AK-47

After two rough seasons, Andrei Kirilenko’s first six games of the ‘08-09 season are already making people forget about his struggles. He’s back to the 15-point, 8-rebound form that made him one of the three most versatile small forwards in the League. And with the Jazz only a matter of games away from getting Deron Williams back, those numbers can only go up.

We talked with AK-47 at MSG this weekend about what’s been piquing his interest off the court, the advantages of the European style, and the secret behind his turnaround.

Dime: On road trips like this, what do you do off the court when you guys aren’t on the court?
Andrei Kirilenko: Computer games. I think all computer gamers right now are waiting for the release of the new expansion for the World of Warcraft. We have some times when there’s nothing to do – especially when you’re on the road. That’s when I’m playing video games online. A few guys play, a few guys just watch DVD’s, a few guys like to go check out events.

Kyrylo Fesenko is now playing – he just started. Some guys around the League play. We get online at the same time. Sometimes we share our characters’ story – not in the middle of the game but before it starts. Malik Rose plays, Channing Frye plays. Their characters don’t have anything on mine though.

Dime: What has been the difference in your early success this season as opposed to the two previous years?
AK: Last season I kind of changed my priorities. I’ve been a little bit more involved in basketball mentally. I just haven’t been worrying about some things. I’m taking it a litte bit less serious, and just trying to play basketball. When it’s finished, it’s finished. Then I think about other things. It helps not thinking about the game too much.

I guess I mean I’m not worrying about results, or focusing too much on the game after it’s over. You can’t do that – it’s too much. It wasn’t that I was worried about what newspapers say or what people say. I was just obsessing about how the team was doing on the floor, how we were looking, how I could do more to help the team. As you get older, I guess you learn to grow up and put it behind.

Dime: What do you think about basketball’s surge in popularity in Europe?
AK: I wouldn’t say that the game is becoming more popular in Europe. But I would say that the championship is becoming more popular. It’s getting stronger because more good players are coming back to the European clubs. Five years ago, maybe two teams were competing and ten teams were watching them more or less. Right now, five or six teams are competing and maybe six are watching. It’s definitely going up.

I think that it’s effecting basketball in the U.S. European basketball is all about the team. There is some individual play, but mostly it’s about five guys being able to connect with each other. All of the schematics of the game is designed for the five guys. You’re starting to see more of that in America. Look at the Knicks. They’re much better this year because they’re about all five guys.

Also, now you see more guys who say they play all five positions – that’s a European thing. I can actually play one through four. Coach Sloan can really put me at any position and make it work somehow.

Yes that’s good in basketball – but it’s not limited to basketball. Look at any job. In Russia, even if you’re not really good at one particular thing, you’re going to be successful if you can do a little bit of everything.

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