There were questions about if Kevin Garnett would return this season to Brooklyn since his friend Paul Pierce is with the Wizards and the Nets are not going to be title contenders. I mean, there are 12 million reasons we thought he might come back ($$), but it was possible he decided not to put his body through that one more time and retire.
Nope, he’ll be back — and he’s going to start.
Nets coach Lionel Hollins finally spoke with KG and got the word he will return for a 20th NBA season, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News spoke with Hollins.
Hollins says retirement wasn't brought up in conversation with KG. Used an interesting analogy: "It's either you're pregnant or you're not."
— Stefan Bondy (@SBondyNYDN) September 15, 2014
Lionel Hollins says Kevin Garnett will start this season.
— Stefan Bondy (@SBondyNYDN) September 15, 2014
Lionel Hollins on starting KG at power forward: "There's nobody in the gym that I'd put in his place."
— Stefan Bondy (@SBondyNYDN) September 15, 2014
Garnett isn’t the offensive force he once was but the Nets don’t need him to be. Well, so long as Brook Lopez and Deron Williams can stay healthy next to Joe Johnson. What they need KG to do is direct the defense.
What Lionel Hollins needs to do is something Jason Kidd did not last season — figure out how to make the team click when Lopez and Garnett are on the court at the same time.
The Nets should be in the crowded middle of the East (making the playoffs but behind the Bulls and Cavaliers). You’ll learn a lot more about what the Nets should look like next season by reading the PBT season preview of Brooklyn.