Andrei Kirilenko's first coming
IproAction Develop team
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CSKA made one of the biggest acquisitions of the season last week by signing power forward Andrei Kirilenko, Russian basketball's greatest modern player. AK-47 has already appeared in two games for CSKA and hopes to lead them to championships in the VTB United League and Euroleague. That makes this the perfect time to look back on the 2011-12 season, when Kirilenko last played in Russia.

Return

Andrei Kirilenko played in the NBA from 2001-2011, but when a lockout delayed the start of the 2011-12 season, the NBA All-Star decided to return to Russia. He had a difficult time deciding between Spartak and CSKA: Kirilenko started his career at Spartak St. Petersburg in 1997, before joining CSKA in 1998, where he would play until 2001. Spartak's front office thought the club had an excellent chance of enticing Kirilenko to join the team, but on October 4, 2011, the Russian superstar signed a 3-year contract with CSKA. The player's family wanted to live in Moscow and he wanted to play in the Euroleague.

First Game

Fittingly, Andrei's first league game was played in St. Petersburg, against the club where his professional career began. The CSKA showdown also marked Spartak's league debut and ended up a classic. Led by Patrick Beverley, St. Petersburg let AK-47 know that nothing would come easy. After battling for 40 minutes, Spartak emerged victorious thanks to clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch. Kirilenko, of course, was terrific for the losing side. He scored 15 points and pulled down five rebounds, didn't miss a shot from the field or the free-throw line and led the Army Men in efficiency rating.

Russian basketball fans had waited for that day for more than 10 years. Even though Kirilenko's team lost, the foundation had been laid for an incredible season.

The Decision

The NBA lockout started in July 2011. Negotiations were heated and at times the two sides appeared to be at an impasse, but by the end of the fall, it was clear that the season would be saved. The two parties signed a new collective bargaining agreement in the beginning of December and agreed to start the season on December 25.

Kirilenko's contract contained an opt-out clause to return to the NBA at the end of the lockout and the CSKA forward weighed his options carefully. The loss to Spartak had been long forgotten by that point and CSKA was playing at a high level in both the VTB United League and Euroleague. Kirilenko often talked with the press about the impressive chemistry on the team and his dream of playing one full season with his former club while still at the peak of his career. The opportunity to play alongside his friend Viktor Khryapa also played a major role in Kirilenko's decision to join CSKA in the first place.

Nonetheless, many expected that the power forward would return to the NBA in December and resume his career overseas. For Russian basketball fans, the hype surrounding Kirilenko's decision drew some parallels to LeBron James's famous free agency decision in the summer of 2010. On December 31, Andrei Kirilenko officially announced that he would play for CSKA until the end of the 2011-12 season.

Quote

"Over the past month, I've considered a lot of options. I've weighed all the pros and cons and come to the conclusion that I should finish the season with CSKA. We've created a terrific team over the first half of the season. It's a true team. It wouldn't be fair to my teammates or the fans to leave. I know that many are counting on me."

Photo

Best Game

CSKA had a true dream team in the 2011-12 season and Andrei Kirilenko helped turn an already star-studded cast into something special. The Army Men went 14-2 in the league (CSKA also dropped a game to Nymburk) and were considered the favorites to win the Final Four.

The biggest test came in the semifinals against Lietuvos Rytas, which hosted the Final Four in Vilnius. The atmosphere at the game was incredible. The Lithuanians even had their players run between two pillars of fire during pre-game introductions. CSKA led most of the contest, but struggled to put Rytas away.

With the game on the line, CSKA coach Jonas Kazlauskas played his trump card: Andrei Kirilenko. The Russian forward had been playing at an NBA level all season and didn't back down in Vilnius, putting his team on his back when they needed him most. Kirilenko knocked down a 3-pointer, converted free throws and a three-point play and snagged one of his trademark steals in the final seconds. Lietuvos Rytas pushed CSKA to the limit, but couldn't handle AK-47. The Russian visitors emerged with a 79-72 victory as Kirilenko tallied 19 points (6-8 from the field), seven rebounds, three steals and one block.

Final Result

CSKA met UNICS in the final. Kazan had pulled out a dramatic win over Lokomotiv-Kuban to reach the championship game, but came up short against the Army Men. Evgeny Pashutin's men played solid basketball, but CSKA had total control of the game and won 74-62, needing few heroics from Kirilenko.

CSKA's dream season was marred by the dramatic loss to Olympiacos in the Euroleague final, but it did nothing to take away from Andrei Kirilenko's terrific campaign. In addition to his phenomenal play on the court, Kirilenko also created a stir by donating his entire salary that season to charity. Not surprisingly, he was extremely effective in popularizing the league and Russian basketball as a whole during his season at home.

Stats

VTB United League regular season:

9 games, 10.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.3 blocks and an efficiency rating of 15.1 per game.

VTB United League Final Four:

2 games, 14.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.5 blocks and an efficiency rating of 17.0 per game.

Quote

"The way this season has gone, I don't care at all about which league we're playing in or which stage of the season it is... I just go on the court and enjoy every minute out there. Maybe that's something that happens when you get older. At the same time, I feel a lot of responsibility for CSKA's record. We should win every game, regardless of our opponent, the game's status or other circumstances. That's why I don't divide games or competitions by status. The same is true of individual awards. Any recognition of your work is nice to receive."

Awards

Kirilenko added several awards to his already impressive trophy collection during the 2011-12 season.

Kirilenko received the VTB United League regular season MVP. He tallied 18 points, beating out Khimki forward Kresimir Loncar (17 points) and Lietuvos Rytas center Jonas Valanciunas (16 points). The Final Four MVP also went to Kirilenko.

In February 2013, Kirilenko was recognized as 2012's top European basketball player by Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport (players, coaches and journalists in 14 countries voted on the honor). He was the first Russian player to win the award since the break-up of the Soviet Union. A month later, FIBA Europe also named Kirilenko its 2012 Player of the Year.