It’s official. After months of rumors and speculation, the Nets and Alonzo Mourning made it official yesterday.
‘Zo will give it a go on a comeback from a kidney transplant. The team announced that Mourning, 34, who left the game last November after suffering renal failure that required a transplant, will report to the Nets’ training camp next month in hopes of resuming his career.
“I am feeling great and am excited about attending training camp and possibly resuming my career,” Mourning said in a statement released by the team.
“We look forward to Alonzo joining the Nets in training camp,” said team CEO Rod Thorn, who noted Mourning was traveling in “uncharted waters” in his comeback. “Hopefully, he will be able to resume his career and play at the high level he has in the past.”
If Mourning had stayed away, his salary would come off the Nets’ cap after the upcoming season – if an injured or ailing player is inactive for two years, he comes off the team’s salary cap. Mourning, signed as a free agent last summer, is still owed for three years at about $17 million, including $5.04M this season.
A return by Mourning could prove invaluable on many fronts. The Nets must pay him anyway, his contract was not insured because his kidney condition was pre-existing. The Nets are woefully thin in rebounding and shot-blocking after the departure of Kenyon Martin, who led the team in both areas. And Mourning was signed at the urging of Jason Kidd last year. Kidd, who is not expected back until December following left knee surgery, was upset after the trades of Martin and Kerry Kittles in cost-cutting measures. If Mourning is healthy and plays, he could placate the All-Star guard.
Mourning, in a recent interview, was quoted as saying he was told the Nets did not want him back as part of their cost-cutting measures. “Not true,” insisted Thorn, who claimed neither he nor other team execs told Mourning to stay away. Mourning, a 12-year veteran, played in 12 games last season before succumbing to his illness. He averaged 8.0 points and 2.3 rebounds while playing 17.9 minutes per game. He last played Nov. 22 and received a kidney donated by a relative Dec. 19.
