Deseret News | Moving forward? Jazz's Kirilenko, Sloan try to clear air

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

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Chico | 12:21 a.m. Oct. 2, 2007

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?

jazz fan | 6:49 a.m. Oct. 2, 2007

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.

Hey, jazz fan | 7:36 a.m. Oct. 2, 2007

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!!

Comments continue below

Hey Jazz Fan | 8:01 a.m. Oct. 2, 2007

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.

ID Jazz | 8:16 a.m. Oct. 2, 2007

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"

Jazz Fan are you sure? | 8:26 a.m. Oct. 2, 2007

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.

get a translator | 8:49 a.m. Oct. 2, 2007

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

A real jazz fan | 8:56 a.m. Oct. 2, 2007

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.

Anonymous | 9:56 a.m. Oct. 2, 2007

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!!!

Anonymous | 10:05 a.m. Oct. 2, 2007

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 | 10:39 a.m. Oct. 2, 2007

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.

ID Jazz | 10:41 a.m. Oct. 2, 2007

carlos boozer | 10:52 a.m. Oct. 2, 2007

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!!!

Anonymous | 10:55 a.m. Oct. 2, 2007

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.

Sokel | 11:03 a.m. Oct. 2, 2007

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.

Don't really care | 11:14 a.m. Oct. 2, 2007

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

JDub | 11:29 a.m. Oct. 2, 2007

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.

let him go | 11:34 a.m. Oct. 2, 2007

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 Sucks | 11:34 a.m. Oct. 2, 2007

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.

B Thayne | 11:49 a.m. Oct. 2, 2007

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.

ILVJAZZ | 11:55 a.m. Oct. 2, 2007

I have a problem with this so called D-WILL? This guy thinks he can run his mouth whenever he wants. His resume is too short and he has really proven nothing yet. One half of a good season and an invite for Team USA doesn't give you clout to run your mouth. My advice is for Deron Williams to just shutup and play the game. Anyone who wastes there time worrying to comment on the " Skeleton" is just as lame as he is.

Good to hear | 12:03 p.m. Oct. 2, 2007

I am glad to hear Sloan saying the right things. AK is a good player most nights and when motivated he is a great player. I hope he is able to figure things out and work well in the Utah system. If he starts not producing then we need to take a serious look at other options.

NorthernFan | 12:06 p.m. Oct. 2, 2007

Here's an idea... Hire the Russian National Coach as a team consultant/assistant coach. He could work direclty with AK and the new Russian rookie and at the same time learn some of C. Sloans coaching insight. It could be a Win/Win situation...

ID Jazz | 12:11 p.m. Oct. 2, 2007

Anonymous I understand where you are coming from and appreciate your honest response.
I think for all the the negative stuff to go away Andrei really needs to bite his lip and make an effort to be happy and not complain out loud in the press.
I must say it is dicourageing to hear that Sloan and Williams are willing to make an effort and then Andrei say that his feelings have not changed. Hopefully training camp will work out all the hard feelings.

RE northern fan | 12:20 p.m. Oct. 2, 2007

I agree either get a russian translator or hire the russian national coach as a consultant. Then AK does have any excuses, and if he does or any other overpaid barbarian let's stop watching and make them get real jobs. Most would be in jail, and the lucky ones could sell shoes

Anonymous | 12:30 p.m. Oct. 2, 2007

Both Sloan and AK need to get their act together. AK needs to understand that in America where much is given much is expected. Go practice your jump shot AK then shut up and play. Darin will pass you the ball if he has confidence you can shoot. Sloan needs to change his rigid offense a bit to fit AK's skills around the basket. It does no good to try to force a square peg in to a round hole.

Jazz-Man | 1:15 p.m. Oct. 2, 2007

Let's be real about one thing!

Jerry Sloan is about consistency. If something is inconsistent in creating good opportunities - then that hurts the team. The pick & roll is consistent, D-Wills penetration is consistent, Booze in the low post is consistent, & Memo's three (with the exception of last years playoffs) is consistent.
There is not much consistency in AK's offensive game at all. If you run the same plays for him in 5 games-he may only succeed in 2 or 3 games. AK has been in the system for 7 years, he needs to get better within the system & better in individual skills to help him score.

If you have no jumper, players will back off of you, if you can't get to the basket, players will crowd you. The other teams know every strenghth & weakness. That is why AK must improve on his all-around game. He has to aquire some go to moves & a couple of shots that are effective.

clem | 2:06 p.m. Oct. 2, 2007

jazz-man,AMEN.

Rich | 2:49 p.m. Oct. 2, 2007

I admire Sloan because he demands hustle and hard work, good team defense and good offensive execution. That's why he is one of the most winningest coaches in history. He has made the most of many players, who did almost nothing once they left the team. He made it to the finals twice with no lottery picks, losing only to another team with two All Stars and members of the NBA's top 50 ever. Unfortunately one of those Bulls got a lot of calls. Too bad our top scorer couldn't handle the pressure of making foul shots in the Finals. Perhaps five other coaches have adjusted as well as Sloan as the NBA game has evolved over the past 20 years. If AK were as outstanding as LeBron, I might agree that it would be time to get a new coach. If Sloan were to go to Cleveland and take DWill with him, the Cavs would win the whole tamale.

Yakov Smirnoff | 2:53 p.m. Oct. 2, 2007

In Russia, basketball plays you.

Agrees with Jazz-Man | 3:00 p.m. Oct. 2, 2007

See above...

jazz Best fan in Kanab,Utah | 3:05 p.m. Oct. 2, 2007

The medea is the promlem . Tom don't know how to tell the truth.

Joe | 3:31 p.m. Oct. 2, 2007

So people think Jerry is the problem; that he hasn't adapted to the modern game. Let's think about that for a minute. Does San Antonio play this modern game (whatever that means)? Or Houston? Or Dallas under Avery Johnson? Or Detroit? Or the Lakers? Or Miami? Or Cleveland?

The best teams in the NBA start by playing intense team defense and usually run structured, controlled half-court offenses. They take the fast breaks when they can but they have the ability to execute in the half court. The casual fan would probably view the best teams in the NBA as boring.

Boy, that description seems to fit the Jazz pretty well. The bottom line is that Jerry coaches the old style which is also happens to be the modern style. He coaches the type of basketball that at least gives his teams a chance to win a championship.

Those who love Phoenix and Golden State: Come back with your weak stuff when a team like that wins a championship.

Fed UP | 4:05 p.m. Oct. 2, 2007

Trade the BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

America do not understand | 5:06 p.m. Oct. 2, 2007

Andrei is good man and wants to play basketball for his best. Let him be and play where he can be the best. Utah not the best place for hime.

Texas Ute | 5:29 p.m. Oct. 2, 2007

Go Spurs Go

montana fan | 6:12 p.m. Oct. 2, 2007

bottom line...it's not rocket science AK has to deal with. the idea here is to throw a bag of wind through an iron hoop. if he's paid alot of money to do that, it's up to him, not sloan, to work on ways to accomplish throwing the bag of wind through the iron hoop, right. coach sloan can't do it for him, although, i'm sure sloan is more capable of outscoring AK even though he's 186 yrs old, in dog years.

kman | 6:45 p.m. Oct. 2, 2007

Go Spurs Go?? what was that??...
Any way i think this situation its all done, AK will be in Jazz uniform for a couple more years he will get more "touches" to the ball and he'll be a happy jazzman.

Fan Up North | 6:49 p.m. Oct. 2, 2007

Lets give Jerry a chance to do what he's trying to do. AK has proven himself a great player. Lets see if they can come together and get it done and not get too eager to pull the plug. We listened to karl Malone whine for years, but seemed to forget it at game time. The media needs to back off.

Rog | 6:49 p.m. Oct. 2, 2007

Based on last years performance and attitude AK should definately have been gone this season. The secret to the Jazz getting to the finals is for everyone to play team ball and not to give a hoot as to who gets the credit for the win. But I guarantee if that ball gets into Boozer enough the Jazz will win. Boozer may not show the style of some other forwards but he will always get the job done. He still remains very much underrated. In my opinion he is the most affective forward in the league.

Marc Titcomb | 6:57 p.m. Oct. 2, 2007

A very thorough article and I must say that I agree that Kirilenko is an asset for the success of the Jazz. A note to the writer or editor of this might want to look at "unfaze" used somewhere in the middle of the article. It seemed to grab my attention and I was confused at whether the writer or online editor was really trying to put "not to be phased" or something of the sort. Again, not a big issue, but just something I noticed.

rockdog | 7:48 p.m. Oct. 2, 2007

The Jazz need Sloan and the Jazz need AK for defence with out AK defence the Jazz would not of made it pass the first round last year. The Jazz have a great team second best team in NBA last year give ak a few more shots have him play great D and lets win a tidal. spurs are last years news

JEFF T | 8:35 p.m. Oct. 2, 2007

Kirilenko doesn't have an issue with Sloan, he has an issue with Williams. It didn't take a pro scout, last year, to see that Williams and Kirilenko had problems with each other on the court. Andrei never got the ball on a fast break from Williams, even after making a stellar play on the defensive end. If Williams would just reward great defensive plays by getting the ball to the defensive playmaker on the resulting fast break, this one thing would go a long way to making Kirilenko happy. Kirilenko probably won't touch it much in a half court set. He doesn't need to to be happy in my opinion. If he would just get rewarded offensively for great defense, he'd be happy

ID Jazz | 9:17 p.m. Oct. 2, 2007

Common Jeff T what are you talking about. Again someone trying to blame Williams or Sloan for AKs lack of offensive skills. He was rewarded on fast breaks where he was the best option. If he didn't get the ball it was because if you passed to him at a point where he needed to dribble then it was stolen from him or dribbled out of bounds and if you had to pass to him on the wing he could not hit the jumper. Knowing this if you had Harpering and AK running out on a fast break in that situation who you going to pass it to.(Harpering)Good shooter and free throw shooter. When he was under the basket open the ball was passed to him everytime. As the point guard and teammate you know players strengths and weaknesses and make choices accordingly. Makeing it to the Western Conference Finals I say Williams made the right choices. It is up to AK to get better at shooting, dribbling, and passing in so doing he will bring confidence to himself as well as his point guard and teammates which get him more touches.

AK-47 Fan | 9:39 p.m. Oct. 2, 2007

Thnx JEFF T you nailed it. Jazz D-Will has attitude worst than AK. I know AK has quick mouth. he needs to understand think before say something, rather than constantly reacting to new demands on your time. We'll see after D-Will get his MAX contract it's gonna be interesting!!! We'll see...
Sloan is Sloan that's all you can say. Winningst coach without title. In this blog almost nobody supporting their team. I'm just Ak fan. As long he plays for Jazz I'll support Jazz. Go AK MVP

Gretzky | 10:16 p.m. Oct. 2, 2007

Time for Sloan to retire. He cannot handle the youngsters anymore. They whine and complain so much that it overwhelms Sloan. Miller should sell the team as well. Utah is too small a market for the NBA to ever allow him to win a championship. As we found out in the off season, the NBA is rigged as the refs make the calls to sway the games the way the Commissioner wants them to play out. Only the NHL remains viable as a professional sport. Go Rangers!!!

Ramble | 10:27 p.m. Oct. 2, 2007

AK's biggest thrill was being a all star. He
realizes he will never get the opportunity again the way things are going. I think thats his biggest
problem.

Mike | 10:28 p.m. Oct. 2, 2007

Evetone is trying to blame this on either AK or Sloan/D-Will. In truth, all three are to blame(but I think AK is going about this in the wrong way). D-Will did pass up on AK on multiple occasions, but he was just doing what he thought was best for the team. Sloan is pretty critical of AK, but he has said he will try to get AK more involved and happier. AK doesn't have a good work ethic, therefore loosing the trust of his point gaurd. From the article, everyone but AK is saying the right things. They will try to help AK out and get him involved and happy. We'll just have to wait and see how that translates into the game. I hope that the Jazz can have a happy and energetic AK playing hard every game. The scary part is that AK's attitude seems to be that he's already given up on the Jazz....

Brandon | 10:30 p.m. Oct. 2, 2007

Whoever said "time for Sloan to retire" obviously doesn't understand the game of basketball and needs to keep his pointless comments to himself. Sloan IS the Utah Jazz. Go vent somewhere else, Gretzky.

TucsonUte | 10:54 p.m. Oct. 2, 2007

Sloan retire....right! Gretzky stick with the hockey gig. Most NBA owners would love to have Sloan coaching their teams. Someone like Jerry Sloan comes around once every 25 years and the Jazz were lucky enough to get him. He might not be Phil Jackson but he knows how win a few ball games. Being in Utah has been problematic at times for him trying the get that final piece of the puzzle for a championship.

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