Jason Kidd needs Kevin Garnett to be healthy, not necessarily happy, at all times this season.
So while the 37-year-old forward wasn’t thrilled to be sitting out the second game of a preseason back-to-back set — Tuesday night against the Celtics at Barclays Center — the Nets coach said his conversations with the ultra-intense Garnett, regarding his use in such situations, have improved.
“I think we both respect each other and I think the guys trust me,” Kidd said before the game. “I was just in that seat for maybe the last 10 years, being an older player, understanding, there’s going to be times I need him to sit out. And yes, he doesn’t want to, but listen, we’re going to sit down and talk about it.
“Sometimes he might get the benefit of the doubt and sometimes he doesn’t. [Monday] night he said he does trust me and that’s the starting point.”
Even if preseason games don’t matter, they still matter to the 17-year veteran.
After playing 15 minutes on Monday night in Philadelphia, Garnett said he’s trying to be as positive about the situation as possible, but cited the need to be on the floor with his new teammates in order to develop chemistry in his first season with the Nets.
Kidd is understanding, but realizes it’s more important to be conservative with a player whose health could mean the difference between a championship and a second straight season of first-round failure.
“He’s seen the plan. There’s always going to be times where there’s disagreement and you got to find what makes sense,” said Kidd. “This makes sense to give him the night off. It’s the preseason. He’s a competitor. If you had 15 players like that, you got a chance to win on a nightly basis.
“I know I’m going to hear this throughout the season, I have to answer this question, but this is a deep team and I think that’s the way he sees it.”
The 40-year-old coach, who entered the league only one season before Garnett, isn’t surprised by Garnett’s desire to play — even in relatively meaningless games — having played alongside him during the 2000 Olympics and against him in the NBA. But Kidd can barely comprehend his will, joking he would have loved some time off in his later playing years.
“That’s the blueprint, that’s the makeup of KG. He’s a competitor,” said Kidd. “Today at shootaround, I told him no running [and] he’s running to get back on defense. That’s who he is. He’s a winner. He’s always paying attention to detail. He’s one of the rare ones that wants to play and be in every rep.”
“And some of us, including myself, wanted a day off. Hopefully it’d be a week off.”