Ferry to be named Cavs’ general manager: reports
Cleveland – Danny Ferry has left the front office of the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs to become general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers, two league sources said Sunday night.
Ferry, who played 10 seasons with the Cavaliers, accepted the job on Sunday, the sources told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity. Ferry’s hiring is expected to be announced today – one day before the NBA draft.
The Cavaliers currently don’t have a selection but have reportedly discussed trading forward Jiri Welsch for a second-round pick.
Ferry spent the last two years as San Antonio’s director of basketball operations under GM R.C. Buford. The 38-year-old Ferry played in a club record 723 games for the Cavaliers from 1990-2000.
In Cleveland, Ferry will have some immediate challenges as he tries to rebuild the Cavs, who faded down the stretch last season.
The club will have roughly $25 million to spend in the free-agency period beginning July 1, in an effort to build around LeBron James.
WNBA
Detroit makes shocking comeback
Deanna Nolan had 22 points to help the Detroit Shock pull off the biggest comeback in WNBA history, rebounding from a 25-point deficit to beat the Los Angeles Sparks 79-73 Sunday in Auburn Hills, Mich.
“When we were down 25, I told them this was the lowest point in franchise history,” Shock coach Bill Laimbeer said. “We finally had to take a stand, and we did.”
Cheryl Ford added 15 points and 15 rebounds for the Shock, who trailed 35-10 in the first half. The Shock set the previous record on June 9, 2004, when it came back from 23 down to win at Indiana.
Tamika Whitmore led the Sparks with 19 points, while Chamique Holdsclaw added 17 and Lisa Leslie had 16.
The Shock used a 14-0 run midway through the second half to finally take the lead. Chandi Jones’ 3-pointer with 7:27 remaining put Detroit up 63-62.
Yolanda Griffith scored her 3,000th point and DeMya Walker added a season-high 24 to help the visiting Sacramento Monarchs win 62-57, snapping the Washington Mystics’ three-game winning streak.
Katie Smith scored 22 points to lead host Minnesota Lynx, 73-70, over the Seattle Storm.
SOCCER
Argentina in final of Confederations Cup
Argentina beat Mexico 6-5 on penalty kicks in Hanover, Germany, setting up a showdown for the Confederations Cup title with great rival and World Cup champion Brazil.
After 90 minutes of regulation without goals, Carlos Salcido scored during overtime in the 104th minute for Mexico and Luciano Figueroa tied it in the 110th for Argentina. Esteban Cambiasso scored the clinching penalty kick after Ricardo Osorio was the first to miss at 5-5.
The title game between the South American powers is Wednesday in Frankfurt while the Mexicans face host Germany for third place the same day in Leipzig.
“It’s going to be great to face Brazil again,” Argentine defender Javier Zanetti said. “I just hope it turns out the same way it did today.”
Before a crowd of 40,718 fans, Mexico struck first in overtime after Argentina’s Juan Riquelme gave the ball away with a lazy pass in an attacking position. Salcido broke down the left side to take a pass from Alberto Medina and went past two defenders. His shot hit the outstretched leg of Argentina’s Fabricio Coliccini, and the ball flew over goalkeeper German Lux.
Figueroa, who had a hat trick for Argentina in a victory over Australia, evened it five minutes later when he gathered a blocked shot from Maximiliano Rodriguez and squeezed a left-footed drive between the legs of goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez.
In MLS action, Chris Rolfe had a goal and an assist to lead the Chicago Fire past visiting Real Salt Lake 3-1.
After a scoreless first half, Thiago gave Chicago a 1-0 lead in the 53rd minute. Defender Jim Curtin set up the goal with a pass to Rolfe on the right side of the box. Rolfe sent a long cross that rolled to Thiago, and the Brazilian beat Salt Lake goalie D.J. Countess.
Jason Kreis tied it in the 62nd minute on a free kick, sending the ball past a wall of Fire and into the net.
Rolfe’s goal in the 69th minute put the Fire on top for good. The rookie took a header from Nate Jaqua, sneaked past defender Cameron Knowles and scored his fourth goal of the season.
Andy Herron sealed the victory for Chicago in the 88th minute.
Chicago (8-6-2, 26 points) pulled within five points of Eastern Conference leader New England. Real Salt Lake (3-9-3, 12 points) lost for the sixth time in seven games.
Lori Chalupny and Christie Welsh scored first-half goals and the United States women’s team beat Canada 2-0 in an exhibition in Virginia Beach, Va., giving Greg Ryan a victory in his first game since being promoted to head coach.
The game, played in a steady rain, marked the team’s first on U.S. soil this year, and it dominated.
Chalupny scored in the 12th minute after Aly Wagner’s corner kick was deflected to her 19 yards out. She stopped the ball with her body, then blasted it into the right corner of the goal, past goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc.
It was Chalupny’s second goal for the national team (5-0-0), which hasn’t allowed a goal this year.
Welsh scored in the 35th minute when LeBlanc deflected Abby Wambach’s shot, but the ball went right to Welsh in front of the goal and she tapped it in to make it 2-0.
Wambach almost made it 3-0 on a penalty kick in the 41st minute, but her shot hit the right goalpost.
FOOTNOTES
Crimson Tide coach gets $1 million a year
Alabama basketball coach Mark Gottfried signed a new six-year contract worth $1 million a year, athletic director Mal Moore said.
The deal, with a $200,000 base salary and $800,000 in talent fees, makes the 41-year-old Gottfried the first Alabama basketball coach to reach the $1 million mark. Gottfried became Alabama coach in 1998, going 143-83.
Gottfried has averaged 22.6 wins over the past five seasons, including an appearance in the NCAA regional semifinals in 2004. He has led the Crimson Tide to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
Brazil’s Marcio Araujo and Fabio Magalhaes won the Beach Volleyball World Championship title in their first season playing together, defeating Switzerland’s Sascha Heyer and Paul Laciga 22-20, 21-12 in Berlin.
Araujo and Magalhaes, seeded second, gave their country its fourth world championship gold medal in five events since 1997.
Julius Brink and Kjell Schneider took third place, giving Germany its first world championship medal.
Mexico’s Martin Castillo (29-1-0) successfully defended his WBA super flyweight title with a unanimous decision over Japan’s Hideyasu Ishihara (16-4-1) in Nagoya, Japan.
