| | Associated Press
MIAMI -- A common but serious kidney ailment will keep
Alonzo Mourning sidelined for the entire season, depriving the
Miami Heat of their biggest star and the key to their quest for an
NBA title.
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Mon., Oct. 16
Losing Alonzo Mourning is a huge blow for the Heat. Pat Riley had assembled what he thought would be a contending team, with the focal point being Mourning. When you have a player like Mourning, you don't think about getting another one like him or near his ability because chances are you won't need him.
Their backup centers are Duane Causwell and Todd Fuller. Causwell, a veteran, has not been a focal player in anyone's attack. But he does give the Heat a shot-blocking presence. If Riley wants to concentrate on defense, Causwell would probably be his starting center. Fuller never fulfilled what Golden State expected when he was drafted 11th overall in 1996.
Riley also has the option of playing without a center, which you can do in the East because no one has a dominant scoring center. In the preseason Brian Grant has proven to be a pretty good low-post scorer who is versatile enough to hit shots from 15-17 feet. Riley also has Anthony Mason if Mason can return to his former level as a low-post player. He is clever and strong and is a good passer from the post. The scoring has to fall on their shoulders because Riley is a low-post offensive coach. He is not going to change his game plan because he lost Mourning. He'll play the same way, but someone else has to fill that void.
Miami now goes from being the Eastern Conference favorite to a team among a pack of playoff contenders. If I had to pick a favorite in the East, it may be Milwaukee. The Bucks are an improved team with firepower from Sam Cassell, Glenn Robinson and Ray Allen and good quality on their front line. Philadelphia and Orlando are two other top contenders, assuming Grant Hill can play for the Magic. That's to be determined. Without him, the Magic is back in the pack with everyone else.
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Doctors said Monday that the illness, first spotted just after
Mourning helped the U.S. team to the basketball gold medal earlier
this month, was focal glomerulosclerosis, which leads to kidney
failure in about half the cases.
They said there were no immediate plans for a kidney transplant
or dialysis.
"I feel great right now. We've pretty much got a hold on it,
the whole situation right now," Mourning said at a news conference
in which he discussed his ailment publicly for the first time.
"The main objective is to get me healthy so I can live my life
normally, so I can see my babies grow up, and so I can enjoy my
family.
"And, at the same time, possibly do the things that I know and
love -- and that's the game of basketball. But the key right now is
to get me healthy."
Pat Riley, the Heat coach who spent the offseason signing free
agents and redesigning the team to complement Mourning's talents,
said his star center was following the proper course.
"Alonzo Mourning will not be playing professional basketball
this season, and we're totally convinced that the only thing that
should be on his mind is getting healthy," Riley said.
The 30-year-old center made his first public appearance since
Oct. 3, when he attended the team's media day. Training camp began
without him the following day, and he has not practiced because of
his condition, which was discovered during a routine physical two
weeks ago.
Sean Elliott, who had a kidney transplant last year and is back
playing for the San Antonio Spurs, has spoken with Mourning.
"There's a lot of questions that he had, basically," Elliott
said. "I know how he feels right now as far as fatigue-wise. When
I first went to the doctor, I felt terrible. I can sympathize with
him."
Dr. Gerald Appel, of Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York,
said the disease causes the kidneys to leak protein into a person's
urine. Without treatment, filters in the kidneys eventually become
scarred, cease to function and a transplant is needed.
The origin of Mourning's condition is unknown. Some forms of the
disease may be more common in blacks, but the statistics aren't
clear, said Columbia kidney specialist Dr. Leonard Stern.
"I am very confident this is not related to HIV disease, it's
not related to drug abuse, it's not related to steroids or anything
Alonzo did," Appel said, adding that the origin of Mourning's
condition is unknown.
Mourning will be placed on a six-month treatment trial. He will
take medication in hope of reducing the swelling in his lower body,
stopping the kidneys from leaking proteins and controlling his
blood pressure and cholesterol levels. He also will follow a strict
low-sodium diet.
The drugs cause side effects, Riley said, which would make
strenuous exercise unsafe.
"He wants to play, but he can't," Riley said. "He's not that
stupid."
But even with treatment, about 50 percent of cases develop
chronic renal failure, Appel said. The kidney disease used to be
the fourth-largest cause of death in the United States.
"Right now, his kidney function is good," Appel said. "He is
not in a situation where we're talking about dialysis or a
transplant. Many of the patients, when we turn off the protein
entirely with these medications, they come off the medications and
lead an absolutely normal life and they can do whatever they want.
"If they're a school teacher, they go back to that. If they're
a lawyer or a doctor, they go back to that. And if they're a
basketball player, they go back to that."
When asked if Mourning will need dialysis or a transplant, Appel
said: "If the levels of certain substances in his blood rose up to
a certain point where we thought that would be beneficial then that
would be the case."
Dr. Victor Richards, also treating the five-time All-Star, said
Mourning has not been placed on a waiting list for a kidney
transplant because doctors diagnosed his condition in its early
stage, and they hope to keep it from worsening.
"I'm a blessed individual -- I have a lot to be thankful for,"
Mourning said. "There are a whole lot of people that are worse off
than me."
Doctors initially suspected Mourning had a viral infection,
thyroid condition or merely fatigue from a busy offseason.
Beginning Aug. 23, Mourning was on the road with the Olympic
team for nearly six weeks, logging more than 40,000 air miles. He
went to New York, Hawaii, Japan and finally Australia, and crossed
the Pacific Ocean four times, returning briefly to Miami for the
birth of his second child and flying back to Sydney to help the
U.S. Olympic team win a gold medal.
He was expected to lead a revamped Miami team widely considered
to be the favorite to win the Eastern Conference. Without Mourning,
the outlook would change drastically.
"Basketball is going to be our therapy," guard Eddie Jones
said. "We have to continue to go out and play basketball to try to
get over this shock. Everybody has to take it up another level."
Center Duane Causwell called Mourning the nucleus and the leader
of the team.
"When you lose that, you lose a great part of the team. ...
It's going to take a lot on everyone's part," he said.
Mourning finished third in voting for the NBA's Most Valuable
Player last season, when he averaged 21.1 points, 9.5 rebounds and
3.7 blocks per game. He has missed only seven games the past two
seasons.
"Without Zo everything changes," guard Tim Hardaway said.
"It's going to be like that for the whole season. Nobody's going
to give us any pity. They're going to take it to us."
Riley said he will seek a medical exception from the league,
which would give the Heat $3.88 million -- the average NBA salary --
to sign a replacement for Mourning. The season-ending injury must
be confirmed by an independent doctor, and then the Heat would have
45 days to use the salary cap exception.
"We have to go back to work and start thinking about what we
can do with this group of guys and forget about whether or not we
can bring some cavalry in here," Riley said. "That's not the
point. The point is that this group has to step up."
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AUDIO/VIDEO
 Alonzo Mourning and his medical team discuss his physical condition.
RealVideo: 28.8
ABC News medical editor Dr.Tim Johnson reports on Alonzo Mourning's kidney ailment.
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 ESPN's NBA analyst Dr. Jack Ramsay breaks down how the Miami Heat will deal without their key star Alonzo Mourning.
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Pat Riley says Alonzo Mourning will not play in the 2000-2001 NBA season.
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Alonzo Mourning says the main objective is to get healthy so he can live his life.
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Eddie Jones recounts on hearing the news about Alonzo Mourning's kidney ailment.
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Alonzo Mourning talks about how he will defeat his kidney illness.
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Sean Elliot offers a message of hope to his fellow NBA player Alonzo Mourning.
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By catching the ailment early, Dr. Gerald B. Appel is confident in treating Alonzo Mourning.
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Alonzo Mourning says he has a lot to be thankful for.
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