Kevin Garnett nearly retired this offseason but Nets coach Lionel Hollins expects him to contribute more than he did a year ago, writes Andy Vasquez of The Record. “I do expect him to play more,” Hollins said on Sunday. “He’s been in great shape. Mentally, he’s very sharp. And we’d like to see him contribute more than 18-20 minutes per game.” Last season, KG played a career low 20.5 minutes per game.
- One might think that Celtics forward Gerald Wallace wants to get out of town and join a contender, but that’s not the case at all, writes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. “It’s fun,” the 32-year-old said. “It’s fun for me. I’m with a great group of guys who are eager to learn, who want to get better. For me, it’s not a bad situation at all. The guys listen. They want to improve. They want to get better as a team. For me, that’s cool. It’s kind of fun.”
- There has been little turnover on the Celtics staff and that means better chemistry amongst the coaches, as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes. Head coach Brad Stevens says that “he’s been able to get a head start on things” because of the familiarity on the bench.
- We haven’t heard much about rookie JaKarr Sampson since he signed a training camp deal with the 76ers and Drew Corrigan of Ridiculous Upside wonders if he might be destined for the D-League’s Delaware 87ers. Sampson left St. John’s after two seasons, to the surprise of some, but the 76ers see potential in him.