Karl Malone DID leave the Jazz for a chance at a ring. 2004 ring any bells? Though I agree with you at some degree on teams not being "real teams" after acquiring All Stars who would in turn compose the entire starting lineup, I believe this year's Celtics would be at the bottom of the list. The 2006 Heat would be the no.1 "unreal" and uninspiring team in history. In Boston, KG joining Pierce and Allen (2 players who only went to the Conf Finals ONCE and never accomplished anything remarkable since in the postseason) with a team that won 24?58 and lost all depth they had after the big trade (as most people thought) AND coached by Doc Rivers (an unproven coach despite being coach of the year) was a far cry from Malone and Payton joining the 3-time NBA Champions Lakers with 2 of the 4 best players in the league that time (the other 2 being Garnett and Duncan) coached by Phil Jackson, and from Payton joining the team that was one win away from the Finals, the 2006 Heat (now retooled with a ton of starter-quality role players like Walker, Posey, and Williams) and headed by Wade (who was at his peak) and O'neal (still ever so dominant) coached by Van Gundy/Pat Riley.
Nevertheless you can't fault players like Malone, Drexler, and Garnett. Everyone wants to win a ring before they retire. And if you're at least 30 and you've busted your ass for a team that suddenly had no use for you, had decided to go for youth, or basically had no chances of winning a championship at least in the next 3 years, then you'd certainly want to be in a better situation with a team that's a definite lock for at least the Finals. I know a lot will again hate me for this but I think this is where Garnett stands out. There was no Shaq, Kobe, or Hakeem, like Malone and Drexler could defer to, Garnett was no longer the player he was in 2004, and only had talented players like Pierce and Allen, but he effectively led this group to a mission. The biggest reason I think the Celtics and most especially Garnett are getting some hate is that they performed way beyond expectations. There were more doubts on their chemistry and health than in guarantees of a Finals. But at the end of the year, the Big Three efficiently accepted reduced roles, Garnett became DPOY, Celtics became the best defensive team, had the best record, kicked the heck out of the Western Conference, and had the biggest turnaround in NBA history. There was no bandwagon like what Payton, Drexler, and Malone rode. It was a new beginning, and it was pure determination and passion that drove this team. And someday I wish our Knicks team can produce players as driven as them.