Karl Malone returned here Monday for the first time since signing with the Los Angeles Lakers.
He didn’t play, which is a bigger problem for the Lakers than the Utah fans who hoped to see the player whom they’ve labeled both savior and traitor.
Utah beat the Lakers 88-83.
“I’m a guy who played here 18 years and played the game the way it should be played,” said Malone, who received a mixture of cheers and boos when he walked onto the floor just before game time to sit on the bench. “I earned what I was getting paid, and how many people can say that.”
There was much anticipation about Malone’s return after a fractious departure last season, a Jazz skit earlier this season during a game chiding Malone that earned a league fine and recent comments from owner Larry Miller condemning Malone and questioning whether the Jazz will build a planned statue in his honor.
Malone downplayed any bitterness with the organization or the community that celebrated him for almost two decades.
“I’ve moved on and the Jazz have moved on,” said Malone, who still hopes to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and become the all-time NBA scoring leader in addition to getting that elusive first NBA championship. “I have no hard feelings. I’m a Laker and I’m going to be there until I retire.
“I’ve got too many positive memories of 18 years with these fans. I don’t have an ax to grind with anybody. This arena here, I didn’t pay for it, but I have a couple of bricks in it.”
Yes, the Delta Center is the house that Karl built. There is no other major-league sport here. But Salt Lake City has been an NBA success story even though in recent years many players expressed doubts about playing here because of the majority white and Mormon population. More than half the current roster, rare for an NBA team, is comprised of white or foreign-born players.
But with Malone the Jazz prospered, going to consecutive NBA Finals. He became the only NBA player to be named first team all-NBA 11 straight times and to score more than 2,000 points in 11 straight seasons. He also had MVP awards, Olympic gold medals and an ironman attitude of playing in all 82 games in 10 seasons.
But if the Lakers are to add some hardware to their trophy case, they’ll need Malone, who has been out the last two months with a knee injury. Malone said he’s close to returning and expects to play on this current road trip, which ends Saturday against the Bulls.
When the Lakers’ Fab Four of Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Malone and Gary Payton have played, the team is 16-5.
“We can use him,” coach Phil Jackson said.
And not only for his basketball skills.
“I think he means a lot to them,” Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. “Whenever he was playing, he not only produced a lot of energy for them, but it looked like they were more together than anytime last year.”
This is a crucial time for the “Team That Was To Be The Greatest Ever.”
With Malone and Payton joining O’Neal and Bryant, the Lakers were ceded the 2004 NBA title by most, even with Bryant’s legal problems. But Bryant’s feud with O’Neal broke out again, Bryant reinjured his surgically repaired right shoulder and is out again (he said there’s a chance he could return by Saturday’s game in Chicago) and Malone suffered the most serious injury of his career.
Malone admitted it almost meant the end for him at 40.
“I went through a stage where I was thinking, `Do I need this?'” said Malone, who never had a major injury before. “Did I want to go through this? It’s been my hardest year, no doubt. Starting with when my mom died, the injury. I could have easily said, `I’m done’ and run and hide. But it’s not my nature. I face things.”
But Malone was shaken.
“Karl’s had a schizophrenic year,” noted Jackson. “Was his good fortune ending? It even came down to him thinking about changing his number (Malone took No. 11 with the Lakers because Magic Johnson’s retired 32 was his Jazz number). We need his aggressiveness, his presence. It gives real strength to our team.
“Shaq is dominating, but Karl gives us the size and the activity. We can win without him. But maybe not win it all.”
Welcome home Karl, your Lakers teammates miss you.
