Is Alonzo Mourning a hall of famer?

[Dr. Jack]

What are your thoughts?

[Toronto_Mike]

no

[upinya83]

no

[jonnyblaze]

no

[Deck]

no

[Victor]

No

[jonnyblaze]

Good thread Jack. Getting a lot of diverse oppinions here, good discussion.

[domafia]

no

[WildKat]

Originally Posted by jonnyblaze

Good thread Jack. Getting a lot of diverse oppinions here, good discussion.

I say no, but it's because I always thought he was a jerk!

[Dr. Jack]

Where is the love for Alonzo? lol

[RollTide]

yes the man has character ,talent and intensity unmatched by any is he micheal jordan of course not who is but if there was no micheal the heat night have seen the finals long ago!

[Shark23]

Great guy, class act, huge heart, ultra competitive................not even close to the Hall, though..........

[Romanowski]

ya big east hall of fame

[upinya83]

2003 Article

[Dr. Jack]

From 2005

Zo should be in Hall of Fame

By ANDREW ABRAMSON
Alligator Columnist

One day many sports fans will cringe at the site of Kobe Bryant dining with the likes of Bob Cousy and Oscar Robertson at the hallowed hall in Springfield, Mass. No one will ever doubt Kobe's greatness on an individual level, but it's yet to be seen whether he will be viewed as a winner - right now, that's certainly not the case.

And for every anti-hero like Kobe in the Hall of Fame, fans tend to think of those deserving that will never receive an opportunity to read their inception speech. And sooner rather than later, a great tragedy will take place in the NBA.

Alonzo Mourning's name will likely be absent from the NBA Hall of Fame, and there is no doubt the list will be incomplete.

If the background has slipped your mind, Mourning was the nastiest defensive force in the league for the Miami Heat. His offense was catching up to his defense, and in 2000 he finished second in MVP voting behind a sentimental favorite Karl Malone.

Zo went to Australia, stood above the pack as the best player on the planet in the 2000 Olympics, won a gold medal, came back to the NBA as the favorite for MVP, watched his coach/general manager Pat Riley load up the roster with Brian Grant and Eddie Jones, high-fived his partner in crime Tim Hardaway, and waited for the championship to arrive.

But Mourning's kidney forgot to come along for the ride, and the player about to hit his peak announced the most stunning news since Magic Johnson's shocking HIV revelation - Zo, the greatest physical specimen in the world, couldn't play basketball anymore. It wasn't because he was banned from the league for drug abuse or he was about to stand trial on sexual assault. No, his kidney just wasn't up to par.

But the word "no" doesn't exist in the Dictionary of Zo, and Mourning wouldn't give up. Several comebacks were attempted, but the disease, the medication and the grueling NBA wouldn't allow it.

Finally, it was time to give in. Zo needed a new kidney; basketball was a lost dream slowly disappearing in the rear-view mirror.

So when Zo announced he would play for the New Jersey Nets this year, everyone shrugged, including Zo's wife.

C'mon Zo, you have to give it up. Zo, is basketball worth dying for?

Mourning surprisingly said yes, that he would risk his life for basketball glory although he was financially set for life.

But the glory wouldn't come in New Jersey. Instead, Mourning received a strange invitation from the New Heat, manned by the greatest center of our time, Shaquille O'Neal, and the rising star Dwayne Wade. Zo was asked to return in a limited role, and his ego would have to remain in New Jersey, or in the hospital, or wherever he had to leave it.

Mourning agreed. And his time came. He's shown flashes of dominance. He'll never get a chance to play 40 minutes a game, but in game two of the playoffs against New Jersey, Mourning poured in 21 points and nine rebounds in just 16 minutes of Shaq replacement time. That was Zo reminding us that he still has game; he just had to take a little time off.

That sounds like the game of a NBA Hall-of-Famer.

There will still be skeptics - was Mourning ever good enough in his prime?

I'll say this: In his peak, which was never fully reached, Mourning was no Shaq or Bill Russell, Kareem or Wilt, but he was a step above Patrick Ewing and Bob Lanier.

So Kobe, when you finally dine with the Cousy, please reserve time to discuss the greatness of Alonzo Mourning.