The agent for Alonzo Mourning fired back at the Nets yesterday, claiming his client was essentially betrayed by the off-season moves that stripped away Kenyon Martin and cost the team its contender status.
“Alonzo committed to them, but can they say the same? Did they commit to him?” asked agent Jeff Wechsler, who recalled the days prior to Mourning’s signing a four-year, $22.6 million free-agent deal.
Mourning had other options, Wechsler claimed, including one proposal for the same money the Nets presented and another that, while partially guaranteed, was potentially worth more.
“Everyone knew Alonzo’s health was always a question, he chose to take less to try to win a championship with the Nets. He took what was essentially a financial penalty,” said Wechsler, who admitted he has sought a buyout from New Jersey – a situation that arose only after the team informed Mourning this past summer it not longer desired his services.
It was after Mourning was contacted about staying away from the Nets, Wechsler said, that the center became insistent upon leaving. Wechsler said the former All-Star, who underwent a life-saving kidney transplant last Dec. 19, simply felt unwanted.
Nets president Rod Thorn has firmly maintained he will not yield to Mourning’s buyout requests, that he will not “subsidize” the player to allow him to go to a competing contender. The center is set to receive $17.8 million over the final three years and while neither side will discuss offers and counteroffers, sources maintain Mourning’s side seeks a $14 million buyout while the Nets are offering $2 million a year, a $6 million total.
Wechsler charged that Thorn’s passionate response to the buyout request presented a distorted view.
“They signed Alonzo knowing his healthy situation but also because they were in a dogfight to sign Jason Kidd. Alonzo Mourning was the cost of doing business,” said Wechsler, who claimed the Nets were fully aware of luxury tax implications – the reason that Martin was set free – when they brought in Mourning. “One thing of which I am certain: Alonzo is committed to winning. Can Nets [management] say the same?”
Wechsler recalled how the home opener contained chants for Kenyon Martin that rained down in the fourth quarter.
“Fans cheer for Alonzo because of what he has done, how he has overcome odds and for how he plays,” Wechsler said. “My hope now is that the fans will chant, ‘Let Zo Go.’ ”