Sabonis keeping quiet about dreams

The Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Ask Arvydas Sabonis about his remaining basketball 
goals and he laughs that deep James Earl Jones laugh of his.

"I have some dreams," he says. "I don't talk about them."

The question is relevant because Sabonis, nearing the end of his third 
and best season with the Portland Trail Blazers, can opt out of the final 
two years of his contract this summer and might be tempted to sign with 
a team that has a better shot at winning a championship.

Sabonis shrugs off the speculation. He will say only that he won't 
return to play in Europe, where he dominated the game for so long.

"I want to end my career in the NBA," he says.

In Portland?

"Of course," he says, "if Portland wants me."

Sabonis, 33, believes he has a few more NBA seasons left in him.

"It depends on my body," he says, "but I think three years, maybe 
four."

Keeping Sabonis could force billionaire owner Paul Allen to open his 
thick wallet once again. Blazers' president Bob Whitsitt already faces 
the prospect of signing Damon Stoudamire to a multiyear contract that 
likely will be worth at least $80 million.

Sabonis, who earns a little over $3 million this year, begs off the 
question of whether he is underpaid. "These are things I talk to my 
agent about," he says. And, he says, he isn't thinking about his 
contract until after the season.

Sabonis has, for the most part, been a rock of stability on one of the 
most erratic teams in the NBA. When the Blazers offense wobbled, the 
slow-footed 7-foot-3, 292-pound Lithuanian could be counted on for his 
combination of scoring, rebounding and passing.

This season, he has averaged 16 points, 10 rebounds and, most 
impressively, 32 minutes per contest, up from 24.6 a year ago.

"If there was any surprise, it was how many minutes he could play," 
coach Mike Dunleavy said. "Whether it's because he took the summer off, 
I don't know."

Thirty-six times this season, Sabonis has hit double figures in scoring 
and rebounding. Twice he's topped 20-20. This year, he said, "has been 
the best season for me in the NBA up to now."

He describes his delayed basketball career in America as "not very good, 
not very bad."

He seems to have adjusted well to life in the United States. His family 
has a spacious home in Portland, and two of his four children have been 
born here. He has mastered English, his fourth language, well enough to 
be interviewed without much help from an interpreter.

In the summer, he heads to his home in Spain, or to his native Lithuania, 
where he is a national hero.

Stoudamire admires the slow-footed big man. "He's so efficient, he could 
walk up and down the court all the time and probably still get double-
doubles every night," Stoudamire said.

At times this season, Sabonis has shown frustration with his young 
teammates. He would exert considerable effort to free himself for 
a pass, only to see Isaiah Rider or Kenny Anderson fling up a shot 
instead. Blazers' fans also wondered why the team didn't run more of 
its offense through one of the best passing centers the game has known.

The trade that brought the crafty Stoudamire to Portland could change 
all that.

"I think Damon needs time," Sabonis said. "If we play more time together, 
it will be very good."