Sidelined Mourning Still a Popular All-Star

The Miami Heat’s Alonzo Mourning, sidelined for the season by a kidney ailment, leads all Eastern Conference centers in the first voting returns for the NBA All-Star game.

Mourning has 109,584 votes, just ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers’ Theo Ratliff with 108,450 for the Feb. 11 game in Washington.

The overall voting leader is the Toronto Raptors’ Vince Carter with 291,551.

In the Western Conference, Laker teammates Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant lead at their positions. Kevin Garnett of the Minnesota Timberwolves leads West forwards with 189,155, followed by Rasheed Wallace of the Portland Trail Blazers with 177,250.

*

Trail Blazer forward Shawn Kemp missed practice Tuesday but made the team flight to Dallas for tonight’s game against the Mavericks.

Coach Mike Dunleavy said he would meet with Kemp after this morning’s shoot-around and decide then whether the player would be punished.

*

After failed efforts last season to force coaches to wear microphones, NBC Sports will wire referees for sound on all of its NBA broadcasts this season after miking them only on games of the week last season.

Coaches will still have the option of wearing a mike, the network said.

*

Charlotte Hornet forward Derrick Coleman defended himself against charges of overeating, saying he worked out every day while being treated for an irregular heartbeat. Coleman, expected to return Tuesday, went on the injured list Nov. 18 for what the team called a lack of conditioning. Coleman has reportedly lost 20 pounds in the past month by working with a personal trainer. . . . Golden State Warrior center Erick Dampier had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and will be sidelined indefinitely, the team said. . . . The Atlanta Hawks put forward Alan Henderson on the injured list because of a sprained left shoulder. . . . Toronto Raptor Coach Lenny Wilkens believes elimination of the three-point shot would improve the NBA game. “Maybe the in-between game comes alive again,” he said. “The game wasn’t ugly before we had the three-point shot.”