What next for AK47?

What will you remember when you think of Andrei Kirilenko’s 2007. Will it be his tearful talk to press after Game 1 of the Jazz’s first round playoff series against Houston? Will it be Baron Davis’ dunk on AK47 in the second round of the playoffs? Or will it be September’s demand to be traded away from Utah? Not only have AK’s numbers been poor but to date his press hasn’t been great either.

Things have changed for the versatile Russian, who impressed so many when he led a post Stockton/Malone Utah team to the brink of the playoffs in 2003-04, earning himself an appearance at the that year’s All Star game.

In 2003-04 he averaged a career and team high 16.5PPG, 8.1RPG, 1.9SPG as well as 2.8BPG and 3.1APG, Jazz fans and fantasy owners went crazy. According to Slam No. 78:

When asked to pick and player in the L to build a franchise around, Charles Barkley doesn’t hesitate: “Give me Andrei Kirilenko.”

Suns guard, Raja Bell, a teammate of AK during that successful season, commented on the then third year in the same Slam issue:

He’s definitely the youngest star that I’ve played with. I know a lot of people don’t call him a star yet, but if he’s not right now, he’s about to be one of the brightest stars in the League.

So how did that potential superstar turn into the Kirilenko that averaged a horrible 8.3PPG, 4.7RPG and 1.1SPG in the 2006-07 regular season?

What went wrong? 

The first thing to consider is injuries. Kirilenko has had ankle problems ever since that career year. In 2004-05 Kirilenko started just 37 games and the following season he missed 13 games too. These injuries have no doubt stunted his progress.

What also must be looked at is the Russian’s role in the team. Not only was he clearly the number one scoring option during his All Star season but he was also the team’s power forward in a fast-paced offence. The following season the additions Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur meant Kirilenko was now the team’s small forward in a slower-paced offence. Although his numbers did not suffer immediately the change in personnel and system has clearly had an effect. AK no longer gets the points he did in the post and on the break which means he has to rely more upon his inconsistent or some would say non-existent jump shot.

Another reason for his decline could be his work ethic. Deron Williams told the Salt Lake Tribune last week:

You see Booz after practice shooting for 25 or 30 minutes. You see Memo shooting for 20 minutes. You see, you know, all the rookies. The young guys. You saw [Rafael Araujo] in there working. [Then] you see Andrei being the first one out the door.

AK’s confidence has clearly also been affected as was demonstrated by his tears in the playoffs and this also will have contributed. The other factor to consider is the coach. Jerry Sloan has had an incredibly successful 19-career as the Jazz’s coach and his skills as a coach can not be doubted, his motivational techniques sometimes are and it is these that Kirilenko has struggled with. Indeed Kirilenko’s words on Sloan were translated by the Salt Lake Tribune:

[Sloan's] main method to motivate players is to create a feeling of guilt. Our wages, our errors in games and whatever we do beyond playing for the Jazz is also an excuse to criticize us. I want to play basketball. I want to be happy playing basketball, but I don't want to be a robot in Sloan's system.

With all these potential factors to take into account when considering Kirilenko’s downfall, what also must be looked at is EuroBasket 2007. Although the standard may not compare to the NBA, the fact that Kirilenko led his team to the title and was voted MVP of a tournament that included League MVP Dirk Nowitzki and Finals MVP Tony Parker, is still impressive. His numbers 18PPG, 8.6RPG, 2.4APG, 2.2 SPG and 1.8BPG were also impressive.

This to me suggests the Russian can still play. What also has never been questioned is his ability to defend. AK is a useful perimeter defender and a great help defender in the post and even if he is not scoring he will always influence a game. Kirilenko can still be a very useful player in this league although he is unlikely to reach the levels Raja Bell predicted.

Injuries, a change of pace in Utah’s offence, a change of position and Sloan’s man management have clearly affected Kirilenko but for these he can not be blamed. What is unacceptable is the poor work ethic as mentioned by Deron Williams.

Getting over the slump 

The best thing for AK would appear to be a fresh start; a move to a fast-break team who would play him at power forward could go a long way to resurrecting his career. I think he would do a great job for a team like New Jersey who need some defence in their frontcourt and he, like so many others before him would only get better playing alongside JKidd.

However, trading him will be hard for the Jazz as his poor form and large contract, mean they are unlikely to get much in return. This means for the moment, AK must focus on contributing for the Jazz. He must be seen to be working hard on his game and fitting into the system instead of spouting his mouth in public.

I am a big Kirilenko fan and love his game. I think if he lands in the right city he will soon be back to his best and with a little bit of work he can still do well in Utah. He just needs to get his head down, shut up and work hard.