Pistons nearing deal with Kuester
BASKETBALL: The Detroit Pistons are close to ending their search for a new boss on the bench.
The Pistons and John Kuester were nearing an agreement Tuesday night to make him their coach, a person familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press.
The person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal was not done, said the contract could be completed as soon as today.
Kuester spent the past two seasons as a Cleveland Cavaliers assistant and was on Larry Brown’s championship- winning staff in 2004 with the Pistons.
He was also an NBA assistant in Orlando, Philadelphia – under Brown – New Jersey and Boston. The North Carolina graduate was a head coach at George Washington from 1985-90.
•Salary cap drops for ’09-10: The NBA salary cap has been set for next season at $57.7 million, a decline from 2008-09, allowing teams to begin signing players.
The figure the league announced was about $1 million less than last season’s cap of $58.68 million, even though league-wide revenue rose 2.5 percent.
•U19 showcases area players: The United States and Australia, featuring Washington State University members, remained undefeated at the FIBA U19 World Championships in Auckland, Australia.
In Group E action, the USA (5-0) defeated Puerto Rico (3-2), 82-61, with WSU rising sophomore Klay Thompson getting the start. Thompson scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds. Fellow classmate DeAngelo Casto did not play due to a sore knee and is day-to-day.
The Australian squad got a lift from incoming Cougar freshman Brock Motum, who tied with a team-high 16 points and five rebounds in a 76-65 win over Argentina.
Meanwhile, Canada got a boost from a pair of future Gonzaga Bulldogs to beat Kazakhstan 108-70. Kelly Olynyk, a team captain, contributed 24 points and added nine rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot. Also, Mangisto Arop added seven points and two rebounds.
•Local presence at World University Games: Team USA held off Serbia, 68-66 to improve to 4-0 at the World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia. Washington forward Quincy Pondexter scored five points and grabbed five rebounds for the U.S. WSU’s Nikola Koprivica had two points for the Serbians.
Lochte holds off Clary in 400M
Swimming: Ryan Lochte held off hard-charging Tyler Clary to win the 400-meter individual medley at the U.S. national championships in Indianapolis, leading a parade of Olympians who qualified for the world meet later this month.
Lochte and Clary made it a two-man race to the wall, with Lochte touching first in 4 minutes, 6.40 seconds. Clary, who swims at Michigan, finished in 4:06.96.
Katie Hoff supplied the only surprise on opening night of the five-day meet. The Olympic silver medalist faded to sixth in the 400 freestyle, her latest disappointing result since the Beijing Games.
Waltrip to cut back, make room for Truex
Auto racing: Two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip will scale back to a partial schedule to make room for Martin Truex Jr. to join the team in 2010.
Truex will leave Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing at the end of the year to drive the No. 56 Toyota. Waltrip will keep his No. 55, but run a partial schedule. He said he’d race in at least four races and longtime sponsor NAPA was committed to sponsoring him in next season’s Daytona 500.
Sakic hanging up the skates after 20 years
Hockey: Joe Sakic, the Colorado Avalanche’s longtime captain who led the team to two Stanley Cup titles, is retiring after a 20-year NHL career, a person familiar with the situation told the Associated Press.
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because Sakic, a 13-time All-Star, is expected to formally announce his decision to retire on Thursday at a news conference.
•Flyers, Pronger agree to deal: Chris Pronger and the Philadelphia Flyers agreed to a $34.9 million, seven-year contract extension, less than two weeks after the 2000 NHL MVP joined his new team.
•Leafs land ‘Monster’: Toronto nabbed coveted Swedish free-agent goalie Jonas Gustavsson with a one-year contract. The 24-year-old netminder, nicknamed “The Monster,” was also heavily pursued by Dallas, San Jose and Colorado.
Sounders advance in U.S. Open Cup
Sebastien Le Toux drilled in a penalty kick in the 89th minute, giving the host Seattle Sounders a 1-0 victory against the Kansas City Wizards in a U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal. The Sounders will host the Houston Dynamo of MLS in a semifinal game on July 21.
•Costa Rica tops Jamaica: Celso Borges’ goal in the 64th minute gave Costa Rica a 1-0 win over Jamaica in their CONCACAF Gold Cup match in Columbus, Ohio.
Meanwhile, Ali Gerba scored for the second straight game and Canada strengthened its hold on Group A with a 1-0 win over El Salvador.
The United States will take on Honduras today.
Bolt earns fourth fastest 200M finish
Miscellany: Usain Bolt ran the fourth-fastest 200 meters in history, finishing in 19.59 seconds at the Athletissima meet in Lausanne, Switzerland, despite chilly weather and a track slowed by a downpour.
•Goodell, Mora set to scale Rainier: So far, so good for Roger Goodell and Jim Mora on Mount Rainier.
The 50-year-old NFL commissioner and the Seahawks coach successfully completed a first day of mountaineering training on Monday.
They will attempt to summit the 14,411-foot volcano that is Washington’s highest peak this morning.