WALTHAM — Last season a knee injury kept him off the court. This time around, there is no holding him back.

“I’m going full blast,” Kevin Garnett said. “I don’t think when you get in camp you go half-[way] with anything like that. But Doc (Rivers) and I have talked about time, taking it easy, listening to (Celtics trainer) Ed (Lacerte), the doctors, and what they’re telling me so I’m being patient with that.”

In a rare occurrence Garnett sat at the end of the stage with a group of reporters during the Boston Celtics Media Day. The generally private player was inviting and happy to share the positive results from his knee surgery.

The bone spur was originally thought to be a few inches, he later explained as he picked up a voice recorder to demonstrate the size. As it turns out, it was closer to the length of a microphone resting on the table. Nonetheless, his recovery is on schedule.

“I feel pretty good,” he said. “I’ve been off for a minute. I don’t really like to take time off but it was for a good reason. My leg is right on schedule to where it’s supposed to be and mentally I’m refreshed.  I think everybody is.”

Garnett has already begun participating in five-on-five drills with his teammate. While he admitted he has a little less energy than usual, he said he maintained his timing during offseason workouts  and compared it to being as routine as riding a bike.

Besides, Garnett has already had more time on the sidelines than he could ever ask for.

“None of the basketball we played last year that I had to watch was pleasant for me,” he said. “I did it. I sat on the side because my teammates wanted me to sit on the bench. Other than that, it was pure excruciating.”

WALTHAM – Kevin Garnett pronounced himself ready for the 2009-10 season during media day for the Boston Celtics on Monday.

“I’m refreshed and ready to go. 5 on 5 starts tomorrow and I’ll be ready,” said Garnett, who is back after summer surgery to repair bone spurs behind his right knee.

“There are no restrictions,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers added. “Right now we have no medical restrictions on any player”.

The team left at 4:30 Monday afternoon for Salve Regina University, where they will begin training camp on Tuesday. Celtics captain Paul Pierce said that Garnett looked ready to go from what he saw of him during an informal 5-on-5 pickup game last week.

“It was like a breath of fresh air,” Pierce said.

He seems like the same guy to Doc Rivers.

“He’s normal again,” the Celtics coach said of Kevin Garnett.

Well, there is one change.

“He’s happy, he’s talking more, which I didn’t think was possible,” Rivers said following the USI Shamrock Classic at the Nashawtuc Country Club in Concord. “He’s got his quickness back and he just looks normal again.”

Talking more?

Over the last 14 years, Garnett has developed a reputation as one of the most vocal players in the league. This offseason his words have a different message.

Garnett has been joining his teammates at the Sports Authority Training Center in Waltham as they prepare for training camp. Even though the Celtics forward, who is coming off season-ending knee surgery, has not been cleared for contact drills, he has found his own way to participate during workouts.

“His presence has been felt. He has been talking more, but you don’t know when he starts playing, maybe he’ll talk less,” Brian Scalabrine said with a laugh. “But he has been leading us in a very instructional kind of way. Before he was like that, but now, like he pulled me aside the other day. He was like, ‘You know, you have to play the game within the game. If you’re trying to get something done later, you want to set it up with something early.’

“And it helps. I went out there and I did it, and it worked right away. He’s a really intelligent guy.”

After undergoing knee surgery in May, Kevin Garnett returned to the Boston Celtics training facility in Waltham on Monday,  Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports reported. While the organization hopes he will be cleared to participate in full-court scrimmages for the start of training camp, they are proceeding with caution.

According to Spears, Garnett is currently limited to court drills but could be cleared for contract drills as early as a week before training camp begins. The Celtics main concern, though, is not Opening Night but rather the postseason.

“We’re looking for him to be there at the end of the season, not just the start of the season,” Ainge told Yahoo!. “We’re getting him ready for training camp and looking forward to him being healthy in the playoffs. He looks good. Really good.”

Garnett has not played since March 25 when he scored four points in 17 minutes during a loss to the Orlando Magic. The Celtics forward, who has not averaged less than 31 minutes per game since his rookie year, has not played over 30 minutes since February 12.

Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Rasheed Wallace have also been working out at the facility.

—

In Celtics backcourt news, Ainge told Yahoo! he has not decided whether or not the Cs will offer Rajon Rondo a contract extension before the season. In the meantime, the Celtics are considering the addition of a third point guard. Free agents Tyronn Lue, Dan Dickau, and Mike Taylor worked out at the team’s training facility on Thursday.

adidas TS Commander LT

As intense as Kevin Garnett is on the basketball court, he is a also a dedicated soccer fan. KG’s favorite club, Chelsea, has partnered with adidas to create a limited edition basketball sneaker that combines his name with the club’s colors and logo . According to EPL Talk:

The adidas TS Commander LT will available from August 29, 2009 exclusively from a Boston-based retailer named Bodega. They’ll offer an exclusive CFC (Chelsea Football Club) tribute package consisting of the TS Commander LT x KG x CFC, a CFC Bodega team scarf and CFC replica jersey featuring Garnett’s name and number on the back.

Click here for more images of the shoe.

WALTHAM – From the ’18′ on the backboard shot clock above the dais to the ’20:10′ on the clock with the number ’30′ on scoreboard, the Celtics practice facility was decked out on Thursday for the arrival of Rasheed Wallace.

It was arguably the most significant press conference held at Healthpoint, as the Big Three introductory presser of July 2007 was at the Garden.

Eight people were on the dais at that presser as opposed to the to six on Thursday.

Once all the parties sat down, they shared their thoughts on the newest member of the Celtics after he agreed to a three-year deal.

Here’s some of the highlights, in audio form.

Rasheed Wallace on why he chose Boston.

Wallace holds no grudges against Detroit, his former team.

Wallace will take to heart suggestions from his wife and kids to try and lessen the number of technicals.

There were also questions asked of Kevin Garnett about the bone spurs removed from behind his right knee, shortly after the Celtics were eliminated by the Orlando Magic.

Garnett said his rehab is going well.

Garnett said he is educating himself on the injury.

WALTHAM — The Grant Hill update? There is no Grant Hill update. When asked if he was “optimistic” about signing him, Ainge said, “I don’t even allow myself to go there. Optimistic or pessimistic. He knows our desire for him. We know his interest in us.”

Garnett proclaimed himself “feeling great” but wouldn’t put a timeline on his return to the court.

“Rehab’s going really well at this point,” he said. “I’m continuing to heal and get stronger. To be honest, I’ve been in a pretty decent place mentally.”

When pressed on a date, Garnett simply said, “I’m on schedule to be on schedule.”