Mirza Teletovic: Brooklyn Nets are a big deal in Bosnia

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- That buzz the Nets have been creating isn't just national. It's global, too.

Well, that's if one were to ask Mirza Teletovic, the Bosnian forward who signed with the Nets this week and was introduced to the media along with forward Reggie Evans Thursday.

"Bosnia has three million people and 85 percent know that the New Jersey Nets changed to the Brooklyn Nets," Teletovic said at the team's practice facility. "They know that they are building a very good team. People have just the best opinion -- I'm telling you, seriously."

Evans, 32, smiled as he thought about the Nets chatter that's been reverberating from coast to coast and, apparently, beyond.

"It's definitely created a lot of buzz, re-signing Deron [Williams] and changing the whole logo and colors," Evans said. "It's definitely a trending topic, the Brooklyn Nets, with the guys they've signed. You can see the direction they're going in. They want to win."

Evans and Teletovic are thrilled to be two of general manager Billy King's offseason acquisitions. Teletovic signed a three-year free-agent deal and Evans was acquired from the Clippers via sign-and-trade.

Teletovic, 26, played six seasons in the Spanish ACB League and thinks he's fully ready for the NBA. The 6-9, 242-pounder said he knows he will have to adjust to the different style of play here but believes it shouldn't take him all that long.

He also looked at the Cavaliers as a possibility but elected to choose Brooklyn, given the Nets' flurry of roster moves.

"When Deron Williams signed, I knew that this was the team for me because I watched him play a lot in Europe and watched him play in Utah," Teletovic said. "I know he's a winner and I know he's a guy who wants to win. I wanted to play for a team who wants to do big things and try to get a championship."

Evans wants a championship, too, and the relentless 6-8 rebounder won't deviate from his game as he tries to make that happen.

"It's real simple, my role," he said. "I ain't trying to score."

Notes & quotes: The Nets are scheduled to hold a noon news conference Friday with Williams and Joe Johnson at Brooklyn's Borough Hall. A pep rally will ensue on the Hall's steps at 1 p.m. . . . Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov released a statement praising the Nets' offseason so far: "I'm thrilled with the way our team has come together . . . With the re-signing of Deron Williams and the trade for Joe Johnson, we go into our new home led by an All-Star backcourt and with every hope of a great season for the Brooklyn Nets. I can't wait until Opening Night."