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Message: [QUOTE="Cedar, post: 3437412, member: 1309"] I agree that EDD should not be penalized for not winning a national championship. As others have noted, championships are team accomplishments. Michael Jordan entered the NBA in 1984, racking up years of incredible performances, but he did not win an NBA title until 1991. Prior to 1991, teams such as the Lakers, Celtics, and Pistons won championships because they had superior overall talent. It was only when Jordan had a strong supporting cast—especially Scottie Pippen—and a great coach, Phil Jackson, that the Bulls won 6 NBA titles. Wayne Gretzky won four Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers in the 1980s. Those Oilers teams are considered by many observers to be the most talented in the history of the NHL. After Gretzky was traded in 1988, he never won another championship, because the three teams he played on—the Los Angeles Kings, the St. Louis Blues, and the New York Rangers—did not have enough overall talent to win the Stanley Cup. A transcendent player can be phenomenally talented and be a prolific scorer, but if he or she doesn’t have a strong supporting cast, it can be very difficult to win a championship. [/QUOTE]