What does it take for your franchise to win the big game and build a dynasty? I know, it’s a lot easier said than done, however there are a select few franchises that have built long term success in each of the four major sports leagues behind the scenes.

If you were granted the opportunity to start from scratch and rebuild a franchise, how would you do it? This isn’t fantasy sports, it’s the most difficult reality sports that set the foundation for success vs. failure. Let’s look at a few teams that have gotten it right vs. those who have gotten it wrong.

San Antonio Spurs

When everyone makes their prediction who is going to win the title, many look at rosters thick with superstars or fresh with new free agents. Yeah, I’ll admit it; that LeBron guy is pretty damn good. "The Black Mamba” and his “unstoppability” greatly impacts his Las Vegas odds each off season.

Step away from the headlines and highlight reels to find the true favorite for each upcoming season since 1997. But how did they build one of the greatest playoff rosters in NBA history? Tim Duncan set the foundation, but one could argue they were lucky to draft the Wake Forest power-forward in the first place (pun intended).

The Spurs had 1995 MVP David Robinson and racked up a track history of playoff appearances in the early 90s, but couldn’t win the big one. After Robinson hurt his back and missed the entire 1996-1997 regular season, the Spurs finished a dreadful 20-62 and obtained the first pick in the 1997 draft. Fast forward to the 1998 NBA Finals where the Spurs smacked the New York Knicks in five games to win their first franchise title through the fantastic play of undrafted guard Avery Johnson, ol' reliable Sean Elliott, and playoff veteran Mario Elie.

Time-out. There have been many “one-year-wonder” NBA franchises that win a championship and then never win another until generations later, or sometimes never again. So what should the Spurs do in order to defend their crown and prove that they’re the next best thing since sliced bread?

Here’s a brief collection of notable trades, draft picks, and signings that kept the Spurs in contention for championships throughout the next 15 seasons (5 titles in those 15 seasons).

Not only have these become household names in the city of San Antonio, but it seems we all recognize these names during the months of May and June. “But just imagine if they had a superstar!”, one LeBron James bandwagoner might say. It doesn’t matter. They’ve continued to recruit and scout players better than any other NBA franchise without even thinking about financial restrictions or contract bidding wars. As we all could see in the 2014 NBA Finals, a team that works together for a common goal will always triumph over a superstar (your "Ray Allen miracle shot" argument is invalid). In Spurs’ Nation, the sum always outweighs its parts.

Detroit Red Wings

24 straight NHL playoff seasons. If you’re a hockey fan, you’re envious of it. If you’re not a hockey fan, you should become one and hop on the Detroit Red Wings bandwagon, you’ll be there for life.

This record in my opinion will never be broken, especially in the salary cap era. If we look back at the championship seasons, the hall of famers, the playoffs moments, and the winning tradition, it all starts from roster management. Hockey Town perfects this science each and every year.

As of 2014, the Detroit Red Wings have won the most Stanley Cup championships (11) of any franchise in the United States. I wish to focus our attention to their last five championships spanning throughout the 1990s and 2000s.

In hockey, many re-builds start with the preposition of a “franchise-changing” talent that sets the bar for success. After the Red Wings chose center Steve Yzerman with the 4^th overall selection of the 1983 NHL Entry Draft, their luck changed for the better. It wasn’t until owner Mike Ilitch hired Hall of Fame head coach Scotty Bowman in 1993 that the Wings showed obvious signs of Stanley Cup contention since their glory days in the ‘50s and ‘60s.

Effective signings, trades, and drafts improved the roster sooner rather than later, with players like Slava Fetisov, Igor Larionov, Brendan Shanahan, Chris Osgood, Chris Chelios, Dominik Hasek, Luc Robitaille, and Brett Hull. These brilliant acquisitions helped the Red Wings win three Stanley Cup Championships in six seasons and started the conversation of a potential dynasty in the early 2000s.

They’re dominance in playoff action never slowed down as they continued to clinch berths every season. The most remarkable methods of playoff success began every off season, starting at the NHL Entry Draft. Here are some notable “Drafting 101” examples by name:

As NHL draft day approaches each June, there are always many story lines that circulate. “Who’s going to be the first pick?” and “How many trades?” are usually the most common inquires expressed for all fans, analysts, and NHL front offices. The underrated question that all franchises should be asking is “Which surprise player should we draft in later rounds so the Red Wings don’t get their hands on him?”

Cleveland Browns

The good comes with the bad. Since the Cleveland Browns were admitted back into the NFL in 1999, success has been hard to come by. Three owners, six presidents, five general managers, eight head coaches, and an astounding 22 quarterbacks have passed through the Browns’ recent era of football operations. Even the Raiders look at this and smile.

Football in Cleveland, Ohio has adopted the word “disappointment” into their daily vocabulary and believes the word “Super Bowl” is a make-believe term that’s harder to find than Waldo drinking unicorn blood out of the Holy Grail.

Since 1999, the NFL Draft for Clevelanders is a cruel joke that crushes the dreams of any future franchise success. Tim Couch, Brady Quinn and Johnny Manziel all were believed to be the diamonds of college football when entering their draft year.

Can you blame the Browns for being interested in this crop? By spending just a couple minutes on YouTube and watching college highlights on each player, you could see why fans and analysts were anticipating excellent prime time shows at the next level.

BUT…college quarterback success is not guaranteed to translate to the NFL!!! The young boys that compete against one another on Saturdays are no comparison to the fully grown and testosterone-fueled men in the NFL. NFL veteran defenses are stronger, smarter, and 10x more athletic than any competition in college. They study their opponents non-stop for an entire week as part of their career, where college athletes attend classes and have to handle all the distractions of a college town. Quarterbacks are unique animals that have to work 10x harder than any other position to win games, and only a fraction of those that put in the work actually produce at the next level.

Don’t believe me? Ask Johnny Clipboard why hasn’t saved Cleveland yet, ask Ryan Leaf what it’s like to be a bust and ask Robert Griffin III about his last three seasons in the big show.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Calm down BucNation, I know what the 2015 standings say. Congratulations on your success. However, your team took almost 25 years to find the light at the end of the tunnel, and that’s something to talk about.

Today’s generation of Bucs’ fans are finally enjoying postseason baseball again, but let’s hope their next re-build won’t take 20+ years. Let’s look at your past 20 first round draft picks.

Gerrit Cole, Neil Walker, Pedro Alvarez and Andrew McCutchen are the centerpieces around the current 2015 roster; however it took many bad picks before drafting the 2013 NL MVP in 2005.

According to Dustin Hockensmith of pennlive.com, “VanBenschoten was a highly regarded prospect as an outfielder from Kent State. Instead, the Pirates selected him with the No. 8 pick as a pitcher. He spent 10 seasons compiling a 3.79 ERA in the minors before falling flat in the majors. He spent parts of the 2004, '07 and '08 seasons in Pittsburgh and went 2-13 with a 9.20 ERA.”

He went on to comment about LHP Daniel Moskos. He explained, “Moskos will go down as the poster child of bad Pirates drafts. A reliever as a junior at Clemson, he was a budget-conscious draft choice who was first tried as a starter. Moskos has since been designated for assignment by the Pirates and claimed by the Chicago White Sox.”

Year after year in the early 2000s, Pirates’ management couldn’t find their franchise players and/or couldn’t develop them effectively. Past general managers Dave Littlefield and Brian Graham had the worst luck dealing with players that couldn’t produce, leading to trades or releases, and then magical produced with another franchise. Anybody remember Jeremy Burnitz, Bobby Crosby, Lyle Overbay, Matt Diaz, Eric Hinske, Javier Lopez, Kenny Lofton, or Jose Bautista??? Pirates fans are still scratching their heads over the departures of Jason Bay, Freddy Sanchez, Jack Wilson, and Nate McClouth too.

Whether the 2000s decade was titled as torturous, demoralizing, or just plain silly for the Pirates, they can enjoy baseball a whole lot more with three straight years of playoff contention and a solid start heading into the 2015 All-Star Game. The Pirates proved that franchises can overcome long-term losing and change their image; however it takes some luck, excellent negotiations, and more than just one season.

So what did we learn? Some franchises can’t find success no matter how hard they try (or don’t try), and some find success underneath their noses. This isn’t just a fantasy experiment where you can hit the reset button or log off. General managers, scouts, and team operations personnel make the big bucks because their job brings in the big bucks if executed effectively.

That’s sports at its finest.