Reader comments
Moving forward? Jazz's Kirilenko, Sloan try to clear air

Everyone is saying the right things now, but come December when Williams has long since quit passing the ball to into the black hole, the nice words will all be forgotten.

O'Connel had better start now trying to find a point gaurd who can play two gaurd to trade AK for. In fact, with AK's salary I bet we could add a couple more guys to the lineup who could play two gaurd. It doesn't even need to be their natural position. All they need to do is to be able to keep Lebron, Kobe, Arenas, Ray and Redd under 60 points

Is Earl Boykins available? We could put him and Williams on the floor at the same time, couldn't we?

That is the problem - Williams doesn't get Kirilenko the ball. He shoots too much and only passes to Boozer. Boozer is a good player, but he isn't the team. Kirilenko plays good defense and then watches Boozer and Williams take all the shots on the other end. That would never happen with Stockton.

Yeah, but have you ever had a whiny, worthless teammate like Kirilenko? All this sympathy around Kirilenko angers the blood. And to think that we spent all that money on Kirilenko. That's hogwash!! I was on my way to the market to purchase a Kirilenko jersey for my son. But when I got to the store, I noticed something peculiar about the Kirilenko jerseys...they stink!!! And they always will!!

I do remember Williams averaging about 9 assists per game and not every pass was going to Boozer. Who do you think got most of Stockton's passes? Karl Malone. Williams is one of the best up and coming guards in the league and if he said he is going to try and get AK more touches, I think he will do his best to stick to his word.

Kirilenko got the ball plenty jazz fan and Stockton passed to players who were in scoring position not a guy standing twenty feet from the basket who cannot dribble or shoot from there. Why do some you supposed jazz fans want to blame everyone but AK. Is it not crazy that we are blameing a coach and player for the unhappiness of one person in a year that we went to the Western Conference Finals. So does that mean we are blameing them for makeing it to the WCF? If so all blame them all the way to the finals this year.
I see Williams Sloan, Miller, and teammates saying they will do what it takes to have him be apart of the team and are trying to do so but AK says he still feels the same and that is that he does not want to be here. At some point in time AK needs to step up to the plate and also acknowlege that he is also willing to do what it takes. If his attitude does not change no teammate will pass to him.
" I wouldn't"

I'm not sure you are a Jazz fan you sound like a Stockton fan, maybe. Williams is not a ball hog, he does not shoot too much and is one of the best up and coming PGs in the league, no he is one of the best PGs in the league right now. He's also a very smart PG who makes the pass to the person who has the best chance of putting the ball in the basket. One of the biggest knocks on #12 was that he didn't shoot enough. Dwill has a great feel and mix of pass and shoot, shooting enough when needed and passing enough when needed and enough to be in the top 3 in assists. If anyting the Jazz need to get Booz the ball more often, the guy is a beast in the low block and a much better option than AK will ever be. I hope the Jazz can make AK feel warm and fuzzy so that he can compete but I really hope it doesn't take away from what the Jazz are doing and from Booz and the other go to guys.

Maybe the Jazz should hire a Russian translator that also speaks Illinois farm boy English so Kirilenko and Sloan can really understand each other and put this in the past. The translator could smooth over Sloans negative language and make it into a compassionate Russian translation. The two would become great friends and the Jazz would be unstoppable with the team they had last year and a reenergized Kirilenko. Maybe his wife never gave him a free pass, the translator could tell us more about that. GO JAZZ and GO AK47

No wonder williams wouldnt give him the ball he wanted to win. Which we did most of the time, and williams is one of the, if not the best, PG in the NBA. And i think his best is yet to come. So who cares about AK if he wants to be whinny so be it but if he wants to buck and play real ball then the jazz could really use him.

LETS SHOW SOME SUPPORT!!! QUIT TRYING TO COMPLICATE THINGS ALL YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING BLOGGERS!!! GO SLOAN, GO KIRILENKO, GO JAZZ!!!! AND ALL OF YOU NEGATIVE BAND-WAGON FANS...GO AWAY...WE DON'T NEED YOU!!!

AK needs a reliable jump shot off the pick and the ability to go quickly to the basket inside without dribbling. Who better to learn from than Harpring and Boozer.

Anonymous if you don't like the blogs then don't read them. Same with your TV if you don't like the programming on a channel change it. This is what you do on blogs you give your opinion does not mean its right, wrong or indifferent.

I know people like you. You like to sweep everything under the carpet and then pretend that everything is peachy keen. Its not peachy keen in Jazz land and we like to blog about it. Its not hurting anyone so don't worry about it. Not sure who we is in "we don't need you" but I am sure most of the bloggers her don't need you.

Anonymous if you don't like the blogs then don't read them. Same with your TV if you don't like the programming on a channel change it. This is what you do on blogs you give your opinion does not mean its right, wrong or indifferent.

I know people like you. You like to sweep everything under the carpet and then pretend that everything is peachy keen. Its not peachy keen in Jazz land and we like to blog about it. Its not hurting anyone so don't worry about it. Not sure who we is in "we don't need you" but I am sure most of the bloggers her don't need you.

dear little russian friend AK
I really promise to play as a team with you, will you stop being a goose and commit yourself to this new seasson, so that we can make it to the finals and win a championship!!!

In response to ID Jazz...you make a good point, I just get sick of all the negative crap all the time, however I realize that I was just contributing to it...so sorry about that. I do think that there is something to be said for being positive and creating some team/fan moral and enthusiasm. I could be wrong, but it just seems that the majority of the comments are negative...if we are passionate fine, but it seems that we are usually only passionate about the negative...and that is scary.

After reading Sloan's comments, the one element that stood clear is the fact that Jerry Sloan is an honorable, honest man with integrity. I think he has Kirilenko's best interests at heart. I believe
there is an entire Russian mindset that really is foreign to the United States. Kirilenko and even his wife must understand this. He is fortunate that he has the right to speak out.

Another Karl? Good riddance AK - get thee back to Russia. We don't need your whining.

Jerry Sloan is part of the problem, not the solution. The majority of this falls on Andrei's shoulders, but Jerry's stubborn refusal to adapt to today's game and players turned a relatively small problem into one that will likely ruin the Jazz's championship aspirations. The best thing the Jazz could do (they are to cowardly to do it, though) would be to fire Jerry Sloan and get a coach capable of relating to today's players.

I know there are a lot of Sloan apologists out there that like his "old school" approach, but what has he ever won? A few regular season games? The man had two of the top 50 all-time players, and yet they still flamed out early in the playoffs more often than not.

As for Andrei, if there is one thing we have learned; its that he is too selfish to be trusted. The Jazz should do everything in their power to showcase him until December or January and then move him to an eastern conference team for whatever acceptable offer they can find.

we dont need him here, let him play in the motherland, well find someone from college to take his spot, who wont whine every second of the day, he doesnt benifeit the team, except once or twice, a season

AK is a has been baby. He needs to stop whining about not getting the ball, when he gets the ball he does absolutely nothing. GET RID OF HIM! Let him play ball in Russia, or wherever else he wants to go.

Obviously AK hasn't changed his attitude. His job performance last year was spotty at best. There isn't any reason to keep a dissatisfied player. If some one will take him he should be traded. His poor attitude will affect others on the team.