Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said that Kevin Garnett, who retired from the Minnesota Timberwolves after 21 seasons last week, is welcome to join his coaching staff.
“I talked to him about it,” Lue said after Cavs practice Thursday. “I know his wife is pushing for it a lot. Brandi is pushing for it, trying to get him to come and coach. He says he’s not ready yet. He goes back — ‘I might do it’ — but he’s back and forth. We’ll see. But I’d definitely make a spot for him if he wanted to come back and coach.”
Earlier this month, Lue told TMZ that Allen Iverson, recently inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, could “come coach with me.” While the Iverson invitation was somewhat tongue-in-cheek, Garnett is a more realistic candidate.
“He’s one of my best friends,” Lue said of Garnett.
Lue, who was an assistant coach on the Boston Celtics when Garnett played there, stopped a fight from happening between Garnett and Carmelo Anthonyafter a game against the New York Knicks in 2013.
Lue, 39, was rooting for the 40-year-old Garnett to play a 22nd and final season in Minnesota this year.
“Didn’t want to see him do it,” Lue said of Garnett’s retirement. “I thought he would’ve been the first player in NBA history to play in his teens, 20s, 30s and 40s. He just turned 40 in May. I just thought that would’ve been great for him.”
Garnett was a 15-time All-Star, was named league MVP in 2004 and won a championship with the Celtics in 2008. He finished his career ranked third in all-time minutes, fifth in games played, ninth in total rebounds, 11th in made field goals, 16th in steals and 17th in blocked shots.
“Just seeing him go, just seeing what he brought to the game coming out of high school, all the guys that tried to mimic him, the things he did with the powder first and having his boys in the commercials first,” Lue continued. “Everything he’s done, he’s been a trendsetter. Just seeing him leave the game and the way he played every night on a night-to-night basis, every practice from me being with him in Boston, just how he approached the game every single day. He was just like LeBron [James].
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