Andrei Kirilenko is now a free agent, bring him home to Utah

The Philadelphia 76ers have just announced that they have waived forward Andrei Kirilenko. Before you say anything, just shut up and listen: bring him home, back to the Utah Jazz.

Come on. You know you want this. (N.B. Mute the video on the left)

Andrei Kirilenko is 34 years old, and that's only 7 years older than rookies Elijah Millsap and Joe Ingles. But unlike those two guys, Andrei has played nearly 25,000 minutes in the NBA, and made big plays in the playoffs all the way up to the Western Conference Finals. On a team bereft of any experience having a non-threat to their development on the team is fine. He's at that part of his career where he can be an almost-non-playing mentor. Heck, he was on the team back when Gordon Hayward and Jeremy Evans were rookies.

He keeps a house here and said that Salt Lake City is a great place to raise a family. He now has four kids. The team needs a veteran presence, and both insurance on the wing, and some depth in he paint. He's a 3/4, or 4/3 depending on what season this is. He's an excellent passer with unparalleled floor vision. He can hit the three -- not as well as we'd want from a three, but as a slower, older bench PF his career .310 is good enough for the remaining 30 games of this season.

Have him return to where it all started, in the NBA. This is karma. Sign on for cheap and retire in your home. Your home, the Jazz. He would dominate off the bench with this second unit playing in this Quin Snyder offense.

ESPN's Marc Stein reports that other teams are interested, playoff teams, but the real question is if he is in a rush or not to play right now -- or again. An infant is a big responsibility, and Masha and Andrei have three other children who need attention too. It's going to be interesting to see where he will end up. But as a Jazz fan it's important enough to me to let the world know: I want him back. I want him back home. Here. With the Jazz.