When I compare all three situations, I give kudos to HAkeem and the Rockets organization for handling everything with class. Rice: I think Jerry Rice came to a complete understanding that his skills have deteriorated and that he's no longer the best WR on his team. And he came to this realization in a timely fashion. He also appears to have accepted a diminshed role on the team and I applaud him for that. However, I think that the 49ers organization is slapping him in the face by paying him based on a'what have you done for me lately." attitude. I truly believe he should be paid for his career contribution to the organization. And, If I'm not mistaken, Jerry Rice jerseys will still be bought and sold. So he deserves to get paid. In this case, the organization just doesn't get it. I like the fact they may keep him around, but the reduced rate is a slap in the face. Reed: What a mess. Reed hasn't realized that his time has come and gone. He still wants the ball and is demanding it. On top of that he hurt the team by making these comments known a few days before their first playoff game. sad. On the other hand, it seems that the Bills organization was nice enough to keep him around and get him the reception record. In this case, the player just doesn't get it and is now slapping the team in the face at a critical time. Hakeem: It took him a little time to figure out that he was no longer the focal point, but it only took 20 games or so. At that point he came to terms with his own ability. All said, he seemed to have done this in a timely fashion considering how great he used to be. So kudos to him for figuring it out before it became an issue. At the same time, the organization handled this well. They could have traded him, but didn't. They could have cut his paycheck, but didn't. And they could have forced him to sit on the bench, but they haven't. It seems to me that when you compare all three situations, the houston Rockets are the only team that handled this with class on both sides. Everyone is happy.
Don't forget Jerry Rice had 66 catches this year, in a season and on a team where he was often the 2nd or 3rd option. ------------------ I have a dream.........his name's Hakeem.
I doubt Jerry Rice will be cut because doing so will accelerate the remaining portion of his signing bonus to next years salary cap, which would be very similar to his current contract. I think it's very obvious they will try to restructure his contract to lower his base salary. Hopefully, both the 49ers and Rice will be reasonable and get things worked out. Nobody wants to see Rice and Young leave like Montana, Lott, and Craig.
Agree with the gist of you point. But the Rockets could not cut his pay in the last couple of years, but then again, you probably mean they could not have given him the last extension with the escalation clauses to "make up" for his contract being less than industry standards. I like your comparison overall, as you use the three most obvious and current athletes who individually brought so much to thier sports and collectively find themselves at the same crossroads in thier careers. Reed sat and cried last week on the sidelines as he was applauded for a lifelong acheivement. Frustration seems to be the motive behind his recent outburst. Rice is a class act. Always has been.
A couple of points... In the Rice situation, the 49ers simply CAN'T pay him. With the NFL's hard salary cap, the 49ers will already have to crop something like $15M in payroll before next year. It's virtually impossible to pay Rice next year because of ballooning contracts, unless people are willing to renegotiate current contracts. In the Hakeem situation, don't forget that the organization did try to trade him, but cancelled that do to PR reasons. Similarly, they couldn't reduce his salary if they wanted to, and can't bench him do to PR reasons again. I'm not saying they would do anything differently, but the Rockets haven't had much choice in this whole matter, just as the 49ers don't with Rice.
What are three washed up players who should have retired before the end of the current season? Oooops. Sorry. I forgot that we aren't playing jeapardy.
Phi- I don't think Dream ever came to the realization that he wasn't the focal point. I think the injury might have showed him this, but up to the point Dream was hurt everyone was complaining to the post offenst w/ Dream & Chuck. After Dream was hurt Chuck let the team run more. I guess my point is Dream has never showed on the court that he has accepted this lesser role. I don't argue that he hasn't figured it out by watching, but on the court he never gave it up.
