Chaplin

After signing a new contract with the Pacers...

Newfound respect for Reggie? Hmmm....

JJ Slim

OK, a couple of things about that. First, that seems to be a direct slam on Malone. I'm ok with that. Second, how much is this new contract and was there any other teams that would have paid him that much? And were there any championship contenders that would have paid him anything?

Brian in Mesa

What a load of crap.

The NBA is a business. When your contract is up, so is your obligation to the team you were contracted to play for. Then you either look to work out another contract with the team you were previously contracted with, or you find another to sign a contract with.

Going somewhere else to play is not "bailing on your franchise." Especially when you go somewhere with a much better chance to win a title.

Reggie is basically saying "I'd rather be a Pacer than win a title." Period.

__________________
HONEY BADGER DON'T CARE

Chaplin

Good questions. There's no word on how much he will make, although consensus is that it's a lot less than the 12mil he made last year.

Chaplin

Ugh. Laker homer! Laker homer!

Better take off those yellow-colored glasses BIM...

Brian in Mesa

It's likely that Reggie has no clue what he'll do when he retires, so he's kissing up to the Pacers' organization in hopes that they'll give him a position in the future.

__________________
HONEY BADGER DON'T CARE

Brian in Mesa

__________________
HONEY BADGER DON'T CARE

elindholm

Reggie is basically saying "I'd rather be a Pacer my entire career than win a title." Period.

Yeah, basically. There are (at least?) four different things an athlete can play for:

1. money
2. personal accomplishments
3. championships (or winning in general)
4. relationship with the community

For most, #1 and #2 are the dominant concern. #3 holds some special appeal to players who have already accomplished great things in #1 and #2 but been shut out of the winner's circle. #4 is usually ignored, but some athletes choose to embrace it. It looks like Miller is one of those, and I think that's nice to see.

The Pacers organization and their fans love Miller, as well they should -- it's hard to think of a more lethal pure shooter during the past 15 years. Miller is acknowledging that affection and showing that, to a degree, he feels the same way about his employers.

Malone's priorities are different, and he should do what he wants. I don't think that their decisions this summer make either Malone or Miller a better (or worse) player. But, from a fan's standpoint, Miller is certainly easier to root for, because he honors what his fans have given him throughout the years.

SunsCat

Yep. You hit it on the head, Chap'.

BIM, I've "known" you since Suns Backcourt over at Rivals & you're probably the coolest Laker fan I've conversed with so far, but your first post is definitely spoken like a fan of a team that just signed what otherwise would be a Utah lifer for peanuts.

Because of Malone's willingness to ride others' coattails, L.A. took advantage & swept away part of what was & what still could've been the very face of the Utah Jazz, plain & simple. Damned shame, despite my loathing for Malone & the Jazz.

That said, here's to hoping we can make Amare a Suns lifer.

elindholm

Oh, regarding the topic of the thread ("Still hate...?"), I've always liked Miller. But then, I've never had a big problem with Malone either.

Between the two, Miller is more fun to watch, for two reasons:

1. He is really an amazing shooter.

2. He plays at a hall-of-fame level with basically no muscles at all. I think I could beat him arm-wrestling. He almost looks like a girl. To me, that makes his accomplishments even more impressive.

Malone is an absolute brick of a human -- solid, cold, uncompromising, and minimally creative. The things I like best about him are his passing (which is underrated) and his work ethic. I have to believe that his astonishing record of good health is partly due to his unmatched commitment to staying in top condition. (It also helps that his game doesn't involve a lot of jumping.)

JCSunsfan

His sister has more muscle than he does (she looks more like a boy than he does too).

Brian in Mesa

Thanks for the props.

I just don't get why people are so rough on Karl Malone for leaving Utah to go to LA, at a personal sacrifice of $18 million (whether he "needs" it or not). He spent 18 seasons with the Jazz (2 more than Reggie has been with the Pacers...). That's like a lifetime in the NBA! He and Stockton took the Jazz as far as they could, and always gave all they had for the team, the city, and the fans. With Stockton gone, how odd would it have been to see just Malone? And how well was the team going to do? Would they compete for a title? Would Malone basically be on a team in the process of rebuilding? Would fans say "Yeah, we suck, but it sure is great to see Karl pouring in points on his way to the career scoring title..."? It would have been a very anticlimatic ending to a great career in Utah. So Karl said "Why don't I go and try to put the Lakers back on top (after all...Spurs are the reigning NBA Champs, not the Lakers), especially if Gary Payton will be there also (he implied that he would go there if GP was)?" Karl, by going to LA, will have a more difficult climb to the career scoring pinnacle he is after, but it gives him the best chance to win a title. And I don't think Karl is going to be riding the bench to a ring. If that was the case, I could understand the backlash. I think people just don't like Karl or the Lakers. Somehow I don't think you guys would be bagging on Karl if he had just signed on with the Suns and they had just won 3 of the past 4 titles.

__________________
HONEY BADGER DON'T CARE

Chaplin

Probably not as "odd" as seeing him in a Laker uniform...

hcsilla

Exactly my feelings.

fordronken

And by girl do you mean alien?