According to this article, Karl Malone has informed Lakers management that he is not going to exercise his option for a second year on his contract. Thus, Malone is a free agent.
So... anyone thinking retirement is exactly what's going to happen? Or was this simply a business decision? Is Malone betting that Kobe won't be back and thus the Lakers will be able to offer Malone more money to return for the 2004-05 season?
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Or he wants to see who the next coach is. Jackson is done, and if I had as much time vested in this league as he does, I would keep my options open.
God Bless Ronald Reagan, and may he rest in peace...
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For decades, American had waged a Cold War, and few believed it could possibly end in our own lifetimes. The president was one of those few. And it was the vision and the will of Ronald Reagan that gave hope to the oppressed, shamed the oppressors and ended an evil empire . . . Ronald Reagan was more than a historic figure. He was a providential man who came along just when our nation and the world most needed him.
Fellow Americans, here lies a graceful and a gallant man. - Dick Cheney, 6/9/2004
Reagan had a rare and prized gift called leadership, that ineffable and sometimes magical quality that sets some men and women apart so that millions will follow them as they conjure up grand visions and invite their countrymen to dream big and exciting dreams.-Brian Mulroney, 6/11/2004
Originally posted by SI.comKarl Malone became a free agent Wednesday by not informing the Los Angeles Lakers that he was exercising the option on his contract.
Why Wednesday, I wonder. Dont all the potential free agents (league-wide) become free agents on the same date, July 1?
For Malone to exercise his option would have been a terrible decision. Should he decide down the road that he wants to stay in LA for the money that deal would have paid him, I would imagine that option will always be there. At present, whether Kobe comes back is in question, whether Jackson comes back is in question, and whether the team can actually contend is in question. If Malone isn't retiring he'll either go get some more money, or he'll go somewhere with a chance to win for cheap to stay after the scoring record and the ring. None of those three options is facilitated by Malone picking up his option.
Originally posted by BigVitoMarkFor Malone to exercise his option would have been a terrible decision. Should he decide down the road that he wants to stay in LA for the money that deal would have paid him, I would imagine that option will always be there. At present, whether Kobe comes back is in question, whether Jackson comes back is in question, and whether the team can actually contend is in question. If Malone isn't retiring he'll either go get some more money, or he'll go somewhere with a chance to win for cheap to stay after the scoring record and the ring. None of those three options is facilitated by Malone picking up his option.
I think with the physical ailments, retirement is where he is leaning. Maybe if the Twolves or somebody knocked, he might consider it but I think he is done in LA.
Originally posted by SI.comKarl Malone became a free agent Wednesday by not informing the Los Angeles Lakers that he was exercising the option on his contract.
Why Wednesday, I wonder. Dont all the potential free agents (league-wide) become free agents on the same date, July 1?
All that means is that he told the Lakers of his plans ahead of time, which is almost a common courtesy in the NBA so that they can draft/plan/prepare to open their checkbook accordingly, with the news of that conversation leaking to the press.
Technically, he won't actually file for Free Agency until July 1.
No, he doesn't have to file at all. He's not opting out of the contract, he's refusing to opt back IN. By not filing to stay with the Lakers, he automatically became a free agent.
-Jag
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"It's almost as if they waited for him to die so he couldn't go ... `Shut the fuck up, that's not what I think!' " -Jon Stewart commenting on the sudden wealth of questions such as "Would President Reagan approve of the war in Iraq?" being posed by conservative pundits.
I would've called you a dirty, rotten liar if you'd have told me Iverson would be a Grizzly at the end of last year. However, his situation seems to be like T.