The whole chain measures what a roster is worth. This asks the only question that finally matters: did that value convert to winning? Expected success assumes the most talented team should win it all, with expectation decaying by how a roster ranked in assembled value. The gap between what they won and what their talent predicted is the story.
The most talented rosters that fell short — value that didn’t convert to playoff success.
Success is playoff-weighted — assembled value predicts regular-season wins almost perfectly, so the story lives entirely in the playoffs. Expected success is held out from each team it grades. Outcomes from FiveThirtyEight Elo; coverage 1977–2015 (recent seasons pending a newer outcomes source).