"Marcus Camby said the fans of Portland played a major role in his decision to sign a two-year contract extension with the Trail Blazers.

Camby this afternoon signed a two-year deal that will pay him $21 million guaranteed, with an additional $5 million in incentives.

Camby, 36, was preparing to become a free agent for the first time in his 14-year career, but after being traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to Portland on Feb. 16, he said he fell in love with the Blazers' culture.

"The main reason is the fans really made me feel like home since Day 1,'' Camby said today shortly before signing the contract. "Every day I go around the city, everyone has been thanking me for coming, and it feels good to play in front of people like that.''

Camby has been a major factor in the Blazers' late-season resurgence, which included a Game 1 victory over Phoenix on Sunday. Camby had 17 rebounds and three blocks in that game and has largely been credited for making the Blazers a better defensive team.

He also said the young core of Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and Nicolas Batum was an enticing lure to sign with the Blazers, as was his relationship with Blazers assistant Bill Bayno, who as a University of Massachusetts assistant recruited Camby in high school in Hartford, Conn."