Off the wire

— BASKETBALL

Bell signs with Jazz

Guard Raja Bell signed a three year contract worth about $10 million with the Utah Jazz on Monday, saying he’s happy to return to Salt Lake City. The 6-5 Bell, 33, had two breakout seasons with the Jazz but left in 2005 to take an offer from Phoenix that he said was too good to pass up. Bell is a career 41 percent three-point shooter who has averaged more than 10 points per game while playing for six teams. He spent last season with Charlotte and Golden State, but played in just six games because of wrist surgery. Bell said his left wrist has fully recovered.

Nine-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki has signed his new contract with the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks announced the signing in a statement issued Monday. Team officials released no terms of the deal. However, a person familiar with the negotiations had told The Associated Press when the agreement was reached earlier this month that the deal is for more than $80 million over four years, with a no-trade clause. The 12-year NBA veteran has averaged 22.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1 block and 36.7 minutes in 920 career games. In 97 playoff games, Nowitzki averages 25.5 points, 11 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1 block per game.

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed guard Keyon Dooling and two people with knowledge of other talks told The Associated Press on Monday that the team is in trade discussions with the Sacramento Kings to obtain forward Jon Brockman. Both people spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade talks had not been completed. The deal would send forward Darnell Jackson and a second-round pick to Sacramento as part of a sign-and-trade arrangement for Brockman, a power forward who started four games and appeared in 52 overall for the Kings last year as a rookie. He averaged 2.8 points and 4.1 rebounds in limited minutes. Dooling will be the backup point guard behind Brandon Jennings. The 10-year veteran and first-round pick in 2000 most recently played for New Jersey, where he averaged 6.9 points and 2.5 assists in 53 games, including eight starts. Terms were not released.

The Boston Celtics have re-signed guard Nate Robinson. Robinson shot 41.4 percent from three-point range for the Celtics last year.

Jeff Hathaway, the athletic director at Connecticut, which faces allegations of NCAA violations in its men’s basketball program, has been picked to chair the NCAA Division I men’s basketball committee. Hathaway will serve as chairman for the 2011-12 academic year.

FOOTBALL

Titans, Johnson agree

Chris Johnson’s agent says the running back and the Tennessee Titans have agreed on a revised deal that will ensure he reports with the rest of the team for training camp. Agent Joel Segal confirmed the deal Monday to The Associated Press. Segal would not say how much of a raise Johnson is getting, but did say the running back will get a pay increase. Johnson will reportedly earn $2.5 million this season under the revised deal. It’s not the minimum $30 million in guaranteed money the AP 2009 Offensive Player of the Year had been saying he wanted, but he no longer will be the lowest-paid running back on the Titans roster with a base salary of $550,000.

Miami Dolphins defensive end Phillip Merling has been formally charged with felony battery against his pregnant girlfriend. The Broward State Attorney’s Office filed the charge Friday. The 6-5, 305-pound Merling was arrested May 27 in Weston. When the Broward Sheriff’s Office arrested him, they noted that he either knew or should have known the woman was pregnant. If convicted, the 25-year-old could face up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

Wide receiver Eddie Kennison has signed a contract with Kansas City so he can retire as a member of the Chiefs. Kennison played in 91 games for Kansas City, from 2001 through 2007. He ranks seventh in team history with 5,230 yards receiving and eighth with 321 receptions. He finishes his career with 548 receptions for 8,345 yards with 42 touchdowns.

HOCKEY

Kovalchuk staying with Devils

Ilya Kovalchuk is staying with the New Jersey Devils. Kovalchuk’s agent and the team announced Monday that the biggest prize of the NHL free agent market agreed to a 17-year, $102 million contract. The 27-year-old Kovalchuk was traded to the Devils by Atlanta in February after rejecting a 12-year, $101 million extension offered by the Thrashers. He had 41 goals and 44 assists last season, but he posted only 10 goals and 17 assists with the Devils. The first pick overall in the 2001 NHL draft, Kovalchuk has scored 338 career goals, the most by any player in the league in that period.

The Tampa Bay Lightning traded defenseman Matt Walker and a fourth-round pick in the 2011 draft to the Philadelphia Flyers for left wing Simon Gagne. Gagne has played in 664 career NHL games - all with the Flyers. He has 259 goals and 265 assists and put together two seasons with 40 or more goals. He had 17 goals and 23 assists in 58 games last season and added nine goals and three assists in 19 playoff games as Philadelphia reached the Stanley Cup final before losing to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games. Walker has played in 304 career regular-season games over seven seasons. Walker had two goals, three assists and 90 penalty minutes in 66 games last season with the Lightning. While with St. Louis, Chicago and Tampa Bay, Walker had four goals, 26 assists and 444 penalty minutes in his career.

TENNIS

Dushevina, Paszek advance

Sixth-seeded Vera Dushevina of Russia rallied for a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over countryman Anna Lapushchenkova in the first round of the Slovenia Open on Monday in Portoroz. Tamira Paszek of Austria also advanced to the second round by beating Jelena Kostanic Tosic of Croatia 7-5, 6-2.

Spanish qualifier Pere Riba upset 2009 German Open runner-up Paul-Henri Mathieu of France 1-6, 6-0, 6-3 Monday for a spot in the second round of the clay-court tournament in Hamburg. Italian duo Potito Starace and Fabio Fognini also reached the second round.

Sixth-seeded Mardy Fish beat James Ward of Great Britain 6-1, 6-2 Monday night in the first round of the Atlanta Tennis Championships in Johns Creek, Ga. No. 8 seed Benjamin Becker of Germany was beaten 6-3, 6-3 by Michael Russell, who at 32 is the oldest American ranked in the ATP top 100 world rankings.

FOOTBALL

Bills sign Arkansas State’s Carrington

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Buffalo Bills rookie defensive end Alex Carrington can begin focusing on the start of training camp now that his contract is out of the way.

The third-round draft pick out of Arkansas State signed a four-year deal with Buffalo on Monday, a little over a week before the team will open camp in suburban Rochester on July 29.

“It’s quite a bit of a relief,” Carrington said. “I’m glad my deal got done so that wouldn’t be on my mind. ... I didn’t want to miss a day of training camp.”

Selected 72nd overall, Carrington is competing for a backup role on a revamped defense that’s making the switch to the 3-4 system under first-year Coach Chan Gailey. The Bills are already deep at the position, with Marcus Stroud making the switch from tackle, and the signing of Dwan Edwards in free agency.

At 6-5 and 285 pounds, Carrington was a proven pass rusher as a four-year starter in college.

He finished with 21 1 /2 career sacks to rank second in school history and fourth on the Sun Belt Conference list. His 10 1 /2 sacks in 2008 earned him the conference’s defensive player of the year selection.

“I’m definitely catching on to everything, but I know training camp will be another introduction to the NFL,” he said. “I’m ready to get to hitting now and put some pads on.”

Sports, Pages 16 on 07/20/2010

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