Former Iowa State center Kelvin Cato returned to Ames on July 1 for a press conference, answering questions about his future in the NBA, his trade from Dallas and what it will take for him to succeed.

Cato was taken in the first round as the 15th pick overall by the Mavericks.

Dallas then traded Cato to Portland.

“It didn’t make any difference to me. I just wanted to get into the league. I wanted an opportunity to show people that I can play this game — that college and AAU wasn’t just a fluke,” Cato said.

“I would have loved to play at Dallas, but I like Portland. It’s got a lot of nice people and reminds me of Iowa. It’s just the place I want to be.”

Portland will plan to use Cato as much as possible in his rookie season, utilizing his size and athletic ability.

“I didn’t know that they were really needing a big guy like me that can run the floor, finish the break and block a lot of shots. When I got there, I learned the situation. They had to fill a void for me, and I guess that’s why they paid the money to get me,” Cato said.

“I’m looking forward to playing with a lot of guys who like to run and gun. Portland has a lot of those, so I can go in and play defense, and play my game, block a lot of shots.”

When Cato came to ISU, his goal was to contribute to a winning program. Having accomplished that and having been drafted into the NBA, what are Cato’s latest goals?

“First of all, I want to become a starter, then make the all-star team. I want to be in the league for the next 10-12 years and hopefully, when I retire, I’m not hurt and beat up and really can’t do much. I just want to lead a life like big-time players, like (Michael) Jordan and Magic (Johnson) lead. I want to be a role model for people,” Cato said.

Although Cato was drafted and then traded to Portland, a contract has not yet been reached.

Cato did say he was not in an immediate hurry to sign the contract. He said Portland had plans to send him to some summer leagues before the season.

“I can’t get paid until November or January, so whenever it gets done, it gets done,” Cato said.

“I’ll just go in there and show them what I can do, play as hard as I can and wherever it takes me, it takes me.”