Speaking before Friday night’s game, Nets coach Jason Kidd left open the possibility that center Kevin Garnett could miss the rest of the season with back spasms, saying that he wouldn’t need any extra time to prepare for the playoffs.
“If he gets to play before the playoffs, that would be great,” Kidd said of Garnett. “If he gets to practice before the playoffs, that would be great. If he had no practice or no games, for him being on the floor, that would help us dramatically.”
Garnett hasn’t played since February 27th after suffering back spasms. He was slated to return on March 10th against the Toronto Raptors, but was a late scratch from the starting lineup after feeling his back tighten. Garnett admitted earlier this month that he’d had a setback in March that prevented him from playing.
Back spasms are unpredictable by nature — Andrei Kirilenko dealt with spasms for the first two months of the season, without any distinct timetable for his return. He played in the team’s first four games before sitting out until December 31st, shuffling in and out of practice. But Kidd is not concerned about Garnett being in game shape.
“For him, he plays at a high level, so he’s going to get tired no matter what,” Kidd said.
In 49 games, Garnett has averaged 6.7 points and 6.7 rebounds in 21 minutes per game.
