Which Chris Copeland are the Milwaukee Bucks Signing?

Chris Copeland had the lining of his chest cavity gutted with a butterfly knife outside of a New York City nightclub on April 8, 2015 by a 22-year-old discharged soldier.

More from Bucks News

The brutal attack sidelined Copeland for the remainder of what turned out to be a disappointing season for the forward and the Indiana Pacers.

The majority of the let down occurred before the Pacers season even started when All-Star swingman Paul George was thought to be lost for the entire 2014-15 season after suffering a broken right leg on Aug. 1, 2014 in the US national team’s intrasquad scrimmage.

George’s gruesome injury was just the second major off-season blow for the team. The first came two weeks earlier when the enigmatic Lance Stephenson chose to leave Indiana outright for the Charlotte Hornets.

It’s debatable if the Pacers dodged a considerable bullet after Stephenson’s exceptionally poor first season in Charlotte, but one thing is for certain, neither party faired well on the other side.

So where did Copeland fit into all of this?

He was originally supposed to help fill the sizable void that Stephenson left following his unexpected departure, but it’s hard to get a clear read on what actually transpired for Copeland over the course of the season.

He didn’t get a fair chance in 2013. Copeland only averaged 6.5 minutes a game, but 2014 was different.

The lack of playing time became a real factor as the season went on, but Copeland’s consistency, especially from range, just wasn’t there.

In the first month of the season, Copeland averaged nearly 30 minutes a game but didn’t have a lot to show for it. He shot 38 percent from the floor and 35 percent from three.

Jan 5, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz guard

Elijah Millsap

(13) defends against Indiana Pacers forward Chris Copeland (22) during the second half at EnergySolutions Arena. Indiana won 105-101. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Copeland’s minutes started to swoon. They went from being cut in half at the beginning of December to nonexistent by January’s end.

Copeland had been effectively benched for two weeks in mid-December and rightfully so. His percentages had dropped to 33 and 28 percent respectfully.

The Pacers inserted him back into the rotation after the forced time off. The stint only lasted nine games before Copeland was benched for the second and final time. His three-point shot had dropped to 25 percent during that stretch.

Since the beginning of February, Copeland never logged more than six minutes in any one game. He was available for 20 of the 28 remaining games in which he did not play.

As it turned out, Copeland never filled the role he was expected to. Instead, Rodney Stuckey and C.J. Miles were left to pick up the slack, and they did an admirable job in the poorest of circumstances.

So how are the Milwaukee Bucks suppose to count on Copeland to fill a role in the rotation, especially one that requires perimeter shooting?

Quite simply, they can’t. This is definitely a gamble on the organization’s part. It’s not a huge gamble, because there’s not a lot of financial risk if any involved but still a gamble nonetheless.

However, the Bucks are still asking Copeland to play as big of a role as a healthy Jared Dudley would have. That means something. It’s crucial to the team’s overall success.

Despite an overwhelmingly poor season, the Bucks reached an agreement with the former Pacer and New York Knick on Tuesday anyway.

From Nick Borges of ESPN:

"NBA Rumor Round Up For Wednesday, July 29:Milwaukee Bucks: Last week there was talk of interest from the Bucks regarding free agent forward Chris Copeland. According to Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times, Copeland traveled to Milwaukee on Tuesday to sign the contract. Copeland may be signed using the $2.81 million “Room” exception. Copeland averaged 6.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1 assist last season with the Indiana Pacers."

The San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma Thunder showed interest in Copeland as well but as Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports reported, it was head coach Jason Kidd that sealed the deal.

It seems as though Kidd is really banking on Copeland’s previous production in New York to which he saw first hand.

"“The biggest hook for me was Jason Kidd by far,” Copeland said. “Obviously, he was a friend of mine before all this. He was a great mentor for me in New York and someone I continue to grow under. An incredible mind on and off the floor.”"

Kidd’s last season as a player came in Copeland’s rookie debut.

At 28, Copeland was an unconventional rookie, and his career got off to a shaky start. He struggled to get minutes through the first four and a half months and at one point was assigned to an NBA D-League affiliate.

Things eventually turned around for Copeland toward the end of the season. Through the last 23 contests, he averaged nearly 12 points a game. He also finished that stretch with an incredibly hot 47 percent from downtown.

Without a doubt, the Bucks are hoping that they are bringing in that Copeland, but they could very well be signing last years.

Season	Age	Tm	G	GS	MP	FG%	3P%	2P%	eFG%	FT%	ORB	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PTS
2012-13	28	NYK	56	13	15.4	.479	.421	.513	.557	.759	0.6	2.1	0.5	0.3	0.2	0.9	8.7
2014-15	30	IND	50	12	16.6	.361	.311	.420	.445	.733	0.5	2.2	1.0	0.2	0.2	1.2	6.2

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/29/2015.

Next: Eastern Conference Playoffs: Where Do The Bucks Fit In?

More from Behind the Buck Pass

Home/Bucks News