My own rule regarding adding a third max contract to the Rockets is IF, and ONLY "IF", the move puts us over the top. Kirilenko doesn't do that in my book. But just for fun I was playing around on RealGM and came up with the following three team trade idea: Houston trades: Battier/Head/Alston/Sura Houston receives: Camby/Brewer Utah trades: Kirilenko/Brewer Utah receives: Battier/Head/Sura/Najera (Sura/Najera = expiring) Denver trades: Camby/Najera Denver receives: Kirilenko/Alston (Denver needs PG help) Pretty fair and balanced for all sides. As a Rockets fan, i'm not sure if I like the idea or not. Camby would be a solid addition but losing Battier would hurt more than people realize. Battier is the absolute perfect compliment to T-Mac. Could Brewer, Bonzi, Snyder or whoever else effectively replace Battier? Either way, a 4-for-2 trade prevents us from having to cut anybody. Thoughts?
I actually think AK47 would have fit real well in jvg's defensive system, but i'm not sure about adelman's though....he would complement yao's game perfectly with him at the 4, being such a defensive freak and a superstar roleplayer...but i really hate his contract
There was a rumor that the Suns considered trading Marion for AK47. I think AK47 would be ridiculous on the Suns with their uptempo style and Nash, he just fits better in that sort of offense. Honestly if they actually dealt Marion getting AK47 and filler like draft picks would be a decent trade.
Rafer, Head, first round pick, bob sura, and cash to be determined later for Ak47 sounds fair to me. It would help out both teams.
You're right in that it would eb a decent move for the Suns, but certainly not an upgrade. Marion is by far the better offensive player, and plays some damn good defense himself, too. It would just be a move to avoid paying Marion. Considering what AK is getting paid though, if that's the direction your team wants to take, why not just pay Marion?
He had his confidence back in the summer winning the Eurobasket and getting the MVP (according to him the biggest accomplishment in his career), I say get him. He has a big contract, but he could become the best defensive player in the NBA. Not mentally the toughest guy, but with a players coach he would flourish.
marion does so much for the suns that don't show up in the stats. i agree, they should just keep him.
3 Team trade Miami gets Wells Snyder Sura Alston Utah gets Doleac Williams Simien Houston gets Kirilenko Miami deepens it's bench. Utah gets rid of a bad contract for 2 expiring contracts. They also get a young pf. Houston loses 1 dude who is getting cut, 2 dudes that are not going to play much and 1 chubby chaser who may or may show up on any given night.
This guy's stock is so far down. He's a weenie and plays for the biggest bunch of Puss$#^ in the league. Forget him. I don't want him. Euroleauge MVP or not.
I'd take him over those 4 dudes I just listed. Kirilenko's weak side shotblocking would be awesome on our team.
It would feel odd at first rooting for this guy. He used to play for Utah so it's like he's...tainted. But his style of play would be an incredible fit for our team (if he keeps his confidence and mental state in check).
plus playing with Williams would minimize any 'can't create own shot' deficiencies that Marion may or may not have (ie reduce losing the Nash factor)
Well...at least we aren't proposing Dampier + more crap for AK + Brewer like they are on the Mavs forums.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3027689 Report: Kirilenko wants Jazz to trade him ESPN.com news services Updated: September 19, 2007, 6:59 PM ET Comment Email Print Roughly three months removed from their longest playoff run in a decade, the Utah Jazz could have a starting lineup with less firepower next season. In a blog post made Tuesday on the Russian Web site Sport Today, Andrei Kirilenko said he seeks a trade from the Jazz and voices his concern with playing next season for coach Jerry Sloan. The Salt Lake Tribune confirmed that the post was made by the Jazz forward. Andrei Kirilenko Forward Utah Jazz Profile 2007 Season Stats GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT% 70 8.3 4.7 2.9 .471 .728 Kirilenko, an NBA All-Star in 2004, had his worst season last year despite the Jazz winning 51 games and advancing to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1997-98. He played in 70 games, averaging 8.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game last season after playing in 69 games in 2005-06 and averaging 15.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 3.1 bpg. Despite a difficult NBA campaign, Kirilenko stood out at the European Basketball Tournament, leading his native Russia to the championship to clinch an Olympic berth. He was named tournament MVP and said on the blog that playing for Russian coach David Blatt helped him decipher his future. The Tribune translated part of Kirilenko's as: "In a week, I need to join the Utah Jazz again but quite frankly I'm not really happy about that. The past season was bad for me and I was really disappointed. I've thought about it a lot and I came to a decision. I want to leave Utah Jazz. The European championships that just ended became sort of a test for me and now I think I know what I want to do. "Coach Sloan is one of the reasons. It's not the only reason. ... [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." Kirilenko's agent, Marc Fleisher, did not return phone calls Wednesday from The Associated Press. The Jazz open training camp on Oct. 6 and Kevin O'Connor, the team's senior vice president of basketball operations, expects Kirilenko in camp. "We explained to him when everybody was supposed to be back and we expect him to be here," O'Connor told the newspaper. Kirilenko said in his blog post that he told O'Connor of his request a few weeks ago but hasn't heard back from him. "I don't want to be there and mechanically fulfill a contract. Unfortunately, it's been more than a week, but I haven't heard from the Jazz leadership," Kirilenko wrote. "There's no response negative or positive and this silence is just one more evidence of the way they treat me. Nevertheless, I'm really hopeful that Utah Jazz leadership will realize that our relationship is over and it's time for us to part ways." Kirilenko was frustrated with his role for most of the past season. Following Game 1 of the Jazz's opening-round playoff series against Houston, Kirilenko was visibly upset. He played limited minutes in the first two games of the series and was pulled by Sloan from Game 2 after missing a nine-foot jumper. He averaged 9.6 points and 5.2 rebounds in the playoffs as the Jazz relied almost entirely on Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, which led to some bitter comments in the locker room after San Antonio eliminated Utah, 4-1. Without giving names, Williams accused some teammates of starting vacation early. Kirilenko was asked about it as he was cleaning out his locker and declined to comment. Kirilenko, one of the last remaining players from the John Stockton/Karl Malone era, signed a six-year, $86 million deal three years ago that made him Utah's highest-paid player. After the season, he complained to a Russian newspaper about his role in the offense and that he felt he was being treated like a rookie instead of a franchise player. Sloan said in June that the team would keep Kirilenko but that Utah would also try to do what's best for the team. "We're not looking. I don't like to trade people," Sloan said. "But we've got to do what's best for the franchise, always. "He's got to come and play," Sloan said. "I mean, when he doesn't come and play hard, he can blame it on whatever he wants, but all I can say is what I see on the floor. We loved the way when he plays great. And he can be good all the time if he works at it." Kirilenko's contract could be a big hurdle if he wants out of Utah because other teams might be unwilling to assume the contract, which runs through 2011. O'Connor told the newspaper on Tuesday he has spoken with Kirilenko but declined to comment on the conversation. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
They're confirming the rumor on ESPN right now. It's a tough call to make. We're in obvious need of some roster flexibility with waaay too many guaranteed contracts and not enough roster spots. We have the contracts and tradeable assets to get it done but the question is: are we really interested? I still say we stick to our guns. As stated before, my stance on adding a third max contract is it only makes sense if it essentially guarantees you a championship. I don't think Kirilenko does that.
