Garnett hopes he's ready to go
NEW ORLEANS - Even though it will be in thin air, injured Celtics All-Star forward Kevin Garnett is looking forward to practice tonight in Denver.
Garnett has missed nine games since suffering an abdominal strain against Minnesota Jan. 25. He said yesterday he still is hoping to return tomorrow night against the Nuggets, but he added that coach Doc Rivers will make the final decision. A solid practice tonight at Metro State University in Denver could seal Garnett's return, however.
"Monday's a big day for me and I look forward to it," said Garnett at a media session before last night's All-Star Game. "Have some fun. We're in the Denver air, so it should be really interesting. But other than that, I'm just happy to be back on the practice floor."
Garnett's injury caused him to miss the All-Star Game at the New Orleans Arena, but he did work out at Tulane University yesterday. Rivers was on hand and said Garnett looked "pretty good."
Garnett, the 2004 NBA MVP, jokingly asked the media if they could "say a couple words to Doc" to ensure he plays tomorrow night.
"At the end of the day it's Doc's call," said Garnett, who is averaging 19.2 points, a team-best 9.9 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in 41 contests this season. "We will assess it after [tonight's] practice. I anticipate practicing, and we'll assess it from there.
"The past four days have been my strongest days. I've been making major strides. I'm happy with where I'm at. A couple weeks ago I could only do limit[ed] things and I'm back to doing stuff again."
Said Rivers: "We are going to wait and see. He looked pretty good [yesterday]. Moved well, but other than that you really couldn't tell a lot. The good thing is he did things pretty freely. He had free movement.
"But I think we're just going to wait and see in practice. Let him get his legs under him and then we'll go from there."
Garnett said he still has stiffness in his abdomen, but "not like major pain to where it's going to stop me." The 6-foot-11-inch, 253-pounder also described the strain as the first real injury he has had in his 13-year career. The Celtics are a surprising 7-2 in Garnett's absence.
"This is what I call my first injury," Garnett said. "Previous years I've been able to manipulate injuries with tape and ice and different types of treatment. But this is your core, this is your abs. They control pretty much everything in your body, along with your back.
"And I've been educated as I go. Trying to be smart at the same time. Doc's doing a good job of making sure I keep some patience. We're doing pretty well, giving the opportunities to young guys. But this has been frustrating. But I'm in a good place mentally and I think I'm dealing with it pretty well compared to my past."
Scalabrine ailing
Rivers said forward Brian Scalabrine likely will be out the entire five-game Western trip because of a right groin injury.
Of forward Kendrick Perkins, who missed the previous three games with a strained left shoulder, Rivers said, "He'll be OK." Rookie forward Glen Davis, who has a strained left quadriceps and a knee bruise, is expected to practice tonight.
The Celtics players and coaches attending All-Star weekend were slated to fly to Denver after last night's game. There is a charter from Boston to Denver today, and some players are coming on their own from different locations.
Mailman happy for KG
Ex-NBA star Karl Malone recalled being in a similar position to Garnett when he joined the Lakers during the 2003-04 season.
The Lakers were projected to have a good shot at winning the title when Malone and star guard Gary Payton joined fellow perennial All-Stars Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. The Lakers advanced to the 2004 Finals but lost to the Pistons.
With Garnett and Ray Allen joining fellow All-Star Paul Pierce in Boston this season, the Celtics are projected to be a title contender. And like Malone, Garnett has not won a championship.
"It's awesome the way he is handling his business and with what he's doing," Malone said. "I think it's great. The guys around him are awesome. They are one of the teams that have me watching. They are unselfish and they came together to win a championship. A lot of young guys might not understand it now.
"But when you put your time in, then you start to realize when you've made a good pick of something. It's like my deal with the Lakers. It felt good to me and it felt good to them. I think [the Celtics] have a great situation. It's great for Boston with all the legends now."
A sprained right knee hampered Malone during his '04 Finals appearance. Thus he believes Garnett should be cautious about his return.
"What's going through his mind is, '[Expletive], I can't believe that I got hurt,' " Malone said. "It's the same thing I went through. Just be smart about coming back. Take your time, then you come back. You can taste [success], but then he got injured a little bit. That team doesn't need him to score 30. It's just a great team.
"[The abdominal] is his core training. He needs to take his time with it. He doesn't need to be trying to rush back with that. Just take your time."
Marc J. Spears can be reached at mspears@globe.com 