Old Article With A Few Interesting Tidbits

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   Published on November 15, 1998                      
                                                            
   NBA: MATT STEINMETZ                                    

   Malone's rantings and all that Jazz come at a bad time

   KARL MALONE'S SENSE of timing has been awful lately.

   First, he committed the big turnover against the Bulls in Game 6 of
   the NBA Finals, leading to a Michael Jordan jumper and a
   series-clinching victory for Chicago.

   He followed that up with an ill-timed pay-per-view wrestling match
   with Bulls forward Dennis Rodman that had many questioning his
   decision-making process as a whole.

   Now, in the thick of the owner-imposed NBA lockout, Malone says he
   will demand a trade from the Jazz once the labor dispute is over.

   It's bad enough that in many ways the players are taking the blame
   for a labor situation they did not create, but Malone's demand
   reinforces the perception that players are greedy and have too much
   clout for their own good.

   Malone, the league's MVP in 1997 and 10-time All-NBA first-teamer,
   made $5.1 million last season and would be in the final year of a
   four-year, $20.2 million contract had the lockout not taken place.
   Those are astronomical figures for truckers and secretaries, but in
   the high-priced NBA -- a world the owners are responsible for -- it's
   known as getting taken advantage of.

   "I will say it right now, I have played my last game in Salt Lake
   City, and it's time for Karl to move on," Malone said earlier this
   week.

   That's the kind of statement that has fans who still care taking the
   owners' side in this dispute. But as ill-timed as Malone's ultimatum
   was, much of the resentment toward players is misdirected.

   Under the collective bargaining agreement, owners have every
   mechanism to get player salaries under control, with one exception:
   self-control.

   Is Kevin Garnett a bad guy because he accepted $126 million from the
   Timberwolves? Should Juwan Howard have said no to the Wizards'
   seven-year, $105 million deal? Maybe Rasheed Wallace could give back
   some of the outlandish $80 million he'll earn from the Trail Blazers
   over the next six years.

   Owners want to get salaries in line, and that's fine. Then get them
   in line. The bottom line is if a team gives a player a ridiculous
   amount of money and that player isn't instrumental in bringing the
   team success, then he isn't worth the money. And the teams making
   that mistake will pay the price.

   Do you think the Wizards are in good shape knowing Howard is on the
   books for more than 33 percent of the team's salary cap? How much
   success would the Warriors be looking at had Joe Smith accepted the
   team's four-year, $40 million deal last offseason, meaning he and
   Latrell Sprewell would have taken up almost 60 percent of the cap?
   Sounds like guaranteed mediocrity.

   Take a look at the top four teams in the league last season and
   you'll get a good barometer for putting together a winner. The Bulls
   have Jordan, perhaps the greatest player in league history, and he's
   worth the $33 million he was paid because he wins titles.

   The Jazz, who made the Finals, and Pacers, who made the Eastern
   Conference finals, might have the most fundamentally sound pay scales
   in the league. For the Pacers, Reggie Miller, their most valuable
   player, made $9 million, and then it followed in logical increments
   with Dale Davis at $5 million, Antonio Davis at $4.5 million, Rik
   Smits at $4 million and so on.

   Then there's the Lakers, who are trying to win a title the Bulls'
   way, by paying one player, Shaquille O'Neal, $120 million over seven
   years. And O'Neal, just 26 years old, already has been to the NBA
   Finals once and the Western Conference finals another time.

   The problem isn't that O'Neal earns $120 million or that Jordan
   earned $33 million last year. The problem is that foolish owners have
   spent too much on relatively marginal talent. A role player such as
   Tyrone Hill makes an average of more than $7 million per year. Brian
   Grant, offensively limited and often injured, is paid $63 million
   over seven years. Bryant Reeves makes $65 million over six years.

   That's the problem. Well, that and Malone's bad timing.

   THE MILL: Here's a possible Warriors trade making the rounds, and it
   makes some sense, too: forward Clarence Weatherspoon for Heat guard
   Brent Barry. Weatherspoon and Barry are free agents, and each is
   coveted by the other team.

   Why wouldn't the Warriors just go out and try to sign Barry as a free
   agent, you ask? Well, if the Larry Bird exemption is retained, both
   teams could go out and pursue free agents and use up all available
   cap space. Then the Warriors and Heat could re-sign Weatherspoon and
   Barry, going over the cap, and swap the players.

   The league and players association would have to agree to a
   sign-and-trade allowance in the new collective bargaining agreement,
   something under discussion.

   The Warriors would love to obtain Barry, a Bay Area native and one of
   the league's exciting young players. The Heat wants Weatherspoon
   because it expects to deal Jamal Mashburn and could use a more
   physical presence from the small forward position.

   The Warriors are set at small forward with first-round pick Antawn
   Jamison and will need a shooting guard if Jimmy Jackson isn't
   re-signed and Sprewell is traded. Barry also can play the point,
   another Warriors' area of need.

   KARL'S COMMENTS: Former Sonics coach George Karl, whose contract was
   not renewed after last season, was in Seattle earlier this week and
   took the opportunity to rip general manager Wally Walker and
   management. Karl was critical of Walker, who was given a contract
   extension by owner Barry Ackerley two weeks ago.

   "I thought it was a good commentary that (the media) should have fun
   with," said Karl, now the Bucks coach. "I don't know what success
   Wally Walker has had to deserve a three-year extension. But I at
   least had that much or more success than he's had in his career. So
   obviously they didn't want me.

   "A lot of my friends think last year will be considered my best
   coaching job in my life. We didn't have the talent of a 61-win team.
   We knew that in March. And we had a great run with a bunch of guys
   who played the right way, with the right attitude and the right
   chemistry. And to be disrespected by your organization, that was the
   end. (Giving Walker the extension) is a double standard. Incompetence
   at work."

   ETC.: The NBA lost one of its class acts Friday, when former Knicks
   coach Red Holzman died. He was 78. ... Rick Fox, who played with the
   Lakers last season and is a free agent, has let everyone know he'd
   like to play for the Hawks. ... Nets forward Jayson Williams, also a
   free agent, said he wants to remain with the organization and will if
   they give him a fair offer.


                         © 1998 Contra Costa Times