Andrei Kirilenko will be back in 2012

The top-rated player in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague so far this season, CSKA Moscow forward Andrei Kirilenko, will be sidelined for the remainder of 2011 due to a shoulder injury, the club confirmed Monday. Kirilenko injured his left shoulder after crashing to the floor while attempting a steal in a Russian League game a week ago. Kirilenko was treated there as blood flowing from above his eye and pooled on the floor. His immediate injuries were identified as a broken nose and a concussion, but he walked off-court under his own power with his head bandaged to stop the bleeding. Since then, he has not played while undergoing additional tests by experts in sports traumatology. The news on Monday was not good for CSKA, one of two undefeated teams left in the Euroleague: Kirilenko's left shoulder injury requires long-term therapy and a rehabilitation process before he can rejoin practice. As such, Kirilenko will not play until early 2012. Despite missing CSKA's home game against Zalgiris last week, Kirilenko leads all Turkish Airlines Euroleague players so far in rebounds (9 rpg.), blocks (3.2 bpg) and performance index rating (29.4 pg). He was chosen as the bwin MVP for October and has also earned bwin MVP honors for Week 1 and Week 5.