Sports

Garnett to be introduced Tuesday afternoon

Kevin Garnett's return to Minnesota gets real on Tuesday, when he will practice with his new teammates for the first time and be introduced at a 3 p.m. Target Center news conference.

By Jerry Zgoda

February 23, 2015 at 7:39PM

JERRY HOLT jgholt@startribune.com 1/24/2006 Timberwolves vs Detroit Pistons #100041----Kevin Garnett greets Pistons head coach Flip Saunders before the start of Tuesday night game with Detroit. Tuesday night game is the first time Saunders has been back at Target Center since he was fired last season by Minnesota. (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Kevin Garnett's return to Minnesota gets real on Tuesday, when he will practice with his new teammates for the first time and be introduced at a 3 p.m. Target Center news conference.

Garnett needed a long weekend to take care of matters before making the move from Brooklyn back to Minnesota, Wolves coach Flip Saunders said before this morning's shootaround in Houston.

He said Garnett could have made his Wolves' debut tonight against the Rockets and old mentor/pal Kevin McHale and that is wasn't mandatory that Garnett's first game back comes at Target Center.

But he said it'll work out just fine that Garnett's first game back is Wednesday against Washington and his former Wolves coach Randy Wittman and former Boston teammate Paul Pierce.

Garnett has been home in L.A. over the weekend at his Malibu summer place. Just by coincidence, he was in Los Angeles when he waived his no-trade clause and the deal was made on Thursday because Brooklyn practiced there Wednesday and Thursday in preparation for their first game back from All-Star break against the Lakers.

The Wolves acquired Garnett by trading away veteran Thad Young, who reported to the Nets the next day and played Friday night against the Lakers.

Without Garnett, the Wolves beat Phoenix on Friday night and tonight meet the Rockets, James Harden and former Wolves forward Corey Brewer.

They'll do so with Shabazz Muhammad (ruptured finger ligament), Anthony Bennett (sprained ankle), Robbie Hummel (broken hand) and Gary Neal (sprained ankle) all out injured. Muhammad, Bennett and Hummel all are power-forward options.

That leaves Saunders just two real options at power forward until Garnett arrives Tuesday: Center Gorgui Dieng and newly acquired Adreian Payne.

Saunders said he might have to play rookies Andrew Wiggins and Glenn Robinson III some at power forward, if necessary.

"It's OK," he said. "We'll get through."

Saunders wouldn't disclose at Monday's shootaround who will start at power forward that night.

If he starts Dieng beside Nikola Pekovic in the frontcourt, then Saunders doesn't have a legitimate backup center to bring off the bench.

Neal, who sought a buyout when the Wolves acquired him from Charlotte, was limping noticeably at shootaround. He injured his ankle in Sunday's practice -- what he called a "freak" injury on the last play of pracitce -- and when asked how it was Monday, he said, "Bad."

One more thing from this morning:

Wiggins turns 20 tonight and Saunders turns 60.

"I'd rather be 19," Wiggins said. "I miss it."

If you're a believer in signs, stars aligning and such things...today's also the birthday of Ohio State freshman star D'Angelo Russell, a possible pick by the Wolves with a top 5 lottery pick in this summer's draft.

"I'd rather be 19," Wiggins said. "I miss it.