Malone won't return to the Lakers because of Kobe's comments

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LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Karl Malone has ruled out a return to the Los Angeles
Lakers because of comments made by Kobe Bryant in a radio interview,
Malone's agent said Tuesday.

``Karl is furious,'' agent Dwight Manley said. ``He felt very disrespected
and betrayed after personally being the first to stand up for Kobe over the
last year throughout his rape charge and all he went through.''

Manley said remarks made by Bryant on Monday, coupled with what the agent
called ``recent personal attacks made in private,'' led Malone to his
decision.

Asked if Malone might play elsewhere, Manley replied: ``This certainly opens
up that possibility.''

Bryant told XTRA on Monday he didn't believe Malone, who is recovering from
knee surgery, would come back to the Lakers, calling it ``just intuition.''

``It's not really fair to hold it over the guys' heads that are here,''
Bryant said. ``The guys that we have here are working hard, practicing hard
every day. It's kind of tough for them to be looking over their shoulder,
wondering if he's going to come back and then everybody is going to
disappear.

``They are here giving me 110 percent. It's really not fair for us to sit
around and speculate how long this is going to go on. I mean, you can't sit
up here and speculate for the remainder of the season whether or not he is
going to come back. I mean, that's not fair to the guys that are working
here.''

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said in a statement he hoped Manley's
comments did not accurately reflect Malone's feelings about returning to the
Lakers.

``If so, it is unfortunate that he would make such a decision based on the
reason given,'' the statement added. ``Kobe Bryant's interview ... merely
reflected his personal opinion that Karl would probably not return to play
this season. Kobe did not at any time state that Karl was not returning, nor
was Kobe speaking on behalf of the Lakers management or organization.''

``Karl sacrificed financially to come to L.A., he sacrificed personally,''
Manley said. ``He put his name and reputation on the line, put his arm
around Kobe and said he was a good kid, tried to be his friend, told people
to give him the benefit of the doubt.

``And now, basically, to get stabbed in the back, that's how he feels. This
has ended any possibility of Karl returning to the Lakers in any capacity.''

``Karl will have something to say, probably in the next month or so, about
his future,'' Manley said. ``It will likely be after the first of the year.
I'm personally crossing my fingers that he decides to play.''

From: rmjon23.RemoveThis@aol.comicrelief (RMJon23)
Date: 12/7/2004 8:03 P.M. Pacific Standard Time

>>Lallia, on AOL:
>>oh geez...Karl is being a bit too sensitive. get over yourself,
Karl.<

Godzilla 1171, on AOL:
>I wouldnt want to play with a rapist either

Sports Fan, on non-imbecilic ISP:
>>Damn those AOL'ers one calls someone a rapist when he was not found
guilty and the other retard "looneytoon" (the nym fits) immediately
assumed that it is all true and it is Kobe's fault.<<

rmjon23, on AOL:
I think you've proven beyond all doubt that "AOLers" are all just a
bunch of
damned, stoopid nitwits. Thanks so much for your fine work and
analytical
skills, and don't let up on Them.

THEY should never be allowed to be judged by the content of Their
individual
posts. THE ISP's the thing wherein you'll catch the conscience of the
ding-a-lings.

Very impressive, Sports Fan, but then we've come to expect nothing
short of
brilliant, gleaming gem after gem from anyone and everyone w/Your ISP.

ISPs Uber Alles!!!<<

You can add me to the list of "judged because of my ISP". This debate
tactic is tantamount to "my dad's bigger than your dad." For
someone to judge an individual because of the ISP he or she uses is a
pathetic excuse to take a cheap shot and is usually done because they
cannot address the issue at hand. There are tens of millions of people
who use AOL as their "base" and the membership includes doctors,
lawyers, college professors, artists, Mensa members, and many many
intelligent people who have chosen to subscribe to AOL for one reason
or another. In my case, I travel a lot. AOL is pretty easy to connect
to no matter where you go unlike other services that don't have as
many local access areas. Yet, according to some, that immediately
brands me as substandard because of the ISP I'm with. Reminds me a
lot of the SNL sketch where Jimmy Fallon is the company computer geek
who criticizes everyone for not placing computers at the top of their
food pyramid. It's just a sketch and does stereotype computer
experts as snobs and social cripples, but comedy usually reflects a
great deal of truth.

As corny as it sounds, when it comes to the Usenet I choose to judge
people on the content of their posts rather than the onramp that got
them here.