The preseason is more than a month away, but Jason Kidd is already thinking about the playoffs.
The new Nets coach enters his first year on the sidelines with a championship contender whose success hinges on the health of the veteran core. Kidd already is considering minutes restrictions for his players, starting with the likelihood the 40-year-old coach will rest 37-year-old forward Kevin Garnett for one-half of back-to-back sets this season.
"When you look at KG, probably no back-to-backs for him," Kidd said yesterday at Nassau Coliseum, where renovation plans for the aging arena were announced. "But those are just topics right now that we're throwing around to try and keep these guys' minutes down because we are deep."
KEVIN GARNETT
Can rest with Nets' depth.
FULL NETS SCHEDULE
Since joining the Celtics in 2007, Garnett has not surpassed 33 minutes per game in a season. This past season, the former MVP played in 68 games and averaged fewer than 30 minutes per game, his lowest total since his rookie season.
The Nets, who will play one preseason game and host one open practice at the new Coliseum each season, are scheduled to play 20 pairs of back-to-back games this season, but are deep at nearly every position.
In games without Garnett, the Nets frontline still includes All-Stars Brook Lopez and Andrei Kirilenko, as well as Andray Blatche, Reggie Evans and rookie Mason Plumlee.
"[We'll] try and get to that 10-, 11-[person] rotation early in the season and keep that there because you want to be fresh going into the playoffs and we feel like we have 15 guys that can play," Kidd said.
Though Deron Williams also has dealt with multiple nagging injuries since joining the Nets, Kidd thinks the right pieces may be in place for the Brooklyn point guard to have one of his best seasons. And perhaps be part of the MVP discussion at the end of the season.
"I think for him it's a great challenge. He needs to get back into the conversation," Kidd said. "As a coach, I think it's our responsibility to make sure he gets back in the conversation. If we can keep him healthy and get him going, hopefully he's in that conversation."
Center Haddadi visits Knicks
Free-agent center Hamed Haddadi worked out for the Knicks yesterday at the team's training facility, according to ESPNNewYork.com.
Haddadi, 28, played parts of five seasons with the Grizzlies before being traded to the Suns in January.
The 7-foot-2 Iranian center, who could be considered to fill the role of Tyson Chandler's primary backup, averaged 4.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks while averaging 13.8 minutes in 17 games with the Suns.
Haddadi was waived by Phoenix on July 29, but most recently played in the Philippines, where he was named MVP of the FIBA Asia Championship.
howard.kussoy@nypost.com
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