Bojan Bogdanovic: I'm ready for the Brooklyn Nets rotation

In his first interview after returning from the U.S., Bojan Bogdanovic said he believes the Nets want him to be a rotation player this season ... and that he is ready for the challenge. He also said he was overwhelmed when he saw Drazen Petrovic's jersey hanging at the Nets practice facility last week.

"Well, I think it's a bit silly to talk about me as a replacement for (Paul) Pierce," the newest Net told Dnevnik NovaTV. "But I think they brought me to be a player in the rotation immediately, to immediately help and I think I'm ready for it."

Bogdanovic, as he did Monday in New Jersey, said the time was right for him to come over (again not mentioning that without Shaun Livingston's departure, the mini-MLE wouldn't have been available.) "I decided and saw that I had a role to play and I think I'm going to have to finish."

The Croatian star also said he was inspired when he saw Petrovic's jersey hanging at the practice facility.

"Just the fact that his jersey still hangs in the training center of the Nets, there is a trace of him left," said Bogdanovic. "I do not think I'm close to him [in talent] or that I can play like him, but that's my motivation as I come into his club, that  you can wear a jersey that he wore...

"I think it is a dream come true."

Bogdanovic who led Croatia to eight straight wins and a fourth place finish in the FIBA Europe tournament last summer, says he hopes to repeat the team's great play in the FIBA World Cup. "We have a young team, a new foundation."

Sergey Karasev also gave a short interview to ITAR-TASS, the big Russian news service. In it, he said he will miss Cleveland, but is looking forward to Brooklyn ... and playing with Andrei Kirilenko.

"For me, it does not matter for what team I play for in the NBA, Brooklyn or Cleveland," said Karasev. "For me, the most important thing is to get playing time. Anyway, I want the NBA season to began quickly. I want to prove that I did not accidentally appear in Brooklyn."

• Bogdanovic says he's ready for Brooklyn - John Torenli - Brooklyn Daily Eagle