Is the NBA salary cap hurting local charity?

When I read NY Post articles like this one, STEPHON: I'D BE OK WITH KOBE by Marc Berman, I can't help but wonder if the salary cap as an instrument of fiscal policy is worth it.

When I see players like Marbury, love him or hate him on the court, opening his heart and wallet to aid vital community organizations - one has to wonder if satisfying the appetite of owners for quick profit isn't hurting the league more than helping it.

If the big salary players become local philanthropies, this generates a goodwill fan base that the organization would spend far more to buy. Yet, in the NBA, teams in big cities with big needs are punished for compensating players appropriately. Let's face it, NY has far greater charity needs than say, Memphis.

Secondly, when NBA teams used to bid for college talent, the ante went up. The kid making big bucks was given the attention the club thought he deserved and even a Memphis suddenly created a buzz. Now the buzz is that the team that sucks gets rewarded for losing.

Maybe the good old days really were better.

From Berman's piece:

June 17, 2007 -- Stephon Marbury opened his wallet to New York City policemen, firemen and teachers yesterday and opened his arms to Kobe Bryant becoming a Knick.

In an appearance yesterday in Marbury's hometown Coney Island, he announced a series of $1 million donations then addressed the brewing Bryant saga, saying the NBA would benefit greatly if Isiah Thomas secured the Lakers' star.

Yesterday, Bryant met with Lakers owner Jerry Buss in Barcelona, Spain, with the L.A. Times reporting Bryant restated his trade demands. The report said Buss warned Bryant a trade would be a long-term process.

"Hey, I'm not opposed to it," Marbury said with a laugh. "I want to be clear-cut. I'm not opposed to it."

Presiding over opening ceremonies at the annual Stephon Marbury Basketball Classic at Surfside Gardens, the Knicks point guard said he believes the NBA could use a jolt after the Spurs swept to their fourth title in nine years in the lowest-rated NBA Finals.

"New York would be dynamite for [Kobe]," Marbury said. "This would be someplace where basketball would become the biggest and highest of the high for the NBA. It will help the game in a tremendous way because that would give New York that solidification . . . where you look at the Knicks as, oh, man, that's the team again. There's still a search for that team that people want to follow."