Farewell to Andrei

[The Thriller]

No one is talking about the Kirilenko of the past, except the people who want him to leave, because they hate how he didn't live up to that potential, out of all reason compared to the player he actually is.


Played in 64, missed 20. Did the season expand to 84 games?


What's the standard rebound rate for a starting small forward? Normally 4-6, right? So, you're complaining that he's actually performing as he should in that category?



This, as every year, both our offense (by 4 points per 100 possessions) and our defense (maginally) improved when Kirilenko was on the floor.

No ones talking about paying him star money. But this type of hatred is not rational.

cool.

But sorry, AK just doesn't fit anymore. We need to surround Favors, Millsap, and Jefferson with shooters. Not with guys who don't have range outside of 5 feet, miss half the season due to PMS and injuries, and who are disasters for team chemistry. When AK is out on the court, we play 4 on 5. The lane becomes more clogged than Dennis Nedry's arteries. Time to move on

 

[Harambe]

Hahaha. Wow. The Thriller strikes again?

Darn tootin.

Good or bad, we'll miss you and your always 20 years too late haircut. Farewell, good sir!

 

[7StraightIsGreat]

I'm of the opinion that it's time to move on for both sides. However, yesterday KOC made it sound as if an offer will at least be made in an attempt to retain AK. Whether AK accepts it or not is a different story. With that being said, Locke had some interesting numbers in regards to a AK return:

-Locke pointed out yesterday that AK's health and productivity radically drop off after playing a certain number of minutes each season. I believe it was between 1800 and 2000 minutes played if I remember correctly.

-He pointed out that if AK returned, it couldn't be as a player who plays 30+ minutes per game. He needs to be treated as a role player who sees around 20 minutes per game. This would allow the greatest chance of AK finishing an entire season and being productive at the same time.

I can actually get on board with that reasoning, but are you really going to pay a guy $5 mil/per for just 20 minutes a night? The hardest thing about AK is that if healthy, his contribution in 20 minute spurts may actually be worth it, but that is a very hard leap of faith to take considering his injury history. I like the Battier idea, but it's just a pipe dream. He's not coming here and I don't think you'd get him as cheap as you could AK.

 

[r_u_s_t_b_u_c_k_e_t]

So I'd like to see him sign with a real contender to finish his career. I really believe he could be a key component to a team winning a championship

why? he himself doesn't even care about winning, let alone winning a championship.

 

[The Thriller]

What makes you people think AK would even accept a lesser role?

He couldn't accept it when a HOF was his coach, was surrounded by 3 better (allstars), and was winning.

Now all of a sudden he's going to accept a lesser role with a sophmore (unproven) coach, no current allstars, and a losing team trying to rebuild?

Some of you people need to wake up from your AK fantasy world where he wears white tshirts and pours beer all over himself using his one night pass on you, and need to come back to reality.

 

[LifeOnaPlate]

I don't understand the reasoning of people who wouldn't take AK for 3-5mil for 3 years to play 20-25mpg, thus holding up better physically (theoretically). I see some emotion attached to it with the "he's a bum, get him out of here" crowd, but he would be a good deal at that price and a nice veteran presence off the bench.

 

[LifeOnaPlate]

What makes you people think AK would even accept a lesser role?

He couldn't accept it when a HOF was his coach, was surrounded by 3 better (allstars), and was winning.

Now all of a sudden he's going to accept a lesser role with a sophmore (unproven) coach, no current allstars, and a losing team trying to rebuild?

Some of you people need to wake up from your AK fantasy world where he wears white tshirts and pours beer all over himself using his one night pass on you, and need to come back to reality.

Time will tell, though. That's the point.

 

[chawx]

My favorite AK game was when he had that triple double with 20 or so points, and the Jazz beat the Lakers -- this was after the year after the crying incident, I believe. I remember Boozer and Okur didn't play, and Fesenko played center, and Deron had 30 plus points. Plus Andrei had 3 steals and 3 blocks. It was an amazing performance.

https://espn.go.com/nba/recap/_/id/271130026/la-lakers-lakers-vs-utah-jazz <- dominating the 17th game of the 2007 season = totally worth 3 more years at $20mil+

 

[chawx]

I think a fair offer the Jazz FO needs to offer him is a Raja-like 3 years @ $12mil. ($4mil per) with a $1mil bonus at the end of each year that he plays in over 75 games.

If he balks at it, let him walk. I like what The Thriller said about how great our team will look like playing against AK. It will be reminiscent of the game Millsap and the Jazz had against Boozer this year. Boozer was effectively the only player on the Bulls keeping us in that game. It was only when the Bulls coaches wised up, and took Boozer's sorry *** out of the game, and just told their team to give it to Rose to dominate DWill did we start to fail in that game.

The results would be the same with AK, there would be no need to defend him outside of 10 feet... if he tries to cut to the hoop, hell, have a tiny Jeremy Evens bump his *** and he'll go flying about 10 feet out the lane and settle for a 3 pointer while looking at the refs with those sunken-in eyes and that whinny grin on his face.

Then on d, just like Thriller said, have Hayward pump-fake his *** into and either drive past him for an easy two or jump into him and get the foul.

AK's stat line against a team that knows how to handle him... 5 points, 3 reb, 2 asts, 4 TOs, on 2-11 shooting and 36 minutes.

 

[JFFR]

Be prepared for the Jazz to sign AK to an $8 million contract.

We all know he'd sign for less, but this is the same Utah Jazz team that offered him the 7 yr deal and extended Okur 3 yrs @ $10million. They pay for loyalty, and its cost us a championship.

 

[One Brow]

No, people are unconsciously holding to the past by failing to acknowledge how big of a cancer this guy is.

One of those cancers where the team plays better on both sides of the court when he on the court, and has consistently done so for the several years? You think we don't need any of those "cancer"s that make the team better?

 

[One Brow]

Not with guys who don't have range outside of 5 feet, miss half the season due to PMS and injuries, and who are disasters for team chemistry.

None of those fairly describe Kirilenko.

When AK is out on the court, we play 4 on 5.

Yet, the offense and defense perform better, and have for years.

 

[YB85]

Yet, the offense and defense perform better, and have for years.

If this is true, why didn't Sloan play him more? Was Sloan too stupid to see that the team was better with AK on the floor or was Sloan holding him down?

 

[r_u_s_t_b_u_c_k_e_t]

but this is the same Utah Jazz team that... extended Okur 3 yrs @ $10million.

Okur finally missed extended time and the team crashed and burned right into the lottery. But his contract was still a blunder, right?

 

[One Brow]

If this is true, why didn't Sloan play him more? Was Sloan too stupid to see that the team was better with AK on the floor or was Sloan holding him down?

That past five seasons he's been playing 27-32 mpg for the games he's been available for. I think that's pretty much his limit. I have no objection to him playing even less, say 20-25. That might help him stay healthier, as well.

 

[Jeffrey32]

At 3yrs/$15m, AK would be a steal. If it is the same $5m but for 5 years, I am not sure he has 5 more years in him.

 

[cowhide]

Is there ever a good price for some coke that's been cut with a small amount of chlorine? Can you get a good deal on a prostitute with HSV? I feel like these are the arguments we keep having, with the consensus being, "yeah, but everybody quickly dismisses how hot this girl is when she's done up."

The thing we need to divorce ourselves from with Andrei is our dreams from the past. We all took the Andrei bate that he was something special and something different that was rare in the NBA. There wasn't a soul who didn't regard AK as an up-and-coming top ten, if not top five, player in the league. We got excited. I get it. We got really excited. Even though we've accepted the truth with Andrei, there's still that part deep down that wishes "if only" regarding AK and believes that if we let him go we let go of all those dreams and all that emotion we once invested. It's nearly akin to leaving an abusive spouse after years of thinking they'd change and that everyone else is wrong and "if they could only see what I see."

Take a minute and clear your mind of our favorable past with Andreiand pretend he's another guy in the league. Is this guy we've had for the past 5 years someone we really want on the team. Does he really bring that much or do we see that by superimposing "the old AK" to make us look at a couple block shots as 'contributing so much to the game'.

I never thought AK was a top ten player. I always thought Jazz fans overrated AK and I thought signing AK to a MAX contract was stupid when the Jazz did it. I thought AK was a unique player but I was concerned about his lack of love of the game and his physical weakness.

Without looking, I am pretty sure AK has been declining for several years. I know other Jazz fanz like to blame others (Sloan, DW, Boozer etc) but in the end AK didn't work on his game and was unable to be a MAX player. It is time to move on the AK that most Jazz fans never existed and he is certainly not going to get any better. Besides if he was always getting hurt when he was young how is he going to stay healthy as he continues to age.

Whether the Jazz resign AK or not, what is more important is saving money for the future to re-sign the "core" players and free up playing time for the young guys. contributing vets. In reality, I was pretty much done with AK when he tanked the SA series and cried about his role after the Houston series.

Someone mentioned that AK was willing to renegotiate his contract. Sorry he may or may not have been but due to the CBA he was not able to do that.

 

[cowhide]

Okur finally missed extended time and the team crashed and burned right into the lottery. But his contract was still a blunder, right?

Yes it was a blunder because the Jazz had to let Korver and Matthews go. The Jazz won a playoff series without Memo and the Jazz are in the lottery because DW was traded, Sloan left, the addition of several new players and injuries to other players. Memo was not even part of the play this year. Losing Memo hurt but if the Jazz had been able to get rid of AK and not extended Memo they would have been able to add other players while keeping Matthews and perhaps Korver.

 

[The Thriller]

Folks, ask yourself one question... Would you rather have AK playing for us or against us?

I for one would love to face him. Can you imagine what Hayward would do to that kid? And his defender could then help double team down low. He'd give us the ball with his drives and brick wide open 3s.

It's that simple folks.

 

[r_u_s_t_b_u_c_k_e_t]

Yes it was a blunder because the Jazz had to let Korver and Matthews go. The Jazz won a playoff series without Memo and the Jazz are in the lottery because DW was traded, Sloan left, the addition of several new players and injuries to other players. Memo was not even part of the play this year. Losing Memo hurt but if the Jazz had been able to get rid of AK and not extended Memo they would have been able to add other players while keeping Matthews and perhaps Korver.

so, KOC was supposed to save up for the future just in case some undrafted FA he signed got a $10 million offer from another team? makes perfect sense to me now. you're right, KOC is such an idiot.