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 Wednesday, October 11
Mourning to get final diagnosis next week
 
 Associated Press

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Miami Heat coach Pat Riley chided the media Wednesday for reporting unconfirmed details of Alonzo Mourning's kidney ailment.

"If the press would just respect his wishes, everything will come out when Zo looks at that camera and is sure of everything," Riley said.

Mourning
Mourning

Mourning, whose kidney ailment was discovered during a routine physical at the start of training camp, remained in Miami while his teammates traveled to New Jersey for their first exhibition game Wednesday night against the Nets.

Mourning plans further consultation with his doctors and expects to receive a final diagnosis and a recommended course of treatment next week.

The team has released no details of the ailment. There have been news reports he has a condition similar to the kidney disorder that forced Sean Elliott of the San Antonio Spurs to receive a transplant.

Elliott sat out six months after his transplant and returned to the NBA last season.

Tues., Oct. 10
Alonzo Mourning was the league's leading defensive player the last two years. But as a leader, I don't know if I've ever come across a player with more intensity than him -- in the locker room, getting his game face on before a contest, on the bench during moments he wasn't in the game, on the floor, on the practice floor, and in the weight room after the game when he'd go in and pump iron. He had all those qualities to lead by example. He was also not afraid to speak up when the occasion demanded. If he's not able to play, the Heat will miss his leadership qualities a ton.

'Zo was the focal point of coach Pat Riley's low-post attack. Riley is a low- post offensive coach and he needs someone to slide in there if Zo can't play. I think probably the best choice is Anthony Mason, who is big and burly, has good ballhandling skills if he's double-teamed and they could also slide Brian Grant in there as well. So Riley will find a way to make adjustments, and that's what he does best.
Mourning met with teammates at practice Tuesday but did not speak publicly. He is expected to do so next week after receiving his final diagnosis.

"I think people, especially writers, should give him that respect after all the years he's been playing this game and just let it happen that way. But it's not happening that way," Riley said.

The Heat will remain in limbo for a few more days until learning Mourning's diagnosis and whether he will be able to return to the team.

Mourning's foster mother, Fannie Threet, has said he has a rare kidney ailment that could require a transplant. She said Mourning told her that doctors were "hopeful they could find a kidney if it was necessary."

Mourning, 30, helped the U.S. Olympic team win the gold medal in Sydney. He was expected to lead a revamped Miami team widely considered to be the favorite to win the Eastern Conference.

"It's very strange," teammate Tim Hardaway said. "I was with him for the whole Olympics and I could never dream that this could happen. We had no clue of this in Sydney."

Several players said Mourning's visit to practice lifted their spirits.

"He wants us to feel upbeat for him, not to feel sorry for him," Hardaway said. "Treat him like a man, not like he has an illness."
 


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 Pat Riley will be all smiles around Alonzo Mourning.
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 Eddie Jones is happy to see Alonzo Mourning in practice.
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 Greg Cote of the Miami Herald reports on Alonzo Mourning.
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