By Jerry Zgoda, Star Tribune (Minneapolis) –
Speaking from Russia on Thursday, new Timberwolves forward Andrei Kirilenko listed the reasons — beyond $10 million a season, of course — why he chose to resume his NBA career in Minnesota.
“It’s very flattering when the GM, the coach, players are calling you and saying, ‘We need you, we need your experience,”‘ he said of a courtship process that included numerous telephone calls as well as $20 million guaranteed the next two seasons if Kirilenko wants it.
He also called himself a fan of Wolves coach Rick Adelman, dating to his seasons in Sacramento a decade ago.
“That Sacramento team was one of my favorite ones: A lot of Europeans, great flavor for the game,” he said from Moscow after participating in the NBA’s “Basketball Without Borders” camp intended to grow the game worldwide. “I said, ‘Wow, I really have the chance to play for a coach with a team-oriented system, kind of like they play in European basketball.”
The chance to play with CSKA Moscow and Russian national teammate Alexey Shved, whom the Wolves signed in July, didn’t hurt any, either.
“He’s a great young kid,” said Kirilenko, who said he will arrive in Minnesota the last week of September for the start of training camp Oct. 2 in Mankato, Minn.
And there’s one more, rather unusual reason: His sons, ages 10 and 5, want to play hockey, not basketball.
“We’re from Russia,” he said. “They play hockey in Russia.”
