Malone Headed to Injured List; O’Neal a No-Show at Practice

Barring a miraculous recovery from a sprained knee ligament in the next 24 hours, Laker forward Karl Malone will apparently go where he has never gone before in 18 previous professional seasons: the injured list.

Should that occur, deactivating Malone for a minimum of five games, Coach Phil Jackson said there is a “possibility” Malone will be replaced by Rick Fox, who has sat out since undergoing foot surgery in May.

Adding to the Lakers’ medical woes, center Shaquille O’Neal sat out practice Wednesday because of a sudden back problem.

Jackson said he doesn’t expect O’Neal to sit out the Lakers’ next game, Friday against the SuperSonics in Seattle. But the coach expressed general displeasure at O’Neal’s recent play and attitude, labeling it “December doldrums.”

Not exactly a happy new year for the Lakers.

“I’ve had that feeling the last four or five days,” Malone said of the possibility he would go on the injured list, “but I was never going to say it. I’ve never been on the injured list. I looked at Cal Ripken, and he was never on the injured list ... but it looks like I’m headed there unless I have some unbelievable recovery in the next few days.

“It’s a downer. You want to be with the guys. It’s a lot different talking to the guys when you are not out there with them. Your voice is not the same.

“Missing seven, eight, nine games in one spell when I haven’t missed that many in 18 years is frustrating. I feel like I let a lot of people down.”

The 40-year-old Malone, who prides himself on fitness and stamina, before this season had sat out six games -- never more than two in a row -- out of a possible 1,636 regular-season and postseason games because of injuries or illness.

But all that came to a crashing end Dec. 21 when Phoenix Sun forward Scott Williams, 6 feet 10 and 260 pounds, inadvertently crashed into Malone, spraining the medial collateral ligament in the Laker forward’s right knee.

Malone has since sat out three games and Jackson conceded the Lakers are looking beyond the next five to a possible Jan. 12 return date for Malone against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Staples Center.

“He tried a couple of braces on and moved around, did some running,” Jackson said of Malone’s activity at Wednesday’s practice. “But [his knee] is not stable enough for him to run now. He’s not ready for on-the-court stuff.

“A lot of these injuries can last four to six weeks, according to what the doctors say. We’ll see what it’s like at the end of next week and go from there.”

Although Jackson stressed patience in Malone’s situation, he showed little when discussing O’Neal. What appeared to upset him about his superstar’s absence from practice was that O’Neal failed to inform Jackson he’d be a no-show.

“[O’Neal] showed up missing,” Jackson said. “When he was contacted, he said he had some back problems and was going to see a specialist.”

Would O’Neal be fined for failing to call?

Jackson indicated he would be, adding, “According to our rule book, this is one of the things you don’t do.”

Jackson said he was mystified about the details of O’Neal’s injury, exactly when it had occurred, how it had occurred and even where on the back it had occurred. Jackson said he was told it happened sometime during Tuesday’s practice and might have been related to weight training.

“I don’t know whether he was hanging from a dumbbell or what,” Jackson said.

But the coach seemed even more concerned about his center’s overall play.

“Shaq’s been struggling a little bit lately .... It’s disappointing,” he said. “His enthusiasm for the game. I don’t know. It’s just December doldrums. New Year’s is [today], so we can start fresh.”

When Fox can again start will be a key question should Malone indeed go on the injured list. Laboring for the last seven months to return from an operation on a tendon in his left foot, Fox has moved, sometimes agonizingly slowly, into position for a comeback.

“We are working him in practice,” Jackson said of Fox. “He’s getting a good look, playing more all the time.... It’s tough for me to envision [Fox being activated Friday], although he was playing with the first unit a little bit in the past week.”

Devean George, who could lose his starting forward spot to Fox, has been impressed with what he’s seen of Fox in practice.

“He’s back to holding and doing the same things he used to do,” George said with a grin. “He’s looking good, not limping as much. He’s moving well, sliding well, shooting the ball well.”

It’s only in the rebounding department where George said he still sees evidence of Fox’s injury.

“I don’t think he has too much of his lift,” George said.

But if Fox could somehow return to the court and be effective immediately, it could give the Lakers a lift -- something they would seem to need right now.