NBA-SIGNINGS
James signs 2-year deal with flexibility…Knicks retain Anthony…Pierce to Wiz
UNDATED (AP) β LeBron James has signed a two-year, $42.1 million contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers that provides flexibility for the NBA’s biggest star with the league’s maximum salary expected to rise in the future.
A person familiar with the negotiations says James’ contract includes an option for the four-time league MVP to become a free agent next summer. However, it is strictly “a business deal.” That’s according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team has not commented about the agreement.
By only signing for two years, James can get another contract with the Cavs before the 2016-17 season when a new television deal is expected to push the maximum contract higher. The max contract for next season is $20.7 million. Until this deal, James had never been the highest paid player on his team in 11 seasons as a pro.
In other NBA free agency news:
β A person with knowledge of the details says Carmelo Anthony is staying with the New York Knicks. The Knicks offered Anthony a maximum contract worth nearly $130 million over five years. He also met with Chicago, Houston, Dallas and the Lakers, though the Knicks were able to offer about $35 million more than any of them under NBA rules.
β Paul Pierce is on the move for the second straight summer, this time from Brooklyn to the Washington Wizards. A person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press that Pierce has agreed to a two-year contract with the Wizards.
β Free-agent center Pau Gasol (pow gah-SOHL’) says he has decided to join the Chicago Bulls. He announced on his verified Twitter account that he was looking forward to the “new chapter” of his career in Chicago. It was unclear if Gasol had signed with the Bulls or was a part of a sign-and-trade deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he had played for parts of seven seasons.
β The San Antonio Spurs have re-signed guard Patty Mills. He averaged 10.2 points and 2.1 rebounds per game last season, providing offensive spark off the bench in helping the Spurs win the NBA title in June. His playing status is up in the air right now as Mills tore the rotator cuff in his right shoulder and could miss six months or more while recovering.
β A day after securing the services of LeBron James the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired center Brendan Haywood and forward Dwight Powell from Charlotte for guard Scotty Hopson and cash considerations.
β The Utah Jazz have matched Charlotte’s four-year, $63 million offer for restricted free agent Gordon Hayward. Hayward averaged career highs of 16.2 points, 5.2 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals last season while leading the Jazz in scoring and minutes.
β Free agent guard Anthony Morrow has agreed to three-year, $10 million deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Morrow’s agent, Wallace Prather, confirmed the agreement and details of the deal in a text message to The Associated Press. Morrow, who played for New Orleans last season, has career averages of 10.4 points and 2.5 rebounds per game in six NBA seasons.
β A person familiar with the contract says free-agent forward Marvin Williams has agreed to a $14 million, two-year deal with the Charlotte Hornets. He averaged just over 9 points and 5 rebounds a game in 66 games for the Jazz last season.
MLB-SCHEDULE
Cards climb into NL Central tie…McCutchen saves the Pirates
UNDATED (AP) β The St. Louis Cardinals have a chance Sunday to take the lead in the National League Central. The defending NL champion Cardinals climbed into a tie with the fading Milwaukee Brewers by defeating the Brew Crew 10-2. That’s the Brewers’ seventh straight loss. St. Louis trailed by 6 1/2 games on July 1.
Adam Wainwright improved to 12-2 with seven strong innings.
In other baseball:
β Seattle beat AL West-leading Oakland 6-2. Kyle Seager hit his 16th homer, a two-run shot. Robinson Cano (kuh-NOH’) added a three-run Hisashi Iwakuma (hih-SAH’-shee ih-wah-KOO’-mah) nearly pitched his first career complete game, but was taken out with two out in the ninth after giving up a two-run homer to Brandon Moss. That Mariners have cut the A’s lead to a game and a-half.
β Detroit has opened a seven and a-half game lead in the AL Central. The Tigers beat the second-place Royals 5-1. Rick Porcello outdueled James Shields and the Tigers won their fifth in a row. Porcello is 12-5.
βRyan Zimmerman delivered a go-ahead run-scoring single in the 10th inning of Washington’s 5-3 win over Philadelphia. Ex-Phillie Jayson Werth came back to haunt Philadelphia. The Nationals right-fielder hit a two-run homer and drove in three Washington runs. Werth has five homers in his last 11 games. Werth also scored a run in the 10th on a wild pitch. That ends the Phils’ five-game win streak.
β In another extra inning game, Pittsburgh outlasted Cincinnati 6-5 in 11 innings. Andrew McCutchen homered twice, including the go-ahead shot in the 11th. McCutchen had also tied the game with a homer in the ninth.
β Howie Kendrick celebrated his 31st birthday with three hits, including an RBI single during a four-run sixth inning as the Los Angeles Angels sent the Texas Rangers to their seventh straight loss, 5-2.
β The New York Yankees blanked Baltimore 3-0. Rookie Shane Greene pitched four-hit ball into the eighth inning of his second major league start. Derek Jeter had two hits and an RBI.
β The L.A. Dodgers pushed across the game’s only run in the bottom of the ninth and beat San Diego 1-0. A.J. Ellis delivered a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to drive in the winning run.
β The New York Mets got a pinch-hit home run from Eric Young and beat Miami 5-4. The Mets continued their final play, improving to 7-2 on their final homestand before the All-Star break
β Aaron Hill homered, doubled and scored twice, Wade Miley pitched seven shutout innings and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the San Francisco Giants 2-0. That’s the fifth time in the last 13 games that the Giants have been shut out.
β Kevin Kiermaier, Matt Joyce and Ben Zobrist delivered key hits during a six-run outburst that helped the Tampa Bay Rays to a 10-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.
β Kevin Correia (kohr-AY’-uh) pitched six innings of one-run ball, Eduardo Escobar homered, and the Minnesota Twins beat the Colorado Rockies 9-3.
β Jason Castro hit a two-run homer and Chris Carter had a tiebreaking infield RBI single in the eighth inning in the Houston Astros’ 3-2 win over Boston.
β The Chicago White Sox evened up their weekend series with the Indians with a 6-2 win in Cleveland. Jose Abreu (uh-BRAY’-oo) smacked his 29th homer of the season for the Sox, with a man on, and Gordan Beckham drove in two runs as well.
β Chris Johnson homered twice and pitcher Mike Minor hit his second career home run, leading the Atlanta Braves over the Chicago Cubs 11-6.
MLB-ALL STAR GAME
Changes in pitchers
NEW YORK (AP) β Miami right-hander Henderson Alvarez will replace Washington’s Jordan Zimmermann on the National League’s roster for Tuesday’s All-Star game at Target Field in Minneapolis. Zimmermann left Friday night’s start against Philadelphia after 3 1/3 innings because of a right biceps injury.
Alvarez, a first-time All-Star, is 6-4 with a 2.63 ERA and three shutouts in 19 starts. He pitched a no-hitter against Detroit on the final day of the 2013 regular season.
Over in the AL, Seattle Mariners closer Fernando Rodney will replace David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays on the A.L.’s active roster for the 85th All-Star Game. Price is inactive.
GOLF-SENIOR PGA
Sauers takes 3-shot lead into Sunday
EDMOND, Okla. (AP) β Gene Sauers shot a 3-under 68 to take a three-stroke lead in the third round of the U.S. Senior Open. Sauers had a 33 on the back nine to take control at Oak Tree National heading into the final round on Sunday. He is at 7 under for the tournament.
Colin Montgomerie, Bernhard Langer and Scott Dunlap are tied for second at 4 under.
GOLF-SCOTTISH OPEN
Mickelson well back at the Scottish Open
ABERDEEN, Scotland (AP) β Marc Warren of Scotland and Justin Rose of England share the lead after three rounds of the Scottish Open. Each will start the fourth round at 10 under par, one shot in front of Sweden’s Kristoffer Broberg. Defending champion Phil Mickelson is well off the lead at minus-1.
This is the final British Open tune-up before next week’s Open championship at Royal Liverpool in Hoylake, England.
GOLF-WOMEN’S BRITISH OPEN
Park has the lead
SOUTHPORT, England (AP) β Inbee Park has the lead after three rounds of the Women’s British Open. She shot a 4-under 68 to finish play 4 shots under par, one shot in front of Suzann Pettersen, Shanshan Feng and Sun-Ju Ahn.
Park is trying to become only the seventh player to win four of the LPGA Tour’s majors.
GOLF-JOHN DEERE CLASSIC
Harman leads the way
SILVIS, Ill. (AP) β Brian Harman has the lead after three rounds of the PGA’s John Deere Classic. Following a third round 6-under-65 he stands 17-under-par, one shot in front of Steve Stricker. Scott Brown resides in third at 15-under following his 10-under 61.
INDYCAR-IOWA
Hunter-Reay wins in Iowa
NEWTON, Iowa (AP) β Ryan Hunter-Reay blew past the field with two laps to go and won the IndyCar race at Iowa Speedway on Saturday for his first victory since the Indianapolis 500. Josef Newgarden finished second, followed by Target Chip Ganassi teammates Kanaan and Scott Dixon. Ed Carpenter was fifth.
It was the fifth straight win in Iowa for Andretti Autosport, and the second in three years for Hunter-Reay.
Helio Castroneves (EHL’-ee-oh kas-troh-NEH’-vehz) finished eighth, taking sole possession of the IndyCar points lead.
WORLD CUP
Dutch take third
UNDATED (AP) β The World Cup championship match is slated for today with Germany facing Argentina. It’s the rubber match between these two soccer powerhouses. Argentina beat Germany for the World Cup title in 1986 and Germany returned the favor in 1990.
The Netherlands blanked Brazil 3-0 in the third place match at the World Cup. Robin van Persie and Daley Blind scored early goals to lead the attack for the Dutch. With the result, the Netherlands finishes a World Cup unbeaten in regular play for the first time. It lost to Argentina on penalties in the semifinals.
The loss added to Brazil’s frustration at the home tournament following the disastrous 7-1 defeat to Germany in the semifinals.
WORLD CUP-JAMES
LeBron says World Cup bigger than NBA Finals
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) β Just a few hours after arriving in Brazil, LeBron James says the World Cup final is bigger than the NBA finals “in the sense that it’s the world and you have so many countries here.”
James landed in Rio on Saturday, a day after announcing he was returning to play for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
James met a few hundred fans in a large warehouse located on Guanabara Bay, where he watched some young Brazilians show off a few of their basketball skills.
TOUR DE FRANCE
A Frenchman wins the eighth stage
GERARDMER, France (AP) β Blel Kadri of France has won the eighth stage of the Tour de France in a breakaway. Kadri emerged from a five-man breakaway that chiseled out a large lead early in the 100-mile ride that featured two mid-grade climbs and a short uphill finish.
The overall lead continues to be held by Italian Vincenzo Nibali, who gained time on all of his main rivals except Alberto Contador (KAHN’-tuh-dohr) of Spain, who gained three seconds on the Italian leader by winning their two-man race for second place. Contador was more than 2 minutes behind Kadri.
