Stern considering NBA-China expansion
NBA commissioner David Stern sees more of a need for new pro basketball teams in China than in North America.
“I think 30 teams is a nice, round number, and I would not be recommending to the NBA owners to expand,” Stern said Monday before Game 4 of the first-round playoff series between the Washington Wizards and Cleveland Cavaliers in Washington.
“We will see in the next couple of years, coming out of the Beijing Olympics, the possibility of some joint venture between the NBA and someone in China about an NBA-sponsored and -branded league in China.”
Stern added that “an NBA of China” is closer to happening than what he called a 20-year plan for having five franchises in Europe, and that, “domestically, we have enough teams.”
•Rick Majerus got out of coaching three years ago because of health concerns. Now his biggest worry is putting Saint Louis on the basketball map.
Majerus replaces Brad Soderberg, who won 20 games in the last of his five seasons but failed to generate even an NIT bid his last three years. Soderberg was fired April 17.
Majerus, an ESPN analyst the last three years, agreed to a six-year contract Friday.
“I saw this as an opportunity,” the 59-year-old coach said at a news conference. “I don’t think I forgot how to do it. I love practice and I love the kids and I like the game.”
Majerus led Utah to 10 NCAA appearances in 15 seasons. He also has coached at Ball State and Marquette, and was a Milwaukee Bucks assistant. He has a career record of 422-147 with 15 postseason appearances.
•Suzy Merchant was hired as the women’s coach at Michigan State after coaching Eastern Michigan the past nine seasons.
She replaces Joanne P. McCallie, who was hired at Duke on April 18.
Football
Johnson pleads guilty
Chicago Bears defensive tackle Terry “Tank” Johnson pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor weapons charge in Waukegan, Ill., that will keep him from serving additional time in jail.
The 25-year-old Johnson pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a firearm without an owner’s identification, officials said.
He was ordered to serve 45 days in jail, which will be served concurrently with a four-month sentence he’s already serving in the Cook County Jail for violating his probation.
•Titans cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones has filed his appeal of a season-long suspension and a hearing with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell should be held within two weeks.
His off-field conduct has included 10 incidents in which he has been interviewed by police with five arrests since April 2005.
•Former NFL linebacker Kevin Mitchell died in his sleep in Ashburn, Va., at the age of 36. No cause of death was announced for Mitchell, who last played for the Redskins in 2003.
•Former Green Bay Packers linebacker Bill Forester died after a long illness in Dallas. He was 74.
Cycling
Basso quits team
Italian cyclist Ivan Basso quit the Discovery Channel team after Italian authorities reopened an investigation into his role in a Spanish doping scandal.
Less than two weeks before he was slated to defend his Giro d’Italia title, Basso asked to be released immediately from his contract during a meeting Sunday with Discovery officials.
•France’s anti-doping agency has asked outside experts to verify that its lab correctly handled tests that pointed to suspected cheating by Tour de France champion Floyd Landis, the agency’s chief said.
Landis’ camp launched new accusations of wrongdoing against the French lab on Sunday, saying it had mishandled and erased computer files involving doping tests during a crucial stage in Landis’ 2006 Tour win.
Hockey
Sweden advances
Nicklas Backstrom scored 29 seconds after the opening faceoff and Sweden went on to an 8-2 win over Latvia in Moscow, claiming a place in the qualifying round of the world championships.
In Mytischi, Shane Doan converted on a power play early in the third to complete Canada’s rally, which defeated Norway 4-2 in Group C.
Also in Group C, Slovakia got a 5-1 win over Germany while Switzerland joined Sweden in advancing out of Group A with a 2-1 victory over Italy.