Chris Copeland, a 28-year-old N.B.A. rookie, was given an order Saturday that he thought would bring grim news: he was called into Mike Woodson’s office.
Copeland walked into the room and wondered what he had done wrong. The Knicks were 17-5 and Copeland contributed whenever Woodson, the team’s coach, played him.
Woodson did not show any emotion in the first few minutes of their conversation. Eventually, Woodson cracked a smile and told Copeland he would be the team’s starting power forward that night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Copeland, who was the last player to make the Knicks’ 15-man roster, was stunned.
“I said all the normal things you would expect,” he said. “ ‘Wow! Me?! Really?! Thank you.’ ”
It was the first time in Copeland’s life that his coach had pulled a joke on him before telling him he was going to be in the starting lineup. It was a memorable moment for Copeland, who has experienced a lot of firsts since he tried out for the Knicks a few months ago — his first time putting on an N.B.A. jersey, his first game at Madison Square Garden and, on Saturday, his first career start in the league.
Against Cleveland, Copeland, starting in place of Carmelo Anthony, scored 11 points in 19 minutes to help the Knicks win. In Monday’s loss to the Houston Rockets, Copeland was one of the few efficient players for Woodson, scoring a career-high 29 points on 11-of-19 shooting.
“I’m very impressed,” Woodson said of Copeland. “I think the kid is hungry. He was excited when I told him that he was starting.”
Before Saturday’s game, Copeland was averaging 3.3 points per game. The two games he started allowed the 6-foot-8 Copeland to display the offensive skills that made him an impressive scorer for five years in Belgium, Germany and Spain.
Copeland has seen an increase in his playing time because the Knicks are dealing with a number of injuries. Besides Anthony, who returned for Wednesday’s game against the Nets, the Knicks have been without Rasheed Wallace (sore left foot) for the last three games. Marcus Camby has not played in three weeks because of a left foot injury, and Amar’e Stoudemire is just starting to practice after having surgery on his left knee seven weeks ago.
Against the Nets, Copeland played a different role — and had a more complete game — coming off the bench. Unlike his previous games, Copeland was effective on defense. He mostly guarded Gerald Wallace and held him to just 6 points and 5 rebounds.
“In order to get more minutes and to make strides in my game, I need to get stops,” Copeland said. “It’s important for me to show I can do other things.”
With the absence of Steve Novak, who had flu-like symptoms, Copeland spent most of the game on the perimeter. Near the end of the third quarter, J. R. Smith penetrated before finding Copeland open in the corner for a 3-pointer. Copeland’s basket made the Garden crowd roar as it gave the Knicks a 75-65 lead, the team’s biggest cushion to that point. Copeland finished with 8 points in 23 minutes.
“It’s amazing to play in the Garden and hear the fans erupt,” said Copeland, who is shooting more than 53 percent from the floor this season.
Copeland grew up in Orange, N.J., where he dreamed of playing in the Garden. His professional journey began when he went undrafted after playing four years at Colorado.
“It’s been an extremely long road just to put on an N.B.A. jersey,” he said. “It took a lot of years and a lot of work and tears. I almost wasn’t here altogether.”
Copeland began his professional career in 2006 with the Fort Wayne Flyers, an N.B.A. Development League team. He then decided to play overseas, a decision his agent, John Spencer, said was critical to his development.
“What happened in Europe was a chance for him to see just how big the court can be and how he can use the space on the floor to find different ways to score,” Spencer said. “That gave Chris confidence.”
In the last five years, Copeland worked out for the San Antonio Spurs, the Dallas Mavericks and the Cavaliers. Allan Houston, the Knicks’ assistant general manager, was the first person in the team’s front office who believed Copeland could have success in the N.B.A.
Copeland opted out of a guaranteed contract with Okapi Aalstar in Belgium to accept a one-year, nonguaranteed deal with the Knicks. But he struggled in his first summer league game.
“Allan was really on him about his body language and how he needed to play with energy at all times,” Spencer said.
Since then, Copeland has played well. In the preseason he averaged 15.5 points a game and had his best performance against the Boston Celtics, when he had 34 points and 6 rebounds.
Copeland knows he needs to improve his defense and become a better rebounder to stay with the Knicks for the entire season. He was able to accomplish one of his goals by being a better defender against the Nets. But Copeland also understands that Woodson will continue to push him. Woodson’s critique on Thursday will likely center on Copeland getting just one rebound Wednesday night.
“He’s been extremely tough, but that’s how you get better,” Copeland said. “He’s not on me just to be on me. He’s on me because he believes I can play.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/20/sports...
