If a case must be made to be considered for NBA Defensive Player of the Year honors, Jazz swingman Andrei Kirilenko need not say a word.
Perhaps more importantly than his stats, the recent praise of competitors should suffice.
"He does such an excellent job of defending," Portland coach Nate McMillan said after Kirilenko had a seven-block effort in the Jazz's 110-93 win over the Trail Blazers on Saturday at the Delta Center.
McMillan left Utah as impressed by Kirilenko's help defense as his man-on-man defense.
"I drew up a play to get him away from the ball, and he still came all the way from the weak side to block the shot," the Blazers coach said. "We put him on the ball . . . and he did a good job with his wingspan. He's a great defender, one of the best in the league."
A season ago, Kirilenko led the NBA in blocked shots per game at 3.32. This season he is averaging 3.20, second only to Denver center Marcus Camby's 3.32. Kirilenko's 208 total blocks heading into tonight's game against Houston, however, lead the league.
Kirilenko also leads the NBA in games this season with four or more blocks. He has 27, five more than next-closest Camby. Kirilenko has had 15 games, in fact, with five or more blocks.
"I love watching him play," said Blazers veteran center Theo Ratliff, one of six players in NBA history to lead the league in blocked shots three or more times.
(Retired Jazz center Mark Eaton did it four times during the 1980s. Kareem-Abdul Jabbar, George Johnson, Hakeem Olajuwon and Dikembe Mutombo are the others.)
"I like his aggressiveness, and how he hustles, and never gives up on the play," Ratliff added. "I like his whole attitude toward playing the game."
The reaction was similar Friday night at Minnesota, where Kirilenko had three blocks in a Jazz win.
"He really has an effect on the game defensively," said Timberwolves coach Dwane Casey, who told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that Kirilenko's presence has a decided influence on game-planning decisions. "(But) the impact he has on the game isn't just on defense. It's all across the stat sheet."
Kirilenko had his first two career triple-doubles this season, making him (before Sunday's games) one of only six players — along with Jason Kidd, LeBron James, Boris Diaw, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade — with multiple triple-doubles in 2005-06.
He had his third career five-by-five — at least five points, five rebounds, five assists, five blocks and five steals — earlier this season, and is one of only two players in NBA history (along with Olajuwon) to perform such a feat more than once.
The 25-year-old Russian also is averaging 15.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game this season — putting him on track to join NBA retirees Abdul-Jabbar (who did it six times), Bob Lanier (in the 1973-74 season) and David Robinson (1993-94) as the only players in league history to average 15 or more points, eight-plus rebounds, four-plus assists and three-plus blocks in the same season.
Detroit's Ben Wallace won the media-selected Defensive Player of the Year award three of the last four seasons, with Indiana's Ron Artest (now with Sacramento) winning for the 2003-04 season.
Kirilenko was a second-team All-Defensive Team selection — as picked by NBA coaches — each of the past two seasons.
NO BIGGIE: McMillan readily accepted Kirilenko's apology Saturday for an unnecessary late-game dunk during a Jazz win at Portland earlier this month.
"A respectful guy," the Blazers coach said. "I appreciate that."
HMMM: Heading into Sunday's games, Jazz point guard Deron Williams' 3-point shooting percentage of 40.5 (81-of-200) led all NBA rookies. Second-best: Atlanta's Salim Stoudamire at 38 percent.
E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com