Mirza Teletovic, small forward? He's willing to try, but says, "I’m a big guy"

P.J. Carlesimo thinks that Mirza Teletovic might work out at small forward, apparently looking to please those who'd like to see him get more minutes on the court.

"Given a choice, if it’s a two-word answer do I want to play ‘big’ or ‘small,’ I want to play big so that hurts him right off the bat," P.J. Carlesimo explained. "We have four other bigs." So he's thinking of playing him at the 3. "You think, ‘Maybe Mirza can give us some minutes at three.’ That may be something down the line. We haven’t even talked to him about it yet."

Fred Kerber asked Teletovic what he thought. He's certainly willing to try it. "Once I get on the court, it’s very important to not go out of the system, respect the system, respect the guys, respect the game we want to play." Still, he noted, "I’m 6-9 and I’m 250 pounds. I’m a big guy. I don’t like when people say I’m small. I’m not small. I’m not a ‘small forward'."

Teletovic has been getting minutes since Avery Johnson, who was not a fan, left. Last week, he had 38 minutes in three games, scoring 21 points. In the last month of Johnson's tenure, he played 39 minutes, had seven DNP's and scored only 11 points. Put another way, after 28 games, Teletovic played in just 13 of them, totaling just 78 minutes. Last night, Carlesimo’s 20th game, marked the 14th time Teletovic played since Johnson’s dismissal.

He may have less competition for the 4 soon, however. Kerber reports, " the Nets are confident they could move one of their bigs, namely Kris Humphries (and his $12 million due next season), to help clear the logjam at the four spot if necessary."

• Teletovic awaits P.J.’s call - Fred Kerber - New York Post