AK and Russian team
- Thread starter write4u
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AK had a very good stretch of games but then his production gradually diminished because of injuries. This was already starting to become evident at the time DWill was traded. At least that was my recollection. I think if you watch the games going on now in the Eurobasket tournament, you will see a lot different AK than we saw that second half of last season.
GVC
Well-Known Member
I have been watching the games. AK is neither playing in the NBA nor being paid $17mil. This isn't the first time he's played well internationally. There are plenty of good reasons to be displeased with AK, as hard as that is for you to accept.
I have accepted this. He has not lived up to my expectations either. I agree with many of the criticisms, but some of them have been unfair and in some cases because of the higher expectations all of us had for him. And there is no doubt that AK's lack of desire to work on his weaknesses led to him not living up to his potential. Nevertheless, the guy is still a very good player and if used properly could be a solid piece for the Jazz.
I think Kirilenko showed tremendous desire. He was a defensive talent. That takes heart and desire. Too bad he didn't lead his team to a title, but this league is not fair, and it is not set up to reward heart and desire, nor defense The league is set up to give an unfair advantage to a minority of the players who "public opinion" deems to be the chosen ones. Cheating , flopping, and dirty play are actually rewarded. Arrogant psychopathic personalities? Sells tickets! Playing defense to try to stop the chosen ones from scoring? Not so much. The league is fine with that. That was not Kirilenko.
Gyp Rosetti
Banned
The baby food guy loved his b-ball?
Lakers_Slapper
Well-Known Member
For a guy that sticks up for AK (as you said for yourself) you sure sound like a hater. Its cool though. But if you hate em, that HATE "EM!! I feel AK is a great role player, and could actually show some of the young'ins how to PLAY DEFENSE. Something that players dont know how to do nowdays. He does a lot more than just choke. He is an excellent leader and if you have watched any jazz games in the past 7 or so years, you would realize that the Jazz do better when he plays.
Why should anyone feel the need to pick one pole or the opposite? The living conditions on the equator are much easier.
I think Kirilenko is undervalued by a significant contingent on this board, but GVC is right in that there are also reasons to be displeased.
No, he is talking about that guy from Turkey.
Jazzman_86
Well-Known Member
I dont understand. Why people only remember 3 things about him
1 bad contract - this is fault of GM not AK. Every player will accept this kind of deal
2 No outside game - really? Yes, his three is not perfect. But not so bad. He got good midrange jump shot. He shots many right now at Eurobasket and making them.
3 A lot of injuries, not willing to play through them - Yes, that's correct
And why we don't remember good things that he does. I will not talk about that he is defensive player and so on. The thing that i really like in AK he has unique feeling of the game, great IQ. He makes a lot of deflections, not steals or blocks. His hands always at the passing lines. He is willing to play the game and loves the game. How many games he proved us to tell that's the way we like you to play. If he had 10 good games in a row, everything is fine. And if he had one terrible. That's it, go away, let's trade him guys. Only these words comes to mind? Why?
what is the reason?
Ok let Miles start, let him shoot 2 from 14. Next season we will start to remember, that out bench is sucks and why we didn't resigned AK.
1 bad contract - this is fault of GM not AK. Every player will accept this kind of deal
2 No outside game - really? Yes, his three is not perfect. But not so bad. He got good midrange jump shot. He shots many right now at Eurobasket and making them.
3 A lot of injuries, not willing to play through them - Yes, that's correct
And why we don't remember good things that he does. I will not talk about that he is defensive player and so on. The thing that i really like in AK he has unique feeling of the game, great IQ. He makes a lot of deflections, not steals or blocks. His hands always at the passing lines. He is willing to play the game and loves the game. How many games he proved us to tell that's the way we like you to play. If he had 10 good games in a row, everything is fine. And if he had one terrible. That's it, go away, let's trade him guys. Only these words comes to mind? Why?
what is the reason?
Ok let Miles start, let him shoot 2 from 14. Next season we will start to remember, that out bench is sucks and why we didn't resigned AK.
D
Deleted member 848
Guest
I really dont think we've seen 10 good games in a row from AK since the end of the 2009-2010 season. Personally, I really like what he offers, its always good to have that one unorthodox player to shake up opposing teams, but the fact in the matter is that we are not deploying him properly in the manner in which HE wants to play, and he doesnt have the commitment to alter his playing style to seriously excel in the Jazz Flex-Offense. Honestly the only way I see it is either Tyrone Corbin seriously tailors our offense around AK, making him a starter in the process (Highly Unlikely) or well sign him as a bench player, playing either SF or PF. If I were AK Id think that I'm good enough to become a starter; hence I think that the Jazz and AK might be a relationship of the past this coming season, unless Kirilenko accepts the Bench role. Personally I think Earl running the point, together with a point-forward like AK on the Bench could make for a very powerful bench; we'll see what happens though.
1 - He didn't just accept it, he demanded it (citing how absurd it was that Pau got one already and not him. Really).
2 - Why should anyone care about what AK does in Eurobasket? AK's always done well overseas, and his jumper is not - nor has it ever been - something opponents feared (in the NBA which is all that matters in this discussion). And appropriately so.
3 - Yep
What you've just described is the roadblock to any real chance at contention in the previous era.
I could talk for about an hour about why I don't want him back either, but we'll just leave it at that. That is why some people are displeased with AK.
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The Thriller
Well-Known Member
Gotta love them folks who have problems moving on.
AK is like that really hot GF that didn't do anything for us, but was really hot.
Now that the relationship is over, all we can ever think of were the "good times" (which weren't ever even that great. AK could never lead us to a playoff birth. Nor was he ever a G2 man. Never did he develop a single offensive move. And for ever few blocks and steals he created, there were far more times that he gave up an open shot or layup due to his gambling).
In some extreme cases, we blame ourselves. It was "our fault" for AK's lack of progression all these years. It was Jslo, it was Duron, it was Larry H, it was missing Russia, it was Boozer wanting to bang Masha, it was Memo, it was Malone, it was Max Hall, it was Obama...
If only we had done more, then that relationship could have flourished... Doing more? By what, benching Duron and letting AK run the point? Benching Millsap/Boozer/Memo and letting AK try and bang inside? Ugh, as much as I hate Boozer, he was more effective playing the PF than AK was. By running the offense through a player who didn't have one single GO TO move? Even Millsap, a glorified rebounder from some no name school, has developed quite the offensive game in just a few years!
Was AK sexy as hell? Oh yes, tall, athletic, funny, energetic, etc. And his wife had huge knockers! Awesome!
But he never developed!
he was fools gold. Tall, lengthy, athletic SFs with no games come a dime a dozen! How often we see this in the NBA. Raw talent.
Yet, AK didn't possess the work ethic, intelligence, or desire to grow, mature, and become the player he could have been.
Larry Bird had 1/100th the physical talent AK had. Yet.... What happened?
Folks, it's time to move on.
AK was never that great to begin with.
AK is like that really hot GF that didn't do anything for us, but was really hot.
Now that the relationship is over, all we can ever think of were the "good times" (which weren't ever even that great. AK could never lead us to a playoff birth. Nor was he ever a G2 man. Never did he develop a single offensive move. And for ever few blocks and steals he created, there were far more times that he gave up an open shot or layup due to his gambling).
In some extreme cases, we blame ourselves. It was "our fault" for AK's lack of progression all these years. It was Jslo, it was Duron, it was Larry H, it was missing Russia, it was Boozer wanting to bang Masha, it was Memo, it was Malone, it was Max Hall, it was Obama...
If only we had done more, then that relationship could have flourished... Doing more? By what, benching Duron and letting AK run the point? Benching Millsap/Boozer/Memo and letting AK try and bang inside? Ugh, as much as I hate Boozer, he was more effective playing the PF than AK was. By running the offense through a player who didn't have one single GO TO move? Even Millsap, a glorified rebounder from some no name school, has developed quite the offensive game in just a few years!
Was AK sexy as hell? Oh yes, tall, athletic, funny, energetic, etc. And his wife had huge knockers! Awesome!
But he never developed!
he was fools gold. Tall, lengthy, athletic SFs with no games come a dime a dozen! How often we see this in the NBA. Raw talent.
Yet, AK didn't possess the work ethic, intelligence, or desire to grow, mature, and become the player he could have been.
Larry Bird had 1/100th the physical talent AK had. Yet.... What happened?
Folks, it's time to move on.
AK was never that great to begin with.
Thriller is full of bs -- no game? Like many other posters have said, AK has plenty of game. Very few players have as much. But he also has his deficiencies, including the three pointed out. But Thriller exaggerates them because he is a hater who can't see the positives that AK brings. This is the kind of thing that drove me nuts when people started to attack AK and me for defending him. People who are basically blind to reality because of their prejudices. No, AK is not a top-ten NBA player as we had hoped, but when he's on and not injured, he's certainly top 50 or better.
billyshelby
Well-Known Member
AK is so underappreciated. He wasn't worth his Max deal. He had a disastrous year that somehow tarnished everything about the caliber of player he is. And his skillset is not meant for Jazz wings. I really do love Jerry, but Jerry never could adapt his system to utilize AK (cue the exasperation.)
I hope we keep AK only because I really believe Ty will use him correctly. But if we don't, I look forward to watching AK's games with League Pass on a team that feeds his strengths. He's a terrific basketball player who could easily be a huge cog on a championship team.
I hope we keep AK only because I really believe Ty will use him correctly. But if we don't, I look forward to watching AK's games with League Pass on a team that feeds his strengths. He's a terrific basketball player who could easily be a huge cog on a championship team.
How do you properly utilize a small-ball 4 playing as a wing when his production and disposition changes with the weather, generally can't hit a shot, and has an okay but extremely loose dribble? In the second half of the '09-'10 season when he put together his best string of games since 2005, was that because he was finally being used properly? Just, all of a sudden, Jerry got it... and then he just forgot?
Really, what are his strengths, and how do they fit in to any kind of successful model of a team construct? Being the best jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none still means he's master of none. Especially when he can't stay healthy, and it's anyone's guess who he shows up as on a nightly basis.
Anyway, I'll start with his strengths: really smart, great vision, great passer. And then there's just a blank. Or rather, a TON of things he can do some nights and not others.
And again, last year he was actually worse (or equal-to at best) than in '06-'07. There just weren't any tears and trade demands.