Alonzo Mourning shares his thoughts on the new-look Heat, load management in NBA and big men spacing the floor
Mourning touched on several pertinent topics in an interview with CBS Sports
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7 min read
Alonzo Mourning was one of the most decorated players of his era. A seven-time All-Star, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, NBA champion, and Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame inductee, Mourning experienced no shortage of success during his 16-year career with the Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, and New Jersey Nets, but he also had to overcome his fair share of obstacles.
In 2003, after suiting up for Team USA at the Sydney Olympics, Mourning was diagnosed with a life-threatening kidney disease and underwent a kidney transplant that put his entire career in jeopardy, and temporarily forced him to retire from the league. Mourning was ultimately able to bounce back, return to the league and finish out his career on his own terms; a story of perseverance that has served as motivation to many.
Though he officially retired from the league in 2009, Mourning never strayed far from the game, as he has worked with the Heat as their Vice President of Player Programs and Development for the past decade. He has also remained extremely active off of the court, with his own charity, the Mourning Family Foundation, as well as by partnering with other charitable organizations.
On Thursday night, Mourning participated in a HORSE shootout competition with wheelchair basketball star Chris Saint-Remy of CUNY at the 2K Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden, sponsored by GuardianLife, which benefited the Wounded Warrior Project. The contest aimed to emphasize the idea that disability does not mean inability.
Prior to the competition, Mourning took a few minutes to talk with CBS Sports and discuss his work with the charity, his feelings about the 'load management' and 'pace-and-space' eras in the NBA, and his optimism surrounding the new-look Heat team.
CBS Sports: Do you want to provide some background on your work with the Wounded Warrior Project, and why this particular partnership hits close to home for you?
Alonzo Mourning: I'm excited for this partnership because we've come together to show everyone that disability doesn't mean inability. I understand what it's like to deal with serious health problems, I'm sure you're aware of the kidney transplant that I had in the past, how important it is to have plans in place to help provide security and support when recovering from an accident or an unexpected illness. So hopefully my story, and this shooting competition, will be an inspiration for those that are dealing with disabilities. Hopefully [it will] inspire other individuals that regardless of what your disability is, it doesn't mean it should inhibit you to continue to keep going, and overcoming, and not succumbing, and accomplish your goals.
CBS: To switch gears, how do you feel about the style of play prevalent in the NBA today where big men like Karl Anthony-Towns and Joel Embiid are encouraged to space the floor and shoot from long distance?
Mourning: It's encouraging players to develop their skills even more, and not being limited to the back-to-the-basket position. I'm excited to see the game evolve, I truly am. But, there's still a place for a dominant inside presence, blocking shots, rebounding, scoring at the block, guys finishing at the rim. There's going to always be a place for a [big guy] to be able to do that, and any player that's able to do that, and is highly skilled and able to perform in the paint, like a Joel Embiid, all 30 teams are going to take him in a heartbeat.
Joel Embiid, because of his skill level, he's developed an outside shot as well. He's always had the touch, he had the touch in college. He wasn't shooting 3s in college, but when he got to the professional level, because of the way the game is being played, he developed that outside shot. At the same time, he understands that he's able to take advantage of opposing teams in the painted area, and he does a great job of that.
CBS: Over the course of your career, you did the vast majority of your damage on the offensive end in the paint. Do you wish that big men were more encouraged to space the floor like they are today during your playing days, or that you could play in the current era?
Mourning: No, I don't because I knew I could truly take advantage of my opponent in the painted area. I made it very difficult for teams to deal with me in the painted area. There were times when I took a three-pointer occasionally, but we had enough three-point shooters on the team where you didn't need me out there shooting three-pointers. So if I stood out there and shot 3s, who was going to get down there and get offensive rebounds and clog up the middle and become a presence in the painted area? That was something that I knew I did well.
Just like you have some shooters, they shoot 3s because they know they shoot them well. We have a young kid that'splaying with the Heat right now, Duncan Robinson, he's a professional shooter. He is a professional shooter.
CBS: So you viewed yourself as a professional post player?
Mourning: I was a professional post player. I really was. I was really, really good at posting up, and I made it difficult for teams to deal with me down there. So when Duncan comes in the game, the scouting report is 'we have to get to him, he's a professional shooter.' Same thing with Ray Allen. Same thing. Ray was a professional shooter. Teams had to get to him because of that.
CBS: I know that during your career, you were the type of player that if you were healthy, you were out on the floor. I think that's the attitude that a lot of players from your era and previous eras seem to share. With that being said, I'd be curious to get your take on load management, for lack of a better term, in the league today.
Mourning: I'm going to point to something Michael Jordan said. Michael said we pay [players] to play 82 games. It's as simple as that. We know things happen throughout the course of the season; injuries happen, illnesses come about, family issues come about. But ultimately, if none of that gets in the way, and you're healthy enough, we pay you to play 82 games.
I was wired differently. I wanted to play every night. I didn't want to take any days off… I'm not a fan of just taking a night off to take a night off. If I was healthy enough to play, I was playing. I think if you set a certain standard of giving players an understanding that it's okay to take the night off, I kind of look at it as unfortunately we're taking away from understanding that our fan base pays a lot of money every night to come and watch our players play. So, if I'm sitting in the stands, and I spent $300, $400, $500, and a player that I want to see is taking the night off because of load management, I think that can really have an effect on the morale of the game.
CBS: How happy have you been with the addition of Jimmy Butler to Miami this offseason, and the impact that he's had on the team's younger players?
Mourning: Erik Spoelstra, Pat Riley, all of our basketball front office and operations have done a tremendous job of putting a good, young nucleus together led by Jimmy, who is an All-Star and a great two-way player. He's an excellent defender and an excellent offensive player. Somehow, watching Jimmy, he's always making the right play. He really is. It's not really about scoring for him, it's really about making the right play every time, which is one of the reasons that we're playing so well.
I'm excited, it's still a young season, and I think the sky is the limit for our potential. Coach Spoelstra and the coaching staff is doing a phenomenal job, so I think the best is yet to come. As long as we stay healthy, we have to get Justise [Winslow] back, but the long and short of it is, we have a good, young nucleus, for not just this year, but for the future. I'm very confident that Pat Riley is going to keep building, and we're going to keep doing our best to get back into that championship mode again.
