Heat center Alonzo Mourning said Thursday afternoon he was preparing for season-ending surgery later in the day on the patella tendon he tore in his right knee in Wednesday night's loss in Atlanta.

Mourning was to meet with team physician Harlan Selesnick and then undergo the procedure, which, Mourning acknowledged, would create a recovery schedule that would sideline him for the season.

On Thursday, Mourning noted the irony that Wednesday marked the four-year anniversary of his kidney transplant. He had been made aware since that surgery that the anti-rejection medication could weaken connective tissue.