Kevin Garnett "commanding" at Nets practices

Doc Rivers said it back in July, talking about Kevin Garnett. "His presence there alone will absolutely change the culture of Brooklyn."

That's the word from Duke, too. As one Nets insider who's been at the practices said, "He is definitely a very commanding presence.  He just emanates power."

"I don't take any s--t." KG said, when asked about toughness. "Anybody wants to say something to you guys, including the women here, you guys will fire back. I'm no different than that. I wear my heart on my sleeve. I care about the game. I never disrespect the game or myself or my family. If want to call that tough, I guess that's tough."

KG had some fun (again) with his coach Wednesday, continuing their debate over how many minutes Garnett will play. Kidd doesn't want him to play both ends of a back-to-back. KG says their discussions haven't not gone too well. It's all playful.  "He’s been great," Jaon Kidd said. "For me and him, he respects me and I respect him. I just sat in that seat. For me to get him to the finish line is my goal."

Garnett is not all rough and gruff. Here's what he said about Brook Lopez: "I've never played with a center whose skill level is at this point," Garnett said after practice. "I've obviously played with greats, but to the point where he's young and still hasn't peaked yet."

Meanwhile, Jason Terry is expected to return to practice Thursday while there's no timetable yet for Deron Williams. It's all precautionary, D-Will says.

• Nets hope intense Kevin Garnett will get his teammates fired up - Rod Boone - Newsday
• KG likes what he's seeing so far - Rod Boone - Newsday
• Kevin Garnett's edge can help Nets shed 'soft' label - DeAnte Prince - The Sporting News
  
• Garnett on Kidd: 'He got amnesia' - Ohm Youngmisuk - ESPN New York
• KG on Lopez: Best center I've played with - Ohm Youngmisuk - ESPN New York
• Garnett’s voice heard loud and clear by Nets - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
• Garnett not sold on plan for his minutes - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
• Nets’ Kirilenko sacrificing cash for title chase - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
  
• Kevin Garnett butts heads with Nets coach Jason Kidd over playing time - Stefan Bondy - New York Daily News
• Deron Williams drops pounds and pressure of leading Nets - Stefan Bondy - New York Daily News
• Nets coach Jason Kidd will have to put late-night hours behind him - Mitch Lawrence - New York Daily News
  
• Kidd’s Task - Show Stars the Rewards of Resting - Andrew Keh - New York Times
• Training Camp: New Nets Bring Toughness to Brooklyn - Lenn Robbins - Brooklyn Nets