Malone Moving Closer to Retiring

Karl Malone took one more step toward leaving pro basketball, telling the Lakers he is not ready to start the regular season and hinting that he might be done for good.

Malone stopped short of retiring but told owner Jerry Buss that he was still a couple of months away from recovering from off-season knee surgery.

“If he wanted to play today, he couldn’t anyway,” Malone’s agent, Dwight Manley, said Friday. “He will be able to in the future. You play it by ear. He’s not closing any doors, but he’s going in a different direction that obviously is retirement-bound.”

Malone, the second-leading scorer in NBA history, also told Buss he would play for the Lakers if he decided to play again. If the 19-year NBA veteran chose to retire, he would be offered a job within the Laker organization, Buss said.

Malone, a 14-time All-Star who turned 41 in July, had surgery on his right knee June 29. Malone’s orthopedist, Ralph Venuto, found a small tear in the cartilage and drilled microscopic holes into it to promote blood flow and healing. Recovery times differ, but New Jersey Net guard Jason Kidd, who had similar surgery within a week of Malone, is not expected back until December.

With training camp beginning Tuesday and the regular season a month away, the Lakers will move on without Malone, who was a steadying influence last season in an often-turbulent locker room.

Malone maintained friendships with both Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, and was available to reporters.

“We’ll never close the door, going down the road, but it’s our understanding that he does not intend to play anymore,” General Manager Mitch Kupchak said. “The door’s ajar and who knows what might happen in the future. There’s not a timetable.... If he’s healthy, could he play for us? Absolutely.”

The Lakers now plan to start Brian Grant or Lamar Odom at power forward. Grant, 32, is bothered by tendinitis in both knees, a condition that caused him to miss numerous practices, but no games, last season with the Miami Heat.

“He’s got a lot of wear and tear, and I know he’s got aches and pains, but he played every game last year, and he’s been out here every day working out,” Kupchak said. “My guess is, he gets iced down and stays off his feet in the afternoon and the evening. A lot of guys his age have that, but he figures out a way to roll out there.”

If Grant does not start, Odom could move from small forward and Caron Butler could slide into the starting lineup in Odom’s place. Odom, however, might be challenged defensively by Tim Duncan, Zach Randolph, Elton Brand and other premier power forwards.

Slava Medvedenko, who re-signed with the Lakers in August for two more years, could get increased minutes at power forward.

Despite Malone’s knee problem, several general managers apparently thought he could be the difference in boosting an already talented team to the top. Malone drew interest over the summer from the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat, and more recently, the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Since moving from Utah before last season, Malone and his family have lived in Newport Beach during the NBA season.

Manley said, “Karl told Jerry [Buss] that he has told his family he’s only going to move them once to play basketball and once more to retire.”

Malone missed only 10 of 1,444 regular-season games in 18 seasons with the Utah Jazz, then missed 39 last season after tearing a knee ligament last December.

Malone returned in March and helped spark the Lakers to a playoff run that took them to the Finals. But he re-injured his knee in Game 2 of the Finals, averaged only 19.5 minutes in Games 3 and 4, and did not play in Game 5, when the Lakers were eliminated by the Detroit Pistons.

Manley said Malone would not make a career decision until he was fully recovered.

“His focus is on his family and his personal life right now,” Manley added. “At this time, he doesn’t want to play basketball.”