The news was sad yesterday when it was announced that Alonzo Mourning of the New Jersey Nets would be forced to retire because of a long-term kidney ailment.
Prior to the season, I mentioned to Jerry West how much I hated New Jersey's signing of Alonzo Mourning for $22 million guaranteed, no matter what, including disease, disability or death. Why would our noble Nets bestow a treasure chest of Benjamins and furnish so much protection to someone in such an unstable state, I grumped? Seems to me they were bidding against themselves. . .Several years ago, I did an NBC interview with Mourning during halftime of a Finals game in Philly; he'd played in 13 games that season. Afterward, we talked for a few minutes and I alluded to a declining Portland player who was angry the Blazers wouldn't give him a two-year extension.
"Why not?" 'Zo declared. "I want a two-year extension myself."
His response shocked me. Even unwell and uncertain about his life on every level, it was still about the money. 'Zo still wanted more. And if he couldn't get it from the Heat, he'd take his business and beat-up body to Jersey, where Jason Kidd, threatening to amble down to San Antonio, pressured VP Rod Thorn into taking real good care of Mourning.
Hopefully, we won't offend too many of you by referring to this as a Kidd-ney transplant.
Ouch. I hope the Nets took out an insurance policy before they signed Mourning.
I read in ESPN that they couldn’t take out insurance because either it was too expensive or the insurance wouldn’t cover a pre-existing condition. So it seem slike this is just case of an organization completely losing its senses and signing somebody with MAJOR health risks. But apparently, that was the price they had to pay to keep Kidd.
I don’t feel bad for Mourning.