AK47 on the radar for this summer (post #16)

[Hotshot]

History tends to repeat itself. AK is not the guy the Raptors need because he ain't coming here for 7 million, he would want Turkoglu like money and a long contract and like Turkoglu it won't end well.

Plus he looks like a James Bond villian.

[Apollo]

He's only 30. These pro athletes have big egos and I'm sure AK doesn't think his career is anywhere near one foot in the grave.

As a city Toronto should be more appealing than most American cities.

From a coaching perspective, he'd have a head coach which would appreciate him more than most coaches around the league given Casey's main focus.

[jimmie]

Don't you think Toronto would have to overpay a guy like Kirilenko?

For all the reasons spelled out as rationale to bring him here, he'll also be appealing to championship contenders. Given his age, I have to imagine coming off the bench as the key 6th man on a playoff team would be more palatable than coming to Toronto to set an example for 2 years and hold the SF spot for a younger player? If he's going to give a discount to anyone, surely it would not be a bottom-5 team.

I really am not interested, personally. 7-8M in cap space could be better spent elsewhere, IMO, on a team that is still going to be "building" toward playoff contention.

[Chr1s1anL]

ANDREI KIRILENKO, SF (FREE AGENT -- UNRESTRICTED)

Projection: 13.7 pts, 6.4 reb, 3.5 ast per 40 min; 15.17 PER | Player card

• Long-armed wing who excels at blocking shots from behind. • Good ball handler and passer but lacks aggression and strength. • Mediocre outside shooter but a very good finisher around the basket.

Largely viewed negatively because of a millstone contract that just expired and a mellow demeanor that at times made you wonder how much he cared, it's time now to see Kirilenko in a different light. He's still a very valuable secondary player because of his ability to contribute in multiple ways and play both forward spots. At 30 years old we can expect him to decline, but he can drop a fair way and still have value.

Kirilenko ranked ninth among small forwards in PER, and he was good in nearly every sub-category save turnovers. While he forces some ill-advised passes, he also was 14th at his position in pure point rating, so the assists more than offset the negatives. He still blocks a ton of shots for a wing (fourth among small forwards), he's a strong rebounder, and he draws lots of fouls (third among small forwards with 0.50 FTA/FGA).

While his shooting is an issue -- he'll have trouble repeating last season's 3-point percentage -- Kirilenko can also help as a small-ball 4 with the right team, which is something he hasn't done in Utah for a few years because of its frontcourt depth. Additionally, his defense remains a plus due to his length -- opposing small forwards mustered only a 12.2 PER against him. All told, he's a very solid get for a contending team on a short-term contract, and he appears to be well under the radar.

[Apollo]

I'd be down for that if the Raptors have the cap space and it looks like they'll have sufficient depth. Better to spend it on one high impact player rather than two hit or miss players who will be fighting for minutes against a bunch of other hit or miss players and who can't be depended on consistently to make stops and contribute something at the other end or on the fast break.

[mcHAPPY]

Well the most he can get is four years and if someone wants to give him that then I'm sure(or hope) it won't the Raptors because it doesn't jive with the current gameplan.

He might do a David West type deal: lower years (2) for higher money ($10M per).

[Apollo]

Well the most he can get is four years and if someone wants to give him that then I'm sure(or hope) it won't the Raptors because it doesn't jive with the current gameplan.

[mcHAPPY]

... So, yeah, weren't you recommending 38 year old Steve Nash not too long ago?

AK47 is a lot better than both those guys by the way. If they signed AK for two or three seasons there's not much risk involved if we're talking $7M/yr. That's good value. He might even be had at the MLE. That's a steal and Toronto should be very marketable given the International flavor of the city and the defensive minded, no nonsense coaching style of Dwayne Casey.

But Nash has averaged about 78 games per season since 2001-02 and is well known for his off season training and conditioning.

I think there is a legitimate concern about AK47's injury history nevermind I think he will be looking for much more than 2-3 years. This will be his last big payday in all likelihood.

If you could get AK47 at the MLE, yes, I'd be all over that.

[Apollo]

... So, yeah, weren't you recommending 38 year old Steve Nash not too long ago?

AK47 is a lot better than both those guys by the way. If they signed AK for two or three seasons there's not much risk involved if we're talking $7M/yr. That's good value. He might even be had at the MLE. That's a steal and Toronto should be very marketable given the International flavor of the city and the defensive minded, no nonsense coaching style of Dwayne Casey.

[mcHAPPY]

• For his career he's played in 83% of all possible regular season games. That works out to around 68 games per season.
• Jose Calderon has played in 87% of all possible regular season games. That works out to around 71 games per season.

So you see they're very similar.

That's assuming that every game missed was due to some sort of health reason.

Alright, I exaggerated a wee bit.

But seriously, he is 31 in nine days. He'll be turning 32 next year. In the last 3 NBA seasons he has averaged 63 games.

Would you want a sizable chunk of cap space (assuming he'll sign for $7-8M) spent on a player who will miss nearly 1 in 4 games when you can have James Johnson and Kleiza for the same amount?

[Apollo]

How do you feel about his injury history though? He almost makes Jose look like Cal Ripken Jr.

• For his career he's played in 83% of all possible regular season games. That works out to around 68 games per season.
• Jose Calderon has played in 87% of all possible regular season games. That works out to around 71 games per season.

So you see they're very similar.

That's assuming that every game missed was due to some sort of health reason.

[mcHAPPY]

Kleiza can be moved. AK47 is a better player than anyone on the team not named Andrea Bargnani. Minutes can be freed up. Heck, Ed and/or Amir might end up getting moved for a PG for all we know. If that happens then suddenly there are a whole lot of free minutes to be had.

How do you feel about his injury history though? He almost makes Jose look like Cal Ripken Jr.

[Apollo]

Kleiza can be moved. AK47 is a better player than anyone on the team not named Andrea Bargnani. Minutes can be freed up. Heck, Ed and/or Amir might end up getting moved for a PG for all we know. If that happens then suddenly there are a whole lot of free minutes to be had.

[thead]

If we are gonna draft a stud SF our best bet might be to just keep Kleiza as a stop gap instead of signing someone for 3-4 years.

[Apollo]

Yeah, I only read that after. My bad. I hastily read it. I'd be open to giving Kirilenko 7 mil a season. I mean, you know he's gonna play tough, he play fantastic D, and can play multiple positions (like you said). The only difficult part is - is he going to have issues with Casey? I know he butted heads with Sloan a few times in the past.

While you're right, he did butt heads with Sloan at times, he also busted his ass for Sloan regardless of that. I'm not worried at all. I mean the Jazz still are interested in him playing there so that should tell you everything you need to know.