Garnett, will you coach? “Heeeeellll NAH!”
Kevin Garnett was on the podium Tuesday in lieu of his Minnesota Timberwolves (re)debut.
The 38-year-old future NBA hall of famer will step back on to the Target Center floor wearing his No. 21 Timberwolves jersey for the first time since 2007 at 7 p.m. Wednesday against the Washington Wizards.
On Tuesday, Garnett was funny and charming – and sometimes serious – at his press conference, getting reacquainted with all his old media pals in the Twin Cities.
He gave the typical, “happy to be here,” but followed those answers up with things like this …
“I figure if LeBron can go home, then, sh*t, why can’t I?”
And home in Minnesota is a place he loves … but only sometimes … or summer times, more specifically.
And, the highlight of the press conference was when Sid Hartman asked him if he wants to be a coach someday.
“A coach? Hell nah,” he said to laughs from the media. “A coach is what I won’t be. You can’t talk me into that.
“My sister’s pretty good at talking me into things. My daughter’s are pretty good at persuading me to things. My wife. … But you can’t persuade me to coach. That’s a big H-E-L-L N-A-H. NAH. Not a no, but a nah.
But Garnett will coach. Sort of. A way a 38-year-old schools the young kids on the court, whether that’s in the NBA or at the Y. Those old guys just know some things.
Garnett, drafted No 5 overall out of high school in 1995, is excited to spread that wealth of knowledge on what he sees as a better Timberwolves team than when he played … though he did compare this team to his two young daughters.
On a serious note, he did say, “This is one of the reasons I even looked at this situation. This is probably the most talent on this team since the Timberwolves have been assembled. The talent on here is endless. The potential is obviously the question mark in what it can be. But I feel they got the tools to do and be whatever they want to be for the future. I want to help with that transition.”
Garnett is back. For how long as a player, who knows? There are rumors he’ll re-sign, but he and GM/coach Flip Saunders only joked about those questions.
“The plan is to come here, and not be one or two years, but to be here and invested,” he said. “That’s what it is. I don’t have no extended answer for you right now, I see you looking at me. (laughs).”
What Garnett can’t wait to do now, get back on that court as part of the Timberwolves, and then get reacquainted with the city.
“I just seen Tayshaun (Prince) go back to Detroit,” Garnett said. “I hear Tori Hunter’s back with the Twins. That’s dope, I gotta call Tori up. It doesn’t get any better than this as far as endings and transitioning.”
