Mourning leaning toward return to Heat

Alonzo Mourning is pushing toward a comeback with the Miami Heat next season, according to a report in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Monday.

The 37-year-old Mourning, who entered his 15th NBA season by saying it would be his last, saw it cut short when he tore the patella tendon and quadriceps tendon in his right knee on December 19.

The newspaper reported that Mourning spoke at Jason Taylor's charity golf tournament and seemed set on returning to the NBA.

"There's no mystery," Mourning told the newspaper. "I've said I want to come back and play another year. I just want to get my body right to do it. I need to get my body where my mind is."

The veteran center told the Sun-Sentinel it all depends on how his body reacts to the rehabilitation.

"(I am) enjoying the time off, resting my body, going to get my body ready for another year, possibly," said Mourning, who would return to Miami, which has the No. 2 overall pick in this month's draft. "Time is pretty much going to dictate that."

Mourning suffered the tear in his knee as he raced down the court and planted beneath the rim to block a shot in the first quarter of the Heat's 117-111 overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

Since being drafted second overall by Charlotte out of Georgetown in 1992, Mourning played in 837 games for the Hornets, Miami and New Jersey. He began his second spell with the Heat in 2004.

Mourning owns career averages of 17.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. The seven-time All-Star won one championship with Miami in 2006.

A two-time Defensive Player of the Year, Mourning defeated the odds just by stepping on the court in recent years. He was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease in 2003 and returned for the 2004-05 season after a transplant.

kaynak : NBA