Despite little playing time, Copeland happy with Pacers

Chris Copeland walked right into the belly of the beast, into the very lair of the enemy and made a discovery.

The Pacers really are nice guys.

“I didn’t know what to expect coming in,” said Copeland, a 6-foot-8 forward, who left the Knicks after one year and signed with Indiana for two years and $6 million. "They really welcomed me in and it shows they’re really high character guys, a great group of guys. Easy to get along with. That was the best part.”

One way to make the situation better for Copeland would be playing time. With the Knicks as a rookie, he averaged 15.4 minutes. In the Pacers’ first seven games Copeland played in just two games, totaling a team-low five minutes.