Anything short of a title isn't a success, but you could be a winning team while not winning the title. Most fans say what I just said. I say that too, but have a soft spot for the teams not winning it all. For example, my Knicks in the early part of this decade, they won 55, 57, 60 games every year, but lost to Chicago and Houston. Their season wasn't a success but it wasn't a failure either. If you lose because of lack of talent, that is okay. You cannot overlook the hard work put into a season. I mean, if it weren't for Michael Jordan, we would have three, maybe four titles in the 90s. If it weren't for Shaq, Webber would have been playing in the finals last year and this year. My point is, the ultimate success is a title. But there are other goals in between that and the lottery.
Vince needs to grow a heart and an attitude. (And play some defense). That is what separates him from Paul Pierce and Kobe. McGrady, Vince Carter, Ray Allen, Garnett, they are superstars, but they cannot hold a candle to Kobe, Duncan, Iverson, etc...