ALL EYES ARE ON WEBBER'S FUTURE.

Byline: STEVE DILBECK

Sacramento Kings coach Rick Adelman has his nightmares, but Sunday's game to the contrary, they do not star Shaquille O'Neal. They have nothing to do with Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, Vince Carter or the cost of a gallon of gas.

Make no mistake, they are the kind that keep you up at night. Linda Blair on hardwood. The kind that give you basketball-sized chill bumps and take years off your coaching life.

These nightmares feature his own Chris Webber. In these nocturnal visions, his star forward simply turns and waves. As in, goodbye.

And the Kings are left to ... what?

``I don't want to imagine that,'' Adelman said.

Alas, life without Webber is a real possibility for Sacramento. Then again, maybe not.

Understand, Webber will become a free agent at the end of the season and every big-city team in the NBA is likely to examine its books to see if it can find a loose $100 million to sign him.

Webber said he's uncertain what he will do, giving hope to not-so-big Sacramento.

Yet if you think the Lakers-Kings series is being watched closely in Los Angeles and Sacramento, that's nothing compared to New York, Miami, Orlando, Houston and others. Hard to conceal this kind of lust.

The hope there is, the Lakers sweep the Kings. Make them look completely overmatched. Make Webber think if he's ever going to be part of a championship, it will have to be some place far from Phil Jackson's favorite cow town.

The Kings, of course, are hoping for a different scenario. This one includes a heart-warming run through the playoffs and a stunning upset of the world-champion Lakers.

``That might help,'' Adelman said.

Their vision has the team playing so well and Webber feeling so good about it, he finds it impossible to leave. That he recognizes the commitment of the team's new ownership. That he's at the center of a young, up-and-coming team. That there really is a nightlife in Sacramento.

Webber tries hard not to deal with the entire subject, let alone how he might be influenced by the team's postseason success.

``I'm trying to wait until after the season to think about that,'' Webber said. ``Right now I don't know what kind of impact it will have, if any at all. Right now we're trying to beat the Lakers in this series and hopefully win a championship.''

Webber is from Detroit. He doesn't attempt to conceal his preference for life in the big city. He is single, 28 and African-American, so many automatically assume he's headed for a metropolis. But the Kings are doing what they can to convince Webber that Sacramento is a rising and stable franchise.

The team now is owned by the Maloof family, led by brothers Joe and Gavin. When not putting themselves on a billboard with lawnmowers near ARCO Arena, promising Webber they will ``mow your lawn'' if he stays, they signed Adelman to two-year contract extension, general manager Geoff Petrie to a multiyear contract and built a $9.1-million practice facility.

Some might wonder why all the fuss. After all, Webber is viewed by some as serious trouble. As the guy who helped bring baggy shorts into basketball fashion at Michigan, called that infamous timeout-technical in the NCAA championship game, was a malcontent with Golden State, had minor brushes with the law, had a disappointing run in Washington, initially refused to report when traded to Sacramento, and until this season, never had played on a team that advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs.

Anyone aware of only that resume would be a little stunned to meet Webber.

``I was surprised when I first met him, because I didn't know about him personally,'' Kings center Vlade Divac said. ``Everything I knew about him was in the media. But when I met him, he was a totally different guy. A great guy. I couldn't believe people write such things about him.''

Webber is pleasant. He's personable as a talk-show host, only with a sincere smile. A great guy to have on a team.

And then there is one other thing _ the guy is a serious player in the prime of his career. This season he averaged a career-high 27.1 points per game, and 11.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists. He's going to garner league MVP attention.

He's become way too valuable for the Kings to think of life without him.

``You can't even imagine it,'' Adelman said. ``He does so much for us. He's our leading scorer, our leading rebounder. He's a guy you count on.

``That's why you play this year out. You hope you do as well as you can, and everything looks good and you re-sign him. Right now we can't worry about that.''

At least not out loud. There's only so much the Kings can do. Then it's up to Webber. They're watching closely back East, crossing fingers in Sacramento and wondering how much the Lakers could have to do with it all.

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo: Sacramento's Chris Webber will be a free agent at the end of the season. The Lakers-Kings series could affect where he goes next year.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer