PHILADELPHIA — Kevin Garnett doesn’t even like sitting out of preseason games.
Garnett, who has already gone back-and-forth with Jason Kidd about the Nets coach’s plan to rest him in the second half of back-to-backs this season, admitted he was less than thrilled about the prospect of sitting out Tuesday night’s game against his former team, the Celtics.
“It wasn’t my decision, so that’s where I’m going to leave that,” Garnett said after scoring four points and grabbing seven rebounds in 15 minutes in Monday night’s 127-97 victory over the 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. “I’m trying to be as positive as I can be. This is not up to me, and I’m being positive. I’m making sure of that.
“I’m trying to listen and go with the plan, the plan that was laid out for me and being positive with that. I’m trusting Jason with what he has in store for myself.”
The idea of resting Garnett in half of each of the team’s 20 back-to-back sets this season was first brought up by Kidd during his preseason press conference, and Garnett later said at media day his conversation with Kidd on the topic “didn’t go well,” drawing laughs from the assembled crowd.
But the future Hall of Famer said his frustration at not being on the floor with his teammates for Tuesday night’s game had nothing to do with the fact he wouldn’t get a chance to play against his former team.
“This is not about me, individually, nor is it about Paul [Pierce] or about [Jason Terry] or any other individual player here,” he said. “We’re working towards getting better in here. And I feel like every night, every time we step on the floor, that’s the goal. I thought tonight we did that and tomorrow is another chance to get better.”
Garnett went on to say he looks at every game as an opportunity to improve, including an otherwise meaningless preseason game in October.
“I just feel like every day that you have a chance to better your craft, every chance we get to come in here and work as a group, I would like to be a part of that,” he said. “You don’t just get to 18 years [in the NBA] and just show up and think, ‘Ta-da!’
“I’m very funny about when it comes to critiquing myself. I watch a lot of film of myself, and opponents, also, but I’m very funny about coming in, getting my work in, making sure that I’m sharp,. … As you get older you want to do those things, but you damn near have to, and I’m no different in that.”
But it is exactly that kind of attitude from Garnett — he said earlier Monday “everything is full throttle with me” — that has prompted Kidd and the Nets to adopt such a cautious approach with the 37-year-old. Garnett appeared to wear down as last season progressed in Boston, as he and Pierce had to carry an injury-riddled supporting cast just to make sure the Celtics made the playoffs, where they lost in six games to the Knicks in the first round.
But the Nets should have more than enough talent up front — including Brook Lopez, Andray Blatche and Reggie Evans — to keep Garnett fresh for the stretch run. And if Garnett isn’t happy about not getting to play Tuesday night, he is excited about the potential of the players around him.
“I’m just fascinated with being on a team with so much talent,” he said. “Obviously I’m aware of everybody, and their body of work throughout this league, but when it comes to just being here … I’m just blessed to be on this, and I’m glad I was able to have an opportunity like this [team].”