Will LeBron James be able to recoup the salary difference between what he can make in Cleveland and what he can make in Miami by winning championships? How many?
View full sizeReports are that LeBron James will join his friends Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat. How many NBA crowns can they win?The late Sen. Everett Dirksen, in debate over spending, once famously said, "A billion dollars here, a billion dollars there ... pretty soon, you're talking real money." LeBron James (you knew it would get to LeBron today, didn't you?) has said he wants to be sports' first billion-dollar athlete. Is it possible to do that taking $35 million less to sign with the Miami Heat, as "numerous NBA sources are reporting," vs. what he could make with the Cavs?
Well, yes, actually. If he, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh can win the titles they think they can, those rings could translate into the big bucks. And that's without taking into account the absence of a state income tax in Florida.
Oh, BTW, Heat President Pat Riley isn't quite accurate when he says the lack of state and local income taxes will offset what James could get from the Cavs. James could get $125.5 million or so from Cleveland; the state and local taxes (before any deductions any good accountant this side of Bernie Madoff can find) would drop that to about $108 million, according to Ohio state tax tables, and really risky journalism math. But even by journalism math standards, that's higher than the $95 million LBJ could get from the Heat.
The difference, then, will come if -- and only if -- the three amigos can win titles. It's a gamble, for sure. An injury to one could derail the ambitions of all three. But Starting Blocks would be willing to invest every quarter we can find in the couch cushions on it paying off.
Which, finally, brings us to the poll question: If LBJ, Wade and Bosh team up in Miami, as "many NBA sources" are reporting, how many titles could they win, assuming everybody stays healthy?