A Game Approach to Malone

Karl Malone, humanitarian of the year?

It certainly seemed like it after listening to Houston Rocket Coach Jeff Van Gundy, who again snatched a page from the keep-’em-guessing handbook and left reporters scratching their heads Tuesday with his kind profile of the Laker forward.

Two days after the Rockets’ owner complained to the league office about Malone’s play in Game 4, Van Gundy called Malone everything but a modern-day model citizen.

Malone took part Sunday in two minor skirmishes with Houston forward Bostjan Nachbar, but Van Gundy saw no reason to indict the innocent, at least from his perspective.

“Karl Malone, dirty? He’s not,” Van Gundy told the Houston Chronicle. “He competes hard. Does he go over the line in some instances? It’s not clear. I’m not one to say. What he’s doing though is competing hard. That’s what we need to do. Instead of touch fouling him on his layups in transition, not foul to hurt, but foul to prevent the layup. That’s probably the biggest thing we have to learn, how far are you willing to go to win?”

Van Gundy wasn’t even that irritated with Malone’s defensive forearm to Yao Ming’s back as the Houston center drove to the basket in Game 3. Yao crumpled, and Malone was called for a foul on the play.

“Guess what? That’s what big guys are supposed to do, lay wood on people,” Van Gundy said. “Let them know they don’t come into the lane unimpeded. We should be doing the same. We should be developing that mentality. It would serve us better not to worry about his perception he may be dirty.”

Van Gundy’s flattery was far from what Rocket owner Les Alexander felt Sunday. Alexander called Malone a dirty player and levied a complaint with NBA vice president of operations Stu Jackson.

The league did not penalize Malone or the Lakers.

In Steve Francis’ court, however, Malone was guilty: “You know the dirt he always brings,” Francis told Associated Press.

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As the Rockets faced possible elimination tonight, Van Gundy downplayed talk of any animosity between the teams. A budding rivalry? Not in Van Gundy’s world.

“This is tame,” he said. “This is goodwill among men. I’ve been in fierce [rivalries]: Knicks-Chicago, Knicks-Heat, Knicks-Indiana. You can’t get to that until you play each other a lot in the playoffs.

“It’s been exciting. It’s been hard play. But it’s not fierce or filled with animosity that I’ve seen. Just a couple love taps here or there.”