Bballbreakdown: Kawhi among best Lebron defenders in the league..

[Spursfanfromafar]

If we could beat the Russian black money mafia to get AK47 as Kawhi's backup.. The Spurs would have been legitimate co-favorites with the Heat.

[Bruno]

Kirilenko would have been so great for Spurs. How they didn't get him remains a big mystery to me. I just can't believe that a competent front office missed a Kirilenko signing because of Jeff Ayres.

[benefactor]

I'm starting to believe that the AK-47 situation was all smoke and mirrors. He was always going to play for his Russian buddy.

[Raven]

yeah, let's put more salt on my wounds...

[Prime Time]

I'm actually quite satisfied with Leonard/Diaw on LBJ. Even Green can stop him on the fast-break.

LeBron's performance wasn't the reason why we lost to them last season.

[xmas1997]

I'm starting to believe that the AK-47 situation was all smoke and mirrors. He was always going to play for his Russian buddy.

I've been saying this all along, even after the NBA investigation, but I was accused of being a conspiracy theorist by the haters.

[Bill_Brasky]

Kirilenko would have been so great for Spurs. How they didn't get him remains a big mystery to me. I just can't believe that a competent front office missed a Kirilenko signing because of Jeff Ayres.

because Russia guy paid him a bunch of money under the table. so it's gonna be pretty funny watching him waste a bunch of money to lose to LeBron.

[ace3g]

And by talking to Kidd the article meant he was really talking with Mikhail Prokhorov over the phone

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ba...211332034.html

[Chinook]

I saw that videos when he posted it. I didn't really care for the breakdown that much. Leonard did a good job, but I absolute do not think he needs to gain weight. You just don't need to be all that heavy to bang in the post. You just need to have a strong core and good positioning. Officials rarely let perimeter players just bowl over other guys in the paint nowadays.

[james evans]

Kirilenko would have been so great for Spurs. How they didn't get him remains a big mystery to me. I just can't believe that a competent front office missed a Kirilenko signing because of Jeff Ayres.

kirilenko got a lot of under the table money. what he signed for and what he is actually getting are 2 different things. i feel there are some illegal things going on in brooklyn with the russian and the salary cap.

[james evans]

because Russia guy paid him a bunch of money under the table. so it's gonna be pretty funny watching him waste a bunch of money to lose to LeBron.

haha, i ddin't read your post before i made mine. the is obvious. dude basically "signed" for peanuts. and i'm sure stern knew this too, but he's on his way out so he doesn't care. he'd rather fine us for resting our players

[Bruno]

because Russia guy paid him a bunch of money under the table. so it's gonna be pretty funny watching him waste a bunch of money to lose to LeBron.

Even if it's true, which I doubt, it really doesn't explain the whole Kirilenko/Spurs story.

[ElNono]

Well, we heard a lot about the Spurs being interested in AK-47, but I don't think we heard even once that AK-47 was interested in playing for the Spurs.

[chapnis]

Well, we heard a lot about the Spurs being interested in AK-47, but I don't think we heard even once that AK-47 was interested in playing for the Spurs.

[Bruno]

Spurs and Wolves were talking about a S&T. They wouldn't have done that if there weren't a preliminary agreement between Spurs and Kirilenko.

[Juggity]

I saw that videos when he posted it. I didn't really care for the breakdown that much. Leonard did a good job, but I absolute do not think he needs to gain weight. You just don't need to be all that heavy to bang in the post. You just need to have a strong core and good positioning. Officials rarely let perimeter players just bowl over other guys in the paint nowadays.

Yeah, I agree. Bowen was much skinnier than Kawhi and still gave all kinds of players trouble both in the post and out on the perimeter — Lebron, Dirk, Kobe.

[Spursfanfromafar]

The thing with AK47 and the Nets is that all the reasons he is offering for playing for the Nets - playing time, veteran team, winning etc.. don't gell well, because it makes more sense for him to choose the Spurs than the Nets (for that salary he decided to choose them). Kirilenko would have known that there was no backup SF in the Spurs.. that the Spurs could have played him behind and along with Kawhi (in small ball)....that the Spurs were this close to a le no 5 and that his game was best suited for the Spurs.

Yet he chose the Nets...a franchise which has hired a rookie coach, has a number of inefficient players (Blatche, Johnson etc) and has really been an underachiever. But for the presence of Deron Williams and a Russian owner, there seems to be no other reason except for an underhanded deal for Kirilenko to take the Nets option at such a low low price.

[spurraider21]

what makes the Kirilenko deal fishy is that he turned down 1 year 10 million for 1 year 3 million

[cjw]

kirilenko got a lot of under the table money. what he signed for and what he is actually getting are 2 different things. i feel there are some illegal things going on in brooklyn with the russian and the salary cap.

If you've ever ventured past the yuppie parts of Brooklyn down into parts like Brighton Beach, you'll know exactly what's going on behind the scenes.

[Johnny RIngo]

Kirilenko would have been so great for Spurs. How they didn't get him remains a big mystery to me. I just can't believe that a competent front office missed a Kirilenko signing because of Jeff Ayres.

Not surprising coming from the club that overpaid for Jackie Butler and had to trade Scola just to salary dump that bad contract.

[ace3g]

• STATUS
  
  Day-to-day
  Kirilenko (back) will not suit up for Monday's exhibition at Philadelphia, the New York Daily News reports. (about 1 day ago)
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