In the shadows of all other NBA news that has dominated the 2014 off-season, Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Garnett has yet to confirm whether he’s returning for the upcoming season or hanging up his jersey in retirement.
And it’s not just the fans who aren’t sure of Garnett’s decision. Brooklyn Nets head coach Lionel Hollins is also unsure of what the future Hall of Famer expects to do.
"Nets coach Lionel Hollins is still waiting to hear from former Celtic Kevin Garnett, who has not given the team an indication he wants to return, though he is expected to play a 20th NBA season. Garnett has one year and $12 million left on his contract, the deal he signed with the Celtics three years ago."
Considering Garnett is set to make $12 million if he decides to return to the NFL, the decision may already be made for him. What could be occurring here is a Brett Favre-esque maneuver where he prolongs his decision to retire–or not–in order to avoid training camp. To put it simply, Garnett is at that age where playing in the NBA may be the only thing he’s interested in and not the extra work that comes with it.
Despite coming off the worst season of his lengthy career–KG averaged a career-low 6.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game–Garnett could still be a solid player for the Nets, though that could be dependent on the role Hollins assigns to him if he chooses to return.
With Brook Lopez and Deron Williams expected to be healthy, Garnett could focus solely on commanding the defense and knocking down set shots within the offense. That can be done by KG if he remains injury-free and that’d help this Nets team return to the playoffs.
Odds are Garnett will make his decision public come late September, early October.