"No regrets. No what-ifs. No wondering about what could have been.
If this is the end for Andrei Kirilenko, there will not be any pain. Instead, the Jazz forward will look back proudly. Kirilenko gave his all, and he can live with the consequences.
From 2001 until the present, AK has worn only a Utah uniform. The Russian native became a man under ex-Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, evolving from a talented but naïve 20-year-old into a seen-it-all veteran. But after 10 seasons with Utah - years filled with 50-win campaigns, a trip to the Western Conference Finals and a mind-numbing run of endless injuries - Kirilenko could play his final game for the Jazz next week.
Even that appearance is a question mark, though. Kirilenko won't travel for the team's upcoming two-game road trip due to a bruised nerve in his left knee that has forced him to miss seven consecutive contests.
Asked whether he expects to suit up Wednesday against Denver for the Jazz's season finale, Kirilenko ended an uncertain answer with, "I don't think so. But, again, maybe."
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"A great run" • On bad days, when Kirilenko's knees, or back, or ankles are flaring up again, the noncommittal reply is a microcosm of his uneven career. He has missed 22.7 percent of Utah's games since signing a six-year, maximum-contract extension in October 2004, sitting out 130 contests during the past seven seasons.
But there have also been countless good days, when Kirilenko is basketball's version of a work of art. Fast and athletic, powerful and invaluable, he is the ultimate mismatch: a shooting guard wrapped in a power forward's body, turning his gangly 6-foot-9 frame into a fantasy sports dream."