NBA Q&A: Chris Copeland

Courtesy of Jodie Valade

Q: You played for several years in Europe before coming to the NBA this season as a 29-year-old rookie. What were the best and the worst parts of playing abroad?

A: The best and the worst part was the coaching. It's difficult to adjusting to the coaching. That was the most difficult part, but it was also the beautiful side. The people out there, they actually bring you in and teach you the ways in different countries. Every country has its own habits, its own way of life. That's always the cool part.

Q: You played in the Netherlands. What was that experience like? That doesn't seem like a big basketball country.

A: Very quiet, very nice people. Very sweet people. Not like major city life. Not like New York. It's very quiet life, and adjusting to that coming from the States is a big adjustment. That can be difficult, but the people are so warm, they make it easy for you.

Q: You've been called a quiet person, yourself. Did you fit in there well?

A: Actually, I am quiet, but still being so far away, it was difficult to just become a part of a whole 'nother culture. I'm quiet and I naturally fit in that environment, but it was still a little bit of a change.

Q: You were a psychology major at Colorado. How did you decide to do that? That's not an easy major.

A: I've always been pretty interested in the mind and how it works, the thought process. I'm quiet but I'm observant, so I pay attention to things. I took a couple of classes early on, I fell in love with it. It's definitely difficult, but it's fun. I learned a lot about myself, actually. It was cool.

Q: Do you psychoanalyze your teammates, then?

A: Truth be told, sometimes. Truth be told. But it's not something I tell them. I notice things and I might put a theory behind it or something.