For starters, health is Mourning's goal

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

For starters, health is Mourning's goal
By Shira Springer, Globe Staff, 10/18/2003

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- It was one of those reactions that said everything.
When asked whether he wanted to start for the Nets this season, Alonzo
Mourning jerked his head back, rolled his eyes, and laughed. In his mind,
there could not be a more immaterial question. His body language appeared to
say, "Please, let's deal with issues that really matter. Let's not get hung up
on such trivial distinctions as starter versus bench player."

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When you've been diagnosed with a kidney disease that nearly ends your career
and likely will require a transplant, you understand what is truly important.

Mourning knows that may sound corny and cliched, but the sentiment remains
true as the regular season approaches and the New Jersey rotation starts to
take shape. He missed all of last season and played just 13 games in 2000-01
due to focal glomerulosclerosis. In mid-July, Mourning signed a four-year deal
worth $22.6 million with the Nets, hoping to restart his career and play for a
championship.

"It's a blessing in knowing where I've come from and where I am now," said
Mourning. "I know that I've had to overcome a lot of different obstacles just
to get to this point. It just pleases me to know that through perseverance you
can overcome any challenges that you're faced with. So, I just continue to
keep a positive attitude.

"A lot of people, when they're put in situations such as mine, and they're
dealing with any type of physical ailment, mentally they tend to give up. That
kind of speeds up the process even more, if you don't have the right mind-set.
But fortunately, the right positive approach was there [for me] to overcome
this situation and not succumb to it. That's where I started. That's how I
started building the foundation toward coming back. Then, my body just
followed my mind."

In the Nets' first three exhibition games, Mourning averaged 21 minutes,
including a high of 27 off the bench against Philadelphia. According to
Mourning, it was the first time in more than two years he played for that
long. Following the game, he told New Jersey coach Byron Scott he "felt
fantastic." But Mourning understands what he is up against.

One reason Mourning signed with the Nets was the close proximity to his
physician, Gerald Appel, who works at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New
York. The former All-Star center gets his blood chemistry checked every week,
and the results of those tests determine how doctors and Mourning will handle
his disease throughout the season. The obvious goal is to make sure Mourning
remains healthy enough to play at a high level. At the same time, even with
all the careful monitoring, Mourning knows how quickly the game can be taken
away.

"Everybody in here has an expiration date on their career," he said. "You just
don't know when it's going to happen. So, you've got to live life each day to
its fullest and get the best that you can out of the time that you're able to
step out on the court. It's a blessing for me to be able to come back out here
and do what I know and love, what I've been doing for over 20 years. So, I
treat it that way.

"I'm here to do anything that I'm capable of doing to help improve this team.
It's not about Alonzo Mourning. It's about the New Jersey Nets winning a
championship. I'm going to continue to try and do everything physically
possible to try and help improve this team's chances of winning the
championship. That's why I'm here. I told Coach Scott, `Use me at your
expense. All that I've got I'm going to give it and I'm going to continue to
work to give even more and more and more.' "

Scott does not have a defined role for Mourning. The only goal he has set
regarding the seven-time All-Star is playing him 20-24 minutes per game. If
Mourning and his body respond well to that kind of court time, Scott might
increase the center's minutes during the second half of the season. But for
now, Mourning simply remains focused on learning the Nets' system, which
demands a lot from its centers. According to Mourning, the New Jersey attack
often runs through its centers, and the team's big men have a lot of key
decisions to make.

Coming off the bench in last night's 95-90 loss to the Celtics, Mourning
played 21 minutes, scored 8 points, and grabbed 10 rebounds. Paul Pierce led
Boston with 30 points, including 18 for 18 from the line.

And what about starting?

"I don't care," said Mourning. "I've done all of that. I've been playing this
game for a long time. I've played on All-Star teams. I've played on Olympic
teams. I've been first-team All-NBA, Defensive Player of the Year. I've been
runner-up for MVP. I've been all of that. The only thing I haven't been yet is
an NBA champion. So, I'm trying to do anything and everything possible to try
and get to that level.

"That was the only reason I came back. I didn't have to come back and play
this game. I'm set for life. My family's set for life. I don't have to come
back and step on the court. But my wife knows I've still got a little fire
burning inside of me. I still feel like I have a lot to offer to this game.
And because I've been doing this for so long, it's difficult to just turn that
switch off and say, `Hey, that's it.' A lot of guys, when they stop their
career, they want to stop it on their own terms. I want to end my career on my
own terms. I don't want anything to force me out of the game."

Thanks,

Steve
sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx