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Should #47 hang from the rafters at ESA

vslice02 said:
I'm someone who's gone on record saying that, at the time - Kirilenko's max-extension in 2004 made quite a bit of sense (to reemphasize: in hindsight it was a mistake, but at the time it actually seemed like the logical move) but there's no way AK should have his jersey retired.
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....his max contract NEVER made sense....when do you pay a guy 17 million a year who is injury prone, can't shoot worth a lick, gambles on defense despite being told not to by the coach a thousand times.....and misses more layups than a YMCA womans league???
 
carolinajazz said:
....his max contract NEVER made sense....when do you pay a guy 17 million a year who is injury prone, can't shoot worth a lick, gambles on defense despite being told not to by the coach a thousand times.....and misses more layups than a YMCA womans league???
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If one can remember as far back as 2004, it made quite a bit of sense. AK was coming off a breakout season in 2003-04, where he was an all-star and had games where he was the best player at BOTH ends of the court that season - and was only 23 years old.

Yes, in retrospect it was a huge, huge mistake, but at the time, it made alot of sense because AK was easily the face of the Jazz franchise, was still extremely young and had VERY FEW injury problems up to that point (missed a total of 6 games in his first 3 seasons). Where the franchise was in '03-04 after losing Stockton and Malone, there was no way the Jazz could risk losing AK to another team and have him become a superstar elsewhere. Each year AK had improved his perimeter shooting, ability to attack off the dribble and it looked like he still had alot of improvement left in him. He started the 04-05 season playing lights out and was the early favorite to be DPOY before a freak knee injury in San Antonio. I remember multiple analysts at espn praising the extension and touting the ability of Utah's new frontline (AK, Boozer, Okur) to become one of the best in the league. AK's development into a franchise player obviously never came to fruition, but saying it "never made sense" is simply Monday morning quarterbacking when you can't even remember what happened on Sunday.
 
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vslice02 said:
If one can remember as far back as 2004, it made quite a bit of sense. AK was coming off a breakout season in 2003-04, where he was an all-star and had games where he was the best player at BOTH ends of the court that season - and was only 23 years old.

Yes, in retrospect it was a huge, huge mistake, but at the time, it made alot of sense because AK was easily the face of the Jazz franchise, was still extremely young and had VERY FEW injury problems up to that point (missed a total of 6 games in his first 3 seasons). Where the franchise was in '03-04 after losing Stockton and Malone, there was no way the Jazz could risk losing AK to another team and have him become a superstar elsewhere. Each year AK had improved his perimeter shooting, ability to attack off the dribble and it looked like he still had alot of improvement left in him. He started the 04-05 season playing lights out and was the early favorite to be DPOY before a freak knee injury in San Antonio. I remember multiple analysts at espn praising the extension and touting the ability of Utah's new frontline (AK, Boozer, Okur) to become one of the best in the league. AK's development into a franchise player obviously never came to fruition, but saying it "never made sense" is simply Monday morning quarterbacking when you can't even remember what happened on Sunday.
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I wouldn't go near as far as to say it made sense. More accurately, I would say we were hustled and pressured into giving AK the match, due to his demands to be paid "fairly" combined with not wanting to temper excitement after our FA acquisitions of Booze and Memo. It wasn't smart, but we were in uncharted waters
 
Lance-A-Million said:
I wouldn't go near as far as to say it made sense. More accurately, I would say we were hustled and pressured into giving AK the match, due to his demands to be paid "fairly" combined with not wanting to temper excitement after our FA acquisitions of Booze and Memo. It wasn't smart, but we were in uncharted waters
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...."uncharted waters?" These owners have been giving these clowns bad contracts for decades! They have either been smoking dope, drunk....or had the tattoo ink these players have in their bodies......seeping into the brain cells of these stupid owners!
 
Lance-A-Million said:
More accurately, I would say we were hustled and pressured into giving AK the match, due to his demands to be paid "fairly" combined with not wanting to temper excitement after our FA acquisitions of Booze and Memo. It wasn't smart, but we were in uncharted waters
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It was his agent who was negotiating, not AK himself. Again, it was Miller who made decision to give him that contract and nobody was holding gun to his head to do it. They could let him test free agency but they did not do it as they knew he would have gotten same contract offer from 10+ teams on the first day of free agency.
You guys need to focus not on that max contract but how max contract player who was called future and face of the Utah Jazz by O'Connor in 2004 was underutilized by team's coach starting 2007. Jazz had a chance to let him go or trade for Marion in 2007, it wasn't not AK's problem that it never happened, he actually asked to be traded, don't you all remember that? Again it was Miller who valued ( or if you want to say overvalued AK ) and made him stay and fulfill his contract with the Jazz - so why you bitter at AK? All he did since 2007 he played the way he was forced to play - as a role player (with max contract) in Sloan's 1 to 4 dominated system.
 
Gameface said:
Smart people would never suggest AK is an MVP.
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He is - 2007 Eurobasket champion and MVP of that tournament. Basketball is played not in NBA only;). And again if you look at his years with the Jazz he was clearly Jazz most valuable and best player in 2004, 2005, 2006 seasons. Just check team win-loss record with him and without him.
 
This is the dumbest topic ever.

This shouldn't be discussed.

If it's worth talking about AK being honored in such fashion, then someone better talk about Ostertag's # being retired.

Enough said, end of discussion!!!
 
AKMVP said:
It was his agent who was negotiating, not AK himself. Again, it was Miller who made decision to give him that contract and nobody was holding gun to his head to do it. They could let him test free agency but they did not do it as they knew he would have gotten same contract offer from 10+ teams on the first day of free agency.
You guys need to focus not on that max contract but how max contract player who was called future and face of the Utah Jazz by O'Connor in 2004 was underutilized by team's coach starting 2007. Jazz had a chance to let him go or trade for Marion in 2007, it wasn't not AK's problem that it never happened, he actually asked to be traded, don't you all remember that? Again it was Miller who valued ( or if you want to say overvalued AK ) and made him stay and fulfill his contract with the Jazz - so why you bitter at AK? All he did since 2007 he played the way he was forced to play - as a role player (with max contract) in Sloan's 1 to 4 dominated system.
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You can be the biggest AK fan in the world and still not truly believe he should have his number retired, right??
 
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