Utah Jazz: AK is OK starting on bench

Andrei Kirilenko will cash in about $15.1 million this season, making him by far the highest-paid player on the Utah Jazz's roster. He's basically a rock star in Russia and had the high honor of carrying the country's flag at the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony. Until Tuesday night, the versatile former NBA All-Star had also been a regular fixture in the starting lineup. So, how do you say "sixth man" in Russian? Coach Jerry Sloan is toying with the idea of spelling it: K-i-r-i-l-e-n-k-o. With Matt Harpring still rehabbing his right ankle and Carlos Boozer out with a strained hamstring, Sloan decided to use Kirilenko off the bench in Utah's 99-90 preseason victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Anaheim, Calif. But if the small forward is upset that C.J. Miles took his spot as a starter — for that game and perhaps more —... [read full story]                    

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