Malone stands alone

By By

Tuesday, December 22, 1998 3:00 AM CST

NEW YORK (AP) -- Karl Malone called the NBA's latest offer ``fair" and ``decent." Patrick Ewing disagrees, and many other players are standing with him.

``That deal is the same deal we've been going over for the last two or three weeks -- maybe even longer," the New York Knicks star and union president said.

Malone was referring to a nine-page letter the league sent to players on Thursday, outlining the owners' concessions.

``They haven't changed their position one iota. All they did was make the numbers look great, but it's not a good deal," Ewing said.

The players' association negotiating committee held an internal meeting Monday, with about 125 players listening in on a conference call. The players gave union director Billy Hunter their thoughts should the sides meet in the near future.

Sonics center Jim McIlvaine, a Racine native, was among those who attended the union meeting in New York. He sided with Ewing.

``We came out on this morning's meeting the same," McIlvaine said at an event in Harlem where he and Ewing handed out Christmas presents to underprivileged children.

``We just wanted to clarify some things. There's a lot of stumbling blocks in order to make the deal and the big one is control," McIlvaine said.

Special Offer: Get 5 Weeks of the Journal Times for $7!