Desert Morning News [imgl]http://www.marca.com/305/nba/fotos/kirilenko180x300.jpg[/imgl]BOISE ? On the Jazz's opening day of training camp, Andrei Kirilenko was not exactly a happy camper. Between the morning and evening sessions of two-a-days, Kirilenko received the mask he must wear to protect his recently broken nose. "It feels terrible," said Kirilenko, who looked something like a cross between NHL goalie Nikolai Khabibulin and the lead in "Phantom of the Opera." "But what I can do?" For a while, little but grin and breathe mostly through his mouth. Kirilenko busted his beak during the recent European championships, and Jazz trainer Gary Briggs said Tuesday that the Jazz forward will have to wear the mask during practice and games for about four weeks while the nose heals. Kirilenko, though, said he hopes his mask-wearing days last not nearly so long ? and he's confident he'll be mask-free when the Jazz open regular-season NBA play Nov. 2. With any luck, the mask may even be off before Halloween. Briggs also said there's no reason to believe surgery will be needed. Kirilenko agreed and said surgery actually has already been performed: The night he sustained the injury, he was taken to a Belgrade hospital and given anesthesia so the nose could be put back into its proper place. Source
So, he's had it for awhile so it isn't that serious. My heart stopped for a second when I saw Kirilenko in the title
