Malone’s Visit Stirs Up Practice

Jerry Buss saw Karl Malone arrive at Laker practice and immediately moved from one end of the arena to the other to sit next to his former power forward.

Coach Rudy Tomjanovich, showing similar hospitality, said he would be “rolling out the red carpet,” if Malone decided to return to the Lakers, which Malone did for a day, in a sense.

He arrived as a spectator toward the end of Saturday’s practice, wearing a baseball cap, white polo shirt, jeans and high-tops. Laker General Manager Mitch Kupchak told Malone to throw on a practice jersey and hit the floor. He appeared to be only half-joking.

Malone, 41, might never play again. He is recovering from knee surgery and mulling retirement, but he looked healthy and sturdy and was greeted warmly by players and Laker personnel.

He sat and talked with Buss for several minutes and was hugged by Tomjanovich after practice ended.

Kobe Bryant and Malone also embraced, and Bryant pretended to spar with Malone’s son, Karl Jr. Malone felt Bryant’s biceps -- Bryant has gained 12 pounds since last season -- and they shared a private laugh.

Malone shooed away reporters -- “I ain’t doing nothing ... talk to the guys that are doing something right now,” he said -- but his presence was the main event at Jenny Craig Pavilion.

Malone’s agent, Dwight Manley, said before training camp that Malone was not fully recovered from knee surgery and was moving in a “retirement-bound” direction. If Malone decides to come back, however, it would be with the Lakers, Manley said.

Malone’s knee is less than two months from a complete recovery, during which time the second-leading scorer in NBA history will see how much he misses the game that has kept him busy the last 19 years. Malone has been offered an unspecified job with the Lakers if he decides to retire.

Malone’s appearance was simply a one-day visit, Kupchak said.

“It’s not really a sign one way or the other,” he said. “We expected him to come today. A week or two ago, Jerry and he met, and they kind of talked about coming to practice today. It’s just a visit. It’s not a bad sign, but I wouldn’t say it’s an indication of anything he’s thinking of doing.”

Kupchak was not surprised that Malone looked so robust.

“I’ve never seen him when he didn’t look great,” Kupchak said. “I told him to go over there and pick up a bag [of practice uniforms] and get dressed and he said, ‘I’m not in basketball shape right now.’

“He may think he’s not in great shape, but he looks pretty good to me.”

After 18 seasons with the Utah Jazz, Malone averaged 13.2 points and 8.7 rebounds last season with the Lakers. Despite undergoing surgery in July, he was wooed by a host of contenders, among them the Minnesota Timberwolves, San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat.

Malone has committed to play for the Lakers, if he returns, but he will continue to be recruited by a group of familiar faces.

“I’m definitely going to see where he’s going while he’s down this way,” Laker forward Devean George said. “We’re going to try to soak him up, hold on to him as long as we can before he gets away.”

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Center Chris Mihm was elbowed in the right ear during practice and temporarily lost hearing, but he continued to play.