Mourning, productive and inspiring, should make HOF

Before being diagnosed with a kidney disease in 2000, Alonzo Mourning averaged 21.1 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.1 blocks in his first eight seasons. Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images

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Also in this column:
• Reader reaction to my All-Star picks
• Looking ahead to the trade deadline
• Trail Blazers' Roy earning raves

5 Reasons to elect Alonzo Mourning to the Hall of Fame

5. He played long enough. It will require a complicated argument to install Mourning in the Hall, because his career was cut short at its peak when he was diagnosed with a life-threatening kidney disease at 30. Nonetheless, he still has played 838 games and 11 full NBA seasons (in addition to four seasons of 37 games or fewer), which exceeds the timelines of Hall of Fame centers like Willis Reed (650 games), Neil Johnston (516) and Dave Cowens (766).

4. His humanitarian work. What does this have to do with the Hall of Fame? Plenty, I say. Mourning is one of the most charitably minded stars in the history of the league, and his work on behalf of kidney research and community services in Miami and beyond elevated the NBA when it was desperate for good publicity.

3. His accomplishments on the court. If Mourning indeed retires at 37 after undergoing major knee surgery last month, he'll leave with two Defensive Player of the Year awards, gold medals in the FIBA World Championships and the Olympics and an NBA championship he won with Miami in 2005-06. Those achievements cross the threshold.

2. His career before his illness. It's important to consider who Mourning was -- and what he appeared certain to accomplish -- before his illness. In his first eight seasons, he averaged 21.1 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.1 blocks. In a full 15-season career, he could have become one of the top five shot-blockers (he stands No. 10 today) with a chance at surpassing 20,000 points, which in combination with his other achievements would have assured his election to the Hall.

1. His comeback. Mourning's recovery from focal glomerulosclerosis, a disease that scars the kidneys and impairs them from filtering bodily wastes, puts him over the top. After Mourning underwent his kidney transplant as a 33-year-old in 2003, he was barely able to bench-press 20-pound dumbbells. He rebuilt his body while taking more than 20 pills per day, including cholesterol and blood-pressure medications to counteract side effects of his antirejection drugs, and during practices and games he wore a plastic shield reinforced with foam padding to protect his kidney.

While he created some bad feelings by forcing his way out of New Jersey and Toronto on his way back to Miami after the transplant, I tended to see those moves in the context of Mourning's extraordinary effort to turn his recovery into a meaningful experience. In this case, I would argue that the end justified the means: He was a team leader and crucial player in Miami's 2005-06 championship season. It is a story that belongs in the Hall of Fame.

4 Stars with presidential traits

4. Kevin Garnett as Barack Obama. Like Obama, KG is a unifier and a preacher of hope as well as The Story of this NBA season. But can he finish what he has started?

3. Tim Duncan as John McCain. You know what Duncan stands for and he's going to stick to his principles regardless of what anybody thinks. Like McCain over the previous year, Duncan tends to withdraw during much of the regular season before gathering momentum for the big postseason run.

2. Steve Nash as John Edwards. Nash carries a populist message -- he plays with passion in the name of team play, and he wasn't afraid to speak out against the war in Iraq. He has a hardcore following, but will he ever get over the top?

1. Kobe Bryant as Hilary Clinton. Kobe is a polarizing figure with high positives and negatives. He is trying to revive his championship legacy of a few years ago, but a return to the NBA Finals no longer seems inevitable.

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