CHICAGO - Through a source at the Japan B.League, I saw a copy of what was supposedly the contract that Robert Bolick Jr signed with the Fukushima Firebonds.
Although it was written in Japanese, the part that discussed compensation did not require any translation: 30,000 US dollars a month.
READ: Thirdy, Parks' teams sustain solid starts to B.League season
So when Bolick walked away from that deal a couple days ago, it meant that - in today's conversion rate - the former NorthPort star left a staggering P40.3 million on the table.
Forsaking that kind of fortune, a veritable winning lotto ticket windfall, caused heads to spin. Including mine, of course, which is why I took a deep dive.
HERE'S WHAT I FOUND OUT AFTER MAKING A FEW CALLS TO THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN.
Guaranteed contracts almost always carry a buy-out clause that protects teams' interests in the event that a fully healthy player can no longer offer his services for whatever reason.
By requesting and getting approved for contract cancellation, Bolick possibly avoided having to pay the Firebonds a buyout fee for the unforced handicap of losing an alloted Asian import slot - as well as the inconvenience of having to look for a replacement at an ill-opportuned time that the season had already started.
For putting his pregnant wife's welfare on top of a pile of money ordinary people like us will never see in your lifetime, Bolick easily gets my vote as Husband of the Year.
But there are questions.
Why did Japan readily accept the request to mutually extinguish the agreement?
Well, the approval came with some hesitation. Even though Bolick played only in one game where he notched 10 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists, the Firebonds saw enough to want to believe that their investment was justified.
A MUTUAL PARTING IF WAYS
The source said Fukushima "expected a Michael Jordan and didn't get one." And this evaluation also factored in the decision to allow Bolick to walk away without any strings tied while the organization scampers to look for a replacement Asian import.
Even though Bolick's play hadn't met their expectations immediately, the Firebonds were confident that the former NorthPort star would eventually meld into their system and blossom into a star.
In the end, the Japanese were so professional in handling such a complicated situation.
When Bolick informed Fukushima about his concerns with his wife Cassandra's 10-week old pregnancy, the team offered all the necessary help and assured the couple that Japan's healthcare system is among the best in the world.
After the contract was officially cancelled and announced, the B.League reached out to Bolick's camp to ascertain if Robert was not unhappy or disadvantaged in a way that would compel him to leave and forfeit what amounts to 4,495,600 in Japanese yen.
Money can pay the bills, provide comfort and secure the future financially.
But it can't buy happiness. Nor could it guarantee inner peace.
In the end, those were the simple joys Bolick was looking for and somehow couldn't find in Japan.
And when he reached a deadend, the money, gobs and gobs of cash, was reduced into a number that no longer mattered.
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