Surgery Sidelines Heat Star Mourning May Miss 12 Weeks Following Repairs To Left Knee

Miami Heat center Alonzo Mourning underwent surgery on his left knee and is expected to miss part of the upcoming NBA season, the team said on Sunday.

“He is expected to miss eight to 12 weeks,” the Heat said. “Mourning’s left knee will be immobilized for the next two weeks, and then he will begin physical therapy.”

The surgery on Saturday repaired a partial tear of the patellar tendon. The injury was discovered last week during a routine preseason physical examination and then an MRI on Thursday revealed the tear, the Heat said.

The 6-9 Mourning signed a $112 million, seven-year contract with the Heat last year.

“Alonzo is the cornerstone of this franchise, and while we are concerned for his health, we are happy that the injury was detected early,” coach Pat Riley said. “One of the reasons we acquired depth in our front court this summer was to provide a cushion against an injury.”

Mourning averaged better than 35 minutes in 66 regular season games last year. He scored 19.8 points per game, and pulled down 9.9 rebounds.

The Heat had a 61-21 record last season, a franchise-best by 19 wins. That was good for the first division title in the team’s nine-year history.