NEW YORK -- Alonzo Mourning, the newest member of the New Jersey Nets, hopes he will get the opportunity to play defense alongside Dikembe Mutombo this season on a regular basis like they did as collegians at Georgetown, but it isn't likely to happen.
According to sources, the Nets have revived efforts to sever their brief relationship with the 218-cm Mutombo, whose guaranteed contract has two years (at almost $18 million and $20 million) still remaining.
Earlier in the summer, Mutombo and Kenyon Martin nearly became Trail Blazers in exchange for Rasheed Wallace (the Nets' reluctance to accept Ruben Patterson instead of the now retired Arvydas Sabonis ultimately killed it), but the two parties recently resurrected somewhat similar conversations. Those close to Wallace say he's been informed things have heated up again and something may still go down.