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The official Andrei Kirilenko tribute thread
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The official Andrei Kirilenko tribute thread
Last edited by ArkadiosV2; 06-02-2010, 01:55 AM.
Originally posted by parsoGomelsky doesn't know @@@@ about basketballOriginally posted by sseppelit's not asking too much for someone to know where the fuck he is.Originally posted by UMUT_FB_LALScola makes me wanna touch myself, no homo -
I already had the chance to write this, but the first time I saw Kirilenko play, he was 17 I think, it was in the now extinct Real Madrid's Christmas tournament. CSKA was playing Real Madrid and If I'm not mistaken CSKA won. The man the game? Yes, it was him. He dunked, shot blocked, scored, rebounded seeming a mature professional player on court. I remember even the Spanish commentators praised him in delight. The myth was establishing itself.
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Thanks for this thread.
Kirilenko won with NEBL (North European Basketball League) 2000.
Internet Blog AK and his wife.
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AK-47 couldn't have played a better game in his 2008 play-off debut. 21 points (8-12) and so many blocks and steals and all that incredible defense. The guy was great. His help defense was the best.
Boozer also played a great game. Utah's guards and forwards just controlled the game.
About as ugly as they come [rolleyes]
Two hustlers
Amazing defence -- look at those arms
Lay-up"I really like the attitudes of eagles. They never give up. When they grab a fish or something else, they never let it go. It doesn't matter. In a book, they write they find a skeleton of [an] eagle and there is no fish. It means that the fish beat him and killed him, but he didn't let go." -- Donatas Motiejunas
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Kirilenko is getting a lot of heat for a "flop" he supposedly committed in the last minute of the Utah/Houston game last night. Luis Scola (on offense) put his hand on AK's shoulder, and AK fell several steps out of bounds. A foul was called on Scola, resulting in the cancelling of a Houston three-point shot that would have tied the game. Replays showed that Scola's hand more or less "grazed" AK's shoulder. On ESPN's Mike & Mike radio show this morning, he was criticized and praised. One of the Mikes said that flopping should be a technical foul, the other said "was it a flop? Yeah, probably. But you can't blame Kirilenko for trying to sell product to the referees," meaning that everybody flops a little and if the ref calls a foul, it's the refs fault."I really like the attitudes of eagles. They never give up. When they grab a fish or something else, they never let it go. It doesn't matter. In a book, they write they find a skeleton of [an] eagle and there is no fish. It means that the fish beat him and killed him, but he didn't let go." -- Donatas Motiejunas
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you got vids of this on youtube. i know ak is getting some flak for this. i saw it on espn's highlight game but the camera angle was horrible.
Originally posted by mvblairKirilenko is getting a lot of heat for a "flop" he supposedly committed in the last minute of the Utah/Houston game last night. Luis Scola (on offense) put his hand on AK's shoulder, and AK fell several steps out of bounds. A foul was called on Scola, resulting in the cancelling of a Houston three-point shot that would have tied the game. Replays showed that Scola's hand more or less "grazed" AK's shoulder. On ESPN's Mike & Mike radio show this morning, he was criticized and praised. One of the Mikes said that flopping should be a technical foul, the other said "was it a flop? Yeah, probably. But you can't blame Kirilenko for trying to sell product to the referees," meaning that everybody flops a little and if the ref calls a foul, it's the refs fault."A nationality that easily feels wronged is an insecure one, and one that will be difficult to progress."-Anonymous
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I like Kirilenko very very much, but if the action mentioned is the one precisely at 1:16 in the lower left corner, then it's a flopping action no doubt :x
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Originally posted by rikhardurI like Kirilenko very very much, but if the action mentioned is the one precisely at 1:16 in the lower left corner, then it's a flopping action no doubt :x"I really like the attitudes of eagles. They never give up. When they grab a fish or something else, they never let it go. It doesn't matter. In a book, they write they find a skeleton of [an] eagle and there is no fish. It means that the fish beat him and killed him, but he didn't let go." -- Donatas Motiejunas
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Some players flop more, some less. I get the impression that "flopping" is often being confused with simply "taking the charge" though. Whatever, I think guys like Ginobili do flop sometimes, and they do so because they want to secure their team another possession. Just like hustling for the lose ball, getting a steal, or a rebound. That's what winners do. They test what the referees allow, and what not. I don't see what's wrong with that. It's the referees job to not fall for it. I don't think it is usually worth a technical foul though, as a player who flops but doesn't get the call is a dead player, as he is down on the floor, out of play for 3,4 seconds. That's much of a risk already. Technical foul maybe only in some extreme situations.
Kirilenko made a smart play, secured the Jazz win number 2. Everyone's crying now, but that play made them win the game.
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Yeah, I mean, you're right Robbe. Most "flops" are "exagerations" of an actual foul; players trying to sell the foul. ...but then there are the obvious flops, when a player isn't even touched. My favorite is the video of Baron Davis pretending to get sucker-punched by Memut Okur, and immediatly getting up when he realized it was a stupid flop...
Also, yes, a lot of people confuse taking a charge with flopping."I really like the attitudes of eagles. They never give up. When they grab a fish or something else, they never let it go. It doesn't matter. In a book, they write they find a skeleton of [an] eagle and there is no fish. It means that the fish beat him and killed him, but he didn't let go." -- Donatas Motiejunas
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Originally posted by robbeSome players flop more, some less. I get the impression that "flopping" is often being confused with simply "taking the charge" though. Whatever, I think guys like Ginobili do flop sometimes, and they do so because they want to secure their team another possession. Just like hustling for the lose ball, getting a steal, or a rebound. That's what winners do. They test what the referees allow, and what not. I don't see what's wrong with that. It's the referees job to not fall for it. I don't think it is usually worth a technical foul though, as a player who flops but doesn't get the call is a dead player, as he is down on the floor, out of play for 3,4 seconds. That's much of a risk already. Technical foul maybe only in some extreme situations.
Kirilenko made a smart play, secured the Jazz win number 2. Everyone's crying now, but that play made them win the game.
I dont think that this is wrong when the foul actually exists, its just a way of taking the ref's attention on that play. In any other case, its just ref's business to recognize it, but i agree in that a technical foul is an exagerated punishment. The loss of the possesion (if they have it) or a regular foul could be more fair imo, but as u said, im many occasions, to lose a player in a play is enough punishment.I KISS BASKET
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Going back 4 years in time... (Kirilenko's best season so far)
Kirilenko living his dream
LOS ANGELES -- Watching his now nearly 2-year-old son, Fedor, proud papa Andrei Kirilenko -- he all of 22 years in age -- can't help but admire the kid's consistency.
"Every day," Kirilenko said, "he's the same. He's happy every day."
Kirilenko strives to be just that way.
Always happy. Always playing with passion. Always striving to be the best.
So far, so good.
Tonight, the Jazz's third-season small forward plays in his first NBA All-Star Game -- completing a succession of seasons in which he worked his way from one level to the next, rising all the way.
A pro at age 15. MVP of the European Juniors Championships at 16, MVP of the World Junior Championships and FIBA Eurostars selection in 1999, MVP of the Russian Basketball Championships in 2000, Basket News' "Top Player in Europe" in 2001, NBA rookie game all-star in 2002, NBA Rookie Challenge sophomore all-star a season ago. And now, an NBA All-Star, only one major individual honor not yet on his resume.
"There's one more goal: To be MVP of the league," said Kirilenko, adding that it goes without saying winning "a ring" is even more important than that.
To get either, or even both, Kirilenko senses he will need to play with Fedor-like consistency.
"Right now," he said, "I realize there's a lot of guys that can play the highest level.
"It's pretty hard," Kirilenko added, "to work hard and be consistent. Extremely consistent . . . But, it's a goal."
Michael Jordan did it.
"When I was young, Michael Jordan was the best -- because he was the best player all-time," Kirilenko said. "And we, growing up on him, look at him only. I mean, rest of the guys were a little bit lower."
John Stockton did it, too. Karl Malone still does.
Then there are those a bit younger doing it now, all multi-time All-Stars: "Shaq, Duncan, Garnett . . . McGrady, Iverson, Jason Kidd."
Kirilenko knows not only the names, but also the history of the game.
It goes back to when he was young, learning fundamentals at Frunzenskaya Sports School in St. Petersburg, honing his skills at the Trinta Basketball School in Moscow.
"Seven years old," he said, "I start playing basketball."
It wasn't long after that he developed an appreciation for the sport, watching whatever NBA game happened to be televised that week in Russia, later taking in on TV back-to-back NBA Finals series pitting Jordan's winning Chicago Bulls against Stockton's and Malone's Utah Jazz.
"I'm watching Utah-and-Chicago games," Kirilenko said, "and, you know, boom -- I'm in Utah. And I'm playing with Karl and John, and I'm like, 'Wow, that's cool.' "
It's June 1999, and Kirilenko is at a training camp near Moscow, preparing for the youth world championships in Portugal.
The Jazz had three selections in the first round of the NBA Draft that year, and with the first, No. 19 overall, they took guard Quincy Lewis from Minnesota. With the third, No. 28 overall, they went with Scott Padgett, a forward from Kentucky. And in between, with the No. 24 pick of the draft, then-general manager Scott Layden tapped a skinny Russian they figured they could stash away for a couple of seasons overseas.
"I wake up in the morning, six o'clock," Kirilenko said. "My agent called me and he said, 'Utah draft you, 24.' And I was so excited."
Kirilenko, just 17 at the time, had heard rumors he might go 29th, to San Antonio.
"Twenty-four," he said. "I'm like, 'Oh, that's cool.' Previous year, Utah Jazz played against Chicago. I'm like, 'Wow, crazy.' "
Teammates in Russia started calling him "Truck," with reference to the big rig Malone once drove, and they kidded Kirilenko about riding on Malone's Harley-Davidson.
What they did not know then was that just more than five years later, Kirilenko, not 14-time selection Malone, would be the forward representing the Jazz in an All-Star Game.
"It's something I dreamed of," he said, "but I actually couldn't believe a dream this big would come true. I tell myself, Andrei, you're really here.' "
Before even making to America, however, Kirilenko would spend two seasons after the draft in Russia, honoring the final two years of his contract with CSKA of Moscow.
He would have it no other way. "I like to get my job done," Kirilenko said.
Not that he was really prepared, anyway: "I was a little bit young, maybe I wasn't ready enough mentally to play in NBA. Maybe I was a little bit weak."
In Utah, Kirilenko's been anything but, assuming an on-floor leadership role for the Jazz now that Stockton retired and Malone joined the Los Angeles Lakers.
He's a big reason the rebuilding Jazz are a surprising 26-27 at the break, leading them in not only scoring, but also ranking among league leaders in blocks and steals.
For Kirilenko, though, all that is not nearly enough.
Casually dropping an apparent Legend of Sleepy Hollow reference, he suggests the current Jazz are too erratic for his preference.
"I like our team. We're a young team," Kirilenko said. "(But) sometimes we're a little crazy, like not enough energy. You know that story about rider without head? That's who we are . . . because sometimes we (have) a lot of energy, but no brain."
Kirilenko vows to both raise his scoring average, and to help deliver the sort of steadier play Utah so desperately needs -- not only now, but for seasons to come.
"I can be All-Star for this season," he said, "but next season nobody knows.
"I'm an optimist. And I try to set the highest goal in my life every year," Kirilenko added. "It helps me. So I can step up, every time . . . I think, 'It's not enough.' I need to work more and more, to be much higher, much (more) consistent."
He wants more, because he has big plans that success now can only aid later.
Back home, Kirilenko is more anonymous than he is in Utah. He is even less well-known than his own wife, Russian pop star Masha Lopatova.
"In Russia," he said, "I don't think I'm (a) recognizable person, like here.
"I'm like a hockey player -- in a helmet. Everybody knows who Kirilenko is, but nobody knows my face . . . Ten million people live in Moscow, and I think maybe 300,000 or 500,000 know my face."
Yet that is where, maybe a decade from now, after his NBA days are done, he eventually hopes to return.
So those aforementioned plans can perhaps reach fruition.
"My dream: build a big complex," he said, "of hotel, soccer field, basketball court, maybe swimming pool, and a little hospital. Big facility.
. . . More for the kids, and kids coming from different countries."
Until then, Kirilenko can play with less weighty matters on his mind.
Don't worry. Be happy.
Just like his son, the one who doesn't even understand Dad is an All-Star.
"Fedor?" Kirilenko said. "He doesn't care right now."
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Originally posted by robbeWhatever, I think guys like Ginobili do flop sometimes, and they do so because they want to secure their team another possession. Just like hustling for the lose ball, getting a steal, or a rebound. That's what winners do.
By the way your aproval of flopping comes as no surprise to me considering which continent's players established and perfected this "art"
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Nearly a triple-double: 9 points + 10 assists + 6 rebs + 4 steals + 1 block as the Jazz beat the Grizzlies.
AK's typical all-around game!
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