Kevin Garnett said he nearly retired last summer instead of accepting a trade from the Boston Celtics to the New Jersey Nets.
Is he rethinking that decision?
Garnett is off to one of the worst starts in his NBA career. The Nets traded for the 37-year-old on part for his competitive spirit that was supposed to have a positive impact on his new teammates in the locker room.
Garnett is averaging 5.8 points and 7.8 rebounds so far this season for the Nets. He's shooting 30.6 percent from the floor.
According to the New York Times, Brooklyn coach Jason Kidd made clear his intention use Garnett judiciously during games, so his average of 22 minutes per game is not surprising. The fact that the team won just two of its first seven games is surprising.
"It's not a good feeling in here," the Times reported Garnett as saying Wednesday night after going 2 for 9 in the Nets' 21-point loss to the Sacramento Kings. "But no one said this process is going to be easy."
The more alarming statistic is the Nets' increased productivity when Garnett is on the bench. The Times reports that Brooklyn scored 92.7 points per 100 possessions in its first seven games with Garnett in the lineup.
That number rises to 100.7 points per possession when Garnett is on the bench.
Defensively, the Nets are giving up 108.2 points per 100 possessions with Garnett on the floor and 98.2 without him on the floor.
The Times reported that Garnett has played 1,330 games, which puts him 10th on the NBA's career list. It is both a tribute to Garnett's career and a disclaimer on how much he might have left in the tank.
"We all got together here, and we all understand you have to give a part of your game for the next guy, and I have no problem with that," he said. "I just want to be more productive on the offensive end, that's all."
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