Featuring their new rotation in last night’s predictable win over the hapless Charlotte Bobcats, Brooklyn Nets players and coaches shared their thoughts about the whole situation and what we might see in the future.
Nets interim head coach P.J. Carlesimo:
“Somebody had to be out,” Carlesimo said. “[Kris Humphries] started 20 games, and to me, he’s still a known factor. There’s just no way we can get Mirza 12, 15, 18, 20 minutes without taking one of the guys out. Whoever I took out, it wouldn’t be fair, but it’s just reality.”
That someone who Carlesimo took out of the rotation happened to be the inconsistent Nets power forward Kris Humphries. Humphries declined comment on the situation after last night’s contest, and as Tim Bontemps notes, could continue in this reduced role for the next 4-5 games then “go from there.”
Carlesimo later endorsed starter Reggie Evans, and shed some light on why he thinks the NBA’s best rebounder has stuck in an ever-changing rotation:
“With Reggie, his intensity and his rebounding and his defense is a big part of our success,” Carlesimo said. “Tonight is a perfect example.”
As Bontemps later notes in his write-up, most of the focus was on another Nets power forward, Carlesimo’s “priority” going forward: Mirza Teletovic. Carlesimo inserted Teletovic into the game with about 6 minutes remaining in the 1st quarter, or just about 2 quarters earlier than usual. Although he went 1-5 from the field in 14 minutes, most of which came in the 1st half, he made some nice passes, defended well and seemed to do a nice job in filling the rebounding void that was left when Evans exited the game. Teletovic spoke about his comfort with his new role:
“It felt good,” Teletovic said. “When you sit the whole game and you get in [for the first time] in the fourth quarter, you feel lost.
“But this is different. When you get in game early on, you know what’s going on, how the other team plays and where you have to go, and just play with the guys.”
