Miami ? Leaning on a long red crutch as he spoke outside the Miami Heat locker room Monday night, Alonzo Mourning made two things very clear.

One, he has not retired.

Two, any path to another comeback will be an extremely long one.

Speaking in specifics about the season-ending injuries to his right knee and right leg suffered last month in Atlanta, Mourning revealed Monday that Heat team physician Dr. Harlan Selesnick originally was concerned simply about his prospects of walking again. Mourning tore the patella tendon and quadriceps muscle in his right leg on Dec. 19 – ironically, the fourth anniversary of his life-saving kidney transplant.

But his recovery is going well, even though Mourning still cannot drive or work out the way he used to.

“Sounds like somebody is communicating to me,” Mourning said. “It really does. I hope I read the sign right and make the right decision. But right now, I feel a little helpless sitting on the sideline, because I see so much I can do to help. That’s what hurts more than anything.”

Mourning – who will turn 38 on Feb. 8 – entered this season saying that this would be his farewell campaign, insisting repeatedly that nothing would change his mind.

Now, he’s not exactly talking in absolute terms when the notion of retiring comes up.

“Right now, my focus is just to get healthy,” Mourning said. “I haven’t really thought about if I’m going to retire or not. But my focus is getting healthy.”