Wizards' Harrington: 'I'm an assistant coach. You didn't know that?'

Al Harrington will miss his 12th consecutive game with knee soreness when the Milwaukee Bucks comes to town to face the Washington Wizards on Friday.

Just because he's (still) sidelined doesn't mean he's out of the game. He joked that he's had a conversation with Washington general manager Ernie Grunfeld about his responsibilities.

“I’m an assistant coach. You didn’t know that? I’ve been coaching my [butt] off,” Harrington said, via the Washington Post. “I’ve already talked to Ernie about getting another check possibly. We in negotiations for that right now. So, I’m coach Harrington and the player. Like back in the day, remember the guy would be the head coach and the player? I’m trying to bring it back.”

The 33-year-old couldn't give any further updates on his return to play, but it will be when he's comfortable and strong enough, writes the Post. Meanwhile, he's enjoying the bench experience from a different vantage point.

“For me, it’s been a blessing,” Harrington said. “I want to stay in basketball when I’m done playing, so this may be a cool little segue to see if I got it. I always said I never wanted to coach, but these last couple of weeks, just in helping guys out, I feel like I might could be a coach. But right now, I’m a player. I’m focusing on playing. I hope to get out there soon.”