I think that the Russian Media talks to much, Let him do what he wants to do.

That would be perfect! Kirilenko heads back to Russia and now we have cap space to re-sign the rest of the team next summer.

Too bad it won't happen...unless there is a buyout.

Without AK's defense the jazz would be an average team at best. Get rid of AK and your hopes for an NBA ring are all but gone!!

How is this a good thing?

If he is gone, we lost a valuable asset for nothing.
If he stays, these kind of rumors will hurt the team spirit.

I heard Josh Howard and Mavs may go apart. We could go for Howard-AK swap. Anything less is a no no.

In a Jazz uniform? Are you serious? That guy's a walking circus. No way Sloan, Miller, or D-Will would put up with a clown like him.

AK is an invaluable member of our team. Too often people focus on the contract and the 06-07 season, and not the fact AK is by far our best defensive player. Blocking shots and stealing the ball as he does lead to easy buckets for the Jazz. He is a key guy to our success and not Josh Howard or anyone else can bring the skill set that helps that Jazz as he does.

Too many messages this summer about getting rid of AK or Booz. They both have weak spots, but so would the Jazz record w/o one/both of them.

I think we should trade AK for jordan and Kobe and KG. I know this could really work because my friends sister dates the pretty shooting guy and he said that shaq is going to come slap OT around. If we did all that, we would finally win the cup!!

A.K. is a singular talent, how many quasi stars can do what A.K. does without the need to dominate the ball? A motivated, happy A.K. is the difference between a championship Jazz and a barely make the play-off's Jazz. This is the year the Jazz can really do it, next year we will lose Booz for nothing and have a different team, this year we have the continuity and contracts in place to really make a title run. I can't wait for this season, and believe me, AK will be a huge part of it, though an under-appreciated part of it, a huge part of it.

I disagree with the statement that getting rid of Kirilenko would be getting rid of something for nothing. We need that cap room badly. And he really isn't that great at defense either. He constantly gets beat of the dribble because he reaches too much. He'll catch up and block some shots now and then, but I think it's time we start developing CJ Miles more. He has more upside.

As of right now AK is overated! He was good 3 years ago when he played defense now he just wants to play offense and coast on defense.

I would agree that we need him for his defense if he still played it like he used to,the way he plays now he is expendable and overpaid.

Not sure why he is the only one on the planet that doesn't know he got the contract for his all around and specifically defensive play not his offense.

Just let him go. I'll help him pack. What a drama queen.

Amen!

krepsinis.net is not Russian web site it is Lithuanian! lets call Desnews.com a mexican web site that would be funny...

This upcoming season is shaping up to be a huge one in Jazz history. Yes, we need the money in 2010, but that leaves us with a 2009 possible title run. I'm not kidding, kids. This season is huge and we should not deal Kirilenko until after 2009.

I've been hyper-critical of Dre, but he impressed me last season. He seemed to grow up a little and became an all-round beast. Remember when he single-handedly tried to beat the Lakers in game 6? That was the definition of BIG TIME. A guy like him patches some gaping defensive holes that plague the Jazz.

Fans who don't like AK read too much negative print, and don't come close to understanding what went on with him.

The Jazz don't have enough big guys who can play defense to lose him. We'd be better off without Boozer than AK. Defense wins championships. Offense only wins enough games to get you into the playoffs.

I like AK's attitude. He's a sincere guy who does well when he's happy with things. This past year he was happy and performed quite well, averaging 11 points per game--quite a few if you think about the fact that they don't run plays for him.

In time the Jazz might be able to build a championship team around D-Will--the REAL stud on the team. How soon depends on when we can start getting inside defense that's consistent.

This coming year will be another interesting one. Remember how close we came last year? If we'd not tanked (Boozer's lack of defense and disappearing offense) agains LA, we'd surely have beaten Boston. We did it at their place earlier in the year.

Soupe | 8:59 a.m. Sept. 19, 2008
Josh Howard for AK? Really! Maybe you should watch the youtube video of what Howard thinks of the Star-Spangled Banner before you make that statement. Also, don't you remember his "weed" story during the playoffs.

I would rather deal with AK's self-esteem issues over Howard's off-court issues any day of the week.

I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see AK get bought out at the end of the season and head across the pond to play. That will solve the financial pinch we will be in.

I hope AK does return to Russia. Since the Russian government under the latest decree by Putin now requires all U.S. Citizens to leave Russia every 90 days and then wait 90 days before they can return why to we harbor guys like AK who can stay here in the good old USA and make millions?

I agree, Josh Howard is the Terrell Owens of the NBA right now, we don't need him.

Last time I checked, TO was helping Dallas win games.

AK is overrated. Sure he can do everything, but he hasn't been great since Boozer and Okur came to town. It's easy to fill up the stats on a losing team. He's playing out of position in Utah.

Note to Jazz - let him walk to CSKA, we'd be just as good with Korver, Harp and CJ at the 3.

AK is not over-rated, he just over payed.

The Jazz management and ownership have a history of over valuing their own players (russell, malone ostertag, ak, brewer, etc) and the wrong other team players (boozer, okur)

What the Jazz management should be doing is looking at the championship teams in the last 30 or 40 as guide on how put together a team.

It's that simple.

And you will find a few things:

They have star shooting guards and the shooting guards can shoot.

Principle scoring comes from the shooting guard small foward, center (inside not outside), small guard, not the power forward (you can cry about duncan all you want, he is a center offensively, he is 7', not 6'8 or 6'9, and you can't compare him to malone or boozer, and he an exception not the rule)

You must have defense from your big men, and rebounding, for the big foward it is primary, first and foremeost.

You must have a goto guy.

You must have system that allows for and does all this.

Jazz have never any of this, and that is why every year in playoffs, these failings are shown, and the jazz lose.

AK is so unbelievably out of here after his contract that it is ridiculous. He isn't sticking around: the Jazz couldn't pay him enough to be the fourth offensive option, and his wife has publicly said that they miss Russia and they are proud of their heritige and want to raise their children there (as per an interview with X96 last year).

To the comment about Putin's decree...that was pretty racist and you should be ashamed. Do you also want to kick all of the Chinese out of the U.S. since their government violates human rights? Should we send middle easterners back to the Middle East since the U.S. has a qualm with many of their governments and since several of Middle Eastern governments don't like the United States? I have an ex coworker who is from Russia. Should we send him back to Russia too? Come on, think about what you write.

Re: LoPorto, did you forget SA had a center named Robinson? How about last season, was Garnett the center for Boston? How about Detroit with Ben Wallace? He had no offense.

There is no template for a championship team. You can have your primary scoring come from different spots. What you do need is competent players at each position because weak spots will be exposed.

Malone, Stockton, Hornacek weren't enough because the Jazz had a center that showed up to play once every 5 games. The current Jazz team is about 3.5 on 5. AK occasionally hits a 3, but neither he nor Brewer are real outside threats so you can just sag off of them.

The AK of 4 years ago was a difference maker. The AK of last season is average at best. So he gets 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. Big freakin' deal. His on-ball defense is bad enough that it negates those 3 "extra" possessions.

As billdalew noted, he is easily beaten off the dribble. Or an opponent can just step back and shoot over the top. AK can easily be replaced by a decent SF that makes 1/2 as much.