By returning to Salt Lake City Friday, the Jazz's Karl Malone replaced Philadelphia's Charles Barkley in the latest game of NBA All-Star Controversy.
Malone went home after spraining his ankle in the Jazz's victory at Charlotte Thursday night, the last in a crazy sequence of events involving his plans for Sunday's All-Star Game. League officials will investigate Malone's injury and could fine him if they determine he could have played this weekend."We'll try to ascertain how injured he is," said Rod Thorn, the NBA's vice-president of operations.
Still, the league would have trouble prosecuting Malone. X-rays aside, the real soreness of a sprained ankle is known only to the injured player. The NBA could have a case if Malone plays 40 minutes in the Jazz's next game, Tuesday at home against Minnesota - but that will be more than 48 hours after the All-Star Game, time for the injury to heal.
Amid more questions about Malone, Thorn later softened and said, "I'm sure if Karl says he's injured, then he's injured."
Friday morning, Jazz trainer Don Sparks confirmed the ankle was sprained and Charlotte's team doctor told Malone he would support his decision not to play. Malone's choice was suspicious only because he announced he was skipping the All-Star Game while leaving the Charlotte Coliseum, before going to Memorial Hospital for X-rays - and because he was previously very upset about not being chosen as a Western Conference starter. Malone was the 1989 All-Star Game MVP with 28 points and nine rebounds in 27 minutes.
"I don't think Karl would have bailed out," said Barkley, his good friend.
Malone described the injury as the most severe sprain he'd ever sustained, and he did miss two games with a sprained ankle last season. But those were meaningless games, and Malone protested being held out of the lineup.
After returning to the team's hotel late Thursday night, Malone explained his All-Star Weekend plans by saying, "If I'm not going to be 100 percent, I'm not going to play, and I'm not going down there and standing around for four days."
Before the injury, Malone said this week, "Seriously, I could have pictured myself not going to Miami . . . by going, I think it shows that I'm a better man than staying at home and pouting."
Dallas guard Rolando Blackman was selected to replace Malone on the West team, which now includes six guards. That would mean less playing time for the Jazz's John Stockton - but Stockton was already instructed to make only a "token appearance" in the game after being released from the Charlotte hospital Thursday night. Stockton was treated for a high fever and other symptoms of a virus.
Blackman said jokingly, "This whole week, I had a voodoo doll of Karl and I kept sticking his leg. Now, it's proof that it worked."
If Malone had pulled out of the game before being injured, the NBA might have demanded that he play - just like Barkley. Barkley's controversy started Sunday, when he announced he would stay home this weekend to rest a groin injury. NBA commissioner David Stern threatened to suspend Barkley if he played in three regular-season games during the week and skipped the All-Star Game.
Not coincidentally, Barkley's announcement came on the same day as football's Pro Bowl was held with several top players choosing not to play.
"I understand (NBA officials') point of view - I'm not saying they're right," Barkley noted. "They don't want a Pro Bowl situation. Now that I'm here, I'm not going to sit around and gripe about it all weekend."
Asked about Malone, Barkley said, "I just got hurt too early - I should have waited until the last minute before the break."
Malone's All-Star story was a two-week saga. When he learned Jan. 25 that the Lakers' A.C. Green would start in his place following fan balloting, Malone threatened to boycott the game. Two days later, after scoring 61 points against Milwaukee, he said he'd play when the Western Conference coaches chose him as a reserve.
Green became an innocent victim. After all, he never claimed to be a better player than Malone, but here he is, having to defend his selection. "It's nothing that Karl or I asked for," he said. "I'm here; I don't regret it."
Green's presence in Miami knocks out a more worthy forward like Buck Williams or Terry Cummings - but Stern still chose Blackman to fill in for Malone.
So Malone ends up staying away from Miami, but not as a result of his original threat. Sensing the irony of the whole sequence, he said late Thursday, "Maybe I wasn't supposed to go."