Kirilenko Clarifies his "Negativity" Towards Kidd

Andrei Kirilenko made comments about Jason Kidd that may have been taken out of context. He said that Kidd "couldn't handle" coaching in New York, but AK47 told ESPN New York that he has no negativity towards Kidd leaving; he just is unsure of why he left.

“It sounds in the article like I have a negativity [about Jason leaving], but that’s completely untrue,” Kirilenko told ESPN. “We’ve been discussing why it happened -- because I don’t know why it happened -- but we’re just speculating. We don’t know what the real reason is from Jason’s point-of-view.” 

“It’s tough to kind of judge him because he obviously came into a lot of pressure,” Kirilenko said. “New York is a city with a lot of legends and a lot of history, and every move you make is under a microscope. So I guess it’s easier for the coach to start [fresh] with a younger group of guys, with his own vision, in a smaller city where you don’t have that much pressure. And I think that’s what Jason’s doing now.” 

Kirilenko, who signed a two-year deal with the Nets before the 2013-14 season, had a hard time staying on the court due to lingering back spasms. He was expected to play a huge role in Brooklyn, much like he had with the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves, but the injuries cost him 37 games of the season.

“It’s tough when you’re sitting on the bench and you don’t have a chance to help your teammates,” said Kirilenko. “But when I came to the team I was ready for this, and I spoke with Jason right at the beginning of the year, and I knew what I was sacrificing. We had a goal and all those veteran pieces came together, but sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.”  

“I think we still have the same goals,” Kirilenko said of the Nets trying to make a championship run. “I think we lost a key piece in Paul Pierce, but I still think with Brook [Lopez] healthy we can make that run.” 

With Paul Pierce leaving for the Washington Wizards, Kirilenko could find himself playing a much bigger role than he did last season, and we could expect a bounce-back season from the 33-year old combo-forward under a defensive-minded coach like Lionel Hollins.

“[Lionel is] known as a defensive specialist,” said Kirilenko. “I know he was great in Memphis and built a great system, which they still play there with a lot of ball movement, using their bigs a lot, not just playing through the post but using them as passers kind of like what Chicago is doing with [Joakim] Noah right now. It’s very unselfish basketball, which I love to play. I like it, and hopefully we can do the same in Brooklyn.” 

Kirilenko opted in to the second and final year of his contract with the Nets, and that saved the Nets from potentially having a disaster of an offseason with Pierce and Shaun Livingston bolting for other opportunities.

 “I loved everything except our final result,” he said. “The organization has been great. The city is beautiful. My kids had already went to school here and it’s hard to move from place to place.” 

Another reason why Kirilenko opting in is good for the Nets: he can help to develop 20-year old Russian swing-man Sergey Karasev, who was acquired from the Cavaliers, along with Jarrett Jack, in a three team deal that sent Marcus Thornton to the Boston Celtics.

“I’ve known Sergey since he was 8-years-old. I played with his dad. That’s how old I am,” Kirilenko said with a laugh. 

“He can really read the game, and that’s something I really appreciate in players,” Kirilenko said. “Now the rest is up to him. With the NBA, it’s about putting in the time at practice before the season, and that’s on him.” 

Kirilenko believes that the Nets can still compete for an NBA championship because they still have the main core of Brook Lopez, Joe Johnson, and Deron Williams. With the Nets bringing back 10 players from last years team, the chemistry will not have to be re-built like it did last year, so the Nets may have one last chance to compete.

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