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Malone's Return in Doubt

Karl Malone's return to the basketball court could be months away, if he comes back at all.

The Los Angeles Lakers said Friday they don't know if the 41-year-old forward will play this season. Malone, who had surgery on his right knee at the end of June, is a free agent and reportedly is being pursued by several teams.

"Our understanding is he's not going to be ready to return for a couple months," Lakers spokesman John Black said. "We're hopeful he does decide to play another season and he decides to play for us."

Malone's agent, Dwight Manley, refused comment. In July, he disputed reports that Malone had decided to retire. The second-leading scorer in NBA history, Malone played 18 seasons with the Utah Jazz before joining the Lakers last summer.


Divac could be out for up to a Month with Injured Back

A recent MRI has revealed that newly acquired Lakers’ center, Vlade Divac, has a herniated disk in his back. The injury took place during an informal on-court drill at the HealthSouth Training Center.

"It's hard to determine what effect it's going to have," Laker General Manager Mitch Kupchak said. "… We're going to try and treat it conservatively. We're hoping that in two or three weeks he'll be fine. If he's not, we'll look to the next step."