Why dream teams fail

The Sharks paid no attention to such talk, beating St. Louis is seven games to shock the NHL world. There were always going to be disappointments in the tournament. That the United States did not win gold was, on its own, not a massive news story despite the fact that the squad seemed to be a juggernaut. What gets the US team on this list is that the players reportedly were far more interested in enjoying the nightlife in and around Nagano than they were in competing.

To put the icing on top of the embarrassment cake, some of the American players trashed rooms at the athlete's village after the US was eliminated from the tournament. All signs were pointing to the Boston Red Sox dominating the American League and possibly all of Major League Baseball at the start of the season.

In a collapse that mirrored what had occurred during the American League Championship Series, the Red Sox failed to hold onto a nine-game division lead in the final month of the year.

If that was not bad enough, stories then emerged that certain members of the Red Sox were having a bit too much fun during games. That France would not even make it out of the group stages of the tournament was, at the time, unthinkable.

France's poor run of form began with a shocking defeat at the hands of Senegal, and that result proved to be a preview of things to come for the defending World Cup champs. When all was said and done, France was unceremoniously booted out of the World Cup after having earned a single point in three group contests. Even worse, France failed to notch even a single goal. I said last year that they were the best I'd seen, but this one is better. Greatness was not there waiting for Miami in the end, though, as the Hurricanes lost the National Championship Game to Ohio State in double overtime.

The Decision ultimately worked out for James, who won multiple championships with Miami, but the Heat failed to get the job done. The Barcelona squad was never going to have things easy, mostly because rivals Real Madrid were also carrying an incredible roster filled with talent and depth. With that said, a club with players such as Lionel Messi , Neymar , Jordi Alba, Cesc Fabregas , Xavi , Andres Iniesta and other great talents not winning a significant trophy was a massive disappointment.

Along with blowing an opportunity to win the La Liga crown on the final day of the season, Barcelona dropped the Copa del Rey to Real. Salt was then poured into that wound when Real went on to win the Champions League Final. Backup quarterback Vince Young was really pumped to join the Philadelphia Eagles before the NFL regular season, to the point that he referred to the Philadelphia roster as being a Dream Team. As has been the case for the Eagles many times, the dream turned into a nightmare.

Philadelphia struggled throughout the bulk of the campaign, and a hot run during the holiday season was not enough to push the Eagles into the playoffs. You likely know how the story ended. Instead of winning their first Super Bowl championship, the Eagles lost four of their first five games and were on Dec.

Four consecutive victories to close the season weren't enough to earn a playoff berth, and head coach Andy Reid lasted only one more season before Chip Kelly arrived and began overturning the roster. Even by the Yankees' standards, the infusion of talent for the season was extraordinary. The franchise hadn't won the World Series since , and it was determined to return to its rightful spot atop the baseball world. Holy S!

Few remember the games Yankees won that year, as the team unforgettably lost the American League Championship Series to the Boston Red Sox in seven games after winning the first three. I'm lookin' for the right players. To see why dream teams so often disappoint, let's consider the most common paths to failure. Signing too many all-stars. Failing to build a culture of trust.

Tolerating competing agendas. Letting conflicts fester. Hiding from the real issues. It may be tempting to recruit all-stars and let 'em rip. Don't do it. Dream teams often become nightmares of dysfunction. More from Fortune Will Mmmhops be a hit?

NBA confirms L. Subscribe to Fortune. Special Report full coverage Why dream teams fail. The team was dubbed the Nightmare Team for a reason. Heading into the Athens Games, USA Basketball was all-time in Olympic play, and one of those losses is still arguably the most controversial finish in all of sports. Despite salvaging the Bronze Medal, the team went a shocking The 84 points allowed per game is the worst by a US team in the NBA-era and a point drubbing at the hands of Puerto Rico a team that went and finished 6 th is the most embarrassing loss in USA Basketball history.

This team had talent, but it was severely lacking in guard play. Iverson 2. Several of the most talented players were way short on experience Okafor had yet to play an NBA game and LeBron, D-Wade, Carmelo were all coming off their rookie seasons.

Tim Duncan was in the prime of his career, but getting him only 8. Not only did the US suffer its first loss ever with an NBA-filled roster, but it lost three of its final four games, limping to a previously unfathomable 6 th place finish. Strong play from Paul Pierce The positive spin on is that with NBA labor issues preventing its players from participating on Team USA, a group of amateurs, CBA and overseas professionals that was thrown together in just the three weeks leading up to training camp performed admirably under the circumstances.

The ragtag bunch did come home with a Bronze medal, and was just two point losses against Lithuania ; a Jimmy Oliver game-winning three just missed at the buzzer and Russia ; the US led by 10 points inside of three minutes away from an undefeated tournament. The negative spin is that, as the nation that invented basketball, nothing but Gold is acceptable to the United States.

Had expectations really fallen to being satisfied with moral victories and a medal of any color? Clearly the team would get crushed head-to-head against both the and teams, but it gets slotted ahead based on its on-court results and as painful as it is to say lesser expectations.

Wade, Johnson, James and Anthony all brought offensive firepower from the wing, but none filled the sharpshooter role needed in international play.