In an offseason defined by historically lavish spending, the move that raised eyebrows for its under-budget price tag could wind up as the Brooklyn Nets' savior.
Andrei Kirilenko's offseason signing made barely a blip on the basketball radar. In fact, the news came a little too quietly.
The 32-year-old inked a two-year, $6.5 million deal with the Nets this summer (including a $3.3 million player option for next season). What raised suspicion, though, was the fact he reached this agreement just weeks after opting out of the final year of his contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves that would have paid him $10 million.
After a thorough league investigation found no wrongdoing, the matter was swept under the rug.
But for the first few months of his Brooklyn tenure, it seemed as if that would be his defining moment with the Nets. A nagging back injury kept him sidelined for 26 of Brooklyn's first 30 games. When he made his fifth appearance of the year on Dec. 31, the Nets already owned a 10-20 record.
Kirilenko was boarding a sinking ship. With Brook Lopez already lost to a broken foot and ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Zach Buckley
Don’t Underestimate Andrei Kirilenko’s Effect on Brooklyn Nets’ Turnaround
January 11th, 2014 by Zach Buckley Leave a reply »
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