Malone Gives N.B.A. Two Thumbs Down

[Vinny Natale <vnatale@map.com>]

December 16, 2000
Malone Gives N.B.A. Two Thumbs Down
By MIKE WISE



fter a loss to San Antonio on Monday night, Karl Malone telephoned home to 
see if his family had tuned in.

"Now, my mother has watched me play all but a handful of college games," 
the future Hall of Famer said this week in Salt Lake City. "She said to me: 
`I don't know if I want to watch games anymore. I'm fed up with the league.'

"My brother Terry, who I would say is one of the ultimate sports junkies 
when he's not working on the ranch, doesn't even watch the N.B.A. that much 
anymore.

"It used be No. 1 on his list. He'll go do something else. He's just sick 
of watching the people who are supposed to carry this league after all us 
old guys retire."

Malone, then looking across the floor of a nearly vacant gymnasium, shook 
his head.

"I don't know if the `I Love This Game' slogan works anymore," he said. "I 
don't know if people really do like they used to."

The Utah Jazz came to Madison Square Garden for its annual visit last 
night. Belying their age, Malone and John Stockton, his teammate in time, 
have led the Jazz to the best record in the Western Conference.

His state-of-the-game lament is not surprising. Malone sounds off about 
something at least once a year, be it organizational loyalty, Kobe Bryant's 
waving him off after he set a screen for the youngster at the 1998 All-Star 
Game or Magic Johnson's comeback the season after announcing he had H.I.V.

But even for those who have heard many of his unprompted diatribes over the 
years, Malone has never sounded so disenchanted with pro basketball. He 
started venting last week after he surpassed Wilt Chamberlain as the No. 2 
scorer in league history, wondering why there were 600 empty seats at the 
Delta Center, long considered home to some of the loudest and most loyal fans.

He spoke about a recent five-game swing the Jazz went on, a road trip full 
of empty seats. In Detroit, the game drew fewer than 13,000 to the 
22,000-seat Palace in Auburn Hills, Mich. At the Meadowlands, the Jazz- 
Nets game drew 12,204 spectators to the 20,000-seat Continental Arena. The 
Orlando crowd was 3,000 under capacity, Miami almost 4,000 under capacity 
and fewer than 14,000 went to a Jazz-Hornets game in the 20,000- seat 
Charlotte Coliseum. And those were the announced attendances.

But the incident that really drew his ire came last Monday in Denver, when 
Dan Issel's players pulled a Fletcher Christian, boycotting practice and 
threatening to boycott a game in a one-day mutiny that was eventually quelled.

"You want to get rid of Dan Issel, and he's the G.M.?" Malone asked. "Who's 
the spokesperson? James Posey. Two years into the league and they made him 
the spokesperson? That just exemplifies what we're talking about here.

"Boycotting work. Not going to practice. Talking about boycotting a game. 
What am I missing? How many more fans did they lose in Denver over this?"

He kept on going, the disgust tumbling forward with each word.

"As players, we think, `We build it and they will come.' Not anymore. We're 
making these arenas bigger. We should be making them smaller. Say Denver 
loses three or four season ticket-holders because of that. We don't think 
about that. The players think, `I'm still getting my money.' What about the 
good of the game?

"You know what? Dr. Naismith right now is probably turning over in his 
grave, seeing some of the stuff going on. And Commissioner Stern? It has to 
be a nightmare for him."

Malone is not big on his colleagues, perceived as petulant young players.

"So many guys are about themselves, showing who they are," he said. "It's 
like walking into a club about to eat. You've got 50 people in your 
entourage and you show up in your limo. `O.K., I'm here now. You should 
feel privileged that I'm eating in your establishment. Now let's get this 
going.' Instead of just going in, respecting people, treating them how you 
would want to be treated."

The league's marketing department is also not among his favorites.

"Some of this could have been avoided, without a doubt. For the last eight, 
nine All-Star Games, it's been out with the old, in with the new. That's 
been the marketing theme. And I'm saying: `Whoa. I'm still a big part of 
the Jazz.' But that's not what people want, I guess.

"People can talk about the lockout all they want to. That's business. That 
wasn't a problem. The problem is the product. It's unfortunate, but it 
doesn't seem like anyone is concerned about it to me."

Exhibit A could have been the Knicks' performance last night, an 89-58 loss 
and their second consecutive game in which they scored fewer than 70 points.

Rather than sound like a crotchety old man, Malone has decided on another 
way to cope with his dissatisfaction.

"I'm going to enjoy my teammates and my coaching staff and not get caught 
up in what's happening with the league anymore," he said.

Malone was asked if his latest remarks would further polarize him from fans 
and peers.

"When I spoke up about Kobe waving me away for a screen at the All- Star 
Game in New York, everybody came out and said, `Oh, he's a has- been, he 
should just be quiet,' " Malone said. "He can't take it that a young fella 
is taking over the game.' Baby, I'm still doing it. Was what I said a lie?"