For those who think Malone was considering Dallas.

[Mavs_fun_fan]

Here is a interview by Malone's agent on July 10th. Malone never had any other team in mind other than the Lakers.




Article Published: Thursday, July 10, 2003 - 7:59:11 PM PST



Mailman takes new route
Malone agrees to Lakers' $1.5 million slot

By Howard Beck
Staff Writer


The long tease ended Thursday, and preparations for the long, raucous party to come began.

Karl Malone finally committed to the Lakers, 48 hours after Gary Payton did the same, and a dynasty on pause just hit play again.

Soon, the best tandem in the NBA will double in size, and the Lakers will pursue their next title behind four probable Hall of Famers: Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, Malone and Payton.

The new arrivals, both all-time greats lacking only a championship on their resumes, will make it official Wednesday when the NBA lifts its moratorium on contract signings.

"Karl's now a Laker," agent Dwight Manley said Thursday afternoon. "Technically, after he signs the contract, but mentally he considers himself a Laker. And he's ecstatic."

So, too, was O'Neal, who spoke with Manley earlier in the day.

There is only happy tension in the Lakers front office. General manager Mitch Kupchak is days away from completing the franchise's most spectacular haul since 1996, when the Lakers signed O'Neal away from Orlando and acquired Bryant from Charlotte.

By rule, Kupchak can't say much until Wednesday. And by nature, he won't be comfortable until pen meets paper and a band of notaries signs off.

But the commitments are in hand. Manley called officials from the Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs and Sacramento Kings to inform them Malone was off the market. Their 11th-hour efforts to scuttle the Malone-Payton package had only delayed the inevitable.

The Lakers "were at the top of his list" from the start, Manley said. "But the other situations kept getting more and more aggressive."

Some teams proposed sign-and-trade deals that could have netted Malone much more than the $1.5 million he'll take from the Lakers. Manley said he passed on "well over $10 million" after making $19.3 million last season.

It appears the Fab Four's run might be quite short, however.

Although the Lakers have offered Payton a four-year deal -- worth about $22 million -- Payton is proposing a one-year deal with a second-year option.

Payton is hoping for one more big payday, which he never will get with the budget-strapped Lakers. As he told the Seattle Times on Thursday: "I'll get all of my money next year. This will probably be a one-year thing anyway."

Malone, who turns 40 in two weeks, also is likely to sign for two years, with perhaps only the first year guaranteed.

To the Lakers, Malone's announcement represented relief. To the Utah Jazz, despair. To Western Conference rivals, a potential nightmare.

But it was a surprise to no one. Malone's decision came across as anticlimactic, even overdue.

As a team source said four days ago, Malone-to-the-Lakers had been considered "a done deal" for some time. All the drama since then -- Payton's commitment, late attempts by rivals to lure Malone away -- only heightened the hype.

It never distorted the reality, which is that the Lakers had been Malone's No. 1 choice the moment he decided to cut ties with Utah, his home for 18 years.

"He's always had a good relationship with Shaq," Manley said. "They both have Louisiana ties. Karl, one of the dreams he's always had is to play with a dominant big man, and in the case of Shaq being the dominant big man, that was just incredibly appealing.

"I told Shaq, 'Karl has 100 reasons to come to the Lakers, but the first three reasons were Shaq, Shaq and Shaq.' "

The Lakers seized the opportunity.

Kupchak dispatched Magic Johnson to recruit both Malone and Payton. Then Johnson took an extraordinary step: He offered to unretire his No. 32 jersey for Malone. Malone wore No. 32 for his entire Jazz career and plans to accept the gesture. Johnson's jersey was retired in 1992.

"He was into it," said a friend of Johnson's.

Not since he moved to the front office as a minority owner has Johnson been so deeply involved in player recruitment.

"It was needed," the friend said. "This is the first time it was really needed."


The Lakers "were at the top of his list" from the start, Manley said.As a team source said four days ago, Malone-to-the-Lakers had been considered "a done deal" for some time. All the drama since then -- Payton's commitment, late attempts by rivals to lure Malone away -- only heightened the hype."I told Shaq, 'Karl has 100 reasons to come to the Lakers, but the first three reasons were Shaq, Shaq and Shaq

[Razor]

Malone-to-the-Lakers had been considered "a done deal" for some time

[JoshHoward5]

I'm glad he didn't go. We would have had to move Dirk to sf.

[MFFL]

Of course Malone is going to say that NOW. What did you think he would say "I would have went to the Mavs but they didn't show me any respect"?

You always tell the fans of the team you just joined that they were your first choice.

[kg_veteran]

Originally posted by: MFFL
Of course Malone is going to say that NOW. What did you think he would say "I would have went to the Mavs but they didn't show me any respect"?

You always tell the fans of the team you just joined that they were your first choice.

Exactly. The more accurate way to gauge his intentions as of about three to four weeks ago would be to find quotes from that timeframe. And those quotes indicated that he wanted very much to come to Dallas.

[dude1394]

Sounds like dimocrats yelling about the 16 words. So WHAT would it take for malones words NOW to change your impression of what you think malones were then??

So how about this, malone wanted the mavs to get messed up. That's easily as believable as either of the options being put out here.

[Drbio]

We can easily refute this with Malones comments on KLRD right after the season where he said Dallas was his top choice. There have been other comments as well. I agree 100% with MFFL. WTF is going to say? This is stupid. He's a leaker now. Who gives a crap?

[Rod1975]

Payton is hoping for one more big payday, which he never will get with the budget-strapped Lakers. As he told the Seattle Times on Thursday: "I'll get all of my money next year. This will probably be a one-year thing anyway."

Sounds like the Glove thinks they already won the championship.......frickin egomaniacal ass

[Mavs_fun_fan]

Originally posted by: Drbio
We can easily refute this with Malones comments on KLRD right after the season where he said Dallas was his top choice. There have been other comments as well. I agree 100% with MFFL. WTF is going to say? This is stupid. He's a leaker now. Who gives a crap?

Let me see it goes like this. Malone is in Dallas on the radio and he lists Dallas as his top choice (borrowing MFFL's logic) WTF else is he going to say. I wouldn't play in Dallas if you gave me the city? And on the 10th after turning down as much as 10 million bucks from other teams he signs with the Lakers for 1.5 million, His agent states that Malone wanted to be a Laker "from the start" yet this is suppose to be for the fans sake? Answer me did Malone eat the 8.5 million difference for the sake of the fans also?

The reason I posted this is because I also feel it's stupid, but IMO what is stupid is to presume the Mavericks had some major influence on Malone going to the Lakers. when you take off the blinders the facts point to a plan by Malone thought out well in advance of the free agency period that included allowing the Laker to sign it's # 1 priority a point guard name Gary Payton. notice I said #1 priority making Malone the Lakers #2 priority at best, however; in reality the Lakers never considered Malone until he made the proposal to Mitch Kupchak. How some of you guys twist this around and blame this on the Maverick's management is what is stupid.......... [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img]

[Drbio]

I am 100% confident that Malone would be a Maverick if we had gone to him right out of the gate and asked him to come here.


And for the record, Malone said Dallas was at the top of his list while he was in Utah. It was before the signing period and Dallas could have no formal contact with him. Don't twist the facts please.

[Super Frentz]

youre insane if you think for one minute that it was anything more than a good idea to go after malone from the start. youre saying that he was thebest option for us out there?? of course u can say now, "well if we went after him from the start, he might have been a mav...". he wasnt the guy we wanted period. he was a fall back option. of course cuban wanted zo, so he went all out for zo; and of course he prolly still kept on talk with karl. probaly cuban going to zo in miami said more about where his focus was than anything, and you cant ever fault cuban for that. karl is a tool and has always been and you can convince me for a minute that he wanted to be a mav; the team that hes been antagonizing his entire career.people have been so used to blaming things on mav management that they just start the process before they even hear the real story: just check the cuban interview thread. people knee jerk all over the place.

Lakers are a team of egos anyway. Whats 2 more gonna do them...

[Mavs_fun_fan]

Another article dated 7/17 in which Kupchak states that 2 weeks before Malone told him he would play for 1.5 million. That puts the meeting on 7/3. enjoy......



July 17, 2003 E-mail story Print


LAKER NOTES
Even Kupchak Surprised by Malone's Gesture


By Tim Brown, Times Staff Writer


Until Karl Malone offered, it had not occurred to General Manager Mitch Kupchak — to anyone but Malone, it seems — that Malone and Gary Payton would come to the Lakers in the same off-season.

In fact, Kupchak said Wednesday, he at times doubted that the Lakers — well over the NBA salary cap and therefore severely limited in what they could bid — would be particularly attractive to either, financially speaking.

But, two weeks ago, over lunch, Malone said he would play for $1.5 million, if the larger chunk went to Payton. The Lakers, then, were free to offer Payton a contract that would start at $4.9 million, still light by NBA superstar standards.

"Quite frankly," Kupchak said, "I didn't expect to get either one for just the mid-level [exception]."

On Tuesday night, several Laker executives — Kupchak, Ronnie Lester, Bill Bertka and John Black — sat in a hotel room, Malone on the telephone, everyone leaning in, everyone with their eye on the other side of the room. In the previous several days, with both having committed to the Lakers, Payton would call and ask if Malone was still in, and Malone would call and ask the same of Payton.

"When Gary walked through the door," Kupchak recalled, "I said, 'We did it.' "

The contracts were signed, and Kupchak breathed again.

"I could never have gone to a player of his stature and asked him to play for [$1.5 million]," Kupchak said. "I would have expected to be hung up on.

"That is so unique, to have a player such as Karl step forward and say, 'I'll take less. Give him more.' That's unique. That's the beauty of this thing. Karl and Gary are older and they know what they want. There's no guarantee it'll work. Nothing is ever guaranteed. But I think it has a chance."

END



This article shows that the entire plan for Malone and Payton to sign with the Laker's was Karl Malone's idea. Malone had to convince Kupchak that his plan (Malone's plan) could be done. Seems some people on this forum are convinced that the Laker's great plan was executed while the Mavericks plan failed. Since the plan was Malone's all along do we still consider the Laker's grand plan as their success?


By KEVIN DING
The Orange County Register


It was just moments after Dwight Manley, Karl Malone's agent, had spoken the words over the phone line and into Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak's ear that Malone would consider coming for so little money that Gary Payton could come, too.

Kupchak stood up in a bit of a daze and wandered over to the office of his assistant, Ronnie Lester.

"Can we get both these guys?" Kupchak asked Lester.

Kupchak and Lester concluded they had to take Manley's suggestion seriously. They decided to adjust their plan of signing just one top free agent and make it a possibility they could sign two.

"Remote, but a possibility," Kupchak said Wednesday, looking back two weeks.

Not long after that surprise, Kupchak met face to face with Manley and Malone - at which point it got "even worse," Kupchak said.

With Manley giving Malone the freedom to do his own talking - incredibly rare in the NBA world of agents and free agents - Malone laid out his plan simply.

"He was so convinced and sold on this city, this team, Kobe (Bryant) and Shaquille (O'Neal) and the rest of the guys," Kupchak said.

Kupchak remembers literally shaking his head and thinking: "Can this be real?"

Then came what could be one of the most pivotal moments in NBA history if the 2003-04 Lakers live up to their great expectations.

Malone sat there observing Kupchak's reaction. And in that confident yet down-home manner of his, Malone let a sparkle come to his eyes and resumed the conversation.

"You don't look like you're believing me," he said.

"Karl, put yourself in my shoes. This is really unusual to hear as a GM."

"Well, you don't know me very well."

"I guess I don't," Kupchak said. "But I'm starting to."

And with that, a seed of trust was planted that would carry this unlikely scenario to its big finish: Malone and Payton are set to be introduced as Lakers in a news conference today at Staples Center.

Kupchak went on to find Payton in possession of a similarly refreshing attitude about winning with the Lakers.

Neither player went back on his word despite desperate wrenches thrown into Kupchak's new plan by other clubs. Each player wound up turning down roughly $20 million in current and future contract money from other clubs.

"I didn't think in our wildest dreams," Kupchak said Wednesday, "we could get these two players."

Speaking of himself, Manley, Malone, Payton and Payton's agents Aaron and Eric Goodwin, Kupchak also said: "As time went on, more so than anything, we developed a certain degree of trust that is kind of unusual."

END



I guess this means that Malone was so angry that the Mavericks didn't consider him their first option that he got with Payton their agents and hatched the idea of both signing with the Laker's. Then went to LA and convinced Kupchak to do the deal on 7/3. Amazing that he was so "sold and convinced on Shaq and Kobe" since this was all a result of the Maverick's not considering him their first priority. Who would have thought the Maverick's were setting into motion such a whirlwind. And caused Malone to conceive such a plan in just three days. In addition to leaving 20 million dollars on the table between the two players. Get Real.................

[Drbio]

Post all the articles you want, you aren't changing any minds. Articles with evidence the other way are out there too.

Let it go. You will not make a point here.

[Mavs_fun_fan]

Originally posted by: Drbio
Post all the articles you want, you aren't changing any minds. Articles with evidence the other way are out there too.

Let it go. You will not make a point here.

Thanks! I'll take your advice into consideration. I've looked for all the other articles you speak of and I find that they are not there. Only one interview that Malone states Dallas is high up the list and the list is not long. I presume the Laker's were on that list also. While I don't really see Malone as the answer for the Maverick's I find it baffling that somehow one statement about Dallas being on his list is evidence he preferred Dallas when all Malone's statements made about the Laker's being his first choice mean he's lying. I guess maybe you guys are clairvoyant. If all this evidence is out there post it, I'm open minded and have on many occassions admitted to mistakes. I also have witnessed false information being used to serve some other agenda. If that's not what's going on prove it or else "give it up" as you said.

[MFFL]

Originally posted by: Mavs_fun_fan
Another article dated 7/17 in which Kupchak states that 2 weeks before Malone told him he would play for 1.5 million. That puts the meeting on 7/3. enjoy.

Thanks for proving our point. Since 7/3 is AFTER the date that Cuban went to Florida then it looks like Malone decided to narrow his options AFTER we narrowed ours.

[dude1394]

There is certainly the ACTUAL fact that he took only 1.5 million to play for them. Taking an 18million dollar paycut has to count for something.

[MFFL]

Since NOBODY was going to offer him $19.5M again then it was only the DEGREE of the paycut. Malone took, at most, a $3.5M paycut. That might seem to be a lot of money to you and me but Malone has made a lot of money during his career.

[dude1394]

Originally posted by: Drbio
Post all the articles you want, you aren't changing any minds.

Boy THAT's for sure, never happens around here.

[dude1394]

Originally posted by: MFFL
Since NOBODY was going to offer him $19.5M again then it was only the DEGREE of the paycut. Malone took, at most, a $3.5M paycut. That might seem to be a lot of money to you and me but Malone has made a lot of money during his career.

Don't believe it. I think he would have easily gotten 8 million just from utah.

[MFFL]

Originally posted by: dude1394

Don't believe it. I think he would have easily gotten 8 million just from utah.

I don't think so. Every newspaper report had Malone and the owner of the Jazz at each other's throats. Utah wanted to use the cap money to rebuild, not keep Malone.

[Mavs_fun_fan]

Originally posted by: MFFL

Thanks for proving our point. Since 7/3 is AFTER the date that Cuban went to Florida then it looks like Malone decided to narrow his options AFTER we narrowed ours.

Wow! that is some evidence you bring to the debate, however; if you read both articles and understand Malone had already discussed his plan with Payton and both players agents. Well I was going to say you do the math, But maybe thats asking a little to much.........

[one long blue sock]

Originally posted by: dude1394

Boy THAT's for sure, never happens around here.

Oh yes, god forbid we look at someone else's point of view for a change. That would just be logical.

[MFFL]

Originally posted by: Mavs_fun_fan

Wow! that is some evidence you bring to the debate, however; if you read both articles and understand Malone had already discussed his plan with Payton and both players agents. Well I was going to say you do the math, But maybe thats asking a little to much.........

Oh horrors of horrors. You have insulted my math skills. I am forever crushed.

And your logic is overwhelming. My goodness. There is NO POSSIBLE WAY to read the articles except the way that you do. You are the goddess of Mavs basketball.

[TwoDeep3]

MFFL

Just a heads up...if you wish to find fault in language, then check for the F-Bombs first. They should be the first things you send to the moderators.

And notice I don't use those, thanks.

[OutletPass]

Two Deep3...I've been away fom the board for a couple of days and came back to find some of the worst and most ridiculous language that I've seen in long time.

If you have a point to make, make it...and please do so without reference to "swinging p*****". "popping P******, panties in your *** ***** or "kiss my ***"

This is not your dirty little playground or YOUR TOILET...it's a community with people of all religious persuasions, ages and genders. Don't you have one shred of decency and respect for others in you ? There's also no need to point fingers at any "clan, ilk ,...or anything like that. It's a childish.simplistic and immature way to look at all of us who post here.

Let people speak their minds about management. It's a free country and frankly, since my money goes to the Mavs, I can say what I please. And so can anyone else. Most of us seem to manage our differences without genital or body function references...excepting you and David, of course.

I appreciate a guy like Dude1394 who can come on...express a deep difference with others...and do it in a non-vulgar way. He's respected by me for that and has always been.

Frankly, I hope you get banned for a long time. Your mouth is way out of control and I don't think you need to say one word about language to MFFL, or anyone else, until you clean up yours.

[FilthyFinMavs]

It was obvious Malone was never coming here. Why would he pass up the Spurs who are NBA champs to come and play for the Mavs? Because he knew exactly what his intentions were. If Payton goes ot the Lakers which everyone knew than if he were to join they are favs to win it and no other team has a chance. IF I am Malone im th inking why would I want to play backup to Dirk? I don't care if you start Dirk at the 3 he won't finish the game that especially since he is our best rebounder. Why would you put your best rebounder at the 3 position? I will say this Malone would've been good for his leadership and he could've hoped for him to turn Raef and Bradley around but the Mavs and Malone have a history. A bad history. Who stopped them from going to the 2nd round 3 seasons ago? Who drafted Detleft Schmrepf instead of Malone? So what does Malone do when Malone says he wants to play with Kidd? Payback is a bitch. IMO Malone had no intentions of coming here and yes he may have said he would like to play for Dallas but hell wasn't it on a Dallas radio station? Like Mavsfunfan said it is no different then him saying above that his top choice were the Lakers the whole time. Put yourself in Malone's situation. Would you want to play in LA with the 2 most dominant players in the game or play for the Mavs? Remember answer as if you weren't a Mavs fan.

[dude1394]

Unfortunatley I agree. I had really hoped he would come in and kick our bigs around.

But I certainly hope his AND paytons stay in LA is fruitless. That would be quite nice and well deserved by all.

[superheadcat]

at first i did not understand why mavs don't pursue him first. but the more i read about his decision to join lakers, the less i believe he actually ever seriously wanted to join mavs.

maybe cuban/nellie know something we don't know when the fa market started.

[dude1394]

maybe cuban/nellie know something we don't know when the fa market started.

No WAY!! Murphy says that they've been clueless for 5 years now. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]