Miami

Is 10am "Welcome Back Alonzo" Time?


Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services 

At 10:00am Eastern time today, Alonzo Mourning will be a free man. At 10:01am Eastern time today, he will be able to rejoin the Miami Heat after a nearly three year absence. The exact timing of Zo's return is questionable because the Heat need to create a roster space for him, and given that their only game before the All-Star break is against the Clippers tomorrow night, they may wait till they figure out what they can do to best clear a spot for him.

Zo got a buyout of about $9 million of his contract by Toronto and will likely be signing for the veteran minimum. Shaq is looking forward to getting Zo in. He has been roundly asked about how Zo's return will affect the team's chemistry and his response is essentially is that he is the Big Chemist and he will insure it won't be a problem.

"It'll form the perfect circle," the Big Chemist said. "I'm silly and he's more serious. It is what it is."

"It won't be a problem, because it can't be a problem."

NEXT GAME
The Heat (39-14, first in the Southeast) play their last game of the season before the All-Star break tomorrow night, Wednesday, February 16th, 2005, as they host LA! No, notthatLA. The Clippers (23-28, fourth in the Pacific) may be the first team to get a look at Alonzo Mourning. The game starts at 7:30pm Eastern and will be broadcast on Sun Sports and NBA League Pass.

TEAM NOTES
Alonzo Mourning is a career 19.8 point, 9.6 rebound man, though this year with the Nets he averaged 10.4 points and 7.1 rebounds in 18 games averaging 25 minutes per game. He also swatted more than 2 shots per game.

INJURY UPDATE
Christian Laettner(foot),Qyntel Woods(knee), andDorell Wright(knee) are all on the injured list.Wesley Person(food poisoning) is questionable for Wednesday's game.

NEWSLINES

Perry A. Farrell ofThe Detroit Free Presswrites: Like it or not, center Alonzo Mourning seems to be literally chasing an NBA title.He's expected to sign with the Miami Heat this week after asking the Toronto Raptors to buy him out of his contract so he could become a free agent. He was waived Friday and cleared waivers Sunday. Before that, Mourning complained long and loud about his situation in New Jersey when he really had no right to.

The Charlotte Observerobserves: Alonzo Mourning, who agreed to a buyout with the Toronto Raptors on Friday for between $9 million and $10 million, will be free to sign with any team after 10 a.m. today.His intentions to reunite with the Miami Heat are no secret, although neither he nor his agent, Jeff Wechsler, are commenting publicly on their future plans."It'll form the perfect circle," Miami center Shaquille O'Neal said. "I'm silly and he's more serious. It is what it is. It won't be a problem, because it can't be a problem."

The Associated Press writes inThe Toronto Star: Alonzo Mourning was once the face of the Miami Heat, the cornerstone of the franchise, its absolute biggest star and the person who seemed destined to lead it to a championship. Shaquille O'Neal fills those roles now.Yet if Mourning returns — which seems virtually certain, probably not too long after he becomes a free agent today — O'Neal said the chemistry that's helped carry the Heat to the top of the Eastern Conference won't be affected in the least.

USA Todaywrites: Add "The Big Draw" to Shaquille O'Neal's repertoire of nicknames.He has not only made the Miami Heat a big winner on the court this season, but he also has also made them the No. 1 road draw in the NBA. The Heat attract a league-high 18,730 fans every time O'Neal takes his show on the road. That's an increase of 2,391 a game from last season at this same time, which is also the biggest increase of any team from last year.

Ira Winderman ofThe South Florida Sun-Sentinelwrites: With Wednesday's home game against the Clippers its only action until next Tuesday, the Heat may take additional time before signing free-agent center Alonzo Mourning.Mourning becomes available at 10 a.m. today. With the maximum 15 players already under contract and a roster move therefore required, such a wait could increase the Heat's options on the trade market or with a buyout of disgruntled forward Wesley Person.