*Interpreted by Gianni Chiapparo, who discovered Podkolzine in Russia and brought him to play in Italy.

What does he think of America, this whole deal?

Podkolzine: “I saw the USA a lot of times on TV, but it’s my first time (here) – it’s so big, so large. I like everything. I spent time in hotel, airports, workouts and gyms…What I have seen, I like.”

How much tougher do you think it’s going to be because of the language barrier?

Podkolzine: “I think that in three months I will speak English well…In three months, I learned Italian…For the court and for drills, it’s not a problem because I understand, the coach’s show…Basketball is an international language.”

Do you think you can be an impact on an NBA team this year, or do you maybe need two years?

Podkolzine: “I could work out for eight hours a day, everyday – I could become good and ready to play maybe in three or four months…I am hoping to find a good coach, like here…If I work very hard, I will improve myself and can play.”

If you were to play in the NBA, what is your impression?

Podkolzine: “My impression is like, to be in a dream. I am a fanatic of the NBA - I follow the NBA on the Internet, on TV, all the NBA players. For me to play here, it’s a dream…There are a lot of players I can see and copy. I like Ben Wallace, Shaquille, Brian Grant. There are a lot of good players I will try to copy.”

What’s your favorite thing to do on the basketball court?

Podkolzine: “I like to do all of the things – to shoot, to take rebounds, block shots…I like to all things they need as a team. I want to become a complete player, not only a specialist…Basketball is not an individual sport, like tennis, and I think it’s not important to score 20 points for an individual player, but more important to help the team to win, in offense and in defense…I think that every player must respect the other teammates and work hard together to win.”

Why play in the NBA…Why not just play overseas?

Podkolzine: “This is the No. 1 league in the world.”