BASKETBALL

Fisher wooing Anthony

Derek Fisher (Little Rock Parkview, UALR) said Tuesday in Las Vegas that his message to Carmelo Anthony when Knicks officials met with him last week was that the team will win, and he hopes that got through to him. But, like everyone else, the new Knicks coach is waiting for Anthony’s decision. “It’s about winning, from what I could gather,” Fisher said after a summer-league practice. “He wants to win. He wants to be successful, and so in the time I had to visit with him, I just shared with him that we’ll be a better basketball team because we’ll play the game in a better way. We’ll play as a team, we’ll play with a system with the format that allows the game to be easier for him and easier for his teammates. “I’m not sure if we hit home. I guess we’ll find out, but hopefully we’ll find out soon.” The free-agent process began in earnest for Anthony eight days ago when he traveled to Chicago and spent nine hours with members of the Bulls organization. He also visited with the Rockets, Mavericks, Lakers and Knicks. Anthony is choosing among the Knicks, Bulls and Lakers, and his decision could come at any time. “He was very transparent in saying he would take some time with his family before he decided on what his future would be,” Fisher said. “We’re all kind of in wait-and-see mode like everyone else. When he’s ready to announce it, I’m sure he will.” The Knicks can pay Anthony the most — $129 million. The Lakers have offered him the maximum they are allowed ($96 million). The Bulls can give Anthony about $55 million less than the Knicks unless they agree on a sign-and-trade. But of the three, Chicago has the best chance to contend now. Anthony has said playing for a team with a chance to compete for a championship was his priority. He also said he would take less than a max deal if it gave the Knicks room to sign other players. But Knicks president Phil Jackson told Anthony in their meeting Thursday in Los Angeles that he would give him a five-year, $129-million contract.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have signed first-round draft pick Zach LaVine. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. LaVine was the 13th overall pick out of UCLA last month. He averaged 9.5 points and 2.5 rebounds as a freshman last season. But the Timberwolves believe LaVine’s versatility and athleticism will eventually make him an impact player in the NBA.

Washington Wizards 6-11 center Marcin Gortat has agreed to a five-year, $60-million deal to remain in Washington, citing a surprise visit to his basketball camp in Poland from a delegation of Wizards executives and coaches before the start of free agency was a gesture he didn’t forget. Gortat averaged 13.2 points and 9.5 rebounds for the Wizards this past season.

Embattled College of Charleston men’s basketball coach Doug Wojcik won’t be allowed to recruit on the road after a school report found it likely he verbally abused players and other personnel. College of Charleston President Glenn McConnell is consulting with other school leaders about Wojcik’s behavior and his future with the program. Wojcik, 50, has said in a statement released through his attorney that he won’t quit. He has a 38-29 record in two seasons with the Cougars.

North Carolina State has added West Virginia transfer Terry Henderson, a three-point specialist who averaged 11.7 points in 28 games for the Mountaineers, to its roster. Henderson must sit out this season due to NCAA transfer rules and will have two seasons of eligibility beginning in 2015-2016.

FOOTBALL

Redskins blogger out

A blogger hired by the Washington Redskins to defend the team’s name has quit after two weeks. Ben Tribbett announced his resignation on Twitter late Monday, saying he didn’t want to be a distraction because of personal attacks directed toward him. Tribbett is well-known in Virginia politics as an advocate for liberal issues. He is perhaps best known for leading the attacks on Sen. George Allen for using the word “macaca” to describe an American of Indian descent during Allen’s ill-fated re-election campaign in 2006. Tribbett tweeted that he supports the Redskins name but doesn’t “see eye to eye with some friends” over the issue. Redskins owner Dan Snyder has vowed not to change the name but is facing unprecedented opposition from those who consider it a racial slur.

The University of Miami has dismissed 20-year-old sophomore linebackers JaWand Blue and Alexander Figueroa from the football team and suspended them as students after sexual battery charges were brought against them. They are accused of getting a 17-year-old girl drunk July 5 and then repeatedly raping her at an on-campus residential hall. Blue and Figueroa turned themselves in Tuesday and admitted “buying and administering several alcohol beverages” for the victim and then performing sex acts without her consent, the police report says. Blue, a native of Boca Raton, registered one tackle in the two games in which he played last year. Figueroa, from Stafford, Va., was listed as a possible starter on the Hurricanes’ depth chart and made 17 tackles in nine games last year.

BASEBALL

Beckett goes on DL

The Dodgers put pitcher Josh Beckett on the disabled list Tuesday, hoping a short rest now can help him avoid a prolonged absence later in the season. Beckett left Sunday’s game after five innings after aggravating a sore left hip while running the bases. Beckett, 34, is 6-5 in 17 starts and ranks third in the National League with a 2.26 earned-run average.

Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig said Tuesday he has accepted an invitation from National League All-Star captain Troy Tulowitzki to compete in the All-Star Game’s home-run derby. Puig joins Miami’s Giancarlo Stanton, who leads the NL with 21 home runs, Tulowitzki and Todd Frazier of the Cincinnati Reds on the NL squad. The American League team includes captain Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays, defending derby champion Yoenis Cespedes of the Oakland Athletics, Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles and Brian Dozier of the Minnesota Twins, the host team for the All-Star Game.

Minnesota Twins right-hander Ricky Nolasco has been placed on the 15-day disabled list because of a strained right elbow. The move will be retroactive to Sunday, when he lasted just two innings against the Yankees. Nolasco is 5-7 with a 5.90 ERA in 18 starts this season.