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Sonics Fire Coach and GM

The Seattle SuperSonics began remodeling their basketball operations on Tuesday, firing head coach Bob Hill and removing Rick Sund as general manager following one of the worst seasons in franchise history.

Seattle went 31-51 in Hill's only full season as head coach, the Sonics' worst record since the 1985-86 season when they finished with an identical record. Only three times in the Sonics' 40-year history have they finished with a worse record.

Hill's contract was set to expire in June. The team said Sund will remain with the team as a consultant during the final year of his contract.

Hill's efforts to revitalize the Sonics and impress Bennett failed largely because of debilitating injuries. Robert Swift, expected to be Seattle's starting center, was lost for the season during an October exhibition game. Leading scorer Ray Allen was bothered by bone spurs in his ankles for much of the season and missed the final 16 games after opting for surgery. Rashard Lewis also missed 22 games in the middle of the season with a hand injury.

Hill, who previously coached in New York, Indiana and most successfully in San Antonio, took over for Bob Weiss in the middle of last season and went 22-30 -- his first head coaching job since 1996. Seattle closed last year 14-11 after Sund made moves to acquire Earl Watson and Chris Wilcox, earning Hill a contract extension and bolstering hopes for this season.

The shakeup came a week after Bennett announced that the team likely would not play in Seattle after the 2007-08 season after the Washington state Legislature decided not to consider plans for a new $500 million arena in suburban Renton. Bennett asked for $278 million in King County tax revenues to help pay for the new arena.

If Bennett doesn't get an agreement for a new arena in the Seattle area by Oct. 31, his $350 million purchase agreement allows him to move the team -- most likely to Oklahoma City. Bennett's ownership group bought the Sonics and the WNBA Seattle Storm last July.

Now the prominent Oklahoma City businessman must find a basketball operations staff willing to endure a lame-duck season in Seattle, before the franchise potentially moves.

"While there is uncertainty as to the future physical location of our franchise, our commitment to creating a culture of competitive excellence for this organization is unwavering," Bennett said. "We absolutely aspire to win championships."

Hill had the support of many of his players, most notably Allen, but publicly clashed with Watson and Damien Wilkins during the season, and pushed Sund for personnel moves that never materialized.

In March, Hill said he believed he deserved the chance to coach a healthy Sonics team in 2007-08, citing the development of young players like Wilcox and Nick Collison, and Seattle's 22 losses in games decided by six points or less.

But Bennett and Wilkens thought otherwise.

"If they replace me, they'll have had five coaches in seven years," Hill said before the season finale against Dallas. "Players get tired of coaches changing all the time."

Sund had been Seattle's GM since 2001, and previously worked with Detroit, Dallas and Milwaukee, but was hired by the Sonics' previous ownership group.

Source: Sports Illustrated

Brandon Roy Easily Wins Rookie of the Year Award

Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy was chosen as the NBA's rookie of the year on Wednesday after leading all rookies with averages of 16.8 points, 4.0 assists and 35.4 minutes in 57 games.

Roy received 127 out of a possible 128 first-place votes (638 points) for the award, known as the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy, from a panel of sports writers and broadcasters.

Toronto's Andrea Bargnani finished second with 264 points and Memphis' Rudy Gay was third with 93 points.

"It's rare to see a rookie step in, assume a leadership role and become a go-to guy as Brandon did this past season," Trail Blazers head coach Nate McMillan said in a statement. "Brandon is a phenomenal young talent and has a chance to become a very special player in this league."

Roy was the Pacific-10 Conference's player of the year his senior season at Washington. He was drafted with the sixth overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves and then traded to Portland for the draft rights to Randy Foye.

The 6-foot-6, 229-pound guard was named the West's rookie of the month in January, February and March. He also made the All-Star Game's rookie squad. He scored at least 20 points 16 times, including a career-high 29 against Utah on April 4.

The Blazers aggressively marketed "Roy Wonder." T-shirts were emblazoned with the words "My Roy for R.O.Y." The kickoff for the campaign, appropriately, was held in Roy, Ore.

In his NBA debut Nov. 1 in his hometown of Seattle, Roy scored 20 points. He followed that up with a 19-point game at Golden State.

But heel problems kept him out of 20 games early in the season. An MRI revealed an impingement in his left heel bone but no major damage. As a precaution, he wore a protective boot for a couple weeks until an MRI and a CT scan showed improvement.

Shortly after his return, he had his first career double-double, with 16 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists against Toronto on Dec. 22.

Roy is the third Trail Blazer to the award, joining Geoff Petrie (1970-71) and Sidney Wicks (1971-72).

Source: ESPN

Luol Deng Wins Sportsmanship Award

Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng won the NBA's sportsmanship award Thursday, edging Shane Battier and four other divisional winners in a vote by players.

Deng received 52 first-place votes and 2,027 points -- 22 more than Battier of Houston. Utah's Derek Fisher (1,953) was third, followed by the Clippers' Elton Brand (1,935), Atlanta's Joe Johnson (1,737) and Toronto's Anthony Parker (1,611).

The award honors the player who best exemplifies ethical behavior, fair play and integrity on the court, and the winner receives the Joe Dumars Trophy -- named after the Detroit Pistons Hall of Fame guard, their president of basketball operations and the inaugural recipient.

The league will donate $25,000 on Deng's behalf to Pacific Garden Mission, the oldest continuously operating rescue mission in the country. It will also donate $10,000 to each of the divisional winners' chosen charities -- Toronto Raptors Foundation on Parker's behalf; the Boys and Girls Club of Little Rock, Ark., on Johnson's behalf; the Boys and Girls Club of Houston on Battier's behalf; and Fisher Fellows of the University of Arkansas-Little Rock and C.A.M.P. Inc. of Peekskill, N.Y., on behalf of Brand.

In his third year, Deng enjoyed his best season, averaging 18.8 points and 7.1 rebounds, and has been even better in helping the Bulls sweep defending champion Miami in the first round. Deng averaged 26.3 points and 9.0 against the Heat.

Source: ESPN

Ron Artest Sentenced on Domestic Violence Charges

Sacramento Kings forward Ron Artest pleaded no contest Thursday to a misdemeanor domestic violence charge stemming from a March 5 dispute with his wife, the latest in a string of off-court problems.

Placer County Superior Court Judge Francis Kearney sentenced Artest to 100 hours of community service and a 10-day work project through the county sheriff's department. Artest also was fined $600 and ordered to get extensive counseling.

Kearney modified the restraining order that has kept Artest away from his wife, Kimsha, and three children since the incident at his $1.85 million mansion in Loomis, 25 miles northeast of Sacramento.

Artest will be allowed to have peaceful contact with his wife, and there are no restrictions on contact with his children. The judge said an attorney for Artest's wife appeared before her Thursday morning to say that Kimsha Artest no longer wanted any restrictions on their contact.

He was accused of grabbing, pushing and slapping his wife during an argument and preventing her from calling 911. The couple's 3-year-old daughter was home at the time.

Artest was charged with corporal injury to a spouse, battery, false imprisonment and dissuading a witness from reporting a crime, all misdemeanors. He pleaded no contest to the first charge, while the others were dismissed, although they could be restored if he violates the terms of his three-year probation.

The judge agreed to a plea deal that Artest reached with Assistant District Attorney Dan Quick. In addition to the fine, community service and probation, Artest agreed to a 20-day work project with 10 days suspended, a yearlong violence treatment program and attending a parenting class on the effects of domestic violence on young children.

Kings spokesman Troy Hanson said the team was pleased for Artest that the issue was resolved. He said the Kings, who failed to make the playoffs amid infighting and unimpressive play, have no immediate plans to trade Artest, although NBA teams are barred from discussing trades during the playoffs.

Artest came to Sacramento with a troubled past.

He was suspended from the Indiana Pacers for 73 games and lost nearly $5 million in salary after he jumped into the stands and threw punches during a brawl with Detroit Pistons fans in 2004. He and teammate Stephen Jackson were sentenced to one year of probation and 60 hours of community service after pleading no contest to misdemeanor assault charges.

Source: ESPN

Van Gundy Leaving the Rockets

Saturday's Game 7 loss to the Jazz was the last for Jeff Van Gundy as the Houston Rockets' coach, according to the New York Post.

Citing an "impeccable source," The Post reported that Van Gundy is leaving NBA coaching for the forseeable future. According to the source, Van Gundy's decision isn't based on the first-round series loss to the Jazz.

When contacted by ESPN.com on Sunday, Rockets spokesman Nelson Luis said Van Gundy planned to speak to the media on Monday.

"We don't know where this came from. Jeff has been spending all his energy working on the Utah series, and he hasn't put any thought into his future situation."

Van Gundy wouldn't discuss his future when asked in the postgame news conference Saturday.

When reached by The Houston Chronicle, Van Gundy strongly denied he has decided to leave his job as Rockets coach.

"I haven't even thought about that yet," Van Gundy said. "It's just 12 hours after we lost. There has been speculation about my job going on the whole year. Anybody that saying that [he has chosen to step down as Rockets coach], I have no idea why they would say that.

"There is no significance to anything other than we lost. That's the only significant thing."

Rockets owner Leslie Alexander told The Chronicle that he hasn't made a decision on Van Gundy, who has one non-guaranteed season remaining on his contract.

Alexander told the newspaper that he doesn't plan to fire Van Gundy.

"There is absolutely no truth to that. That's false, totally false. That decision has not been made," he told The Chronicle.

The Rockets have missed the playoffs just once in Van Gundy's four years with the Rockets, but Houston has also failed to make it out of the first round each time.

Van Gundy is 430-318 as an NBA coach. He has a 44-44 postseason record in guiding the Knicks and the Rockets to the playoffs.

In 1999, he became the first coach in NBA history to guide an eighth-seeded team to the NBA Finals, where the Knicks lost to the San Antonio Spurs.

His winning percentage of .590 in New York ranks only second to Pat Riley (.680) in Knicks history.

Source: ESPN

Basketball Takes Back Seat to Family

Now that Derek Fisher's odyssey from a New York hospital to a Salt Lake City basketball court has become such a heartwarming national story, he wants to make sure he gets the word out.

In his first day as the unofficial spokesperson for the rare condition called retinoblastoma, a childhood cancer of the eye, Fisher spent 45 minutes with reporters at the Utah Jazz practice facility explaining the condition, his hectic and stressful week leading up to yesterday, and how he was able to return to a basketball court and succeed in the wake of all of it.

Fisher knows he's one of the lucky ones. The condition is a potential killer if not caught early enough, and tough to diagnose because it's so rare and its symptoms so subtle. But in his daughter Tatum's case, he had the good fortune to run into a doctor who had seen the condition before.

Amazingly enough, it was all because his health plan forced him to switch from an out-of-network pediatrician -- "my first experience with that whole, 'man, kids are really expensive' thing," said Fisher -- to a new one, and the new doctor diagnosed it right away.

"What are the chances of us switching doctors, and the first time we see the doctor she picks up on it and probably saves my daughter's life?" said Fisher. "We would have gone for months more not knowing what was wrong, just that her one eye was a little different."

Instead, last Wednesday's routine doctor visit sent into motion a chain of events that culminated in Fisher's rousing finish to Utah's 127-117 overtime win over Golden State in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals.

But before then, it required a mother's persistence just to figure out something was wrong. The telltale sign of retinoblastoma is something called "cat's eye reflex," where the eye reflects light at certain angles "as if it's glowing in the dark," said Fisher.

"You don't think you could die from it," he said.

Fisher said his wife, Candace, "had some instincts about something being a little different with my daughter's eye and mentioned it to pediatricians a couple times," and had noticed it a couple of months before the eventual diagnosis.

"Trust me, [mothers] just know that something's not right," said Fisher. "Us silly men, a lot of times we don't trust it because we're different thinkers and we always try to have an explanation. Wives and mothers don't need an explanation. They just know.

The doctor referred Fisher to an opthalmologist, who confirmed the diagnosis, and then Fisher went to New York to see the top authority in the world on this condition, Dr. David Abramson of New York's Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, for a consultation. (And no, this time he didn't ask his health plan for the OK. "Everyone knows when it comes to kids price doesn't matter," said Fisher.)

At first, Fisher's worries went beyond his daughter. Because 10 percent of newly diagnosed patients have other family members with the disease, according to retinoblastoma.net, Fisher, his wife Candace, and Tatum's twin brother Drew all had to be tested for the condition.

Fisher stressed that Tatum isn't completely out of the woods yet. Some time in the next three to four weeks, she'll return to New York for a follow-up visit, where they will either repeat the procedure to shrink the tumor further, or attempt to remove it if it has become small enough. Fisher said it can be done up to three times, and that there is still a risk of losing the eye. He added that these doctors have done the treatment nine times and succeeded in eight.

But once his daughter emerged from the surgery on Wednesday and was cleared to return home with the family, he figured he might as well give playing in Game 2 a try. "It's what I do," said Fisher. "It's not who I am, but it's what I do."

Of course, being a basketball player is now only his second most important job. Fisher is also taking it upon himself to be a spokesperson for retinoblastoma -- something he's amply prepared for as the current head of the players' union.

"We do a lot of things [in the community], we enjoy doing them -- you speak to kids, you do all sorts of things," said Fisher. "But then certain things come along that affect you personally, that then take your passion to another level in terms of wanting to help. This is one thing that hits home for us, and especially because of its rarity it's really important to us to raise awareness."

"Sometimes you don't want to offend people that don't believe in the Lord, but I definitely feel like last night was some form of divine intervention."

Source: ESPN

**
I'm glad D-Fish is getting the word out about this disease. Hopefully it'll save some lives
**

Dirk Nowitzki To Be Named MVP

It appears that the worst-kept secret in the NBA will be out in the open by early next week.

Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, whose coronation as the first European-born Most Valuable Player in NBA history has been expected for weeks, is scheduled to officially receive the MVP trophy at a Tuesday news conference in Dallas, ESPN.com has learned.

The NBA has handed out its past three MVPs -- two straight to Phoenix's Steve Nash after Minnesota's Kevin Garnett won in 2004 -- at the start of the second round. But it's believed the league opted to put some distance between Nowitzki's ceremony and the Mavericks' stunning first-round exit against Golden State.

By the time Nowitzki collects his award, nearly two weeks will have elapsed since the 67-win Mavs became the just the third No. 1 seed in NBA history to lose to a No. 8 seed. The previous two No. 1 seeds to lose so quickly, however, suffered five-game exits as opposed to losing a seven-game series: Seattle in 1994 to Denver and Miami in 1999 to New York.

Said Nowitzki, reached by phone Thursday night: "Nobody's told me anything. You [media] guys have been talking about it for a while, so let's see what happens.

"[But] it's hard to even think about that stuff right now. Everything [from the Golden State series] is still pretty fresh. It's been some tough days since we lost.

"I thought this was such an incredible year. We won 67 games and then to lose in the first round, it just feels so empty right now."

Nowitzki averaged 24.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and a career-best 3.4 assists during the regular season and was the only player in the league to shoot at least 50 percent from the field (.502), 40 percent from 3-point range (.416) and 90 percent from the free-throw line (.904). His percentages in each of those categories were career highs, helping Nowitzki secure his third successive berth on the All-NBA first team, which was announced earlier Thursday.

Complete ballot results remain unknown, but all indications point to Nowitzki edging his close friend and two-time reigning MVP Nash for the award. In a recent survey of MVP voters conducted by The Arizona Republic, in which the Phoenix newspaper received responses from 96 of the 132 ballot-holders, Nowitzki totaled 57 first-place votes to Nash's 37, with Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers receiving the other two.

Source: ESPN

1 Spur and 2 Suns Players Suspended For Game 4 Altercation

Phoenix All-Star center Amare Stoudemire and teammate Boris Diaw were suspended Tuesday for one game for leaving the bench after Robert Horry's flagrant foul of Steve Nash in Game 4 of the Suns' Western Conference semifinal against San Antonio.

The NBA also announced Horry was suspended two games for his actions with 18 seconds remaining in the Suns' 104-98 victory at San Antonio on Monday night. Phoenix's victory evened the series at two games apiece.

All three players will miss Wednesday night's Game 5 in Phoenix of what has been a rough, intense showdown between two of the best teams in the NBA. Horry also will miss Friday night's Game 6 in San Antonio.

Horry was suspended for flagrantly fouling Nash and striking Raja Bell about the shoulders with a forearm, NBA executive vice president Stu Jackson said in a statement. Stoudemire and Diaw were suspended for leaving "the immediate vicinity of their bench" during the altercation.

The penalties are a severe blow to a Phoenix team that had rallied in the final minutes to beat the Spurs in San Antonio.

"This is a very unfortunate circumstance," Jackson said during a conference call. "No one here at the league office wants to suspend players any game, much less a pivotal game in the second round of a playoff series. But the rule, however, is the rule, and we intend to apply it consistently."

Stoudemire, a first-team all-NBA selection, is averaging team highs of 23.5 points and 10.3 rebounds in the series. His loss removes the Suns' imposing inside presence. Phoenix's problems are compounded by the absence of Diaw, who started when Stoudemire missed all but three games last season because of surgeries on both knees.

Horry, meanwhile, is a role player best known for his clutch 3-pointers. He has scored 4.8 points per game.

Asked if he thought it was a fair decision, Jackson said, "It's not a matter of fairness, it's a matter of correctness, and this is the right decision at this point in time."

Jackson said it was clear that Stoudemire and Diaw had violated the rule, saying they were "20 to 25 feet" from their seats.

"Both players stood and made their way towards the altercation which occurred on the court," Jackson said. "They did not remain in the bench area."

The Suns' coaches quickly pushed the two players back to the bench, but the damage had been done, even though neither player reached the confrontation.

Bulls coach Scott Skiles weighted in on the suspensions.

"A rule is a rule, and in the past handful of years since they put that in, there have been I think less than five, maybe less than three, but there have been a couple occasions where someone just put one foot on the floor and got suspended. So if you're going to have a hard and fast rule like that, I think you've got to abide by it, and you can't make any exceptions," Skiles said.

Source: ESPN

Pistons Beat Bulls To Move On To Eastern Conference Finals

Chauncey Billups mentioned how quiet the United Center was after the game. If there's one benefit to closing out a series on the road, that's it.

"In a strange sort of way it always feels better to close it out on the road," Billups said. "That silence, like church."

That quiet didn't come easily, but finally, the Pistons can breathe a little easier. There won't be a Game 7.

Richard Hamilton scored 23 points and the Pistons beat the Chicago Bulls 95-85 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Thursday night, clinching a series that turned tense after Detroit won the first three games.

"We thought that we let one slip away in front of our home fans," Hamilton said. "We knew that we had to come out here tonight and play hard."

No NBA team has lost a best-of-seven series after taking a 3-0 lead, and the Pistons rejected the Bulls' shot at history. Now, Detroit can focus on its fifth straight conference final.

Down 48-43 at halftime, the Pistons outscored the Bulls 31-21 in the third quarter to take a 74-69 lead, and Chicago could not sustain any momentum in the fourth.

Rasheed Wallace had 16 points and 13 rebounds for Detroit, while Tayshaun Prince added 17 points and nine rebounds. Chauncey Billups was just 3-for-12 from the field but he scored 11 of his 21 points in the third quarter.

A jumper by Wallace, who had received a technical foul just over a minute earlier, and hook shot by Prince made it 85-73 with 2:20 left, and Detroit hung on from there.

"We were moving the ball," Wallace said of the difference in Detroit's offense in the second half. "In the first half we were stagnant and didn't move the ball. That's what we talked about at halftime."

Chicago's P.J. Brown attempted just three shots in the second half after scoring all of his 20 points in the first two quarters, matching his playoff career-high. Luol Deng added 17 points, but the Bulls were off target after shooting 57.3 percent in Game 5.

This time, they were 28-of-75 (37.3 percent), with Ben Gordon (19 points) going 7-for-18 and Kirk Hinrich (11 points) 3-of-13.

The Bulls were trying to become the fourth NBA team to force a Game 7 after falling behind 3-0, and keep alive their hopes of joining another exclusive club. Only the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, 1975 New York Islanders and 2004 Boston Red Sox have rallied from 3-0 deficits to win a best-of-seven series.

The Pistons put the Bulls in that hole by blowing them out in Games 1 and 2 at home and rallying from 19 down to take Game 3 at the United Center, but instead of a second straight sweep, Detroit got a fight.

"We just have to get better," Deng said.

The Bulls have been doing that the past three seasons after a long rebuilding period following the Michael Jordan-Scottie Pippen era. They lost in six games to Washington in 2005, and pushed eventual champion Miami to six games again last year. The expectations jumped when they signed Ben Wallace from the Pistons, and Chicago finished the regular season with 49 wins following a 3-9 start, then swept the Heat in the first round.

It was a major step for a franchise that hadn't won a series since capturing the championship in 1998, but the Bulls came up a little short against the Pistons.

"When you play a team like Detroit, they are going to play you every minute," Deng said. "They can beat you in a very short span."

Wallace hit a 3-pointer 30 seconds into the second half to start a 12-1 run that put Detroit ahead 55-49.

After a timeout, Gordon hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to make it 55-52 with 8:17 left in the third quarter, but the Pistons kept coming. Billups hit a 3 to make it 67-59 with 3:29 remaining.

The lead reached 73-64 when Billups hit three free throws after Hinrich committed his fourth foul of the game and third of the quarter with 2:27 left. But a putback by Deng and a 3 by Gordon cut it to four before Detroit's Jason Maxiell hit a free throw.

The Pistons took control of the boards in the second half, outrebounding Chicago 14-7 in the third quarter and finishing with 48-35 edge.

"We started over-dribbling," Bulls coach Scott Skiles said. "We were doing it some right in the beginning of the game but we were able to get away with it because our effort was good, our intentions were good. We were coming off pick-and-rolls and shooting on the way down. We only had 11 turnovers, but it seemed like a lot more."

Source: [url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/b ... index.html]Sports Illustrated[/b][/size]

Rockets Fire Van Gundy After First Round Exit

Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy was fired Friday, less than two weeks after Houston made yet another first-round playoff exit.

The Rockets went 52-30 this season but lost to Utah in seven games, raising the possibility Van Gundy was going to resign or be dismissed. This was the Rockets' third first-round loss in four seasons under Van Gundy.

Van Gundy had one nonguaranteed year left on his contract, meaning the team held the option to retain him. The team reportedly has contacted Rick Adelman, the former coach of Portland, Golden State and Sacramento.

General manager Daryl Morey scheduled an afternoon news conference. The firing comes days after Morey took over for the retiring Carroll Dawson following the Rockets' playoff elimination.

The Rockets said in a statement they talked with Van Gundy during a "prolonged negotiating period," and he was offered a position with the team as a senior consultant.

"He asked for, and was granted, additional time to evaluate his situation with the agreement that we would begin looking into other candidates," Morey said. "During that process it became clear that Jeff did not want to continue in any capacity with the team other than as head coach."

Van Gundy led the Rockets to a 182-146 record in four seasons. But Houston went 7-12 in three postseason appearances and more was expected from teams anchored by All-Stars Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming.

McGrady dropped to 0-6 in playoff series when the Rockets lost to Utah, which took advantage of Golden State's first-round upset of Dallas and advanced to the Western Conference finals by beating the Warriors in five games.

Van Gundy now may be headed back to one of his old jobs. He was scheduled to work as a guest analyst for ESPN on Friday night's playoff game between Phoenix and San Antonio.

Van Gundy was working in television when the Rockets hired him before the 2003-04 season. Before that, Van Gundy coached the New York Knicks for seven seasons, leading them to the NBA finals in 1999.

He joined the Rockets as the 10th head coach in franchise history in 2003. Van Gundy's career coaching record is 430-318, but only 44-44 in the postseason.

Source: Sports Illustrated