Alonzo Mourning

Mourning returns to Miami for another season, and he’ll serve as Shaquille O’Neal’s backup. O’Neal’s recent injury history suggests Mourning will be playing significant minutes at some point during the season. He’s a tough competitor and can still block shots and rebound (2.7 bpg and 5.5 rpg in 20 mpg), though we don’t know if he can handle the rigors of being a full-time starter over the long haul. He can be a nice contributor off the bench while starting 20-25 games per season.

Mourning proved down the stretch and into the playoffs last season that he can still play this game at an extremely high level. While his minutes must be monitored due to the near fatal disease he has overcome, his time on the court in no way suffers due to his health. Only a select few people are conditioned enough to maintain the stamina he maintains. Mourning is a nice handcuff to a team that draft’s Shaq, but won’t get more than 15-20 minutes unless Shaq is injured, in which case Mourning would be a nice source of points, rebounds and blocks.

Mourning is one of the biggest question marks going into the 2003-04 NBA season. After missing two of the last three seasons with a rare kidney disease, Mourning is attempting to return to the NBA with the Nets. It is a good fit for Mourning as he will not be forced to carry the team. For the same reason, avoid overpaying for Mourning this season. He will not be asked to play more than 20-25 minutes per game so don't expect more than 14 points, seven rebounds and two blocks per game. Draft accordingly and hope he can make it through the season.