Steve Francis to the Knicks.

[Dodoubled]

While I think the whole team-first approach certainly worked with Detroit last year, I'd say the NBA is the one pro sports organization where you CAN win with a couple of talented guys.
More than any other sport, I think, the NBA is superstar-driven. It was Michael's Bulls, Magic's Lakers, Kareem's Lakers, Larry's Celtics, Bill's Celtics, Shaq and Kobe's Lakers, Hakeem's Rockets, Wilt's Sixers, Dr. J's Sixers ... all winners. People identify with a single player in this league more than any other. And while one might not get the job done anymore, two can make it tango. Can Marbury and Francis do it? Who knows.

Take baseball. When was the last time a superstar-driven team won a World Series? The Yankees? I digress. The 1996 and 1998 Yankees were largely homegrown, team-first players. The 1999 and 2000 Yankees had a few more superstars (namely, Clemens), but the 1998 and 1999 teams were nearly the same in personnel.

I'd be hard-pressed to believe a lineup that included Jorge Posada, Chuck "It's only a 60-foot-throw" Knoblauch, Scott Brosius and Chad Curtis (1999) and Ricky Ledee (2000) would be considered star-studded. There's a reason they haven't won anything in five years, even with the highest payroll in baseball on an annual basis. Meanwhile, the teams that have won recently -- Anaheim, Florida, Chicago, (OK, the Red Sox had some stars, but they're still not playing with the Yankees' deck) -- they're all team-oriented squads. And you can't identify any of those teams with a single player. Even the Red Sox. Was it Pedro's Sox? Schilling's Sox? Manny's Sox? Or, as I'm sure they'd have you believe in Boston -- Varitek's Sox?

An even better example is football. When was the last time a superstar carried a team to a title? Dallas? Sorry. Aikman and Emmitt were good, but it was the lines that made the Cowboys so dominant. Montana and Rice? ... Yeah, you could argue, I suppose, but they did have a defensive stalwart in Lott. ... I mean, I'm sure there are examples out there, but they're few and far between.

Admittedly, I know nothing about hockey. But that's another sport that really seems to reward punishing defenses and players willing to share the scoring load.