Big names no guarantee for huge success

The Dwight Howard Sweepstakes will soon be under way and the guessing game is on: Will the Orlando Magic trade him before his contract expires at the end of the season, or will the team take its chances only to see him pull "a LeBron" and join a ready-made winner.

Here we go again. Another NBA superstar is likely to be moving soon and, like Amare Stoudemire, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, etc., Howard will be trying to form his own superteam and score a big payday. The Lakers, Mavericks and Nets are reportedly at the top of his wish list. If he winds up with the Mavs or Lakers, well, so much for all the NBA's talk about creating more competitive balance (if the Jazz or any of the other small-market teams are in the hunt, he hasn't mentioned it).

Thankfully, there's no guarantee Howard will transform a team into a powerhouse by pairing up with another superstar, or that he will even be worth all the money he is likely to receive. Superstar + superstar doesn't always equal superteam.

Paul has transformed the Clippers, and James and Bosh have joined Dwyane Wade to make the Heat a top contender, although they are hardly the superpower everyone envisioned.

But many, if not most, of the headline-making free agent signings have produced disappointing results.

The acquisition of Anthony has been an embarrassment and a colossal waste of money. Anthony, who was in the final year of his contract a year ago and let it be known he wouldn't re-sign with Denver, was considered a championship-maker when he essentially forced the young yet promising Nuggets' hand. He was traded to the New York Knicks so he could team up with Stoudemire. The Knicks are 23-29 since 'Melo joined the team; the Nuggets are 32-15 in the post-'Melo era.

The Knicks are paying Anthony and Stoudemire about $37 million combined; that will jump to about $40 million next year. Not exactly money well spent. Meanwhile, the Knicks have tied their hands financially when it comes to improving the team. As for the Nuggets, their entire roster costs $49, with $13M of it going to one player, Nene.

Deron Williams, who pretty much forced the Jazz to trade him before he became a free agent and made a dash for cash, will be a free agent this summer. He's likely to have teams lining up to pay him the salary of a Fortune 500 CEO, but why? What has he done to earn the $16.3 million he is receiving this year ($18M next year)? The Nets were 17-40 when Williams joined the team; they are 15-36 since then.