Kirilenko's wild 'do, stats get him noticed

Andrei Kirilenko produces stat lines as wild as his haircut.

Never seen an elongated mohawk atop an overgrown crewcut? That's OK. Seldom has an NBA player had a 'do as daring as this one.

Never seen a line in a boxscore that includes at least five each of points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks?

That's OK, too, because they come around only about twice a decade — or at least they did until Kirilenko recently made the "5X5" part of the basketball lexicon for the statistically infatuated.

"There's not many players I've ever seen that are as active as he is for as long as he is," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, who has been playing and coaching since the 1950s. "He's like a rope out there. He's got arms and legs going every which way, and he covers a lot of territory with his hands."

Kirilenko's uncanny quickness and hyperactivity at both ends of the court have made him one of the most enjoyable players to watch on a revamped Jazz team that has already exceeded expectations in Year One of the post-Stockton & Malone era.

The lanky 6-foot-9 Russian is ranked among the top five in the NBA in steals and blocked shots, accumulating them in bushels while also averaging about 16 points, eight rebounds and three assists.

"About two weeks ago, we were talking about who is playing at an All-Star caliber. He was one of those guys who was doing things on the floor that, at that time, you probably would have voted him to the All-Star team," Seattle coach Nate McMillan said.

Kirilenko's freak week on the stat sheet began Dec. 5 when he had 19 points, five rebounds, seven assists, eight steals and five blocks against Houston. Then on Dec. 10, he had 10 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, six steals and five blocks against New York.

A "5X5" had been accomplished only twice before in the past decade, by Indiana's Jamaal Tinsley in 2001 and by Vlade Divac of the Lakers in 1995.

"If you take a look at a few more games, I was close to those stats — four blocks, three steals," Kirilenko said. "Every game, almost every game, I'm trying to be all-around — trying to rebound, steal the ball, blocking shots, score.

"I think every player wants to do that, be all-around, but most players try to concentrate more on offense or defense. I think it's not right. You need to concentrate both and be aggressive both ends, then you can help much more your team," Kirilenko said.