Eric, here's the quote I'm referring to. You may have overlooked it:
https://www.deseretnews.com/article/700069113/Utah-Jazz-New-look-Andrei-Kirilenko-fields-questions.html
And this is what started this whole thing. Because people kept insisting not only that he didn't say this but that he would never say this. But there it is, in black and white, and in quotations put there by an experienced reporter who would never put quotes around an emphatic statement like that unless KOC actually said it.
I do agree with you and others that O'Connor might say this about anyone but Deron or Big Al (since they just traded for him). However, considering AK's salary and the fact that the Jazz were in serious talks about trading AK, I think this quote has more significance.