Malone Out for a While

After weeks of optimism, Laker officials said Thursday they don’t expect Karl Malone to return until mid-to-late March, raising concerns that the team won’t be in sync when the playoffs start two or three weeks later.

Malone, 40, underwent a second series of MRI exams Monday. Those showed the same medial collateral ligament damage in his right knee that a previous test did, administered Dec. 22, the day after Malone suffered his injury.

However, team publicist John Black acknowledged Wednesday the organization had been “overly optimistic” in its initial predictions that Malone could return in four to six weeks. Malone has been under the care of team physician Steve Lombardo and recently sought and received a second opinion. Neither doctor recommended surgery, though Malone’s return date was pushed back at least a month.

The team also has changed its description of the injury, calling it a torn ligament. Previously, it was called a sprained ligament. A sprain, technically, is a tear, according to Laker medical personnel, and it should not be assumed they have discovered a greater injury in Malone’s knee.

The Lakers were 20-5 when Malone began his rehabilitation, 7-10 after Wednesday night’s win over the Seattle SuperSonics. If he were able to play by March 15, Malone could play 16 games before the playoffs. In the meantime, the Lakers will have to lean more on Horace Grant and Slava Medvedenko at power forward and could seek frontcourt help outside the organization.

The front office has had conversations about several players, including Scott Williams, Cherokee Parks and Tyrone Hill. The Phoenix Suns waived Williams on Wednesday. Coincidentally, it was Williams who stumbled and fell on Malone’s knee on the night of Dec. 21, causing the first serious injury of Malone’s career.

In Williams’ regard, Jackson cited the team’s lack of depth in the frontcourt and Williams’ experience with their system. Williams played for the Chicago Bulls for four seasons in the early ‘90s. Williams would like to play for the Dallas Mavericks, according to various reports.

“I’m getting better,” Malone said. “Slowly but surely.”

It appears the Lakers will play more than half their season without Malone, who averaged 14 points and 9.5 rebounds before his injury. In recent days, the Lakers had stated they’d hoped to have Malone back by the All-Star break or immediately thereafter.

He is scheduled to have the knee examined Feb. 16, but playing time might not come for at least a month after that.

Fooled many times in the past five-plus weeks, Malone refused to offer a timetable for recovery.

“Considering what we know now, it’s a long time,” he said. “It’s a long injury.”

Asked how much time he’d need with his teammates to be comfortable going into the playoffs, he said, “As long as I can get. I was just starting to get a little grasp of it. I hate to do it to the guys, but I’m sure we’ll be practicing a little more when I get back. Sorry guys.”

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The NBA announces its All-Star starters today for the game to be held Feb. 15 at Staples Center, and it is possible that the only Laker among them will be Kobe Bryant.

Houston’s Yao Ming was about 24,000 votes behind Shaquille O’Neal when the partial results were released two weeks ago. And while O’Neal braced for the online impact of Yao’s massive international appeal, it is the paper ballot that could ultimately earn O’Neal a reserve All-Star role for the second consecutive year.

Allotted 180,000 All-Star ballots to be distributed during games at Staples Center and other events, the Lakers recently submitted only about 4,000 punched ballots, according to league and team sources, believed to be the least in the 29-team NBA.

Gary Payton was third among Western Conference guards behind Bryant and Houston’s Steve Francis at the last tabulation. His chances to start -- or participate at all -- in the game might also be harmed by what appears to be limited interest by those who attend Laker games.

According to Laker officials, the organization, despite promotions, announcements and advertisements, rarely returns many ballots. Last season, for example, about 14,000 completed paper ballots were sent back to the league office and Yao edged O’Neal and started the game in Atlanta.

Team officials cited a handful of reasons for the fans’ apparent lack of interest in the All-Star process.

Among them, very few fans actually receive tickets. The Lakers received 1,100 tickets to be distributed among their season-ticket holders, all of the seats in the upper bowl, at a cost of $200 per ticket. The team is holding a lottery for those tickets.

It could be debated, a team source said, that Los Angeles, already a city of movie, television and NBA stars, is not easily impressed by an All-Star event.

Also, according to an arena source, during the monthlong voting in the concourses at Staples Center, there have been instances of confusion as to whether certain ballots were collected during Laker games or Clipper games.