Garnett expressed support for both Thursday and was surprised Kevin McHale left the front office to take over for Garnett’s former coach, Wittman…
“I know Kevin once told me that if he had to make a decision between coaching and his family, he’d choose his family. I had to respect that when I was in Minnesota. So to see him coaching again, it’s kind of weird. Plus, I’ve been in that situation and I know it’s all smoke and mirrors at the end of the day, too.
It also was a rough night for Rashad McCants, who had started the previous two games in Miller’s place at shooting guard.
McCants scored seven points in nearly 22 minutes off the bench but hit just 3 of 13 shots and heard it from the fans.
McHale, asked if McCants is pressing, said, “Yeah, I’d say so.”
“You know what, there are times when it’s tough out there, man,” the coach added. “Anybody who’s played a lot of years knows that it gets tough. You’ve got to work your way through it.”
The Wolves brought Tony Campbell to town for Friday’s game against San Antonio as part of their 20th-season anniversary celebration. From afar, he has watched a franchise that has come what he calls “full circle,” although he knows there never will be a time again like that very first season.
“It’s almost like it’s coming back around, the ebb and flow of an NBA franchise,” Campbell said. “Last year’s wins and losses were exactly the same as our first year there, if I’m not mistaken. Just to be there in the beginning was a special thing. Coach [Bill] Musselman supplied the animation and we continued with more drama. We were like enemies in some of our practices and yet we always came together as a team. Nobody played harder than those teams did.”
McHale also has drawn some tough coaching matchups, including San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich.
“It’s really an honor to be able to coach against Popovich, Jerry Sloan, Phil Jackson’s coming up,” McHale said before the game. “Those guys are the blue chips of the business.”
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