Agent: Malone to decide this summer on plans
Nexus
Agent: Malone to decide this summer on plans
By JOHN NADEL, AP Sports Writer
July 1, 2004
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Karl Malone had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee
this week and will decide during the summer if he will return for another
season.
Malone's agent, Dwight Manley, on Thursday denied reports the second-leading
scorer in NBA history was set on retiring.
``He definitely hasn't made a decision if he's retiring,'' Manley told The
Associated Press from his Newport Beach office. ``At this time, I'd bet that
he plays, personally.''
Quoting sources, The Salt Lake Tribune and Los Angeles Daily News reported
that Malone, who turns 41 this month, had decided to end his career.
``The retirement reports are way out there -- wrong,'' Manley said. ``It's
Karl Malone, he'd play with an amputation. People know if something hurts,
he'll play through it.''
Manley said Malone had surgery Tuesday and ``the doctor was more than
pleased.''
``He's up and around today,'' the agent said. ``His whole body is 100
percent. At this time, what he really needs is what he's needed every
offseason -- just to get away from basketball.''
Lakers spokesman John Black said ``our understanding about the possibility
of retirement is he's going to take his time and make a decision toward the
end of the summer.''
After playing 18 seasons for the Utah Jazz, Malone joined the Los Angeles
Lakers last summer in search of his first championship, taking a pay cut of
about $18 million to sign for $1.5 million.
With Malone playing a key role in the postseason, the Lakers reached the NBA
Finals before losing to the Detroit Pistons in five games.
Malone re-injured his knee in Game 2 of the finals, was limited in Games 3
and 4 and didn't play in Game 5. The Lakers lost the last three games.
Malone said after the finals that he would make a decision on his future in
the summer, but would play only if he were fully healthy entering training
camp, which begins in three months.
Malone opted out of his $1.65 million contract with the Lakers at the
season's end. But he had made it clear that if he returns, it almost surely
will be with the Lakers.
Malone played in 1,434 of a possible 1,444 regular-season games with the
Jazz, but missed 40 games with the Lakers -- 39 because of a torn knee
ligament he sustained Dec. 21 against Phoenix.
He played in 193 straight playoff games with the Jazz and Lakers before
sitting out Game 5 of the finals.
Considered one of the best power forwards in NBA history, Malone averaged a
career-low 13.2 points and 8.7 rebounds in 42 games for the Lakers this
season, leaving him with career averages of 25.0 points and 10.1 rebounds.
His 36,928 points in 1,476 games trails only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who
finished his career with 38,387 points in 1,560 games.
Glovin LA
"Nexus" <ne...@attglobal.net> wrote in message
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>
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gns
> Agent: Malone to decide this summer on plans
> By JOHN NADEL, AP Sports Writer
> July 1, 2004
> LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Karl Malone had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee
> this week and will decide during the summer if he will return for another
> season.
What's up with Malone? Didn't he get the memo from Shaq that all surgery is
supposed to be performed at the end of the summer?