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November 24, 2004
Mourning: Nets can't muzzle me
Rips into Ratner after team asks for silence
New York Daily News:
"Tired of his constant complaining, the Nets have asked Alonzo Mourning to quit criticizing owner Bruce Ratner and team management."
"The relationship between Mourning and the Nets continues to deteriorate. Mourning revealed that Ratner spoke to the team on Monday for the first time since purchasing the franchise for $300 million this past summer. And the meeting only confirmed what Mourning thought all along - that Ratner is all about business and not about winning.
Alonzo Mourning:
"I asked him, 'Other than your investment in this team for financial purposes - obviously getting a significant return - what's the reason why you bought the team?'" Mourning said. "And you ask anybody in here, he said, 'To move it to Brooklyn.' I mean, I didn't hear, 'to win a championship.'"
"I just shook my head."
Unlike the luxury homeowners Ratner is buying out in the footprint of the arena, Mourning isn't forced into silence by a gag order. What give credence to Mourning's complaints is that he isn't a spoiled millionaire ballplayer. Mourning has been an elegant spokesperson for the players and the game. He could be the Nets biggest draw of the season as he comes back from a kidney transplant surgery and manages to keep up with league leaders in scoring and rebounds. However Mourning feels so strongly about what Ratner motives and what he has done to the team, that he is spending the good will he has built up with the public on telling the truth.
Posted by lumi at November 24, 2004 8:09 AM