Someday I will have to learn how to pull quotes from a text in order make it a quicker blog post, but this Andrei Kirilenko’s interview by Pavel Osipov of Sport-Express was so good that I ended up translating the whole thing once again.

Here it goes:

– It felt like you liked everything in Minnesota. Then why didn’t you pick up your contract option for the next season?

– It didn’t make sense to me. Next year the situation would be the same, and it is uncomfortable for me and my entire family to feel this uncertainty. For all my close ones to keep on thinking, “Do we have to relocate after the season ends?”. So it was a strategic decision. I want to sign a longer contract. And it doesn’t mean that I’m definitely leaving Minnesota – at all. A really do like everything here. Everything but the length of my contract.

– How long do you want it to be? Three or four seasons?

– (Laughs). I prefer it to be for more than one. I am sure that I’ll be able to play at high level for at least three more seasons. After that, maybe I will have to consider signing for a veteran minimum. But it is impossible to say what is going to happen after three years. After all, I used to think that I would retire at 30. But right now I’m already 32, and I am still full of energy and desire to play.

– Does your decision have anything to do with the desire to play for a better team which is a title contender, unlike Minnesota?

– Of course it is always better to play for a good team. But for me, the atmosphere inside a club has a great importance. The team environment in Minnesota is remarkable. I am really lucky in terms of this. And the current roster, I am sure, can do much better than last season when we lost our chances of making the playoffs early.

– When was the first time that you thought that maybe you shouldn’t pick up your option with Minnesota?

– Not that long ago. And anyway it’s just part of the process. They way media presented it is just laughable – as if I terminated my contract with the club and left! It is nothing like that. It was never in my plans to move back and forth between cities. On the contrary, right now I am extremely interested in a more stable situation. That was the reason for my decision. After all, my kids are going to enter school, and it is better to plan things like this beforehand.

– So your priority is to sign a multi-year deal with Minnesota?

– Not exactly like this. To tell the truth, I don’t want to fill my head with all this right now – I’m on vacation. My agent Marc Fleisher takes care of all my business. We are working together for 15 years already and never had any trouble with each other. Normally Marc would collect all the necessary information and present the possible moves to me. Right now I can only tell this – I am still a Minnesota player. I like everything about the club – the city, the teammates, and the organization. The only disappointing thing is last season’s result.

– Did Fleisher already tell you of any opportunities?

– No. It is only possible to start the negotiations on July 1. And the player market opens only July 10th.

– Do you think there is a chance for your comeback to CSKA?

– It is 99 percent that I stay in the NBA. But who knows what may happen. What if none of the 30 NBA teams needs me?

– What would you prefer: a multi-year deal with Minnesota for 10 million per, or with Miami but for twice less the money?

– I don’t want to put myself into some limits. And anyway, does it make any sense to join a team where LeBron James is playing at your position? Or to Oklahoma where there is Kevin Durant? It will almost certainly mean that you are just quietly finishing your career. And I feel myself capable of really being productive.

– And what would you say about Brooklyn which is owned by Mikhail Prokhorov and is bringing in superstars like Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce?

– I am really happy to see this trade, I hope it happens. Then both sides benefit. Brooklyn gets the players who can get them to the very top, and Boston is working for its future.

For me, a lot of opportunities are attractive. There are 30 almost equally strong teams in the NBA. Well, maybe there are 10 where I wouldn’t like to play. And it is very difficult to choose between 20 other teams. Somewhere there is a great roster, another team is located in a great city, the third one has a super-coach, fourth is a brilliant organization. And so on.

Still, my chances of joining Brooklyn are minimal. The roster is almost complete. Though… Anything is possible in the NBA.

And anyway, I am going to root for all the teams that have something to do with Russians – Minnesota, Denver, Cleveland, and Brooklyn. Well, and for Utah – just like I always used to. (Laughs).

– You have mentioned Cleveland which has picked Sergey Karasev 19th in the Draft. What is his future like in the NBA?

– It is really difficult for me to see Serega as a player. I know him ever since he was seven, when I used to bring him to CSKA practices. For me he is a son of an older friend (Vasily Karasev – Sport-Express). And I am really happy for him. I can only wish success for him and a move to the NBA as soon as possible. So that he could become the best Russian who has ever played in this league.

In general, I really want our compatriots to gradually take the leading roles on their NBA teams. And I am always willing to do whatever I can to help my compatriots. It will be better if Karasev moves to the States this summer and doesn’t stay in Russia for another season or two. He has already passed that stage and needs another mountain to climb now.

– But after you were drafted, you still stayed to play another two seasons with CSKA. Why?

– I was in a different situation. I was under contract, exactly for two years. If not for that, I would have moved to Utah right away.

– Any other advice you may give to Karasev Jr.?

– He has vast opportunities in front of him. But one should always remember: in American basketball, any incredible things are possible. Nobody knows how a given player’s career will unfold. Remember a guy like Kwame Brown? He was absolutely best at student level, but didn’t become a star in the NBA. Or another example, Kevin Martin. A player who few people knew emerged as a completely different player in Sacramento.

– When do you plan to decide about your future?

– I have nowhere to hurry. Last year there were Olympics. Because of that I didn’t want any speculation and I signed my contract rather quick. And this time I am training individually. I plan on sending my son to a sports camp. And I plan to spend some time there myself. I will resume my full practices in early August.

– And still? You didn’t answer the question.

– I will decide about my future between July 10 and September 29. The sooner it happens, the better. So that I would know it for sure what to do and where to relocate – if I have to, of course. But not everything depends on me. So, it doesn’t make sense to be guessing.



Of course I will be following Andrei Kirilenko’s free agency closely. Follow me on Twitter to receive future updates.