BOSTON — Three weeks into the preseason, the Nets still are waiting to hold their first practice in which all 15 players are healthy and involved. In fact, it took until Tuesday for the Nets to have their first portion of any practice involving the full participation of their star-studded starting five in full-contact drills.
For someone as notoriously particular as Kevin Garnett — a player who already has openly complained about sitting out of preseason games in this, his 19th NBA season — you would think that would leave him frustrated with the progress the Nets have made in bringing their many new pieces together.
But Garnett says that’s not the case at all, thanks to the fact, from his perspective, all 15 players on the roster are pulling in the same direction.
“Cohesiveness is something difficult,” Garnett said following Tuesday’s practice. “Chemistry is even more difficult. But what kills all that, the difficult part, is when everybody is willing and everybody is open and everybody wants to be cohesive and join. The chemistry that has been joined here is guys want to get to know each other, and understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses.”
The player most conspicuously absent has been Deron Williams, who participated in his first 5-on-5 contact portion of practice of the season on Tuesday, when he spent 15-20 minutes on the floor with the other four starters. Williams has spoken at times about the frustration he has felt in not being part of the team — instead, as he put it Tuesday, he has felt like “part of the cheerleading squad” at times.
But even though the team’s floor general hasn’t been on the floor, Garnett said Williams still has had a big impact on the new-look Nets.
“Although Deron hasn’t been on the court with us in practice throughout camp, doesn’t mean he hasn’t been present,” Garnett said. “It doesn’t mean he didn’t initiate the workouts [in Los Angeles this summer] … [training camp at] Duke, the dinners, the game rooms, up late night talking …. on the plane card games, in the back talking.
“Whatever it is, we’re willing to do that, we’re willing to come together and join that. When you see teams that are not cohesive, it’s because one, everybody is stagnant, everybody is closed, they’re not open to one another. Here that’s not the case. We all understand the one goal we have in common, and we’re trying to reach that goal.”
If anyone wondered at any point what the goal actually was, they’d have to answer to Garnett himself. His addition has given the Nets the kind of vocal presence they didn’t really have a year ago, something Williams himself admitted Tuesday.
“Kevin, he’s so vocal, and I’m not used to being vocal that way,” Williams said. “For him, coming in here, he’s the vocal guy, so I just go out there and play. I definitely talk to guys, but he’s a motivator, in your face, high-intensity every play.”
That was something the Nets lacked at times a year ago thanks to the more low-key personalities of Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez.
“I think [his presence helps], because I think a lot of us are more quiet,” Williams said. “Joe is definitely quiet, Brook’s quiet. I was the most vocal last year, so that definitely hurts a little bit.”
There won’t be any worries about that this year, however, whenever Garnett is around. At the conclusion of Tuesday’s practice, he demonstrated that once again by taking charge of the entire team and demanding multiple renditions — including one in a second language — of “Happy Birthday” — for longtime athletic trainer Tim Walsh.
It’s the kind of presence that has made life easier for Nets coach Jason Kidd as he gets set to begin his first season on the bench.
“There are very few that can talk and play,” Kidd said, “but that’s just the makeup of KG and he does it very well. But I think it’s also great for guys [to see him] like that in practice. … He wants to win every drill, and I think that pushes everybody.”