It seems that every time the NBA starts to make progress, something happens to set the league back again.

After years of being down, players like Carmelo Anthony and Lebron James came into the league and rejuvenated it. Then, just like that, there was “The Decision” and the realization that superstars could now join up and form dream teams.

Now, after the most exciting playoffs in recent memory, there was a lockout and more players trying to join forces in search of a championship.

The reality of today's NBA is that there are about five or six teams who can legitimately compete for a title each year. This is due to reasons such as expansion, players leaving college before they are ready, and superstars playing together in the major markets.

Whatever happened to the days where all but three or four teams came into the season with a shot at winning?

Anyone who grew up a big NBA fan in the 1980s and early 1990s could probably name a superstar from just about every team in the league. Try that with today’s teams.

Take a look at the list below, and you will notice that even teams considered to be small markets had a superstar.

* Hakeem Olajuwon – Houston
* Karl Malone– Utah
* Shaquille O'Neal – Orlando
* Reggie Miller – Indiana
* Shawn Kemp – Seattle
* Dominique Wilkins –Atlanta

The NBA was the best game in town, and the players were all competitors. The NBA of the late 80s and early 90s was probably more popular than the NFL.

I would love to see the NBA that I remember as a kid return. There would be no one just following the money or teaming up just because they can't win alone. Could you imagine if Michael Jordan would have approached Larry Bird about teaming up together in Chicago? It never would have happened!

It looks like, for now, we are stuck with poor quality replays of the "glory days" on the NBA Network's "Greatest Games."