the players as well. Robinson and Duncan I can assure you had their times of doubt. But they persisted and believed in the system.

Recent Chris Paul rumors have made me think about the Hornets situation. To me everyone is bashing the Hornets into the ground, and giving them the finger to ‘clam it’ and start over again. Paul’s deep desire to win should be viewed as an asset. It should have the ability to bring in free agents, light a fire under team-mates, coaches and general managers, it should inspire the city to back up the team and support them to no end. But it doesn't.

Alas this is no big market team. No patience can be found in a small market team in the eyes of many because of financial constraints. The Hornets have no chance in bringing in talent like the Lakers did to Kobe because they can’t spend big. The Hornets can’t support a talent like CP3 because of last season’s results.

America likes winners. And to the eyes of many the Hornets organization is no winner. Cut the cord they say, let us (New York/LA) take Paul in his prime. Is there any hope? Can basketball only be viewed as an individual entity and not a team one? What happened to the days where players were in it for the long haul and not for their own desires? Chris Paul wants to be a winner, he hates losing. But why does he feel like he is the only one of his team? Does he feel like no one else on the Hornets roster wants to win? Does he look at them and second guess them all the time, is this how a leader is supposed to act?

Sure we need another big-time player on the roster, but his team-mates are left high and dry as their leader sees them as losers and not winners.