The Gay 20s -- The Examples Continue -- July 2, 2016

Earlier I posted a note about the "Gay 20s." In that note I mentioned the widening gap between the haves and the have-nots.

If one wants to see an incredible example of what I'm talking about, one needs to look no further than the NBA. In Friday's Wall Street Journal is an update on the enormous windfall that came from the television deal the NBA struck in 2014. The result is "the single biggest injection of cash in the history of professional sports."

In 2014-15, the NBA’s salary cap was $63 million. Last season, it was $70 million. Next season, it will be at least $94 million. The season after, it’s projected to reach $107 million.

What that means for NBA players is that they’re about to become richer than ever. Take a player like Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside as an example. It was three seasons ago that Whiteside was playing in China and two seasons ago that he was in the D-League. Now, Whiteside is expected to sign a contract that will pay him more over the next four years than Michael Jordan earned in his entire career. 

The Los Angeles Times reports that the Los Angeles Lakers will sign Luol Deng for a four-year $72 million deal. No link; store easily found.

From chicago sbnation:

If you're sharp enough to find your way to SB Nation Chicago, I don't think it needs to be pointed out that Michael Jordan is quite wealthy. MJ was earning around $30 million per season during his last few years with the Chicago Bulls, and I'm pretty sure he's still cashin' "bacon neck" checks.

The man has done alright for himself. That's why it's so jarring to see "His Airness" place at No. 87 on a recent list of career NBA salary earnings. Jordan is behind such luminaries as Derrick Coleman, Damon Stoudamire and Brian Grant. MJ also checks in 61 spots behind our mutual best friend Carlos Boozer. Carlos Boozer!

Eighty-seven. It goes to show the exponential jump in salaries over the last 15 or so years. Nearly everyone on this list had a career that stretched into the last decade; all but three of the top 20 earners all-time remain active. It's also staggering to see Scottie Pippen ranked ahead of Jordan, as Pippen's off-the-court tenure in Chicago was characterized by a long-standing contract dispute.

By the way:

• #20 on the list, Allen Iverson, $154 million, broke.
• #52, Scottie Pippen, $109 million, broke.
• #54, Antoine Walker, $108 million broke.

I guess that's why "His Airness" is making commercials. NBA salaries are not enough for some players.

Back to the NBA list:

#1: Kevin Garnett
#2: Shaq
#3: Kobe
#4: Tim Duncan (big whoop) -- no state income tax
#5: Dirk -- no state income tax
#6: Joe Johnson
#7: Jason Kidd
#8: Ray Allen
#9: Chris Webber
#10: Paul Pierce
#45: David Robinson

Names I don't see on the top 100:

• Kareem
• Tony Parker

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Recipes: Crab With Salt-And-Vinegar Cucumbers

As soon as I saw the photograph with this recipe in today's WSJ, I immediately thought of my mother-in-law's favorite salad: octopus and cucumber "salad." It still remains one of my favorite, but unfortunately, it seems, only my mother-in-law knew how to make it just right.

It is a most refreshing cool salad on a hot day. I never had it with Scotch -- I don't recall ever drinking Scotch until late in life, at least until after I was 50 years old -- but I imagine this salad would go very, very well with Scotch over two or three ice cubes.

The octopus and cucumbers were sliced into "coins" as thin as possible, and then with equal amounts octopus and cucumber placed in a shallow bowl and covered with clear, cool vinegar. I assume the vinegar had a bit of sugar in it.

Maybe it's time to try making this salad again.

A note: the chef suggests that "salting, massaging, and draining the cucumbers before dousing them in the sweet (sugar) - tart (vinegar) dressing concentrates their flavor and draws out some sweetness that plays well with the crab." Or octopus, I suppose.