Kori Ellis
11-06-2004, 03:11 AM
Mourning and Nets discuss buyout
Center, uncertain how long he can play, wants to sign with a winning team.
From Star news services
November 6, 2004
Uncertain of how long he'll be able to play after having a kidney transplant, Alonzo Mourning has asked the New Jersey Nets about a contract buyout so he could go to a team with a better chance of winning.
But Nets president Rod Thorn said Friday night the sides are so far apart "it's a dead issue."
"All I can do is continue to try and do what I do best: that's play the game of basketball," Mourning said before the Nets' game against Chicago. "I'm willing to sacrifice a ton of money in order to continue to do this somewhere else. Evidently they don't see it as an appropriate number for them. They want more."
The Nets signed Mourning to a four-year, $22.6 million guaranteed contract in July 2003. But he played only 12 games before retiring Nov. 24 because of complications from focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a kidney disease that was first diagnosed in 2000.
Mourning had a kidney transplant last Dec. 19, then announced he was going to play this season.
"There are a lot of people out there who are a whole lot less fortunate than I am, who had to go through the same situation and weren't as successful. They're on dialysis, waiting for a transplant," Mourning said. "This season is for them. I dedicate this season to them."
Mourning, 34, doesn't know how much playing time he has left. Though he said the only pain he feels is "typical game soreness," the All-Star center knows any game could be his last and he wants to win a championship.
That's unlikely to happen with the Nets, who overhauled the team that lost to Detroit in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Kenyon Martin and Kerry Kittles were traded for draft picks, and Jason Kidd is starting the season on the disabled list.
So Mourning approached Thorn a few weeks ago about a buyout. There's been speculation he could sign with the Miami Heat, his old team, if a deal can be reached.
Neither Mourning nor Thorn would get into specifics, but the New York Daily News reported that Mourning has more than $17 million left on his contract and the sides are millions apart.
Center, uncertain how long he can play, wants to sign with a winning team.
From Star news services
November 6, 2004
Uncertain of how long he'll be able to play after having a kidney transplant, Alonzo Mourning has asked the New Jersey Nets about a contract buyout so he could go to a team with a better chance of winning.
But Nets president Rod Thorn said Friday night the sides are so far apart "it's a dead issue."
"All I can do is continue to try and do what I do best: that's play the game of basketball," Mourning said before the Nets' game against Chicago. "I'm willing to sacrifice a ton of money in order to continue to do this somewhere else. Evidently they don't see it as an appropriate number for them. They want more."
The Nets signed Mourning to a four-year, $22.6 million guaranteed contract in July 2003. But he played only 12 games before retiring Nov. 24 because of complications from focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a kidney disease that was first diagnosed in 2000.
Mourning had a kidney transplant last Dec. 19, then announced he was going to play this season.
"There are a lot of people out there who are a whole lot less fortunate than I am, who had to go through the same situation and weren't as successful. They're on dialysis, waiting for a transplant," Mourning said. "This season is for them. I dedicate this season to them."
Mourning, 34, doesn't know how much playing time he has left. Though he said the only pain he feels is "typical game soreness," the All-Star center knows any game could be his last and he wants to win a championship.
That's unlikely to happen with the Nets, who overhauled the team that lost to Detroit in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Kenyon Martin and Kerry Kittles were traded for draft picks, and Jason Kidd is starting the season on the disabled list.
So Mourning approached Thorn a few weeks ago about a buyout. There's been speculation he could sign with the Miami Heat, his old team, if a deal can be reached.
Neither Mourning nor Thorn would get into specifics, but the New York Daily News reported that Mourning has more than $17 million left on his contract and the sides are millions apart.