Milan ready to pay £4.5m to keep Beckham

AC Milan are willing to pay a £4.5m transfer fee for David Beckham to remain at the San Siro but, according to chief executive Adriano Galliani, LA Galaxy are yet to agree to a deal.

Beckham's five-year deal with the MLS club has a break clause inserted that means he can leave California for free in October. Milan aim to offer cash to tempt Galaxy to allow the 33-year-old to stay in Italy. Reports in England suggest that Milan, having held discussions with his American club believe that £4.5m will be enough to get that clause activated.

"If Beckham comes to an agreement with Galaxy, we are ready to pay a figure. In the coming days we will meet his advisors," Galliani told Sky Sport 24.

"If Los Angeles Galaxy decide not to sell him, they won't sell him."

"The player wants to stay with us but even he knows he must return to America."

Beckham, who moved to Milan to prove his fitness to England boss Fabio Capello, has been a first-choice starter for the Rossoneri and grabbed his first goal at the weekend in a 4-1 rout of Bologna.

His post-match press conference seemed to open the door of an extension of his stay and manager Carlo Ancelotti and Milan owner and Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi have both spoken of his readiness to retain the former England captain.

British tabloid reports suggest wife Victoria is less keen on staying in Italy and does not want to uproot their three sons after their previous spell in a non-English speaking country with Real Madrid.

Galliani said Milan would be willing to soften the blow of any loss in earnings if Beckham broke his highly lucrative deal with the Galaxy and MLS.

Antics appear at media day

TAMPA, Fla. -- The bride didn't bother showing up Tuesday.

It's a good thing, too. She might have been upstaged by the dude in the dress.

The oddballs once again crashed Super Bowl media day, mingling among real journalists and shocking some players with the absurdity of their questions and the audacity of their antics.

This year's crowd at the annual rite seemed a bit tamer -- did the weakened economy take a bite out of this, too? -- and the bride who so persistently pursued New England's Tom Brady and Bill Belichick last year was a no-show.

No worries, gentlemen, a "fairy godmother" picked up a lot of the slack.

Only she was really a he, and there was nothing magical about him. Under the red evening gown, long blonde wig and layers of thick makeup was Joel Bengoa, a reporter from Telemundo Sports Network, the NBC-owned U.S. Spanish language network, looking for a laugh.

Doing his best -- and we use that term lightly -- Scarlett Johansson imitation, Bengoa teetered in his heels en route to present several players with boxes of chocolates.

"I'm from 'fairy godmother land' and you need me to win the big game," he purred to Arizona safety Aaron Francisco.

Francisco was a good sport.

"They told me it was going to be crazy, but I just thought it was going to be a lot of media," Francisco said. "Then that he-she gave me candy and I figured out what they were talking about. I think it was some Mexican dude in a dress, and he tried to get me to talk Spanish. But I'm from Hawaii, so I just played along."

Bengoa had competition from his very own network, which also sent anchor Mireya Grisales to find her "Dream Team."

Ines Sainz was back for her sixth Super Bowl for TV Azteca out of Mexico City, measuring players' biceps then comparing them to her 27-inch waist.

At the other end of the festivities, Entertainment Tonight staged a "Dancing with the Super Bowl Stars" contest between hulking defensive tackles: Arizona's Alan Branch claimed the disco ball trophy, claimed he'd keep it forever, then accidentally broke the ball off the base.

It made for an amusing morning, but not everyone loved the attention.

Asked if there was anywhere else he'd rather be, Pittsburgh left guard Jeremy Parquet didn't miss a beat.

"P.F. Changs," he quipped, "eating some kung pao shrimp."

Friars fan allegedly violated probation

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The brother of a Providence basketball player who ran onto the court to confront a referee was ordered held without bail Tuesday for allegedly violating his probation from a 2005 drug conviction.

Jonathan Xavier came down the stands and jumped over the Providence bench during a nationally televised game on Jan. 17 to confront a referee. He was upset no foul was called after his brother, Providence guard Jeff Xavier, was hit in the face by a Marquette defender's arm while he was driving to the basket.

Xavier, 24, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to the disorderly conduct charge. Bail for that charge was set at $10,000.

A hearing has been scheduled Feb. 10 for a judge to decide whether he also violated probation.

"I saw him on the court but that was an unfortunate situation. I wish none of that happened," Jeff Xavier, quoted in The Providence Journal, said after the game. "I just want to move forward."

State prosecutors said Xavier pleaded no contest in 2005 to three drug charges. He received a six-year sentence but had to serve only eight months, with the remainder suspended.

If a judge finds he violated the terms of probation, which required him to stay out of trouble, he could have to serve some or all of the remaining years behind bars.

Providence officials said they would beef up security at games, posting uniformed police officers behind team benches.

Chargers GM clears air with LT

The ball was in A.J. Smith's court; this time, he went directly to LaDainian Tomlinson.

Smith, the San Diego Chargers' general manager, called the star running back and had a 10-minute conversation Monday night in an effort to close the chapter on what had been a weeklong verbal saga.

"It was important to me that LT know exactly what happened," Smith said, according to the Chargers' Web site.

Last week, Tomlinson had posted a statement on his personal Web site, affirming his desire to stay with the Chargers, who are looking for salary-cap flexibility and might have to release him or ask him to take a pay cut.

Smith's response, made a day later in The San Diego Union-Tribune, was regarded as dismissive, and upset a number of Chargers players, as well as team president Dean Spanos.

Linebacker Shawne Merriman weighed in on Sunday, telling the Union-Tribune: "That [stuff] doesn't help bring a Super Bowl to San Diego ... And that [stuff] needs to stop, period. It needs to stop now."

"We're a team, upstairs and downstairs, no matter what," Merriman added, according to the newspaper. "This is a business, but if you address the situation publicly now you have turmoil. They're going to make decisions upstairs. But we've got to be a team."

Later Sunday, Smith phoned Tomlinson in Tampa, and discussed the past week's events. According to the Chargers' team Web site, Smith said they had "a great talk -- the kind of talk we have at the beginning of each season."

"I just answered a question and unfortunately my response was inappropriate," Smith said. "After reading my response to the question, I can see why it was interpreted the way it was. I absolutely meant no disrespect toward LT -- none. I have the utmost respect for him on two fronts -- as a player and as a person."

Tomlinson, beset by injuries last season and unable play in the Chargers' playoff game Jan. 11 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, will count nearly $8.8 million against the salary cap this year.

"Dean Spanos and many members of our front office and coaching staff know exactly how I feel about LT," Smith said, according to the Chargers' Web site. "And that is what has gotten me through this difficult time. And most important, LT knows how I feel about him."

Smith didn't return phone calls seeking further comment, according to The Associated Press. The team has refused to make Spanos available to comment on the subject.

Sources told the Union-Tribune that during the 10-minute conversation between Smith and Tomlinson, no contract details were discussed.

"It was great to hear from [Smith]," Tomlinson said on the Chargers' Web site. "It really went well. It's always better talking directly to someone one-on-one. He was very upbeat and very sincere. He felt bad about what had happened."

Justice, Gooden fire back at Radomski

David Justice and Dwight Gooden denied allegations made by former Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski during an exclusive interview with "Outside the Lines" on Sunday. Radomski told ESPN that Justice lied about knowing him and purchasing performance-enhancing drugs from him and said he twice took urine tests for Gooden in the 1990s.

In a phone interview with ESPN on Monday night, Justice denied having ever met Radomski or buying performance-enhancing drugs from him.

"He has never been in a car with me," Justice said. "He didn't take me to the airport. He's going to call me a liar and that's his information? That's a bald-faced lie."

Gooden, who has not responded to numerous ESPN requests for comment, told the New York Post that Radomski never took a urine test for him.

"That never happened," Gooden told the New York Post. "I don't know what he's talking about. I've made mistakes through the years, and I've admitted them, but that never happened. And the way the tests were administered, it couldn't have happened. I've done enough wrong on my own, I don't want to get blamed for something I didn't do."

In a telephone interview on Mike and Mike in the Morning on Tuesday, Justice said that in 2000, Brian McNamee told him he could give him HGH to help him recover from a groin injury. McNamee told him it could help him and that it wasn't steroids. He said McNamee brought HGH to his locker, but when he saw it was needles, he couldn't do it. If the HGH were in pill form, Justice said he probably would have taken the HGH that McNamee gave him.

Radomski was a key source for the 2007 Mitchell report on steroids in baseball. Justice was implicated in the report by Radomski, who said he sold Justice human growth hormone. Radomski told ESPN he drove Justice to the airport after the 2000 World Series and handed Justice a box containing steroids and HGH.

Justice said Radomski's allegations were not specific enough to be credible.

"Who was in the car with me?" Justice asked. "Give me some specifics. What was the day like? Why didn't [Radomski] put that in the Mitchell report?"

He also questioned why Radomski's specific allegations weren't in the Mitchell report.

"You don't remember taking me to the airport then? Now you wrote a book and remember?" Justice asked.

"He has nothing."

Justice said he hasn't taken legal action against Radomski because it wouldn't be worth the cost of defending himself.

"OK, so I go ahead and sue him, just so a couple of other people believe me? I'm not going to waste my money to hire lawyers," Justice said. "I'm not going to spend 200 or 300 grand and go flying all over this country and walking into courtrooms to appease a few people. It's not that serious to me anyway. I'm going to speak out and go back to living my life. I'm not going to let the guy just say anything. Suing him gives his book a little more power and keeps him in the news, which is what he wants. I'm not going to do that."

Johnson has surgery on tendon, nerve

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Three-time reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson underwent surgery to repair a tendon and nerve after cutting his left middle finger with a kitchen knife Sunday while preparing to compete in the final segment of the Rolex 24 sports car race.

A statement released by Johnson on Monday said the injury occurred above the knuckle and happened while the Hendrick Motorsports driver was attempting to cut a small hole in his firesuit in order to feed a tube from a cooling shirt through a pocket.

Johnson, whose GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Pontiac Riley finished seventh in the race, flew to Charlotte, N.C., for further evaluation and outpatient treatment with a hand specialist at Carolinas Medical Center.

"That certainly wasn't the way I wanted to end the Rolex race," Johnson said. "I really appreciate all the hard work by the guys this weekend. I'm just sorry I wasn't there at the end with them. The doctors did a great job in Daytona and Charlotte and I can't thank them enough. Everything feels good and I'll be ready to roll for Daytona."

The injury will not keep Johnson from driving in the season's first NASCAR Sprint Cup event, the Budweiser Shootout, Feb. 7 at Daytona International Speedway.

Johnson said he would also appear as scheduled on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" Monday night and will still co-host his Super Skins charity golf tournament and party with Nick Lachey this weekend in Tampa, Fla.

Morgan plans to rejoin Saints

TAMPA, Fla. -- Linebacker Dan Morgan, who retired last year after a series of injuries, said Monday he is planning to make a comeback in 2009.

Morgan told ESPN.com Monday he has filed his reinstatement papers with the NFL and plans to rejoin the New Orleans Saints, who still hold his rights. Morgan has said he has talked to the Saints and they seem interested in him playing.

Morgan, 31, retired last May before ever playing a game for the Saints, who had signed him as a free agent. Morgan spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Carolina Panthers, but his time and effectiveness there were disrupted by a string of injuries. Morgan's bad luck started in his rookie season (2001) when he broke his leg.

Repeated problems with concussions and other injuries followed. Morgan had at least five reported concussions since his college days at Miami and that factored into his decision to retire. Morgan had been cleared for a return to football for 2008, but the Panthers released him and he signed with New Orleans. After spending much of the offseason program with the Saints, Morgan said he retired because of health issues and family concerns.

But Morgan said Monday he's completely healthy and is eager to make a return to the Saints. He also said his other injury problems played more of a role in his initial decision to retire than the concussions.

"I feel better than I have at any point since before my rookie season in the NFL," Morgan said by telephone from Charlotte, N.C. "I've been working out very hard and I feel great. Last year, I was down in New Orleans and I was coming off shoulder problems and my wife was pregnant with our third child and back in Charlotte. It just didn't feel like the right place or the right time and I made the decision to retire. But the year off has refreshed me and I'm very anxious to get back out there."

Although studies have suggested concussions can lead to long-term health problems, Morgan he has consulted with numerous doctors and doesn't see any problem with playing again.

"Yes, I know I've had some concussions," Morgan said. "But I think the public has kind of blown that out of proportion. They don't know my exact situation. My concussions weren't severe. I never had the bad headaches or the memory loss that they talk about in those studies. I've seen all those studies and talked about them at length with my doctors and I feel good about the situation.

"Believe me, I have three young children and if I were at all concerned about this, I wouldn't be going back on the field," he said.

Morgan is about to open two restaurants in Charlotte -- a coal-fire pizza restaurant and a diner are scheduled to open in February. Morgan has spent much of his time working to get those businesses ready. But he has also spent much of his time off working out.

Morgan said he began to get seriously involved in distance running shortly after his retirement. He even registered to run in a marathon but backed out of that and slowed down on his training once he started thinking about a return to football.

Morgan said he didn't want to lose too much weight and he's focused now on strength and flexibility training.

Saints officials couldn't be reached for comment immediately Monday, but Morgan could be a boost for a defense that struggled most of last season. The Saints initially signed Morgan, who had played his entire career at middle linebacker, to play outside linebacker. The Saints brought in middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma as their middle linebacker and he was one of the few bright spots on the defense that struggled last year.

"I've been talking with the Saints and it sounds like I'll be back with them," Morgan said. "We'll see what happens. If for some reason they don't want me, I will play elsewhere. I'm not in a position where I can dictate things right now. But I can tell you that whoever I play for will be getting one heck of a football player."

Morgan played in only three games for the Panthers in 2007 before he was sidelined by an ankle injury. He played in only one game in 2006 before taking the rest of that season off after experiencing a concussion in the preseason and in the season opener.

"Really, the concussions haven't been an issue since 2006," Morgan said. "I was cleared to play in 2007 and that wasn't really why I retired. I feel good about this. It's been three years since I have had a concussion and I've dealt with the best doctors in the world and have taken and will continue to take every precaution."

Report: Celts made no vow to Marbury

Stephon Marbury has said the Boston Celtics expressed a firm commitment to sign the exiled New York Knicks point guard, according to Monday's editions of the New York Post.

But a source for the Boston Herald claimed otherwise.

Marbury's comments confirmed an ESPN.com report on Jan. 1 that Celtics management is intent on signing him if he can reach a buyout agreement with the Knicks.

But according to a story posted on the Boston newspaper's Web site Monday afternoon, citing a source close to the situation, the Celtics have "absolutely no verbal commitment" with Marbury -- despite the two sides having talked, and in spite of Boston's interest in adding him given ideal conditions.

Marbury wouldn't record significant playing time in any circumstance, the source told the Herald.

According to the Post, Marbury complained the Knicks have not agreed to buy out his contract because they don't want him contributing to a championship run with the Celtics.

Marbury told the Post the Knicks were playing "kids games," and "It's got to be personal."

"The question to be asked to the Knicks is: Are they fearful for me playing for another Eastern Conference team?" Marbury said, according to the paper. "My thing is, they shouldn't be fearful. They're trying to get under the cap for 2010. They shouldn't be worried about me."

The Knicks play the Celtics for the fourth and last time this season in New York on Feb. 6.

"You had guys saying I was a distraction, I'm a cancer," Marbury said. "If I'm all those things, wouldn't you want me to go to another team?"

Marbury, in his last year of a contract that pays him $21 million this season, told the Post another NBA team has also expressed interest in signing him upon release. According to the paper, the Miami Heat have Marbury in their sights.

"I know I'll be able to sign with two teams," Marbury told the Post.

A brief flirtation between Marbury and the Greek team Olympiacos appeared to end Friday, a day after the team contacted the Knicks as part of its efforts to find a replacement for the injured American Josh Childress, sources told ESPN.com's Chris Sheridan.

"It shouldn't matter that I go to Boston if you're the eighth seed and Boston is in the front," Marbury told the Post. "It can't be about money. The Knicks got plenty of it. It's got to be personal. If it's personal, then how is business being done there?"

Report: MWC seeks boost in BCS status

The nine-team Mountain West Conference is pushing for an automatic berth into the high-stakes, big-money BCS bowl mix, USA Today has reported.

Three teams in the conference, including undefeated Utah in sixth, TCU in 11th and BYU in 16th, finished among the top 25 in the final 2008 BCS standings, and the league's schools will press for a meeting of their presidents, chancellors and Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson with Atlantic Coast commissioner and current BCS coordinator John Swofford, according to the newspaper.

"The argument I will hear back is, 'Craig, here it is. It's done. It's been agreed to. It's signed,'" Thompson said of a possible reply from the BCS regarding its legal obligations. "That doesn't mean you can't put it on the table.

"One of the options would be to visit with the BCS coordinator ... just to lay out our position."

He adds: "I would not be optimistic. As I explained to them [the Mountain West presidents], it's a series of legal contracts among 11 conferences, four bowls, two TV partners with yet another TV partner coming in. I would not see much of a relaxation."

The BCS bowl games' payout for each team's school is $17 million -- more than five times what teams in second-tier bowls garner.

For his part, Swofford recalled that the Mountain West was among the 11 conferences that agreed to the current model, which "incorporates the strength of a league as a whole over a series of years," the USA Today report says.

BCS coordinator duties are rotated among the commissioners from the Big East, Big 12 and SEC. Six conferences -- the Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pacific-10, SEC and ACC -- name champions that automatically qualify for the BCS' five bowl games.

Utah, Swofford told USA Today, "had a terrific season this year, and the BCS provided an excellent platform to showcase their team."

According to the report, an opening exists for a nonqualifying conference to gain the automatic status temporarily based on a BCS formula that includes "the number of top 25 teams, finish of the highest-ranked team and average rank of all teams over a four-year period."

But the Mountain West will be vying for the highest level of qualifying status, USA Today reported.

Owens to star in reality show

DALLAS -- Terrell Owens hopes to score with a new cable reality show.

The Dallas Cowboys' controversial wide receiver will star in his own show on VH1 this summer, giving fans a look into his life off the field.

VH1 announced Monday that the series takes place in the offseason, and T.O.'s best friends and publicists -- Monique Jackson and Kita Williams -- will help him re-examine his personal life. The two will work as "matchmakers and therapists" for Owens.

Owens, who caught 69 passes for 1,052 yards and 10 touchdowns this season, was prominently featured on HBO's "Hard Knocks" that tracked the Cowboys in training camp last year.

Merriman calls for end to back-and-forth

Shawne Merriman says the lights need to be turned out on the public back-and-forth between Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson and general manager AJ Smith.

"That [stuff] doesn't help bring a Super Bowl to San Diego," the Chargers' star linebacker said, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. "And that [stuff] needs to stop, period. It needs to stop now."

Last week, Tomlinson said on his Web site that he plans to continue his career in San Diego, barring a trade from the team. Smith appeared to take Tomlinson lightly by seemingly mocking his comments in quotes to the Union-Tribune.

"As for now, I am a Charger and will be until I am told otherwise," Tomlinson wrote last week on his Web site.

Smith appeared unmoved in comments to the newspaper the following day.

"My first reaction was we both have similar feelings," Smith said. "I have no intentions of leaving San Diego. San Diego is where my GM career started and where I'd like it to end. I also have nothing but love and the utmost respect for this team, the players and the Spanos family. I have absolutely no control over how long I will be with the Chargers.

"As for now, I am the Chargers' GM, and I have major decisions to ponder for the organization now and in the future. My recommendation to Dean Spanos will be what's in the best interest of the team -- both short and long term. That's my job. That's what Dean hired me to do."

Sources told the Union-Tribune that Chargers president Dean Spanos is "very upset" that the Tomlinson situation is being discussed publicly. Sources told the newspaper, that despite Smith's comments, he holds Tomlinson in high regard.

Tomlinson, 29, battled a variety of injuries last season, and had a career-low 292 rushing attempts and 1,110 yards. He is a five-time Pro Bowler who has played his entire eight-year career with the Chargers, but he's been injured for the playoffs the past two years.

He has three years remaining on an eight-year contract he signed in 2004 that, at the time, made him the highest-paid running back in NFL history.

The contract, like many in the NFL, was back-loaded and the Chargers are looking for salary-cap flexibility. Speculation in San Diego is that Tomlinson may be asked to take a pay cut.

"Going into next season, I want people talking about how we're going to rebound from getting ... bounced from the playoffs -- not if LT is going to be there or if I'm going to be there," Merriman, who missed all of last season after surgery, said, according to the newspaper.

NFL, Stringer's widow settle lawsuit

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The widow of Minnesota Vikings lineman Korey Stringer reached a settlement with the NFL over his heatstroke death during training camp in 2001.

Under an agreement with Kelci Stringer, the NFL will support her efforts to create a heat illness prevention program.

No other terms of the settlement announced Monday by a family spokesman were released.

Kelci Stringer had filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the league, claiming the NFL hadn't done enough to ensure that equipment used by players protected them from injuries or deaths caused by heat-related illnesses.

"We were able to find what we feel is a very fair settlement that helped us move to the next step," said James Gould, a spokesman for the family who also was Korey Stringer's agent.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the heat illness prevention program will be for children and older athletes.

A separate lawsuit against equipment maker Riddell Inc. remains pending in federal court in Columbus, Gould said. The lawsuit alleges Riddell fails to warn players and coaches that wearing its helmets and shoulder pads in hot temperatures can be dangerous. It seeks a jury trial.

Korey Stringer was a 27-year-old, 335-pound lineman. He died from heatstroke July 31, 2001, during the second day of training camp in preparation for the 2001 season. He practiced in the sweltering heat and humidity, which pushed his body temperature to 108.8 degrees.

Stringer and his wife both attended college at Ohio State, where Stringer left for the NFL in 1995 after his junior season.

Duke carries day as coaches' new No. 1

A member of the Atlantic Coast Conference still lays claim to the No. 1 ranking in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll. It's just not Wake Forest.

The top ranking changed hands for the third consecutive week as Duke supplanted Wake at No. 1. The Blue Devils (18-1) received 30 of 31 first-place votes, with the other vote going to No. 2 Connecticut (18-1). The Demon Deacons, also 18-1, fell to fourth after losing for the first time, 78-71 to Virginia Tech in their only game last week.

Duke visits Wake Forest on Wednesday night (ESPN, 7 ET).

The Blue Devils have been ranked No. 1 in nine seasons since 1997-98, most of any school. Duke also is the third ACC team (North Carolina and Wake) to be ranked No. 1 this season; since ESPN's association with the coaches' poll began with the 1997-98 season, no conference has had three teams ranked No. 1 in a single season. Pittsburgh, which held the poll's No. 1 spot three weeks ago, moved up to third while Oklahoma maintained its hold at No. 5. North Carolina (17-2), which lost to Wake three weeks ago but has now won three straight, remained sixth.

Louisville (15-3) represents the poll's biggest shaker after settling in at No. 7, a leap of five spots. The Cardinals, ranked third in the preseason, have won seven in a row and share the lead in the Big East with No. 8 Marquette (17-2). Both are 6-0 in the conference.

Michigan State (16-3) fell two spots to ninth after losing to Northwestern last week, while Xavier (17-2), riding an eight-game winning streak, popped into the top 10 from 13th.

Clemson was one of two teams this week to fall out of the top 10, the Tigers (17-2, ninth last week) landing at No. 11 after losing by 24 to North Carolina as part of a 1-1 week. Syracuse (17-4) descended seven spots to 15th after losing by double digits to both Pitt and Louisville.

The rest of the top 20: Texas (14-4) at No. 12, followed by Butler (18-1), Arizona State (16-3), the Orange, UCLA (15-4), Purdue (15-4), Saint Mary's (18-1), Memphis (16-3) and Illinois (17-3).

Big East members Villanova (15-4), Notre Dame (12-6) and Georgetown (12-6), and Minnesota (17-3) and Gonzaga (14-4) round out the Top 25. The Zags' return marked Baylor's fall from the rankings.

Embattled coach Gottfried resigns

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Mark Gottfried resigned as Alabama's basketball coach Monday, leaving in the middle of his 11th season amid criticism of both the team's play and the departure of a star player.

The school said Gottfried will immediately be replaced by assistant coach Philip Pearson. Alabama's next game is Thursday at Arkansas.

Gottfried, who played at Alabama, said he quit during a meeting with athletic director Mal Moore.

"It has been a wonderful decade for me and my family, and I love the University of Alabama, but I feel that it is in the best interests of everyone involved," Gottfried said in a statement released by the university.

The Crimson Tide's record this year is 12-7, 2-3 in the Southeastern Conference.

Gottfried's teams have missed the NCAA tournament the last two years, and the coach was criticized over the recent departure of point guard Ronald Steele, a preseason first-team AP All-American pick two years ago who was later hit by injuries. The school blamed Steele's departure on a recent injury, but Steele said there was more to his decision than that.

Gottfried signed a six-year contract with Alabama in 2005 that made him Alabama's first $1 million basketball coach and gave him a larger salary than that of football coach Mike Shula. The contract ran through 2011 and included a buyout if he were fired, but any financial terms tied to his resignation were not released.

Moore said the school would try to find a new coach immediately.

"Out of respect for our players and coaches, I will not comment on the progress of our search until it has concluded," Moore said in a statement.

The 45-year-old Gottfried took over at Alabama in 1988, replacing David Hobbs. He began a streak of five straight appearances in the NCAA tournament in 2002, reaching the round of eight in 2004 in the program's deepest tournament run, including a victory over top-ranked Stanford.

Gottfried hasn't been able to beat state rival Auburn lately. The Tigers have won four of the last five meetings, including an 85-71 victory on Jan. 17.

His current team was left short-handed with the departure of Steele following Richard Hendrix's early exit to the NBA after last season.

Including three seasons at Murray State, Gottfried has a career record of 278-155 for a winning percentage of .642 in 14 seasons.

Gottfried started 98 straight games at Alabama as a player from 1985-87. He was known for his 3-point shooting, and the Tide made the NCAA tournament round of 16 all three seasons.

Pearson, who lettered at Alabama in 1993, became an assistant coach with Gottfried at Murray State in 1997 and joined Gottfried's staff when he took over at Alabama.

Chiefs fire Edwards; Shanahan next?

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City Chiefs coach Herm Edwards was fired Friday. And former Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan could be in the mix to replace him.

Edwards was 15-34 in three seasons with the Chiefs, including 2-14 this season. He had one year remaining on his original four-year, $12 million contract.

"On behalf of my family, I want to thank Herm for his service to the Chiefs," Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said in a team statement. "After careful deliberation over the last week, Scott and I decided that it was in the best interests of the Chiefs to move forward in a different direction.

"This was not an easy decision. Herm is an outstanding football coach and a man of integrity. We appreciate his leadership over the past three seasons, and we wish him all the best in the future."

The Chiefs have discussed Shanahan as a replacement for Edwards, but a Chiefs official said Friday night that although he wouldn't rule it out, he does not believe Shanahan will be the team's next coach.

Earlier Friday, a league source said the Chiefs were nearing a deal with Shanahan, but that source and other league sources later said the Chiefs had not negotiated with Shanahan.

Shanahan could not be reached for comment and has not responded to text message inquiries. A Chiefs spokesman had no comment.

An NBC-TV affiliate in Kansas City reported Shanahan as a possibility at midweek but a team source and a source close to Shanahan either denied or downplayed the story. A Chiefs official told Mortensen on Friday night that he did not believe Shanahan would be the team's next coach. The official fell short of entirely ruling it out.

Adam Schefter of the NFL Network, who once covered the Broncos and co-authored a book with Shanahan, is reporting that there is no chance he will be the next Chiefs coach.

A league official noted that there was "no way" the Chiefs could be negotiating or near a deal with Shanahan because the team must comply with the Rooney Rule that requires interviewing minority candidates. The source said Hunt would be the last owner not to comply.

However, a league source said that Hunt has focused on Shanahan after hiring Scott Pioli as the team's general manager. The source said Hunt did research on the last 19 coaches who have been hired in the NFL and determined their average salary to range between $2 million and $3 million, which would be an acceptable proposal by the NFL Management Council. Broncos owner Pat Bowlen would be obligated to pay the balance of Shanahan's three-year contract at approximately $6.5 million per year.

Edwards' status has been in doubt since Pioli was hired on Jan. 13. Asked at his introductory news conference about Edwards' status, Pioli declined to say.

"Since my arrival last week, Herm and I have had several conversations as part of my overall evaluation of the football operation," Pioli said in a statement. "After careful consideration, Clark and I felt that it was best to make a change. What I conveyed last week in the press conference I still believe to be true -- Herm is a great man and a tremendous football coach. He respects the game and the league, and he is passionate about his players and his craft.

"Over the course of this last week, I have also spent time meeting and visiting with most of the assistant coaches, and I will continue to do so over the next several days. All of the coaches from last year's staff, with the exception of one, are under contract through the 2009 season."

Edwards was 41-44 in five seasons as head coach of the New York Jets, including three trips to the playoffs.

Edwards came to Kansas City from the Jets and made the playoffs in his first season, when the team was 9-7. But he was under fire after the team finished 4-12 in 2007. Team management gave him its support, but expected a run at the playoffs. Instead, the team went 2-14.

"I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Hunt Family for the opportunity to spend nine seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs," Edwards said in a statement. "It has truly been an honor and a privilege to serve as the head coach of 'Lamar's Team' the past three seasons.

"This is going to be a very good football team. The support of Chiefs fans across the country has been tremendous. They are truly passionate about their football team. Chiefs fans will be proud to cheer for this team for many years to come. With the tremendous nucleus of young talent on this roster, I sincerely believe that his team is poised to do great things. I respect the tough decision that was made to move in a new direction. I wish the players and the organization the very best as they move forward."

In Edwards' three seasons in Kansas City, only three teams had worse records: Detroit, Oakland and St. Louis.

Prior to joining the Jets, Edwards spent five seasons serving as assistant head coach/defensive backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, working under head coach Tony Dungy. Edwards served as a scout for Kansas City from 1990 to '91 before joining Marty Schottenheimer's staff as defensive backs coach ('92-94).

A's to sign Duchscherer, eye Springer

The Oakland Athletics' efforts Saturday appear to have gone a long way toward shoring up their pitching staff.

Oakland and right-handed starter Justin Duchscherer, the club's last remaining roster player eligible for arbitration, avoided a salary arbitration hearing, reaching agreement on a one-year, guaranteed $3.9 million contract, according to his agent.

And the A's were in the process of hammering out a one-year deal with reliever Russ Springer, a union source told ESPN The Magazine senior baseball writer Buster Olney.

Springer's deal is said to be worth about $3 million and a physical examination is pending, the source said.

Duchscherer, 31, posted a 10-8 record with a 2.54 ERA in 22 starts last season. The two-time All-Star underwent minor hip surgery in September, but expects to be ready for spring training. He also had hip surgery in July 2007.

Springer, a 40-year-old right-hander, pitched in 70 games for the Cardinals last season, with a 2.32 ERA.

A 16-year veteran setup man, Springer is 35-41 in 664 career appearances with seven teams. He has a 4.55 career ERA in 797 2/3 innings.

Duchscherer's contract includes an additional $150,000 in incentive bonuses if he makes 32 starts, said agent Damon Lapa. The bonuses could increase the overall value of the deal to $4.05 million.

Duchscherer had been asking for $4.6 million in arbitration, while the Athletics had offered $3 million. The two sides settled for a figure $100,000 above the midpoint.

The A's agreed to a $2.8 million, one-year deal with designated hitter and outfielder Jack Cust on Jan. 14, leaving only Duchscherer's situation left to be settled.

BC hires Tranquill as O-coordinator

Former Navy coach Gary Tranquill has been hired as Boston College's offensive coordinator, the school announced Saturday.

Tranquill, who was head coach at Navy from 1982-86, replaced Steve Logan, who resigned recently following the firing of former coach Jeff Jagodzinski. Tranquill and BC coach Frank Spaziani have known each other for about 20 years and both coached on George Welsh's staff at Virginia in 1990.

"Gary Tranquill might be one of the best football coaches in America," Spaziani said in a prepared statement. "He is a great teacher, and I welcome his experience to our staff. I have coached with Gary, and I have coached against him. Believe me, I like coaching with him better."

Spaziani had to make a hire quickly with national signing day rapidly approaching and Friday's news that former offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr. had decided to take the same position with the New York Giants.

Tranquill brings ACC experience to the Eagles' staff, as he was offensive coordinator at Virginia Tech (1994), and held the same position at Virginia (1999-2000) and North Carolina (2001-2005). He was also an offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns (1991-93), and at Michigan State (1995-98). Most recently, Tranquill was quarterbacks coach for the Rhein Fire in NFL Europe during the 2007 season.

Spaziani, who was the Eagles' defensive coordinator for the past 10 seasons before being hired to replace Jagodzinski, still needs to fill his old position and replace Bicknell.

Tigers, Lyon agree on 1 year, $4.25M

DETROIT -- The Detroit Tigers compiled a list of candidates to bolster their bullpen this offseason.

"It's been in my pocket all winter," team president Dave Dombrowski said Saturday.

The list is now filed away because the Tigers and right-handed pitcher Brandon Lyon agreed to a $4.25 million, one-year contract.

The Tigers desperately needed a closer to replace the retired Todd Jones and compete with Fernando Rodney. But Detroit wasn't going to bid for free agent Francisco Rodriguez, who signed a $37 million deal with the New York Mets, or give Kerry Wood the $20-plus million he got from the Cleveland Indians.

"[Lyon] was next on our list after those guys were gone," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said.

Along with his salary, Lyon can earn $500,000 in performance bonuses.

Lyon saved 26 games in 31 chances with the Arizona Diamondbacks, then was replaced by Chad Qualls as their closer late last season.

He had a 2.43 ERA before the All-Star break and an 8.46 ERA after, ballooning with a 12.27 ERA in August.

"Stats can be misleading, especially when you talk about a guy in the bullpen," Dombrowski said. "We saw a lot of him because we have a lot of scouts who live in Arizona. His stuff was still good. He was used a lot and it caught up with him sometimes.

"I don't look at him as a dominant-type closer, but our people think he can pitch at the back end of the pen."

Dombrowski said Lyon had multiyear offers from other teams to be a setup man, but chose to pitch in Detroit because he likes his chances to end games on the mound.

"He was not promised the closer's job," Dombrowski said. "He think he's going to win the job and that's why he wanted to come here.

"He think he can step forward and be that guy. Time will tell."

Lyon began his major league career in 2001 with the Toronto Blue Jays. He had nine saves for the Boston Red Sox in 2003 and 14 for the Diamondbacks in 2005, his first of four years with them.

The Tigers also agreed to a minor league deal with right-hander Scott Williamson. He will have a shot at the bullpen if he can approach the form he had in 1999, when he was an All-Star and won the NL Rookie of the Year award while pitching for Cincinnati.

"He said for the first time in years, he's healthy," Dombrowski said.

Williamson had Tommy John elbow reconstructive surgery in 2005 and was limited the next season. San Francisco released him early in spring training last year and he went on to pitch in 15 minor league games. He spent his first four-plus seasons with the Reds and pitched for Boston, the Chicago Cubs, San Diego and Baltimore.

Leyland is hoping Williamson can rejuvenate his career with the Tigers.

"Stranger things have happened," he said.

Harris collapses in Alabama game

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Kentucky guard Ramon Harris collapsed outside the team's locker room Saturday at halftime of the Alabama game.

Harris was taken by ambulance to the nearby DCH Medical Center, according to a school statement. Kentucky spokesman DeWayne Peevy said Harris' vital signs were good, and tests were run to determine why he had collapsed. Harris was later released from the hospital after several tests and was expected to return to campus on the team charter.

A team source told ESPN.com that Harris was short of breath at halftime, and fell to the floor holding his chest as the team was returning to the court for the second half.

"It's a serious deal when a guy faints," Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie said. "He threw up and they said after that they started thinking he was feeling a little bit better. They had a little shortness of breath to start, and that's what concerned them the most."

A Kentucky spokesman said Harris was conscious when he left the building.

The start of the second half was delayed a couple of minutes, and Gillispie remained with Harris as the half began. Harris, considered Kentucky's best defensive player, played only seven minutes in the first half and scored one point.

"Ramon started out in the huddle with us. I looked around and A.J. (Stewart) was holding him up," teammate Perry Stevenson said. "Once our coach got back he said that Ramon was going to be fine so keep on playing."

On Dec. 3, Harris was carried off the court on a stretcher and taken to the hospital after colliding with teammate Michael Porter in a game against Lamar. He missed three games with a back and neck injury, returned for one game and then missed two of the next three due to back stiffness.

Thomas, Dentmon spark Huskies to fifth straight home win vs. Bruins

SEATTLE -- Freshman Isaiah Thomas scored 24 points and Justin Dentmon returned from foul trouble to spark the decisive late run that sent resurgent Washington to an 86-75 victory over 13th-ranked UCLA and gave the Pac-10 a new leader on Saturday.

Jon Brockman rebounded from an off night Thursday to score 18 points and add eight rebounds for Washington (15-4), which won for the 13th time in 14 games. The Huskies scored more points than anyone had this season against the rugged Bruins.

"It's a great feeling," Brockman said, before sounding like the senior leader he is. "But there's a lot of league season left."

Josh Shipp scored a career-high 25 points but went scoreless for more than nine minutes of the second half for the Bruins (15-4, 5-2 Pac-10), who lost for the second time in three games.

"Right now, we just don't have enough heart, basically," freshman forward Drew Gordon said after scoring five points and getting a bruised knee from the face of the relentless, diving Brockman. "At the end of the day, the other team wants it more.The Huskies won for the fifth consecutive time over UCLA in Seattle and are 6-1 in the conference for the third time in 25 years.

"I think this game was a good wake-up call. Hopefully, we'll get hungrier."

Dentmon finished with 16 points -- 10 after he returned with 4:59 left from being on the bench for eight minutes with our fouls.

When Dentmon, who had scored at least 20 points in three of his last four games, went to the bench after getting his fourth foul with 12:39 remaining, Thomas was Washington's only guard for a stretch.

Yet "I.T." was all good for the Huskies.

UCLA's Nikola Dragovic, who had missed four of his first five shots, scored five consecutive points to tie the game at 58 midway through the second half. Then Thomas took over. Quincy Pondexter scored for Washington before Thomas made his third consecutive 3-pointer, this one from four steps behind the arc.

The sellout crowd roared, Thomas raised both arms and flashed two thumbs up while the UW students chanted "You can't stop I.T.!" UCLA took a timeout down 63-58.

Darren Collison, who finished with 12 points on just 5-for-14 shooting, made two free throws to draw the Bruins within 67-66 with 6:13 remaining. But the Huskies scored the next 12 points, eight by Dentmon.

He turned his consecutive steals into points, then smoothly drove into the lane and scooped in two more with the shot clock running out to make it 76-66 with 2:50 remaining and effectively give the Pac-10 a new leader.

Two days after Southern California held Brockman without a field goal for the first time since his freshman season, the senior scored seven points in the first 4:17 of the second half. The final ones came on a three-point play when he bulled through J'mison Morgan after getting prime position inside. That gave Washington a 49-46 lead.

How much was this Washington's day? Brockman, a Shaq-like 55-percent free throw shooter, was 8-for-10 from the line.

Dragovic scored eight points and was 3-for-8 from the field after scoring 20 in a two-point win at Washington State on Thursday. That escape had come after a loss at home to No. 17 Arizona State last weekend.

The Bruins, who have won three consecutive conference titles and been to three straight Final Fours, never led over the final 16 minutes on Saturday.

Shipp had 12 points early, thanks to 3-for-4 shooting on 3-pointers. That gave UCLA a 39-38 lead at halftime.

Report: Parcells says he'll return

In his most definitive comments yet about his future with the Miami Dolphins, football operations boss Bill Parcells declared he intends to return to the club he helped rebuild from a one-win season into AFC East champions.

"My intention is to do what I've been doing," Parcells told the New York Daily News for Saturday's editions. "I think we will have ample time to figure each other out. I'm very optimistic."

Parcells signed a four-year contract in December 2007, but a walkout clause allows him to leave the Dolphins with full pay -- a reported $12 million -- in the event owner Wayne Huizenga no longer ran the team. The clause also allows him to work for another NFL team without compensation to the Dolphins.

Manhattan real-estate developer Stephen Ross on Tuesday finalized his purchase of an additional 45 percent of the team and Dolphin Stadium, leaving Huizenga only 5 percent.

The Daily News reported Parcells met with Ross on Friday. Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland and head coach Tony Sparano also attended.

"I've had two or three meetings with Steve Ross and he seems to be a guy who wants to do things the right way," Parcells said, according to the newspaper. "There will be a period of adjustment. He's got to find out about the business. We are going to try and make things work. I'm not doing this forever."

Ross said on a Tuesday conference call with South Florida reporters he was 100 percent sure Parcells would be back for 2009, but when asked when Parcells specifically informed him of that, Ross indicated such a conversation hadn't taken place yet.

There had been speculation Parcells would use the 30-day walkout window as leverage to enhance the remaining three years of his contract or to give him another walkout option after next season.

"I will never take another dollar from the Dolphins other than what I am earning," Parcells said, according to the Daily News. "I'm not trying to leverage anything. I got more money than I can spend now."

Kay Yow dies at 66

RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina State's Kay Yow, the Hall of Fame women's basketball coach who won more than 700 games while earning fans with her decades-long fight against breast cancer, died on Saturday. She was 66.

Yow, first diagnosed with the disease in 1987, died Saturday morning at WakeMed Cary Hospital after being admitted there last week, university spokeswoman Annabelle Myers said.

"I think she understood that keeping going was inspirational to other people who were in the same boat she was in," Dr. Mark Graham, Yow's longtime oncologist, said Saturday.

The Wolfpack's game at Wake Forest on Monday was postponed to Feb. 10. Its next game will be Thursday at home against Boston College. Plans for a memorial service were incomplete.

"She's just been a great friend to so many people; obviously left her footprints all over the place with the kids she has taught and molded," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt told ESPN. "And she is a woman that had fought such a hard fight, but it was always about everyone else, never about Kay."

There were moments of silence to honor Yow before several basketball games Saturday, including the N.C. State-Boston College men's game in Boston.

Duke -- one of N.C. State's closest ACC rivals -- also honored Yow before the men's game against Maryland.

"God bless Kay," Blue Devils men's coach Mike Krzyzewski said to end his postgame news conference. "A fighter until the end."

Yow had a record of 737-344 in 38 years -- 34 years with the Wolfpack -- in a career filled with countless milestones. She coached the U.S. Olympic women's team to a gold medal in 1988; won four Atlantic Coast Conference tournament championships; earned 20 NCAA tournament bids; and reached the Final Four in 1998.

She also was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2002; North Carolina State dedicated "Kay Yow Court" at Reynolds Coliseum in 2007.

But for many fans, Yow was best defined by her unwavering resolve while fighting cancer, from raising awareness and money for research to staying with her team through the debilitating effects of the disease and chemotherapy treatments. In her final months, Yow was on hormonal therapy as the cancer spread to her liver and bones.

She never flinched or complained, relying on her faith as the disease progressed. She commonly noted there were other patients with "harder battles than I'm fighting" and said it was inspiring for her to stay with her team.

"Almost everybody is dealing with something," Yow said in a 2006 interview.

"We're all faced with a lot of tough issues that we're dealing with," she said. "We know we need to just come to the court and let that be our catharsis in a way. You can't bring it on the court with you, but we can all just think of basketball as an escape for a few hours."

ACC commissioner John Swofford said Yow had an impact on many.

"Whether one of her players, an opposing coach, a friend, an associate in the world of sports or one who observed her grace, dignity, elegance, kindness and competitive spirit from a distance, you couldn't help but be touched by her presence in our world," Swofford said. "Kay was a very special lady. All of us associated with the ACC will miss her immensely, and our thoughts and prayers go out to her family, loved ones and team."

Yow also was a past president and founding member of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. The group's president, Sherri Coale, hailed her legacy and her impact on the game.

"In sickness and in health she was a bastion of courage and kindness," said Coale, who is the head coach at Oklahoma. "Her zest for life and her determination to make a difference in this world have galvanized our profession while inspiring millions."

In 2007, Yow established the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund in partnership with The V Foundation for Cancer Research.

"I am honored to have a Fund established in partnership with The V Foundation that bears the name of Kay Yow," V Foundation CEO Nick Valvano said. "Her courage, faith and legacy will continue to live on in the hearts of those she helped to inspire throughout her coaching career and battle with cancer."

"Kay taught us all to live life with passion and to never give up. She carried herself with great faith and dignity," said ESPN and ABC Sports President George Bodenheimer, who served on the V Foundation board with Yow. "ESPN will always be committed to the Kay Yow Fund of The V Foundation in her memory. She was truly a beautiful person."

Yow announced earlier this month that she would not return to the team this season after she missed four games because of what was described as an extremely low energy level.

The team visited Yow in the hospital before leaving Wednesday for a game at Miami. Associate head coach Stephanie Glance -- who led the team in Yow's previous absences as well -- met with the team Saturday morning to inform them Yow had died, Myers said.

Yow's fight was never more public than when she took a 16-game leave to focus on her treatments during the 2006-07 season. After her return, her inspired Wolfpack won 12 of its final 15 games with wins against highly ranked rivals Duke and North Carolina in a run that attracted plenty of fans wearing pink -- the color of breast-cancer awareness.

Her players also wore pink shoelaces for their coach.

"There were so many times I felt like giving up," forward Khadijah Whittington said after the Wolfpack's loss to Connecticut in the 2007 NCAA tournament's round of 16, "and then I see Coach Yow and she never gives up."

Yow always found ways to keep coaching, even as she fought the disease. She spent most games during that emotional 2007 run sitting on the bench; Glance stood to shout instructions to players, and helped a weakened Yow to her feet.

"She's the Iron Woman, with the Lord's help," Glance said.

Yow was quick to embrace her role as an example for others battling the disease. She often found herself going about her daily activities in Raleigh only to have someone stop her and say they were praying for her or that she was an inspiration to them.

"When they say that, it really gives me a lift because it's at that time I know for sure that I'm not going through it for nothing," Yow said in 2007. "That means a lot to me. I have to go through it. I accept that, and I'm not panicked about it because the Lord is in control. But it just would be so saddening if I had to go through it and I couldn't help people.

"But then I see I'm helping others in a greater way than I ever have. That's the amazing thing, you know?"

Born March 14, 1942, Sandra Kay Yow originally took up coaching to secure a job teaching high school English at Allen Jay High School in High Point, N.C., in the 1960s. Her boss, along with the boys' basketball coach, agreed to help her plan practices and to sit on the bench with her during games. Midway through the season, Yow was on her own.

"Really, it was like love at first sight," she said in 2004.

She spent four years there, followed by another year in her hometown at Gibsonville High, compiling a 92-27 record. She moved on to Elon, going 57-19 in four seasons before being hired at North Carolina State in 1975.

Her original cancer diagnosis came the year before coaching the United States to the gold at the Seoul Olympics. She had a mastectomy as part of her treatment, then discovered a lump in November 2004, close to where cancer was first discovered.

She had surgery that December and started on a regimen of radiation and daily hormone therapy. Still, the cancer came back.

She missed two games of the 2004-05 season while attending an eight-day nutritional modification program, which called for her to eat an organic-food diet, free of meat, dairy products and sugar. She stayed on the diet for eight months, losing 40 pounds by keeping junk food and Southern favorites such as biscuits and gravy off her menu.

Still, she cheated on her organic diet during home recruiting visits because she didn't want to offend anyone by passing on a home-cooked meal.

Over the years, Yow never lost her folksy, easygoing manner and refused to dwell on her health issues, though they colored everything she did almost as much as basketball. Ultimately, her philosophy on both were the same.

"If you start to dwell on the wrong things, it'll take you down fast," Yow said in 2007. "Every morning, I wake up and the first thing I think of is I'm thankful. I'm thankful for another day."

Lidstrom, Datsyuk to sit one game

MONTREAL -- The NHL will force erstwhile All-Stars Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom to miss the Detroit Red Wings' first game after the All-Star break for failing to attend this weekend's festivities.

The pair will miss the Red Wings' regular-season game against the Columbus Blue Jackets under a policy established last year, Colin Campbell, the NHL's senior executive vice president of hockey operations, said Friday.

Sidney Crosby, on the other hand, will not miss the Pittsburgh Penguins' next game because he was in attendance in Montreal, even though it was announced Thursday he would not take part in on-ice activities during All-Star Weekend as he rests an injured left knee.

Campbell said he felt bad for Lidstrom, who has played in 10 All-Star Games and often brings his family to the event.

"Unfortunately he's caught up in this," Campbell said.

But, the league's top disciplinarian said, players who are voted or named to All-Star rosters have an obligation to attend if they aren't injured.

Detroit GM Ken Holland said Lidstrom, 38, has been dealing with tendinitis for a number of seasons and wanted to use the All-Star break to try to get into a position where he can play pain-free down the stretch. Holland knew there was the potential for Lidstrom to miss a game after the break, but didn't pressure his star defenseman to play."Nik Lidstrom has been an incredible ambassador for our team and for our game. I respect his decision," Holland told ESPN.com on Friday.

Holland was less enthusiastic about the policy that will sit his star defenseman for a game. "I disagree with the decision, but I'm not running the league," he said.

Tuesday's game is looming as a difficult outing for the Central Division-leading Wings, as Holland said they might be without defenseman Brad Stuart and forward Johan Franzen as well.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman imposed the policy, established at last year's general managers meetings, to legitimize injury claims and improve All-Star Weekend attendance. The policy states All-Stars who are injured must have missed at least the last game before the All-Star break in order to be excused; otherwise, they must sit out the first regular-season game after the break.

Former NHL goalie Glenn Healy, now director of player affairs for the NHLPA, disagrees with the league's stance on the issue. He said the league needs to look at the big picture.

"It's not good for hockey and it's not good for the fans," if Lidstrom and Datsyuk are held out of play, Healy said.

Players invited to the YoungStars competition are still exempt from the policy, and several have bowed out of the event, including Columbus goalie Steve Mason and Washington center Nicklas Backstrom.

Campbell said the attendance policy eventually may be extended to cover the YoungStars as well.

WR Shipley undergoes shoulder surgery

All-Big 12 wide receiver Jordan Shipley of Texas will miss spring practice after undergoing shoulder surgery Friday for injuries sustained during the 2008 season.

Shipley underwent surgery to his right shoulder, which was injured for much of the 2008 season. Despite the injury, Shipley produced 89 receptions and 1,060 receiving yards and led the Longhorns with 11 touchdown receptions.

"It's an injury I aggravated a couple of times during the year, but was able to play through," said Shipley, who was granted a sixth season of eligibility last month after missing his first two college seasons with injuries in 2004-05. "I worked hard to rehab it and kept playing. But now that I have time, I got it cleaned up and can get back to full strength for next season."

The Longhorns will begin spring practice on Feb. 27.

"I'm disappointed I won't be out there helping the young guys on the field this spring, but I'll be in all the meetings and at practice to help them out," Shipley said. "I'll work hard to stay in shape and get stronger than ever and should be back before summer workouts start."

Shipley was a third-team All-American as selected by The Associated Press and was a consensus All-Big 12 receiver in 2008, becoming the first player in Texas history to score a touchdown by reception, kickoff and punt return in the same season.

His 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Oklahoma helped kick-start Texas' comeback in a 45-35 victory.

Hatton, Pacquiao headed for May 2 bout

LOS ANGELES -- In a dramatic reversal of his position, pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao on Thursday night agreed to terms to face junior welterweight champion Ricky Hatton, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told ESPN.com.

A day after the fight supposedly dissolved because Pacquiao had not signed the contract for the May 2 super fight by Hatton's prescribed deadline -- causing Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer to declare the fight dead and to cancel a media tour planned for next week -- Pacquiao had a change of heart, Arum said.

The fight would take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

"Manny has assured me that he has signed the contract and was going to announce it to the Filipino press," Arum said.

Pacquiao's $12 million guaranteed purse -- $1 million more than he was guaranteed when he defeated Oscar De La Hoya on Dec. 6 -- probably had a lot to do with it.

"I think everyone [on Pacquiao's negotiating team] finally came to the realization of where we are in the world and where this economy is," Arum said.

Arum passed along the news to Schaefer, who didn't want to commit to anything until he had seen a signed contract and spoken to Hatton.

Arum and Schaefer had originally agreed to a 50-50 deal in mid-December, but Pacquiao demanded the lion's share. Hatton (45-1, 32 KOs) budged, agreeing to a 52-48 split in Pacquiao's favor, but it wasn't enough for Pacquiao, who wanted at least 55 percent.

In the end, Pacquiao (48-3-2, 36 KOs) accepted the 52-48 split with a tweak to another part of the agreement, Arum said.

"Manny had a problem with one thing in the deal but we worked it out," Arum said. "I massaged something in the deal, which I'm not going to tell you about, but it didn't cost me anything. We got it done."

Arum, who is in California promoting Saturday night's Antonio Margarito-Shane Mosley welterweight championship fight at the Staples Center, said his attorney would pick up the faxed confirmation of Pacquiao's signature at his Top Rank office in Las Vegas on Friday morning. After that, Arum said it would be forwarded to Schaefer, who would in turn offer it as proof to a skeptical Hatton.

It had been a wild day before Pacquiao finally agreed to the fight. Arum had said earlier Thursday that he had spoken with Pacquiao's adviser, Michael Koncz, and planned to fly Sunday night to Manila to meet with Pacquiao in a last-ditch effort to get him to sign.

About a half hour later, Koncz called Arum from the Philippines and told him the trip would not be necessary because Pacquiao had decided to sign.

Koncz then surprised Arum, whom Pacquiao had refused to speak with for the past couple of weeks.

"I got on the phone with Manny and I said, 'I can't believe I'm talking to you. Why are you ducking me?'" Arum said. "We had a laugh and Manny told me he had agreed to the fight and was going to sign the contract and fax it to my office."

Arum said all's well that ends well.

"We're dealing with a different culture and a different way of negotiating," he said. "And it's hard to do a deal over the phone where there's a big time difference between us and them on the other side of the world. It's very difficult making a deal. But Manny will make his biggest purse and if the fight is a hit like we all think it's going to be, he could make $20 million for this fight. He's very happy."

Schaefer had left open the possibility of resurrecting the fight after calling it off Wednesday, saying that even though he was going to move on to negotiating with other opponents, they could still make the fight with Pacquiao if he signed a contract before another opponent was secured.

As for the canceled media tour, Arum said they would hit Hatton's native England with stops in his hometown of Manchester and London the last week of February, followed by stops in New York and Los Angeles to promote the pay-per-view fight.

Arum said he and Schaefer are considering proposals from HBO and Showtime, whose deal would include a promotional component by parent network CBS.

Linehan to coach Lions' offense

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- For the second time in three years, the Detroit Lions have turned to an ex-St. Louis Rams coach to try to turn around their dismal offense.

New Lions head coach Jim Schwartz on Friday hired Scott Linehan as offensive coordinator. The Rams fired Linehan as head coach after the team opened the 2008-09 season 0-4.

Linehan became the Rams' coach in 2006. Before that, he spent four years as an offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings.

Linehan held assistant coaching jobs at the college level for 13 years, with stints at Louisville, Washington, Idaho and UNLV.

Schwartz took the Lions' top coaching job after Rod Marinelli was fired for leading Detroit to the NFL's first 0-16 season.

It was Schwartz's second major staff hire. On Wednesday, he brought in veteran assistant Gunther Cunningham as defensive coordinator and assistant head coach.

In 2006, the Lions also turned to a fired Rams coach to head their offensive effort. They hired Mike Martz a month after he was fired by St. Louis. He coached the Rams from 2000 to 2005, including a Super Bowl loss in 2001.

The Lions fired Martz one year ago, replacing him with Jim Colletto.

Marbury off Greek team's radar?

NEW YORK -- The flirtation between Stephon Marbury and the Greek club Olympiacos appeared to end Friday, with a new twist to the story blowing in from Moscow.

Olympiacos is pursuing former NBA guard Jannero Pargo, who was expected to secure his release from Dynamo Moscow before the end of the weekend, sources told ESPN.com. At least three NBA teams and two Euroleague teams were in the bidding for Pargo, whose value in Europe is actually higher than Marbury's because teams have already seen him play this season -- and because he can be signed to a contract before Euroleague final 16 rosters are due Monday and Tuesday.

There was no contact Thursday between Olympiacos and Marbury, a day after Olympiacos contacted the New York Knicks as part of its efforts to find a replacement for American Josh Childress.

The club's pursuit of Pargo was an indication that it had cooled to the idea of pursuing Marbury, at least until Pargo's new employer is determined.

Pargo signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with Dynamo last summer, but the club has struggled to make payroll and recently learned that it would not receive the subsidy it was expecting from the Russian military (Dynamo is also known as the Red Army team). Dynamo's financing problems also could impact the future of another of its big offseason signings, ex-Nets forward Bostjan Nachbar, who wants to return to the NBA.

Marbury had said he is open to the idea of joining the Greek League powerhouse, but if Olympiacos had gone after the exiled Knicks point guard, the next step would have been for the three sides to come to a financial agreement that would settle several issues:

• the terms of Marbury's buyout;
• the terms of Marbury's Olympiacos contract;
• the terms of any compensation the Knicks might seek in order to release Marbury from his contract.

Also, it would take two business days for Marbury to clear NBA waivers, and he could not sign with any European team before then -- effectively rendering him ineligible for Euroleague final 16 play.

A source close to Olympiacos told ESPN.com that club officials met late into Thursday night in Athens to discuss the possible pursuit of Marbury, with questions being raised in that meeting regarding Marbury's character and whether he would be a poor locker room influence for a team currently sitting atop the Greek League standings at 14-1, one game ahead of 13-2 archrival Panathinaikos.

Olympiacos is looking for a player who can play both guard positions after recently losing Childress to a sports hernia injury (Childress told Slam Magazine that he will be out only 3-4 weeks, not the 6-8 weeks previously reported). With Olympiacos eager to fill its roster spot quickly, it was all the more curious that the club did not reach out to Marbury's representative Thursday after the Knicks provided the club with his contact information.

One Knicks insider speculated that the Greek club was already testing Marbury, seeing whether he would be proactive and reach out to the team.

"I will listen to what they have to say," Marbury told the New York Post in an e-mail. Marbury did not return a message left on his cell phone by ESPN.com. "I will never close the door that has not been opened."

Knicks president Donnie Walsh is holding out hope that Marbury's expiring contract can be turned into an asset through a trade prior to the NBA's Feb. 19 deadline, but Olympiacos is not willing to wait another four or five weeks.

Olympiacos plays an important Greek Cup semifinal -- a separate competition from the Greek League -- on Sunday and begins Euroleague Top 16 play on Thursday against AJ Milano. The Greek Cup final, in which the Olympiacos-Panionios winner plays the Panathinaikos-Maroussi winner, is Feb. 21.

As many as six foreigners can be on Olympiacos' Euroleague roster, but the team can use only two Americans during the 26-game Greek League regular season, which runs through April 29, and Olympiacos already has former Milwaukee Bucks guard Lynn Greer on its roster in addition to Childress.

The report in Thursday's New York Post, in which Marbury was quoted, cited anonymous Greek media reports saying Olympiacos was willing to spend as much as $15 million toward a Marbury acquisition. But a source told ESPN.com the actual amount Olympiacos owner Panagiotis Angelopoulos was willing to spend was a fraction of that amount. The team's payroll is already above $40 million -- a sign of how badly the Angelopoulos brothers want to end Olympiacos' decade-long slump in which it's been a second-class citizen behind Panathinaikos in the Greek basketball pecking order.

An NBA spokesman said the league would not permit any language in a buyout agreement with the Knicks that would preclude Marbury from returning to the NBA if, for instance, he were to spend just 2-3 weeks with Olympiacos while Childress recovers and then get released from his contract.

Marbury has already offered to give back $1 million, and New York radio personality Mike Francesa of WFAN said Knicks owner James Dolan indicated in a conversation that he'd let Marbury go if the offer rose to $2 million. Marbury has indicated that no matter whom he plays for, he wants to make back in a new deal whatever he gives back in a buyout in order to "remain whole" and collect all of the $20.8 million he is under contract to receive from New York.

But Marbury also wants to resurrect his career, and the Knicks hold leverage over him in that regard because they can stand in his way -- especially if the buyout stalemate persists and the Olympiacos option does not come to fruition -- by refusing to release him in time to clear waivers by March 1 -- the deadline for him to be eligible for the playoffs with another team.

Cassel OK with return as Brady backup

New England Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel says there won't be a quarterback controversy if Tom Brady returns next season from the knee injury that thrust Cassel into the starting job.

"This is Tom's team," Cassel said Thursday on ESPNEWS. "The Patriots have been Tom's team. He's built that franchise up with his own two hands. He's the guy, and he was the MVP the year before. I realize that. He's been such a mentor for me that I would say, 'No, there is no quarterback competition.' But I've learned so many things from Tom, and hopefully it'll help me in my career."

Cassel's future with the Patriots will be decided next month. The Patriots will have two weeks starting Feb. 5 to decide if they want to place a franchise tag on him and keep him as an insurance policy, a move that would make him about $14 million. Otherwise, Cassel will become an unrestricted free agent as of Feb. 27, free to sign with any team.

In another interview Thursday, this one on Comcast SportsNet, Cassel said he has yet to begin contract discussions with the Patriots.

"If the situation is what it is, then I would accept it and I would continue to do what I have done my entire career which is work hard, put my best foot forward and continue to work on the things that I need to and put out my best effort," Cassel told the network.

Cassel, who had not started since high school, completed 327 of 516 passes for 3,693 yards and 21 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. He finished the season with an 89.4 quarterback rating, good for 10th among all NFL quarterbacks.

Jazz owner Miller has legs amputated

SALT LAKE CITY -- Longtime Utah Jazz owner Larry H. Miller's legs were amputated 6 inches below the knee on Friday.

Jazz spokesman Jonathan Rinehart said Friday's surgery was the result of complications from Type 2 diabetes.

Rinehart said the 64-year-old Miller is recovering in a hospital.

"Larry is doing well and is expected to continue to recover in the coming weeks and months," Greg Miller, Larry Miller's son, said in a statement. The statement said Miller's family would not be releasing any details.

Rinehart said Miller was already using a wheelchair before the surgery.

On Thursday, Gov. Jon Huntsman chose Miller to chair a new commission that will look for ways to increase Utah's low voter turnout and improve ethics in government. Miller did not attend the announcement -- the reason given was that he had a hospital appointment.

In October, doctors found a bone infection and diabetic ulcers on one of Miller's feet. He had outpatient surgery.

Miller had a heart attack over the summer. Complications including kidney failure and gastrointestinal bleeding that required blood transfusions followed, keeping him in the hospital for nearly two months.

Medical problems continued, including a nine-day hospitalization for dialysis to remove excess water weight.

Miller bought a 50 percent share of the Jazz in 1985 and purchased the rest of the team a year later.

Due to his father's health, Greg Miller was selected as the CEO of the Larry H. Miller Group over the summer.

The group owns the Jazz, radio and TV stations, restaurants, car dealerships, movie theaters, advertising and finance firms, sports arenas, a race track, a movie production company, ranches, a real estate development company and a minor league baseball team.

Amid chaos, Djokovic reaches 4th round

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Novak Djokovic and Amer Delic were all smiles, hugging at the net. Outside the stadium, violence was erupting after their third-round match Friday at the Australian Open.

One of several thrown chairs left a woman briefly unconscious. Insults and water bottles filled the air. Arrests were made, with dozens of people ejected from Melbourne Park.

This was what organizers had feared when they announced before the tournament that they were instituting a no-tolerance policy for disruptions.

They wanted the focus on tennis -- like Andy Roddick's 22 aces in a straight-sets victory, Roger Federer's straight-sets win over Marat Safin, or top-ranked Jelena Jankovic and No. 3 Dinara Safina advancing on the women's side -- not ethnic strife.

Instead of talking about how defending champion Djokovic reached the third round with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4) victory packed with drama and good sportsmanship, the 21-year-old Serb and Bosnian-born Delic were mostly quizzed about the chaotic scene that followed -- when their supporters clashed outside near a big-screen TV showing the match.

Police said about 30 Bosnian and Serbian youths were ejected from Melbourne Park. Two men were charged with riotous behavior and a third was fined on the spot. The woman who was knocked out was not seriously injured.

"There's absolutely no place for that here. This is a tennis match," said Delic, who attended the University of Illinois and lives in Jacksonville, Fla. "As I'm sure you all saw at the end, Novak and I are friends. We're both competitors. In the end it was a fair match, and there was no reason for such things."

Before finally asking reporters to change the subject, Djokovic lamented that players can't control their fans. Delic had even used his Web site to ask his backers, who were boisterous to the point of disruption in the qualifier's first two matches, to tone it down.

There was no animosity on court between Djokovic and Delic.

"Of course, I have a big respect for Amer," Djokovic said, to loud cheers from the crowd. "He absolutely deserves your applause and even more. He has one of the biggest serves on tour. It was very difficult for me to read."

The No. 127-ranked Delic got into the draw as a lucky loser from qualifying when Nicolas Kiefer withdrew with an injured ankle. Delic rallied to win two five-set matches to make the third round, his best run at a major.

Djokovic next plays 2006 runner-up Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus, who beat American Mardy Fish 6-2, 6-4, 6-4.

Federer's 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (5) victory over Safin keeps alive his quest for a record-tying 14th Grand Slam singles title.

In the tiebreaker, Safin was called for a foot fault on his second serve, giving Federer a 4-1 lead. The Russian player complained to the chair umpire about the timing of such a call, to no avail.

In 2005, Safin beat Federer in the semis at Melbourne Park and went on to defeat Lleyton Hewitt in the final.

Roddick had a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win over Fabrice Santoro. The veteran Frenchman was given a bottle of champagne and a thank-you card from organizers to mark the end of his 18th Australian Open campaign.

Roddick next plays No. 21 Tommy Robredo of Spain, who beat Taiwanese player Yen-hsun Lu.

No. 8 Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina, who won a warmup tournament in New Zealand, extended his winning streak to seven matches. No. 19 Marin Cilic of Croatia ousted No. 11 David Ferrer of Spain.

Extra security staff were deployed to the nearly packed stadium and kept a close eye on the most vocal fans.

There were significantly more Serbian supporters, but Delic had his share of backers, too.

When Delic broke for a 3-2 edge that was the key to taking the second set, he turned his hand toward his forehead, then pointed to his fans.

Djokovic pumped his fist and looked toward his most vocal supporters after getting the only break of the third set, when Delic whacked back-to-back double-faults to set up break point.

Several times, Djokovic applauded with his racket after great shots by Delic and gave him the thumbs-up when the American correctly challenged a line call in the tiebreaker.

Reeves to interview with 49ers

Former NFL head coach and TV analyst Dan Reeves will interview with the San Francisco 49ers for their offensive coordinator position, ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen confirmed with a team source Friday.

Reeves was set to meet with the 49ers by Saturday, FoxSports.com reported, citing multiple league sources.

Reeves coached the Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants after becoming the youngest coach in NFL history in 1981 with the Denver Broncos, whom he coached for 12 years.

Scott Linehan, who has been hired to run the Detroit Lions' offense, declined a 49ers offer last week for that same position.

Ravens quarterbacks coach Hue Jackson became the sixth candidate to interview for the 49ers job Friday morning, according to several reports.

The 49ers have been looking for an offensive coordinator since coach Mike Singletary fired Mike Martz on Dec. 30.

Sources: Johnson turns down Grizzlies

Avery Johnson has turned down the chance to make a swift return to an NBA bench with the Memphis Grizzlies.

NBA coaching sources told ESPN.com on Friday that the former Dallas Mavericks coach was offered a five-year contract by the Grizzlies to replace Marc Iavaroni, who was fired late Thursday after 1½ seasons in Memphis.

Johnson, though, elected to pass on an in-season comeback, preferring to remain in his role as a first-year studio analyst for ESPN.

"I've said all along [that] at the right time and in the right situation, I will coach again," Johnson said Friday. "I am enjoying my time at ESPN and with my family. I think an awful lot of [Grizzlies owner] Michael Heisley and [general manager] Chris Wallace. I wish the Grizzlies the very best."

The Grizzlies on Friday formally announced Iavaroni's dismissal with the team mired at 11-30 after a 2-15 skid. Assistant coach Johnny Davis has been named interim coach going into Memphis' game Friday at New York, with sources close to the situation confirming to ESPN.com that former Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins soon will be introduced as Iavaroni's successor, possibly as early as Sunday.

Yet it's not surprising to hear that Johnson was the Grizzlies' first choice given what sources describe as Heisley's strong desire to hire an experienced coach to lead and mold a young team that has started three rookies -- O.J. Mayo, Marc Gasol and Darrell Arthur -- in 25 of its 41 games this season.

Johnson, 43, certainly fits Heisley's profile, having posted a 194-70 record in four seasons with the Mavericks for a winning percentage of .735. Before his dismissal in May after two straight first-round playoff exits, Johnson took Dallas to the NBA Finals for the first time in the club's history in 2006.

Johnson also earned NBA Coach of the Year honors that season and followed up the trip to the Finals with a 67-15 season in 2006-07, before his tenure with the Mavs began to unravel with a first-round loss to the eighth-seeded Golden State Warriors and former Dallas coach Don Nelson.

The Memphis Commercial Appeal reported on its Web site early Friday that Hollins, now an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks, will be hired as Iavaroni's replacement and be joined on the Grizzlies' bench by recently fired Philadelphia 76ers coach Maurice Cheeks.

Bucks general manager John Hammond told The Associated Press that while he couldn't confirm Hollins' plans, the team was thankful for his service.

"This looks like a great opportunity for Lionel," Hammond said from Atlanta, where the Bucks played the Hawks on Friday night. "We support him and wish him nothing but the best."

Hollins, 55, posted an 18-42 record as the Grizzlies' interim coach in Vancouver during the 1999-2000 season, replacing Brian Hill following a 4-18 start. Hollins also went 0-4 as the interim coach in Memphis between Hubie Brown and Mike Fratello during the 2004-05 season.

Iavaroni began the season on numerous hot-seat lists after Memphis went 22-60 in 2007-08. But the former Phoenix, Miami and Cleveland assistant appeared to be safe, at least through the end of this season, when he survived the early rash of firings around the league that claimed six coaches in a span of 23 days.

Heisley even took the step of giving Iavaroni what was generally perceived to be more than a pedestrian "vote of confidence" in early December, telling the Commercial Appeal: "He's my coach and I'm behind him 100 percent. I'm not going to evaluate him now. Marc is not under the gun."

The Grizzlies, though, have been increasingly uncompetitive, toting a seven-game losing streak into Friday's visit to Madison Square Garden after initially playing to some fairly positive reviews, thanks to an 8-8 start at home and the strong introduction made by Mayo.

Sources told ESPN.com on Friday that Iavaroni's tense relationship with forward Rudy Gay was another factor that, in the Grizzlies' view, made a coaching change unavoidable.

An increasingly and openly negative atmosphere around the team, sources say, appears to have changed Heisley's urgency in terms of evaluating his coach. Without naming Iavaroni, multiple players were highly critical of the team's strategy, development and identity in Sunday's editions of the Commercial Appeal.

"We don't have an identity," Gasol told the newspaper. "We don't have one. We run around like chickens with our heads cut off. Youth can be a good thing, but we use it as an excuse.

"We're always making excuses. We make excuses to the referees and to our teammates. We make excuses in practice. That's all some people want to do is make excuses. You're never going to get anywhere like that."

Gay was even more direct with his criticism, saying: "I know the things we're working on [haven't] worked. We ain't got no chemistry."

Iavaroni's supporters would counter that he had little chance to succeed with a group so young that Gay, in his third season, ranks as a veteran. The Grizzlies embarked on a full-fledged youth movement after trading Pau Gasol to the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 1, 2008, in a deal that was criticized throughout the league.

The Grizzlies are the seventh team to fire their coach this season, which is two firings shy of tying the league's single-season record of nine in the 2004-05 season.

The first six firings all took place before Dec. 25, doubling the league's previous single-season record for pre-Christmas coaching changes. Oklahoma City's P.J. Carlesimo (1-12 on Nov. 22); Washington's Eddie Jordan (1-10 on Nov. 24); Toronto's Sam Mitchell (8-9 on Dec. 3); Minnesota's Randy Wittman (4-15 on Dec. 8); Philadelphia's Maurice Cheeks (9-14 on Dec. 13); and Sacramento's Reggie Theus (6-18 on Dec. 15) were all fired after eight other teams made offseason coaching changes.

Johnson was fired by Dallas just one season into a lucrative reworked contract that will pay him an estimated $4 million this season and in each of the next two seasons unless he takes a head-coaching job elsewhere.