Kings make Karl hiring official
The Sacramento Kings officially hired George Karl as their head coach on Tuesday.
The team did not release contract terms, but previous reports indicated the deal was for $14.5 million over four years. The Kings announced before the NBA All-Star break that Tyrone Corbin would not continue as interim coach.
Karl is well-traveled as an NBA coach, making stops in Cleveland (1984-86), Golden State (1986-88), Seattle (1991-98), Milwaukee (1998-2003) and Denver (2004-2013). He most recently worked as a television analyst.
The 63-year-old Karl, who has survived two battles with cancer, is among a select group of NBA coaches with 1,000 career wins.
Havlicek tops Hall of Fame class
Three members of the College Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2015 announced Tuesday have prominent ties to the Big Ten.
John Havlicek was an All-American at Ohio State, Quinn Buckner starred at Indiana and Lou Henson was a longtime coach at Illinois.
The others in the eight-member class are former Kansas State standout Rolando Blackman, former Dayton coach Don Donoher, former Langston coach C. Felton “Zip” Gayles, former Long Beach state standout Ed Ratleff and North Carolina All-American Charlie Scott.
Havlicek played on Ohio State’s national championship team in 1960 and was an All-American as a senior in 1962. Among his Buckeyes teammates were Jerry Lucas and Bob Knight. Havlicek went on to star in the NBA for the Boston Celtics.
Rodriguez writes fans to apologize
Alex Rodriguez wrote a letter “to the fans” with spring training just days away to apologize for past transgressions that led to his suspension by Major League Baseball for using performance-enhancing drugs.
The five-paragraph letter, addressed to the fans, was written by hand and released Tuesday. It offered no specifics about his past actions. The 39-year-old Rodriguez declined the Yankees’ offer to use Yankee Stadium for a news conference but expressed his thanks to the team.
“I accept the fact that many of you will not believe my apology or anything that I say at this point,” he wrote. “I understand why and that’s on me.”
The three-time American League MVP was suspended for the 2014 season after violating baseball’s drug program and labor contract. Rodriguez was found to have used three banned substances and also tried to obstruct justice during baseball’s investigation of the Biogenesis case.
Bosch sentenced to four years
Anthony Bosch, the former owner of Biogenesis of America, was sentenced Tuesday to four years in a federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
Bosch had pleaded guilty to distribute steroids to not only major league players, including the New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez, but to high school athletes, too.
He faced up to 10 years in prison. The 48-month sentence was longer than what the prosecutor, Pat Sullivan, had sought.
Bosch served as a key witness for Major League Baseball’s and the government’s investigation, according to the New York Daily News. His testimony put him at the center of one of the most explosive doping cases in Major League Baseball history.
Stoudemire heading to Mavs
Forward Amar’e Stoudemire, whose contract was bought out by the New York Knicks on Monday, is prepared to join the Dallas Mavericks.
The news of Stoudemire’s agreement with Dallas was first reported Monday night by RealGM.com. Multiple media outlets subsequently confirmed the report.
Stoudemire was in the last season of a five-year, $99.7 million deal before the Knicks cut him loose at his request. Assuming no team claims him and takes on his $23.4 million salary, he would clear waivers on Wednesday afternoon, making him a free agent. At that point, he is expected to sign with Dallas for the veteran minimum salary.