Comments about ‘Former Utah Jazz's Andrei Kirilenko era ends with thud’

Rock Monster, he held the Jazz hostage for years with his salary. We could not make any deals, and he was always hurt and not reliable, more often than not. He improved his shot last year, but frustrated as much as wowed. The kid is talented. He was a good man, good person. However, if that is the case maybe he should have forfeited some of the money he stole from this organization. The fact is the salary was an albatross that did not allow us options for deals.

Thanks for the 10 years

However, move on and I am not shedding a tear

@toddfromsantaana

AK was playing exceptionally well when he was signed to that contract. He might not have been a max contract guy, but if his health had been able to keep up, he might have come close to earning that salary. Saying he "stole" from the organization is just wrong. Did you read the article? Perhaps you missed the part where he offered to void his contract. I'll bet that's something you would never consider doing for your employer.

The contract was definitely a burden for the team. He was a phenomenal athlete and the team was better off for having him. I wish him the best of luck in the future.

Usually Brad Rock comes off as too sarcastic and not funny but this article was pretty good. Kirilenko wasn't the superstar that we hoped for and paid him to be but he wasn't the most overpaid player either. His contract was bad but can you really blame him for taking a max contract? To say he stole from the jazz is obsurd. Every fan at the time wanted the Jazz to do whatever it took to keep him. He always gave a good effort and hustled which is part of why he seemed to always get injured. I'm glad the Jazz didn't pay him 9mil a year to keep him but it was fun having him over the years. I hope as Jazz fans, we are classy enough to give him some cheers when he visits SLC for a game.

We all saw him play and the frustration was on our part as much as on his part. We saw what he could do to opposing teams, but more often than not he disappointed fans.

Good attitude and great athlete but he could not stay healthy enough to figure a way to help all the time.

let the annual Utah tradition begin. When one of your heroes leaves (outside of retirement) you then proceed to trash him. It starts with the media, who are no strangers to "homer" simpson and then moves onto the fans. Why not just say thanks for your efforts and let them go in peace? Examples? Recently Jake Heaps and Kirilenko and it goes for every Jazz who left for what they thought were greener pastures and extends even to Karl Malone, perhaps the greatest power forward ever and one of the two top Jazz players ever with John Stockton. That same poor sportsmanship pops up every year during the Utah-BYU rivalry and is demonstrated by fans of both sides. It is a real black mark on the whole state. I lived there for over a decade so I know of what I speak.

No doubt his contract was an albatross but there is not a single person in this State that was not screaming at O'Conner to give it to him at the time as were 10 other NBA teams waiting to do the same thing.

Yes you are all experts at looking in the rear view mirror which does not take alot of talent.

No doubt he was not durable and did not always perform but alot was as a result of the roles he was asked to play in our offense which did not maximize his talents.

After last nights game my guess is there will be alot of Jazz fans begging for the likes of AK who at least knows how to run a freakin offensive set. Our veterans looked like a bunch of rookies last night. When AK got his 30 minutes plus and was given the proper role he shined and piled up more stats than any veteran who started last night.

Would have been nice if he'd have played for a home town discount (payment for about 80% of scheduled games) because based on what I have seen so far we are sure going to need him.

In the not-to-distant future, #47 will be hanging in the ESA rafters. No doubt about it.

well too many people are mad at AK becuase someone else gave him the money. Here is a frail looking and thin player that is a slasher and the Jazz give him max money in a game where most post players look like O lineman in football and we assumed he would not get injured. Well the injuries happened and some fans didnt understand that it is part of the game, we jazz fans are spoiled becuase we watched Malone never get hurt and Stockton only get hurt what seems like once.

So people quit bagging on the guy for what he diddnt do, I for one will miss AK and I think the Jazz will to. Do I like that his money is there for the Jazz to spend elsewhere well yea.

I like AK he was a good guy for our small community he will be missed, but some of you fickle bitter fans complain about everything, its sad. I wish AK the best.

That's funny, Big R, that you call everyone in Utah out for trash talking another Jazz player. Yet the only negative post I've seen so far on this article was from someone in California (thanks toddfromsantaana), your own state.

I always enjoyed watching AK play, and feel he has always been a valuable asset to the Jazz. If injuries hadn't hampered his play, I think he would have been one of the top players for the Jazz. I think, at the time, the high salary was definitely warranted. The injuries are what caused the high salary to become a burden.

Rock, I agree with your analysis. Good article. I'll miss AK.

I agree our vets looked horrible and what about the defense. Jazz fans will be begging for AK, I am one that will miss AK. I am a Jazz fan but will not be surprised when AK is wearing a Laker jersey and comes back to ESA to torch the Jazz.

But what he really do for the team?.. Did he get them to the Finals, Win a Championship.. Win MVP?

I owe an apology. Agree saying "he stole the money" was a bit harsh. It reminded me of so many players with big contracts that cannot fulfill it due to injury. For one I never thought he was the same player after his emotional rant in the Houston Series. I did not trash his career, He served us well for many years. However, the salary did limit our personnel options. Many years he could not seemingly make an outside shot when we needed it. Last year he improved in that area. However, no I do not feel we should have paid him that money even then....

The problem was playing AK out of position. He earned his contract playing PF, close to the basket where he could disrupt the opponents' entire offense. When Boozer came, they used him at SF as an on-ball defender, because the Jazz never had an on-ball defender except Bell back when he used to be good. The Jazz would've been better off to sign a decent 2 who could play offense, defense, or both, instead of Boozer who could play possum better then O or D.

Memo could've played the pick-and-roll the Jazz used Boozer for.

AK's one great season was pretty special. But we need to keep a perspective on his game that year.
* He cheated on defense...his steals and blocks came when he was helping. Opponents figured this out pretty quickly and AK had to stay on his guy.
* His scoring consisted of a lot of clean up points.
* He is fit for the European game, where defense is optional and he gets his 8-10 foot jumper uncontensted at will. He can't get that shot off in the NBA.
* I loved his passing ability, and had he got stronger, this could have been very valuable.

AK needs to be the center of an offense to be his best (as with us all) but his offense doesn't survive in the NBA. Works great for CSKA and Eurocup.

I will tune in to watch the Nets a few times this year, because it is almost laughable that AK might play with D-Will again. AK's game frustrated D-Will more than it frustrated those of us who contributed to AK's enormous salary.

I'll applaud for AK when he visits Utah again, but I'm glad the Jazz are getting younger.

Couple things here:
1. He wasn't living in a "harsh world". He was living in a fantasy world, where he made obscene amounts of money while missing almost as muc time as Boozer did, yet somehow escaping the fan's wrath.
2. I'm sick of people blaming Sloan all the time. Does it not strike anyone as odd that Kirilenko didn't even attempt to improve his shooting until almost a decade in? I don't buy that Sloan was so inflexible that AK couldn't have a serious talk about what his role is, how to expand it, and if nothing could be worked, then gte him out of here. Instead, Kirilenko goes to the media and makes the issues public. That was cowardly and weak.
3. It was very easy for Kirilenko to offer to void his contract, when he know full well that was not allowed under the CBA. It's easy to offer something seemingly so generous when you know there is no chance of you actually having to fullfill it.

I don't believe he will wind up in NJ. He knows D-wont will freeze him out, again. I wish we could get him back.