One story that went under the radar this weekend was LeBron James reacting to Miguel Cabrera‘s mega-million dollar jackpot of a contract.
The back-to-back American League MVP signed a contract Friday guaranteeing him $292 million over the next decade, and in doing so, made a king very jealous.
“I said ‘wow,'” James told ESPN before the Miami Heat’s game against the Detroit Pistons. “I wish we (the NBA) didn’t have a salary cap.”
Oh please, LeBron.
James is making $19 million this season, not to mention $40 million annually from drinking Sprite and being on the cover GQ Magazine, all while garnering consideration for league MVP, vying to win a third consecutive Larry O’Brien Trophy, and subsequently adding to his resume as he strives to be the greatest basketball player of all time. He doesn’t have the right to be jealous of anyone.
Well, I guess it’s OK to be jealous of a $292 million payday. I certainly am.
But it’s the second part of his statement that irked me. The NBA, like the NFL, needs a salary cap in order to level out the playing field. The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox have been chastised for years for overpaying to sign any free agent they so desire, while clubs like the Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals have had to settle for Class B free agents and a run at the division every six or seven years.
Unlike Major League Baseball, the NBA limits owners like Mark Cuban from dropping loads of cash to assemble All-Star rosters. The exception, LeBron, is the Heat, who managed to lure three All-Stars to South Beach but only when LeBron and Dwyane Wade were willing to accept less-than-top dollar deals to play alongside other top pros.
The salary cap keeps a level playing field in the Association. That way teams like the Heat, which feature their own Big Three, can be stuck as a No. 2 seed to a more cash-strapped franchise like the Indiana Pacers. It’s why small-market teams like the San Antonio Spurs can continually make a run in the Western Conference and even teams with deeper wallets like the Los Angeles Lakers can be stuck with a lottery pick this summer. It’s how the New York Knicks can pay Carmelo Anthony but have to fight just to make the playoffs, chasing the likes of the Charlotte Bobcats and Atlanta Hawks.
It’s the opposite case with baseball. Only a handful of teams would be able to dish out that kind of dough to Cabrera, who will be using $100 bills as loofas when he turns 40 years old. It’s why the Yankees and Sox will never have to miss the playoffs two years in a row, and why teams like the Tampa Bay Rays will always be considered the league’s Cinderella.
Ask me and other fans what they prefer: the same teams paying for titles or a new crop of contenders year in and year out, and more often than not I’d expect the more competitive league to be the answer. LeBron, be happy with the NBA as it is.
