A meaningless stance
04/19/2001
Codding Home / Sports Channel / Bullz-Eye Home
Remember that old saying: "Say what you mean and mean what you say"? Someone should print that up for Karl Malone.
And then staple it to his forehead.
It was Wednesday night, the last day of the NBA season, and Malone and the Utah Jazz were getting ready to play the Phoenix Suns. The Jazz already had the fourth seed and first-round homecourt advantage locked up for the playoffs, while the Suns were set as the sixth seed in the West. In other words, the outcome of this particular Phoenix/Utah game didn't even remotely affect the playoff picture.
But the Suns and Jazz weren't the only two teams who had solidified their playoff positions early -- the Timberwolves, 76ers, Spurs and Heat were just a few of the clubs that came into the final games of their respective seasons with their playoff seeds set. The Heat could have lost to the Magic Wednesday night by 75 points, and they still would have been the third seed in the East. Meanwhile, a 38-point loss to Seattle didn't knock San Antonio out of the top spot in the West.
So with nothing left to gain or lose on the final night of the 2000-01 campaign, several teams placed banged-up superstars on the injured list, giving them a few extra days of rest before the grueling playoff schedule kicked off over the weekend. Miami placed forward Anthony Mason on the IR with a sprained ankle. The Timberwolves were without Kevin Garnett as he rested a bruised calf. Philadelphia put center Dikembe Mutombo on the injured list with a sprained toe, while Philly's MVP candidate, Allen Iverson, missed the final two games of the year with a sore elbow. Of course, all of these guys will be in uniform when the playoffs begin, but with nothing really on the line Wednesday night, why not give a few nagging injuries some extra time to heal? Makes sense to me.
But apparently Karl Malone wasn't too happy when he saw all those names on the NBA transaction lists. Mr. Malone thought guys like Mutombo and Garnett were skimping out on their responsibilities to their teammates, coaches and fans by sitting out the season finale. Then, before his own game with the Suns on Wednesday, a reporter asked Malone what "playing in a meaningless game" is like.
Mr. Malone wasn't too happy. In fact, Mr. Malone reportedly got pretty upset, practically chasing this reporter out of the Utah locker room. "... a meaningless game." To Malone, it was a stupid question. He told the reporter to ask the concession people and the ticket takers at the arena if this was "a meaningless game." He told him to go into the stands and personally give every single fan who bought tickets to a meaningful game a full refund and an apology. Utah head coach Jerry Sloan agreed with his star player, saying that "Utah Jazz basketball" wasn't about giving up on fans. Instead, guys like Malone and John Stockton were all about playing every single game 110%. For the fans.
For a second, I actually found some respect for the Jazz. Just for a second.
I mean, what Malone and Sloan were saying was absolutely right. More than 19,000 people showed up Wednesday night in Phoenix to watch some basketball, paying full price for their NBA tickets, which today practically translates into a week's salary. Those 19,000-plus fans didn't pay all that money to see Utah's Greg Ostertag play 40 minutes. Hell no. Nobody in that arena forked over 50 bucks a ticket to watch Phoenix reserve guard Vinny Del Negro log 30 minutes of playing time.
They paid the big money, and they wanted to see the big-name players. Jason Kidd. Shawn Marion. Malone. Stockton. Donyell Marshall. Malone and Sloan were absolutely right. This wasn't a meaningless game, not to those 19,000 fans and the hundreds of people working at the arena that night. Bravo, Mr. Malone, for making a statement.
Too bad that's all it was. An empty, meaningless statement.
Ostertag did in fact play 40 minutes Wednesday night, nearly 22 minutes more than his season average, and scored a career-high 25 points while also pitching in 11 rebounds and a blocked shot. And yes, Del Negro saw 29 glorious minutes of action, ending the game with 13 points and five assists. Meanwhile, the honorable Karl Malone played six minutes in the first quarter, as did Stockton... and that's it. Six minutes apiece. Kidd and Marion each played 18 and 23 minutes, respectively, for the hometown crowd, far below their season averages of 39 and 36 minutes a game.
But I don't really have a problem with the Suns' game plan. Kidd didn't blast Garnett and Iverson for taking time off Wednesday. That was Six-Minute Malone.
It's not like I expected these guys to play 40 minutes Wednesday night, but after hearing the load of crap Malone and Sloan fed those reporters, seeing him sitting the bench for the final three quarters of the game was maddening. Apparently, Sloan went into the locker room after the first half and told his two veteran superstars that they were done for the evening. Did that get Malone all worked up again, preaching about those precious Phoenix fans and how they're entitled to see him play a full game of "Utah Jazz basketball" at 110%? Did Malone stand up to his coach and say, "If John and I sit out the entire second half, that would make this game seem meaningless, and I think if you go out and talk to those hard-working ticket takers and beer vendors, they'll tell you tonight's game is far from meaningless"? Nope.
Instead, Malone and Stockton yucked it up on the bench, joking around with the ball boys and posing for the TV cameras. Hey, Karl, if Wednesday's meaningless game was so important to all those fans and arena workers, why the hell were you riding the pine for 42 minutes? If you're so worried about giving the fans what they so rightly deserve, then get your truck-driving ass off the bench and log some minutes. Is that what "Utah Jazz basketball" is really all about?
Personally, I don't see a problem with guys like Mason and Iverson resting for a few extra games near the end of the season. I think if sitting a game or two in April will help Mason lead the Heat to the NBA Finals, Miami fans won't complain. But if you're going to have the balls to condemn someone for their actions, have the balls to follow through with your own. Iverson, Mason, Mutombo and Garnett played zero minutes of NBA basketball on Wednesday. Malone says "shame on them," and then plays six first-quarter minutes before taking the rest of the night off.
Wow, way to take a stance, Karl.
In the Bullz-Eye
The Chicago White Sox. After surprising nearly everyone in baseball last season by winning the AL Central, the White Sox came into the 2001 season ready to defend their crown. But after the first 13 games of the year, the Sox find themselves with a 5-8 record, 5.5 games behind the division-leading Twins and 3.5 behind second-place Cleveland. It's still early in the season, but the White Sox have the second-worst ERA in the American League (5.73) and their starting pitchers have combined for three wins in 13 starts. Newcomer David Wells, who Chicago is counting on to front a predominately young rotation, is 1-2 with a 5.14 ERA. If the pitching staff can't round into form soon, the Sox could find themselves out of contention by the All-Star break.