Mon Dec 20, 2004 8:32 am
It looks like Mourning the player was never really part of this deal -- only his contract was.
Mourning will either be bought out and released, or traded -- either way, it looks like he will be heading back to Miami. The Raptors apparently knew this all along.
"We did this trade understanding that his medical condition may mean he never plays for us," Babcock said. "We would do this trade regardless of whether he was in it or not. He was in it to try and balance the trade out and he's a great player, and it's our feeling that if he doesn't play for us it still is a great trade. If he does play for us, then it's a huge bonus."
According to Thorn, one of the hang-ups with the trade was Mourning's reluctance to go to Toronto.
"There's a chance he might not want to go there," Thorn said. "But this trade is not contingent on whether he wants to go there."
Mourning was said to be delighted by the trade -- further indication that he knows he's not going North.
Mon Dec 20, 2004 8:59 am
Mon Dec 20, 2004 10:59 am