Kevin Garnett tends to lean forward. He often cradles a basketball with a nervous energy. But he’s sitting on a leather recliner in front of a tiger rug and wearing what Charles Barkley considers “skinny jeans,” and this is a TV set, not a hardwood court.

Garnett is fresh off a 21-season NBA career, one defined by a level of intensity few ever could match. But he doesn’t seem to miss the game. Instead, he seems refreshed — and surprisingly open after years of dodging reporters at every opportunity.

From his “Area 21” set, which will air Mondays as part of TNT’s Inside the NBA playoff show, Garnett spoke with For The Win this week at great length. The topics ranged from his new coworkers to his old job to fractured ties in his old town.

FTW: Has this season been what you expected for your first year out of the NBA?

Garnett: It’s been productive. I’m a productive person, and I’ve always viewed things in terms of progression and, how can I be better? Coming out of my retirement, I have some businesses and companies I’m involved with, and my routine was pretty usual. Then this broadcasting thing came and threw a little wrench into everything, but it’s something that I’ve enjoyed so far and something that I’m having fun with.

What kind of a say did you have in terms of what you’re doing with Area 21, with the separate studio and guests and all that?

When I first got offered three situations to do broadcasting in, out of all of them, Turner was the only one to meet me halfway with a lot of the ideas I wanted if I was going to do something like this. I’m not a host, bro. I’m not going to be able to get through tag lines and all this. At least, I didn’t think I was until I sit back and watch sports with my friends. We get highly intense and have opinions and they’re flying off the wall and it’s intense. But it’s a room full of us and we have fun. So if you take that same kind of perspective and energy and put it on TV, put it with a guest, you can teach the audience and give perspective. Now you kind of look at it differently. That’s evolving. The more you learn about it, the more you want to learn about it.

"I can't repeat what he said…we ain't got the cuss button.” -Sheed & KG break down Doc Rivers' sideline outburst 🤐https://t.co/svjLdxUr2K — KG's Area 21 (@KGArea21) December 2, 2016

It seems like the Area 21 set fits your personality a lot more than if you were, say, to have been in Shaq’s seat wearing a suit and sitting behind a desk. Are you glad you avoided that?

I don’t need to come out and be something that’s already out. I need to be innovative and original. You have a Shaq, Kenny, Charles and Ernie who have a section, and that’s what they talk about. I try to bring something different. And I think I am giving a perspective that’s different. We have a new league now, and I’m just leaving it, and I like to give that perspective and be that voice for the young guys. These young guys don’t necessarily have that voice. They think it, but they don’t say it. So I like to give them voice and give advice on the same tokens and stand up for the young guys. I think the show brings that.

Speaking of that, there’s been a few players this year — Draymond Green, JaVale McGee, LeBron — who have gotten on some of your TNT coworkers, specifically Charles and Shaq, this season and said, “Hey, man, we don’t have to take that, we don’t have to take that quietly.” What’s your perspective when LeBron calls out Charles or JaVale says, “Stop making fun of me, Shaq”?

I think those guys are just standing up for themselves. I think when you get tired of something or someone annoys you, there’s two things you can do. You can ignore it and keep going, or you can stand up and say stop. Obviously they want this to stop. If it’s a joke, OK, ha-ha. But to the point where that’s enough, I think everybody can understand that, especially if you’ve been in that position.

In our league, when Shaq and Charles played, it was a very different league. It was boy’s club, and there was a lot of jokes, and anybody that played with Shaq knows Shaq played a lot of jokes and goofed around and did a lot of stunts and stuff. He was also a very loyal teammate. Chuck, the same thing. It’s a difference in eras. I look at it like those (current players) just stood up for how they really felt about the situation.

And when they start talking about, they’ll fight and all this, you’ve got to anticipate that, too, because we all are men, and no man wants to be joked on 100% on stuff. He knows he’s messing up. It’s bad enough he’s got coaches and teammates getting on him about stuff, and when he goes home he got his own people, and they kind of joke on him too. The world is very aware of what he does, so he doesn’t need to be highlighted every week in a segment about it. So there’s two ways to look at it. I look at it as JaVale just standing up for himself.

You’re known for trash talk, known for your intensity. How hard has it been to reel that in, to not curse on TV, to keep your intensity where it needs to be for TV when you’re watching games and getting excited?

Absolutely (long laugh). I’ve definitely had to dial it down. But I’m not out of control. I don’t want people to think I’m in here drunk or bugged out. I’m definitely not that. But when I’m intense about something and I’m talking, dog, like when I’m watching a boxing match and I want my guy to win, I’m — my friends know, when Kev’s passionate about something, you’re going to know. Obviously, we’re on TV. … There are times where I’m passionate about things and want to express them a certain way — we’ve got a cuss button — but I’m aware of the settings.

When you went back to the Timberwolves, you talked about having a bigger role in the organization. Getting a stake in the team, having a role in the front office, maybe even one day being the majority owner. Is that still a goal of yours?

It seemed like it was perfect for how Flip organized and put it together and designed it. Obviously when he left us, Glen saw differently and wanted to go a different way. I’ve always said I wanted to be a part of an organization that is about winning more progressively, in that direction. Minnesota seemed like a perfect fit for that. That has changed. I don’t see myself doing that any time soon, but that still is a goal of mine. I would like to be part of an organization that is part of winning, that I can help the young guys progress. So that’s still a dream but not a priority at this point.

Is that disappointing for you, that it fell apart? Obviously, Flip’s death was a huge tragedy, but beyond that, seeing that kind of dream in that market that loved you so much, seeing that become less of a reality, is that a disappointment?

A little bit. A little bit. To say Debbie Downer is an understatement. It was a huge disappointment and one that showed me the true Glen Taylor. It showed me how he really feels. When this guy got the team, it was worth $90 million. When I left it, it was worth somewhere in the $400 (millions). That was never taken into account in my value or none of that. I guess I served my purpose, and I was on to the next. So it’s all good. So it’s all good. I’m moving on and taking my ball and playing somewhere else. (Laughs.)

"Being able to support one another was the biggest thing…" –@RandyMoss & KG reflect on their time together in Minnesota… #KGArea21 pic.twitter.com/EXnM5kvb9R — KG's Area 21 (@KGArea21) January 20, 2017

Before you go, did you give any thought to getting back out there on the court, maybe playing in the BIG3?

Before I walked away from the Timberwolves, I was prepared to play a couple years. So when I walked away from that, I hung my shoes up for good and put the glass on it. And I have not had an itch to be out there at all. So, no. Ice Cube’s people called me from the 3-on-3 — 3-on-3 doesn’t do it for me, bruh, I’m sorry.

You’d be such a good 3-on-3 player, though, with your versatility!

You’ve got to be stimulated, too, though. That’s the reason I don’t play 2K too much. I like sitting back, watching it, but when I get to playing, it comes off a little simple because I’m looking at ways of beating defenses and offenses and stuff. So yeah, no desire to play 3-on-3. … I’m good for a bucket in one-on-one. Ask Sam Cassell.