I know why this guy is writing for the Patriots Daily and not a "big time newspaper;" he's way too smart and articulate to get hired by any of them and would pose too much of a threat to the likes of Ryan and Shaughnessy and others. Why, it's amazing that Reiss survived in that dead end of mediocrity, known as the Globe's Sports staff; then again, maybe he didn't or just couldn't take it anymore...
Has any player who ever underperformed a ridiculous Rookie or inflated Veteran contract ever gone to an NFL owner and said, "Gee, Bob/Jerry/Jeff, I really didn't live up to what you were expecting when you gave me all that money, so here's a few million back?"
And, to his point on the Celtics, just look at the Knicks (OK, they had a lot of other problems too) who suffered under the Salary Cap for years in part as a result of the enormous "Thanks for the Memories" contract to Patrick Ewing on the downside of his career. I don't know if, at the time, I would have liked trading Kevin or Robert towards the end of their careers, but it's an interesting thought, given the subsequent decline of the team.