Before coming to the NBA, Kirilenko was a sixth man with CSKA Moscow, his former club team, as well as with the Russian national team into his early 20s. As long as he's playing regular minutes and part of a fourth-quarter lineup, Kirilenko has no problem.

"I wouldn't say I don't like to start - I like to start - but it's not an issue, it's not the main thing," Kirilenko said. "Because if you play the game, if you're coming off the bench or you're starting the game, it's just different mental preparation or game preparation."

The best thing about starting, as Kirilenko put it, is "it's all in your hands," as opposed to coming off the bench with the Jazz either leading by 10 or trailing by 10 "and you need to get something to change it right away."

Kirilenko did acknowledge that his shooting might suffer if he has to wait seven minutes to check into a game. "It is harder, but what I can do?" he said. "Just go and warm up a little bit better. I'm trying to do the same routine every time."

rsiler@sltrib.com