Post-Europe Heat and Alonzo Mourning update

• The Heat will practice three straight days before heading to Jacksonville to face the Orlando Magic Saturday. Beginning Wednesday, coach Erik Spoelstra plans to focus on the offense this week, with an emphasis on eliminating turnovers. This week also will be key because point guard Chris Quinn (ankle) likely will return, which is important with the starting job still at stake.
• "I caught up with center Alonzo Mourning Tuesday night at the launch party for new magazine SOBeFit. He is on the cover of the first issue with the headline: "The Race is On!" As far as the Heat, Mourning's race to return is on but think of it as more of an intense run as opposed to a sprint. Mourning is working hard to come back but he also is being careful not want to overdo it and wind up having a setback. Mourning said he is about a month ahead of schedule and should be able to gauge if he can come back and how long it would take him to get in game shape by mid-to-late December.

         "I think I'm squatting over 300 pounds now, which is great. I haven't started running and jumping yet," Mourning said. "I'm doing the bike, spinning and things of that nature to keep my cardio up. I still feel like when I do the bike rigorously it swells occasionally, so that lets me know my body isn't ready to start running and jumping and exploding yet. Regardless of the strength-training aspect of it, I still have a ways to go.

       "Literally this particular injury takes a year to recover from. I have to let it take its course. I can't rush it. It would truly be a detriment to me  if i did come back too early. I don't want to be in a cast again and I don't want to have any more surgeries. I think I met my quota. I've had five knee surgeries, and I've had 10 surgeries in my lifetime."

• It's iffy whether Jamaal Magloire (fractured hand) will give the Heat some consistency at center when he is able to return in several weeks. If Mourning can get healthy he looks like a solid answer, at least someone that could perhaps give the Heat 15-20 minutes a game off the bench. Mourning doesn't need to come out and say it but you get the sense that he wants to see if the Heat has a shot at making the playoffs before committing to playing again. The guy was going to rehab hard regardless of whether he played again, but it makes sense that he would be more likely to play again if the Heat is at least a .500 team as opposed to one that starts, say 8-20. Mourning plays because he loves the game but do you really think he would want to come back if there was no shot at one last postseason run?
• One last Mourning tidbit: He is delving into the media world. He said beginning in December he will be writing a monthly column in SOBeFit to share his wisdom. "My experiences and how over my career I've put so much time into living a healthy life and fit life, I felt like I can help some other individuals. Hearing it from a person who has gone through a pretty devastating physical issue like the kidney disease I had to go through and be able to come back, people want to know how (you did it), why you were able to do it, your mentality and your approach."