Utah Jazz: Challenged by the team's management, Andrei Kirilenko spent summer adding muscle mass

By Steve Luhm The Salt Lake Tribune

09/27/2009

Asked how much Andrei Kirilenko weighs these days, Utah Jazz strength coach Mark McKown smiles mischievously.

"I think it's about 110 kilos," he said.

Ever since Kirilenko arrived in Utah as a skinny-looking 20-year-old, his weight has been the subject of widespread speculation and discussion.

Millsap also continues to exhibit an old-school work ethic that helped transform him from a second-round draft pick into one of the NBA's best young players.

Officially, Kirilenko has always weighed 225 pounds, although that is likely generous, especially by the end of a taxing NBA season.

Today, as he embarks on his ninth year with the Jazz, Kirilenko is again listed at 225 pounds in the team's preseason media guide.

Not true.

After missing an average of 18 games over the last five years because of injuries, Kirilenko has bulked up during the summer.

He reported to training camp weight at 240 pounds, to the astonishment of at least one teammate.

"I was really shocked when I saw him," Memo Okur said. "I heard -- because I got here a month ago to start working out -- that he weighed more. Somebody told me he gained like 20 or 25 pounds and I was like, 'Did he?' "

Seeing is believing.

"He looks good," Okur said. "He seems healthy ... [and] it's good to see him like that. Hopefully, he will stay healthy because we are going to need him this year."

Kirilenko's physical improvement started at last season's exit meeting with general manager Kevin O'Connor and coach Jerry Sloan. Plagued by injuries that included a sprained finger and ankle inflammation that required minor surgery, Kirilenko missed 13 games in 2008-09.

"We challenged him to get himself a little stronger," O'Connor said. "I think he was always worried that he was going to lose quickness. But we said we didn't want him to look like Joe Palooka. That wasn't our intention.

"Our intention was to just get him stronger. I think at the end of the season, he really hurt himself by not being able to finish at the basket. Physically, at the weight he was at, he was run down a little bit."

In June, Kirilenko accompanied McKown and a few teammates to Santa Barbara, Calif., where he met with Dr. Marcus Elliott.

A Harvard-trained physician, Elliott runs the P3 Performance Team, which works on the physical development and improvement of elite athletes.

"We did some extensive testing and had some really nice, intense workouts," McKown said. "With the help of Dr. Elliott, we were able to design a program built around Andrei's specific needs ... so he can hold up to the rigors of the NBA."

From there, Kirilenko took over.

"I've been a couple of months in France -- working out, lifting, [doing] a lot of core stuff," he said. "... I'm ready right now."

Those around him are hopeful.

"He took the knowledge he gained from Dr. Elliott, went home and trained very hard, which is nice to see," McKown said. "That doesn't mean he hasn't trained hard in the past. But he hasn't trained this hard and this smart, I don't think."

The most noticeable difference in Kirilenko's body involves his chest, shoulders and arms. He's not the second coming of Karl Malone, but he's come a way from the 215-pound small forward who had a tough time standing up to physical defenses at the end of last season.

"You could see he had trouble," O'Connor said. "He got bounced around."

Said McKown: "He's definitely the strongest he's ever been, and that's nice because usually guys get to a certain point in their career and they plateau. They stay there and they think that's good enough."

McKown describes the 20 or more pounds Kirilenko has added as "good weight. It's not just body fat, which we've had happen to guys before."

Kirilenko admits his biggest concern about adding weight is its impact on one of his biggest assets on the court -- quickness.

"I definitely wanted to be a little stronger, [but] I wants to see how I can be quick at the same time," he said. "As long as I can keep this weight on and still run with it, I will be fine."

Said O'Connor: "If you look at it, it helps him in back-to-backs -- being a little stronger. It helps him finish around the basket and it helps him get through screens. Look, any time you get stronger and don't lose your quickness, you've become a better player."

Of course, a bigger Kirilenko gives Sloan more options.

With Carlos Boozer, Paul Millsap and Kirilenko, he might have three veterans capable of playing extended minutes at power forward.

"Actually, 'four' from an offensive standpoint is probably Andrei's better position," Sloan said. "So maybe we take a look at that. .. We'll figure out some way to put people out on the floor who can be effective."

In the meantime, Sloan likes Kirilenko's physical transformation

"He looks much stronger," he said. "His upper body looks good -- like he's put some strength on there. But we'll have to see how it works out ...

"One year, I remember, Thurl Bailey went out and gained a lot of weight. He really bulked up. But his 15-foot jumper started going about 10 feet, until he settled back in."

-luhm@sltrib.com