In the era of the FAX and the cellular phone, the Utah Jazz got business done with guard Jeff Malone in a hurry the old-fashioned way: Face-to-face, Jazz owner Larry H. Miller speaking directly to Malone and his father Elvin.
The only things missing were the kitchen table and checkered curtains.It was that July 24 Salt Lake City meeting - which also included Malone's agent, David Falk, Jazz counsel Phil Marantz, player personnel director Scott Layden and general manager Tim Howells - that cemented the new five-year relationship.
"The crucial part was sitting down face-to-face with Larry," said Malone. "He told me how he felt, and I told him how I felt. Larry's a hands-on guy."
"From my perspective," said Howells, "it was very important for him to be able to hear Larry's thoughts. We've got an owner who's a very fair guy, and we can sit down with a player and agent and have them see and feel what we're all about."
"I really wish all players' parents could have that opportunity," said Elvin Malone. He considers it unique in the NBA for a father to sit in on contract negotiations and says his son told him he'd hoped to complete his career in a Jazz uniform.
Friday morning at the Jazz's Triad Center offices, Malone took a step in that direction when he signed a five-year contract, worth about $2 million a year.
That completes the Jazz's major business of the summer. They now have 12 players signed to contracts, as well as a conditional offer with Andy Toolson. It was the third contract signing of the week, following agreements with Eric Murdock and David Benoit, and the fourth of the summer, including Mike Brown. Obviously, they can't keep them all, and Howells said the Jazz will make decisions based on putting the best possible team on the floor.
Free-agent negotiations often go into September or later in the NBA, but Malone, who was traded to the Jazz by the Washington Bullets June 27, 1990, said at a Friday news conference that he wanted to deal only with the Jazz, though his agent did speak to three other teams.
If negotiations had gone until late August or early September, said Malone, he'd have asked his agent to contact other teams, but as it turned out, "I didn't do a whole lot of approaching," Malone said.
He preferred to stay with Utah because of its success - "It's time to take it a step higher," he says - and because of its unity. "It's like a big family here, and that won me over more than anything," said Malone, who considers his father a close friend.
"I'm very glad this is behind me. Now I can focus on next season," Malone added, saying it will be easier for him than last season, when he came to a new team and had to fit in. He has already done more physical training this summer than last, when he was busy with the move and excited and apprehensive about it. "If I didn't work out, it would be a total disaster for my career," he remembers thinking.
Malone blames some of last year's injury problems that caused him to miss 13 games on that light summer workout schedule.
He's lifted weights and run this summer.
Howells was impressed when Elvin Malone told him that Jeff even did his running Friday morning prior to the news conference.
Howells said Malone's injury last year was a major concern in the contract negotiations, but Howells notes Malone's passed a physical and is obviously working on conditioning. He says trainer Don Sparks was elated at Malone's treadmill-test results.
After getting married Aug. 31 and taking a two-week honeymoon, Jeff Malone said he'll increase his workouts and begin playing basketball with friends in Macon, Ga., free from worries about his future.
"That's part of the benefit of getting this done early," said Howells, who said the Jazz feel urgency to capitalize on the talents of John Stockton and Karl Malone in the primes of their careers.
Howells credits the new Delta Center for helping the Jazz bring their players into the fold so quickly. "The anticipated revenue enables us to do some things," Howells says. "What would we do if we were in the Salt Palace next year? I don't think there's any doubt but what this type of thing could not take place."