In 1996 it finally came to pass that the Sonics reached the epitome of basketball supremacy earning themselves a place in the NBA championship finals. And although the Bulls were able to hold themselves together for two more seasons after '96 it was soon a down hill trip for both franchises into the bowels of professional basketball obscurity.

Now when the Sonics roll into Chicago hardly anyone takes notice at all, no one cares. The giants of less than a decade ago have now left and all that remains are two hollow shells of their past glorious images.

The road from champion to ‘also ran’ for both teams has followed a very similar route. The loss of key players and coaches, followed by massive wholesale roster changes left the two teams virtually unrecognizable as the squads who just years before had squared off for the NBA crown.

Although their falls from grace are comparable, the philosophies the two franchises have taken to regain their past promise is drastically different. The Sonics have resigned themselves to holding onto their aging veteran core of Payton and Baker in an attempt to stay competitive while undergoing a youth movement to rebuild the future of the team. The Bulls have opted for a youth movement of their own but only after scrapping their entire roster to rebuild from scratch through high lottery draft choices. So which of the two methods better suits the up and down life of the NBA?

Because of the financial downside, no team purposely looks to be in the basement in the NBA. That being said though, it often isn’t the worst of places to start from when looking to rebuild a contender. Being last in the league means having that shot in the draft at the next Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan, or Kevin Garnett, and having the opportunity to land that franchise impact player who can turn everything around for a team.

Another positive influence for the franchise that is down on its luck is the fact that for many bottom dwellers most players on the roster are expendable, so it becomes easier for teams to free up cap room by moving players and releasing contracts. How about landing the season's biggest free agent in the off season as a side order with your future MVP draft pick, this kind of Happy Meal can quickly make for a happy GM, would you like some fries with that? Noting that this drastic turnaround could come at any moment for a team instills hope around the league for all those surely to be missing the playoffs this season.

Although the speed with which it is possible to turn around a team from the bottom in theory makes it sound nice, the reality is no one wants to experience a season with a win count that only with luck reaches the twenties. Your attendance goes down, your television exposure goes down, your merchandise sales go down, which all add up to your bottom line going way, way down. Besides the business aspect of the NBA, losing also hurts a team in other areas, perhaps most importantly reputation. People don’t even want to be seen in a losing team’s town let alone play for them; this is why we see people like Tracy McGrady snubbing the Bulls as a free agent, and Stevie Franchise refusing to play when drafted by the Grizzlies. So no matter how heavily the league’s system is weighted to help the basement teams, it is still by no means a get out of jail free card.

For an owner, being able to maintain some semblance of contention can be all-important; it can help lure free agents and it can keep fans coming to the games. Also it can earn opportunities to improve the team through trades with others having interest in your players, as strong performances and winning can help inflate the value of players. As seen by the Sonics this past summer when aging veterans like Gary Payton prove to be capable of maintaining their standards of high performance, it peaks the interest of people around the league, perhaps not inflating interest but definitely sustaining it. If Vin Baker continues to improve himself, and work hard for the team, his value around the league will grow, as he will appear more appealing to GM’s around the league.

Unfortunately, for those who are trying to maintain their competitiveness while undergoing an internal rebuilding towards a championship caliber team down the road, the progress can often seem slower than Bill Walton’s train of thought. Your draft picks are closer to the average; your salary is tied up in players who are more difficult to shuffle around the league, and now the task is more daunting than ever with the Association's new salary cap making the salaries of players almost of greater importance than the talent.

However, it isn’t all bad news for the teams stuck in NBA purgatory though, because as hard as it is to move into the upper ranks of the league it is even harder to stay there; meaning there is always an opening becoming available. And it isn’t very often that a team is able to dissolve as a championship contender without spending its time on the losing side of the coin.

The NBA is a cyclical organization, there is an invisible hand helping to influence and guide the bottom ranks back to the top and constantly pressuring and forcing the top teams to the bottom. Opportunity is always ripe for the taking, and even though the Sonics have decided to take the higher road maybe slowing down the rebuilding fans have been waiting for, it is coming and soon. The once mighty will again rise to the top to one more time challenge for NBA dominance.

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