I love the AK-47. He is one of the most diverse talents in the league and is certainly one of the most exciting to watch. But alas, all good things come to an end and after enduring a season trapped playing out of position and generally struggling on the floor, Kirilenko appears to be ready to move on and move out.
It is really a shame.
But it is time to move on. There will be Jazz fans that will turn on AK, but it is not his fault. As much as I love coach Sloan, he is culpable in the downfall of Andrei Kirilenko. I have spoken of this many times, but Sloan became less and less trusting of AK, both offensively and defensively, and this season never put him in a position where he could truly display his full skill set.
As I have said before, if you have ever played basketball, pickup or otherwise, and you were never passed the ball, you know that things get very boring in a hurry. Most of us can relate to that. This is essentially what happened to AK. Sloan never ran plays for him and surprisingly, it looks like even Deron Williams bought into gig. AK was the odd man out.
Now we all want him to be professional and just cover his role… but this is not what AK was signed to do. He was signed as a max money player and under that pretence, he is supposed to be the man. That is the way AK views himself. He believes he is capable, at least in some capacity, of carrying the Jazz both offensively and defensively. He is clearly limited in his skill set offensively, but he did average 18 points over the course of a season; a total 10 points per game higher than his scoring average this season.
I for one agree with AK. I believe his beef was legitimate. He should have never taken his disagreements public, but he had a right to complain. And now it looks like he is going to be traded.
It will be sad to see him go, but it certainly makes for a very interesting offseason. Here’s to an exciting summer.
June 4th, 2007 at 12:01 am
Kirilenko’s role is different than it was, and many times it seems NBA players need a change of scenery to succeed in with a role change.
As long as Williams and Boozer are around AK will not be the Jazz’ best player. He could be the most versatile, and highly valued, but he’s not the “go-to” guy anymore.
If AK can adapt I think he can be part of a Jazz team to go to the Finals and perhaps hoist the prize. He does a lot of things, can defend 2s, 3s or 4s, can run the point in a pinch, can rebound, block shots, . . . weall know his talent. If he can’t adapt his presence will be a distraction and all parties would be better off with him going somewhere else.
And the trade questions surranounding AK are: “Where” and “For who?”
What if the Jazz could make a deal with the Knicks that involves AK and perhaps Memo for Jamal Crawford and somebody (either a big or a draft pick)?
June 4th, 2007 at 9:55 am
AK is my favorite player, but it is obvious that he doesn’t fit in Sloan’s system. That leaves two options. Either Sloan has to retire, or we’ve got to trade AK. Assuming Sloan isn’t going anywhere, here’s my proposal, put through ESPN’s Trade Machine. Send AK and Memo to Minnesota for Kevin Garnett. He’s the only player out there where I would feel like we weren’t downgrading our post play on either end. KG would have to play center, but he is 6′11″ after all, and has both the offensive and defensive skills to do it. Plus, this would open up more minutes for Paul Millsap, who is going to be tremendous. Boozer and Williams have shown that they are ready to compete for a title NOW, and Garnett still has a few good years in him to make a run.
This frontcourt would have it all. Scoring from the inside, players that can hit the 15-foot fadeaway, incredible rebounding, great interior passing, shotblocking potential, everything. This would still leave the task of finding our starting shooting guard, but I’m convinced Ronnie Brewer can be the answer there. Use your exception to get a player who does nothing but shoot 3’s, and that’s a team that can go all the way.
June 4th, 2007 at 11:24 am
I don’t think that Minnesota is going to trade KG. If they do, that is a great trade for both parties. ‘Sota would get two All-star calliber players and the Jazz get a bonafide superstar to play with Williams and Boozer.
Hard to imagine that that team would not be heavily favored to win.
June 4th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
Sorry to say it, but KG’s not going to be traded here. The Wolves might try to plunder the Lakers for KG. (Though this effort could be hampered by Kevin McHale’s extreme hatred for all things Lakers.) In any case, Garnett is not going to be traded to a division rival.
What about AK and something to the Hawks for Joe Johnson?
June 4th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
AK will be so hard to trade because he still has 5 years left on his max contract. It’s going to be hard to get more that 50 cents on the dollar for him. But, with Millsap’s progress and the cap relief that a trade could provide, it may be worthwhile taking on nothing more than expiring contracts (It’s never too soon to start preparing for the inevitable max deal that Williams will command).
The only possible AK trade with close to equal talent coming back I can see would be for Richard Jefferson. He still has 5 years left on his max deal as well, so there is no cap relief, but the Jazz would get a shooting guard for the first time since Hornacek. I doubt that the Nets would do this deal, though, because the word is that they aren’t going to keep all three max guys on their roster (in Kidd, Jefferson, and Carter). Simply trading one max deal for another wouldn’t be too appealing to them, I imagine.
The Jazz could send Harpring and Brewer to Dallas for Jason Terry. I don’t think that Dallas would bite on that, though.
June 4th, 2007 at 3:03 pm
I personally will hate to see AK go, if the Jazz do decide to trade him.
He is such a fun player to watch. Most importantly, the Jazz are really close to being in the finals and you don’t want to mess with chemistry. I just think that if the Jazz bake this thing a little longer they will be able to get over the hump.
I guess it ultimately depends on who the Jazz are able to bring in in his place.
June 4th, 2007 at 3:48 pm
Not that Minnesota would ever make that trade, but I highly doubt KG would want to play center. Yes, he has the skills and height, but he lacks the body mass. He’d take a physical beating every game.
I doubt the Hawks want another 3/4.
My feeling is we’re stuck with AK, for better or worse. Hopefully, for better if he can go back to how well he played against Golden State. Like pretty much every other player, he really does need some plays to be run for him to stay in the flow of things.
June 7th, 2007 at 10:10 am
Honestly i’ve got to agree with Memot forever and jchan. And i do think that the wolves would jump at that trade! They’re getting rid of KG for a sharp shooting center, and a proven defensive powerhouse! I’d hate to see those two players go, but you could not ask for a better trade, especially for the Jazz! The RJ trade is the worst i’ve heard of, i hate RJ and he wouldn’t work in Sloans program.
I don’t want to see AK go, i don’t like how he has 3 GREAT years and 1 bad one, and everyone jumps off the boat. Thats not cool.