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Andres Nocioni

When I arrived in Chicago, I couldn’t understand nothing.

I need to learn good words. It’s good for me to watch more TV. I need to learn more English because sometimes I can’t understand the people.

I have class two times a week with my teacher when I have time because we play a lot of games.

Chicago, it’s the best city I’ve been in. It’s very nice, very comfortable, huge. The downtown is incredible.

Maybe the weather is not good.

Sometime the traffic is very bad. From the north to the United Center is very hard in traffic. But that’s the only thing. I like this city.

It’s very hard to be a father in Chicago when my boy is born in Argentina.

I think it’s my best time in my life when I see my boy because it’s incredible.

My father was a basketball player. He loves basketball. He’s crazy for basketball. Now he’s very happy that I play in the NBA. It’s dream for him and for me.

I have one brother. He plays in the first divison in Italy. He’s very good too.

For me, it’s the best experience of my life. (1) Not for the gold medal, but it’s the Olympic Games. To play the Olympic Games with my country, with my blood, is very important. We won the gold medal. It’s a dream. It’s a dream I never want to wake up.

The U.S. Dream Team didn’t play together because everybody is a star. It’s no good. You need teammates.

Me famous in Argentina? Yeah. I think in Argentina now after the Olympic Games, basketball now is very important. Everybody knows who Manu Ginobili is and who Andres Nocioni is because we play in the NBA. People watch a lot of games of the NBA. I think basketball now is like soccer in Argentina now. Two years ago, no. But now, it’s like soccer. Everybody says, `Did you watch the Nocioni game? Did you watch the Ginobili game?’ It’s very important now.

In my city, you can leave the door open. No problem. The problem is in Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires is huge. The people are scared because the security is no good.

In the NBA, the game is faster than European basketball. It’s more athletic. Players are taller, faster.

The plane is very comfortable. It’s incredible. It’s huge. Very nice.

My nickname is Chapu. It’s a TV comic program in Mexico. The people called me Chapu when I was young, 5 years old. I don’t know why. Everybody calls me Chapu, but here it’s Noce. I prefer Chapu.

I watch two, three movies a day. Comedy, action, everything.

I play tough. If somebody’s angry, it’s not my problem.

I’m very quiet outside the court.

My heroes? One is Scottie Pippen. I want to be like him because he’s the player who can play everything — offense, defense.

Charles Barkley, for me, is the best for the mentality. The mind is very strong. He’s a very tough player.

Dennis Rodman, he’s crazy, but he’s very tough. He worked for the team.

The best player in the NBA played here in Michael Jordan. The history in this thing is very huge. I think now we try to return to that.

I think we have the team for the playoffs. It’s a young team, a new team. I think we need more time for work together. But I think the team has a good mentality. We need to believe in ourselves. We need to work together for the team. I think we have good, young talent.

And I think we have the possibility for a ride to the playoffs.

(1) – The 2004 Summer Olympics.