In face of uncertain future, Kirilenko at peace

Just 51 days remain on Kirilenko’s contract with Utah. June 30 will mark the official end of his 10-year run in Salt Lake City, leaving AK as a free agent at the same time the NBA plunges into a period of uncertainty.

But Kirilenko was diplomatic and even-keeled all season about the possibility that he will eventually reunite with the Jazz, and he was breathing even easier nearly a month removed from Utah’s turmoil-filled 2010-11 campaign.

Kirilenko feels optimistic, his mind is clear and his body has healed. The latter is key. After missing Utah’s final 10 games due to nagging injuries, the Russian native is healthy and plans to play for his home country in the 2011 European Basketball Championship. The tournament is scheduled from Aug. 31 to Sept. 18 in Lithuania.

“I feel pretty good,” said Kirilenko, who is set to fly back to Russia this week and doesn’t plan to return to the United States until August. “I was pretty close at the end of the year. But, obviously, we ended [the season] a little bit early.”

Not even an inquiry about negative comments recently made by Jazz CEO Greg Miller concerning Kirilenko’s injury-prone history altered his casual demeanor. Miller told a local television station that he has concerns about the veteran’s durability and reluctance to play through injuries, acknowledging that he sometimes questioned whether Kirilenko could have taken the court instead of sitting on the sideline in a suit.

“I’m not paying attention to that,” said Kirilenko, who missed 133 games after signing a six-year, maximum-contract extension in 2004.

Instead, he continued to focus on the positive. He referred to former teammates John Stockton and Karl Malone as two of the premier players to ever wear an NBA uniform, while praising ex-Jazz coach Jerry Sloan as one of the greatest in the game’s history.

And while Kirilenko was philosophical about re-signing with Utah after a new collective-bargaining agreement is green-lighted by owners and players — he replied “either, or” when asked about his desire to stay with the Jazz — he is still passionate about a devoted fan base that constantly pushed him to be “a good human being.”

“I had a great, great time with the Jazz,” Kirilenko said. “I don’t know how it’s going to be in the future next year. I think my 10 years with the Jazz were beautiful, on and off the court.”