Seems Jazz fans think Kirilendo is among the top 5 players in term of trade value. So here is a pool, try to be objective. Would you trade any one of the players below for AK47? Don't consider the financial contracts, the marketability, who fits which team better. Just consider their basketball skills and impact. 1) Yao 2) Tmac 3) KG 4) Duncan 5) Kobe 6) Shaq 7) LeBron 8) J. O'neal 9) Dirk 10) None of above
Please add "none of above" to the options. I hit "return" accidentally before finish typing the options. Is there a way to have more than 10 options in a poll? I actually wanted to include Amare and Peja in there.
Kirilenko's not a go-to guy. He's a complementary scorer who does a lot of things very well. That Jazz have about five guys like that on their team right now, which I why I don't think they'll achieve anything in the playoffs as they're currently composed. He's a second tier all-star who I would only trade second-tied all-stars to acquire. Guys like Redd, Marion, Magloire, Shareef, Martin, etc., etc...
Just Kobe. And that is pushing it. Shaq MAYBE, just because Shaq is old. I'd certainly prefer AK47 over the garbage LA got from Miami.
You know, if you really want to build for the future, trading Shaq for AK would be the obvious choice. AK in his prime will not be as near Shaq's prime value, since he won't be a dominant scoring threat, but Shaq is clearly on the decline and it makes this kind of deal worthwhile. If the Jazz offered AK for Shaq, which they could since they were $30 millions under the salary cap and could swallow Shaq's salary, the Lakers would be thrilled to make that deal. Think about it, AK or Odom+Butler+Grant? I think most NBA gms would take AK without hesitation. I don't think he has a top 5 trade value, but certainly top 10. AK is a great player to build around your team with. His all-round game is simply one of the kind. He does all the little things to help his team win, and he has a great attitude which makes him the ultimate team player. A large portion of the last year's Jazz's success could be credited to AK's outstanding performance. I remember twice last season he posted a 5x5(more than 5 in every positive stats category) statistical line, which is once in a decade thing. Who wouldn't want a player like that?
Think about it, AK or Odom+Butler+Grant? I think most NBA gms would take AK without hesitation. Odom is probably better by himself.
BTW, I praise AK alot since I get to watch alot of Jazz games the past year. I don't care if he plays for the Utah Jazz, the Hong Kong Fortune Cookies, the Houston Comets, or the Iraqi Bloody Bombs, as long as it's basketball, you'd have to love this guy. Utah had one nationally televised game last year, and AK didn't play in that game since he was hurt. Simply put, fans around the league get to know him only when he plays their team, and he draws rave reaction almost everywhere. He got voted into the allstar game by coaches for a reason. There are guys who are good, but are cocky bastards that just makes you hate them, or guys who are fan favorite, but is mediocre in skills. However, it's rare that you can have a stud on the court and is perfectly amiable. Yao is that kind of player, and so is AK. Therefore, AK is my second favorite player in the NBA next Yao, and I am not even a Jazz fan.
Ak47 is closer to being a borderline All Star than an actual all star. I think he is in a different level than Magloire and SAR though. Elite (top 5 players in the league) Superstars All Stars (mainly everyone who made the All Star team) Borderline All Star (most teams best player) Role Players I think he is a borderline All Star because he was on a bad team. Lets see what his impact will be this year with the addition of Boozer/Okur. J
None of the Above. Though it pains me to say I'd keep Kobe over AK47 because I really hate Kobe and love Kirilienko's game.
How about AK or Melo? Especially after Melo's immature all-star reaction. I am a Jazz fan and admit to being biased, but I take AK any time over Melo.
Odom: 17.1 ppg 9.7 rpg 4.1 apg 0.9 bpg 1.06 spg AK: 16.5 ppg 8.1 rpg 3.1 apg 2.8 bpg 1.92 spg You can make your own judgement. If you think Odom if better, I DO think it's justifiable, since Odom does have an edge on offence. However, AK's defense is head and shoulder better than Odom. In this area of video games, it seems like offensive stats become the most important measuring stick on how good a player is. However, all-around players are very hard to find, and are more beneficial to a team than just scorers. Odom is a stud, make no mistake about it. But his pot-smoking problems + Butler's sophmore regression + Grant's suckiness/huge contract make me want to have AK much more.
Excuse me for disagreeing with you. Our beloved mighty Rockets won an astounding 3 more games than the Jazz last year. If they are a bad team, we are closer to being bad than being mediocre also, and Yao should be a "borderline allstar" as well. I started following the Rockets after Yao joined the league, so I don't have the historical bitterness toward the Jazz. And recently, I've gained alot respect for them, especially after Malone left. They almost represent everything good about basketball --- teamwork, good attitude, humility and work ethic. They always play with heart and overachieve. AK is the emblem of their team, and I respect and like him.
Whether we ever know AK47's full value is in question. I read an article about the guy---don't know when or where; maybe within the last few months? ESPN the Magazine?---that pointed out AK47 gets those numbers even though no plays are really run for him. Now, will plays be run for him this year? Maybe. He does have a nice frontline to play off of now, but it doesn't mean the offense will be geared for him. He'll probably have another All Star year just feeding off morsels again. Would he be a 20/10 etc etc type player if made the focal point of the offense? Who knows. The Jazz look like the Pistons of the East in the sense that no one guy will dominate, but they'll succeed nevertheless (I won't say the Jazz will be champions mind you).
