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Spurs Miss Out On Malone, But Land Mohammed

Authored by Patrick J. Austin - February 27, 2005 - 7:04 pm

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In a surprising turn of events, Karl Malone opted for retirement rather than one more shot at a championship with the Spurs. Malone went on record as saying his decision was between San Antonio or calling it quits.

He was seriously considering a comeback but felt his rehabbed knee couldn’t stand the rigors of the regular season and playoffs. I was disappointed by the news. He and Duncan would have a made a great duo; but in the end, he didn’t want to risk his health any further. You have to respect that choice. Malone understands there’s life after basketball.

Once San Antonio received word that Malone was off the market, R.C. Buford went to work and pulled off a brilliant deal at the trading deadline. He dealt Malik Rose and two future first round picks to the New York Knicks in exchange for Nazr Mohammed.

To say Buford fleeced Isiah Thomas would be an understatement. Not only did the Spurs acquire a starting caliber center who’s entering the prime years of his career, but they also got rid of their worst contract in Rose. Don’t get me wrong, I was a big Malik fan, but he wasn’t living up to that big contract and lost his spot in the rotation to the aging Tony Massenburg.

Dealing away two first round picks could come back to haunt the franchise, but the selections will probably be at the bottom end of the first round. The chances they turn into anyone special is minimal at best, especially when you consider the Knicks haven’t done a great job at drafting over the last few years (i.e. Fredrick Weis, Mike Sweetney, Maciej Lampe, Slavko Vranes, etc.).

It would have been fun to see Malone come back and pair up with Duncan, but acquiring a guy like Nazr Mohammed is a great consolation prize. If teams weren’t afraid of the Spurs before, they should be now.