Paul Pierce: Kevin Garnett will be just fine for Nets

NEW YORK - Back in July, Kevin Garnett didn't like the question.

On the day he was introduced as a member of the Brooklyn Nets, the 37-year-old was asked how much good basketball he had left.

Garnett stared straight ahead. The answer came quickly.

'Next question,' he said.

If Garnett didn't like the inquiry then, he certainly won't like it now. But after the way this season has started, with Garnett struggling mightily, it's certainly valid for Nets fans to worry that his age might have something to do with it.

Paul Pierce doesn't share that worry. After watching Garnett the last seven seasons in Boston, Pierce believes Garnett's best as a Net is yet to come.

'He's still trying to make the adjustment,' Pierce said Monday after a Veterans Day practice at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn. 'When you come to a new team, new teammates, new offense ... Kevin's always been a guy that needed to feel comfortable, who needed to make an adjustment.

'He's still getting familiar with the offense and understanding where his shots are going to come from. The minutes-played adjustment. ... So, he's going to find his rhythm eventually and really find his grove and I'm pretty sure of it.'

Through six games, Garnett's groove has been elusive. He has yet to score more than eight points in a game and is shooting 31.6 percent. On defense, Garnett has been a game-changer his entire career. But the Nets are allowing more points per 100 possessions with Garnett playing (107.6) than they do when he sits on the bench (96.6).

Nets coach Jason Kidd says that Garnett's struggles aren't cause for alarm or overreaction.

'I'm not going to have him come and shoot early or late,' Kidd said. 'He's been doing it for 20 years. My job is to put him in his comfort zone and for him to get in his comfort zone. So there's nothing that we're going to change. He's getting great looks; he's just got to keep shooting.'

As the Nets work to get back to winning, it's important to remember that Garnett's impact extends beyond the stat sheet. The Nets have started slow, but six months ago this franchise was blasted for a perceived lack of mental and physical toughness after a playoff loss to the depleted Bulls. Toughness is no longer a problem.

'He's changed the culture of the team,' Kidd said. 'Understanding you've got to be prepared and also understanding that you have to do your work. That's the biggest thing that stands out.'

BRIEFS: Following their practice in front of troops at Fort Hamilton, the Nets were presented with a flag that flew over the World Trade Center site on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The Nets also served meals to troops in the afternoon. ... Back spasms kept forward Andrei Kirilenko out of practice after he also missed Saturday's loss to Indiana. Kidd said there is no timetable for Kirilenko's return.

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