NBA Rumors: Andrei Kirilenko Made Correct Decision by Staying with CSKA Moscow

Andrei Kirilenko will maintain his commitment of playing for CSKA Moscow in Russia after failing to agree to terms with at least three NBA teams.

Kirilenko easily made the correct move by sticking with his commitment to play overseas.

Not only is Kirilenko playing in his home country of Russia, but CSKA Moscow is the best team in the Euroleague at 10-0.

Would you want to leave a team that is undefeated in the second-best league in the world? That would be a difficult decision, especially when you are playing in your home country. Think LeBron James and his departure from Cleveland—it would be tough to walk away.

Besides, Kirilenko hasn’t been on a team that legitimately had a chance of winning the championship in his NBA tenure. Utah has been a solid team in his 10-year career, but 2006-07 was the only realistic postseason when the Jazz made any type of noise. He played in 17 postseason games.

That was five years ago.

I can’t blame Kirilenko for wanting to compete for a championship this season. The New Jersey Nets, the team most interested in his talents, aren’t even close to competing for a championship so I completely understand why he would want to stay home instead of playing for a bottom-feeder.

Kirilenko has always been a player capable of filling up the stat sheet. He can score, grab rebounds, dish out assists, block shots and be a thief on defense. He has averaged 12.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.4 steals per game in his career—that’s production.

He has averaged 13.8 points in five Euroleague games and 14.9 in the domestic Russian PBL.

His decision to play in Russia for the duration of the season will only help his cause in earning more money in the future. If the 30-year-old proves that he can still play at a high level this season, there will be a team willing to give him a hefty contract next year.

Judging by his improved points statistics, his other areas of his game would also be improved upon, which will make him an even more attractive target come 2012.

He should enjoy his time overseas, possibly win a title and make more money in the NBA next season. Sounds like a perfect plan.