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Friday, November 26, 2004
BY DAVE D'ALESSANDRO Star-Ledger Staff
LOS ANGELES -- If it were up to John Thompson, he would tether Alonzo Mourning to a couch and tell him it's time to enjoy a long retirement. The problem with that, however, is "he would no more pay attention to me as he would the man in the moon, because he is so competitive."
But now that Mourning is playing, his coach at Georgetown fully understands his pupil's frustration being stuck on a Nets team that is going nowhere, and defends his right to express it. Â
"(NBA) teams recruit like college," the TNT analyst said before last night's Nets-Clippers game. "If I recruited a guy and had five guys call him and I traded three of them, once they got to the school, I think they have a right to ask me a question: 'What happened?'
"So why be surprised when a guy turns around and says, 'Where is he?' And now if I'm 34 with a replaced kidney like Alonzo -- he's not an idiot -- he says, 'Hey, I want to be in a position where I can win.'"
Mourning's frustration, however, now takes the form of harsh criticisms of owner Bruce Ratner. Thompson had to be told of Mourning's remarks Monday, but they didn't surprise him.
"I know one thing: He'll be honest with you and tell you how he feels," Thompson said. "He's not going to be in the locker room whispering to anybody -- I'd be disappointed in that. They told us at the production that the owner asked if anyone had any questions. (Mourning's question) doesn't surprise me at all."
The bottom line for Thompson is simple: "Has he been hustling and playing well?" he asked.
"The one thing you have to know, Alonzo and I love one another. It's hard for me to be impartial. But we didn't always get along. It's easier for us to agree on everything because we're separated.
"But the one thing that always made me love him is how hard he plays. I don't care w
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