A nervous Kirilenko returns

Andrei Kirilenko's most-noted NBA moment didn't come the night he racked up 31 points last year against Miami, or the two times he registered rare "5X5s." It didn't occur when he was named an All-Star, either.

It didn't even happen when the lineup was announced on opening night this year.

It came Saturday, with his return to the Jazz. Talk about news.

It was only the most anticipated return since the third adaptation of "The Lord of the Rings." It was also the most publicized recovery since John Stockton shrugged off knee surgery several weeks ahead of schedule in 1997.

And the reaction was similar: a standing ovation that lasted a nearly half-minute.

Twenty-six games and nearly two months after tearing ligaments in his right knee, Kirilenko was back.

Does it really take a spindly, spiky-haired Russian to remind everyone basketball is supposed to be fun? Too bad for the Jazz, but losing 110-94 to the Memphis Grizzlies - or anyone else always puts a damper on the proceedings.

Still, "It was fun," said Kirilenko after the game, "because you finally start playing."

It has been a disturbing season for the Jazz in Kirilenko's absence, a time of uncertainty and doubt. Not even the addition of players such as Mehmet Okur and Carlos Boozer, or the fearless play of Raja Bell could keep the ship afloat. In the 26 games Kirilenko missed, the Jazz won only six. That's a worse success rate than Merrill Cook.

Somewhere in the middle of the losing, the reality began to sink in that the Jazz had dug themselves a hole the size of, well, Russia.

Now they'll have to win a shocking number of their remaining games just to get the last playoff slot. Except for an unexpected mid-month rally, when the Jazz surprised both San Antonio and Phoenix, there has been little fire. The kid-like enthusiasm was seldom present.

This is where Kirilenko comes in. He rebounds, blocks shots, makes steals, scores and defends and leads cheers. But what comes through most is that he actually enjoys it all. Right down to the floor burns.

Who says work and fun must be mutually exclusive?

It wasn't an especially auspicious start for the Russian forward. As Sloan predicted, Kirilenko played just 12 minutes and scored only two points.

What he did do, though, was temporarily fire up the crowd. He showed up in his week-old Mohawk and bounced on his toes during warmups, anxious to get going. He entered the game late in the first quarter, making a floating shot in the lane 18 seconds later. But after drawing a foul on the play, he missed the rim entirely.

That was only the first air ball he put up. He missed again on baseline shot that he threw over the other side of the rim while trying to get a shot off over Pau Gasol.