Jazz coach Jerry Sloan announced today that forward Andrei Kirilenko likely will miss the entire playoff series against the Nuggets after straining his calf for a third time in the past month while playing a 2-on-2 game Thursday.
“He was devastated, but that’s part of this business,” Sloan told the Salt Lake Tribune. “You just try to encourage him to try to keep his spirits up because there’s not anything we can do about it.”
Whether the Jazz will have star Carlos Boozer for Saturday’s Game 1 also remains to be seen. Boozer (strained oblique) did not practice Friday and was not at the media availability.
“We have to plan on him being there from the conversations we’ve had with him and with (trainer) Gary (Briggs),” Sloan told the Tribune. “But in the event he’s not, we’re still going to play.”
The Jazz have offically said Kirilenko would miss at least two weeks while exploring treatment options, but according to the Tribune, Kirilenko told one teammate he expected to be out three weeks. Kirilenko first injured his calf in the March 12 loss at Milwaukee.
He missed 15 of the last 17 games; the Jazz are 10-5 in those games.
To find out what the Jazz had to say about the Nuggets today,
