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| Karl Malone told the Los Angeles Lakers he's not ready to play, but he didn't rule out returning sometime this season or beyond. "Karl's not playing, but he's also not retiring," Malone's agent, Dwight Manley, said Friday. "He's leaving his options open. Nothing's carved in stone. "He will be 100 percent physically in the next couple months and his skills are obviously still great. He still could play this year. Anything's possible -- the door is still open." The 41-year-old Malone, the second-leading scorer in NBA history, underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in late June. Malone opted out of his $1.65 million contract with the Lakers at season's end, making him a free agent. Several teams, including San Antonio, Minnesota and Miami, expressed interest. Malone and Manley had lunch with Lakers owner Jerry Buss on Thursday to let him know Malone wouldn't be at training camp, but that he wouldn't sign with another team, either. Buss offered Malone an unspecified job with the Lakers, Manley said. The Lakers open camp Tuesday at the University of San Diego. Their first preseason game is Oct. 12 against Seattle in Anaheim, and they open the regular season Nov. 2 at home against Denver. Manley said if Malone does return to play in the NBA, it will only be with the Lakers. "He doesn't want to move his family," the agent said |