Basketball
HILL OUT OF OLYMPICS: Looks like Grant Hill won't make it to Sydney.
"Although we don't have final word, I think there's a real chance, unfortunately, that (Hill) might not be able to play," USA Basketball president Russ Granik said Monday. "It may be necessary that we're going to have to find one replacement. We'll try to do it as soon as possible."
Hill broke his left ankle late in the season and had a pin surgically inserted after the Detroit Pistons were swept by the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs.
When Hill was selected for one of the final three spots, team officials said they wanted to add a player with slashing, ballhandling and scoring skills — all qualities embodied by Hill.
"My guess is the committee would look at players who have similar skills," Granik said. "There's lot of possibilities at that kind of position. One who has sprained his ankle here (Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers) is a possibility, (Charlotte's) Eddie Jones is a possibility. At that position there are a lot of great players."
HARPER RESIGNS: Derek Harper, no longer positioned to become general manager of the Dallas Mavericks, has resigned after four months as the team's vice president of business relations.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said the move was related to coach Don Nelson signing a new contract May 27. Nelson will coach the team three more seasons and continue as general manager for three years after that.
Harper "wanted to stay on the basketball side full time and be in a position to be a general manager in the next couple years," Cuban said Tuesday in The Dallas Morning News. "We obviously weren't in a position to do that with Nellie here."
Harper, a Mavericks player for 12 seasons, declined to comment.
GENTRY TO HAWKS: Former Detroit Pistons coach Alvin Gentry was hired as the top assistant to new Atlanta Hawks coach Lon Kruger, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Tuesday.
The Hawks will announce later Tuesday that Gentry will join Rick Mahorn and Eric Musselman on Kruger's first NBA coaching staff.
Kruger, hired last month from Illinois to replace veteran Lenny Wilkens, said he wanted a former head coach to head up his staff.
"I'm impressed with Lon. I like what I've seen of the Hawks talent," Gentry told the newspaper. "I had other opportunities, but going to the Hawks and living in Atlanta were opportunities that I couldn't pass up."
ERVING'S SON MISSING: The 19-year-old son of basketball great Julius Erving is "missing and endangered" and the public has been asked to help find him.
Cory Marvin Erving was last seen by his family May 28, the Seminole County sheriff's office said Tuesday.
A department spokesman said he is considered "endangered" because his whereabouts are unknown, and the description does not imply physical or mental impairment.
The department said the family was offering a "substantial award" for the son's return, but did not provide details.
Hockey
WILD ACQUISITIONS: The Minnesota Wild acquired Dallas Stars backup goalie Manny Fernandez as the expansion NHL team made its first two trades.
The Wild also acquired defenseman Brad Lukowich from the Stars in exchange for a third-round pick in next week's entry draft and a fourth-round selection in 2002.
Earlier, Minnesota acquired defenseman Andy Sutton and two draft picks from San Jose for an eighth-round pick in 2001. The Wild agreed not to select Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov, who will be exposed in next week's expansion draft in Calgary.
DEVILS' MOVES: The New Jersey Devils acquired right wing Steve Staios from Atlanta for a ninth-round draft pick this year, and got right wing Ed Ward from Anaheim for a seventh-round pick in 2001.
FLYER-HAWKS DEAL: The Philadelphia Flyers acquired center Mark Janssens from the Chicago Blackhawks for a ninth-round pick in this year's draft.
COTE A PREDATOR: The Nashville Predators traded enforcer Patrick Cote to the Edmonton Oilers for a fifth-round pick in the upcoming NHL entry draft. The Predators also re-signed forward Patric Kjellberg to a three-year contract.
Football
REDSKIN SIGNEES: The Washington Redskins added depth to their roster by signing guard Jay Leeuwenburg and defensive end Nolan Harrison.
Leeuwenburg has played eight seasons and started 96 games with Chicago, Indianapolis and Cincinnati. The Redskins had been looking for a backup for their offensive line, especially with starter Tre Johnson suspended for the season opener for striking an official in a playoff game last season.
Harrison has played nine years and started 81 games with Oakland and Pittsburgh. He replaces Anthony Cook, who could not reach contract terms with the Redskins.
Both players will make the minimum veteran's salary of $440,000 this season. Harrison signed a one-year contract Monday night, and Leeuwenburg agreed to a two-year deal with a $50,000 signing bonus.
WESTBROOK ARRESTED: Lions cornerback Bryant Westbrook was arrested on a drunken driving charge after police said his car drifted across three lanes, then stopped in the middle of the road.
After Westbrook's Mercedes came to a halt early Monday in suburban Detroit, other cars were forced to go around him, Farmington Hills Police Chief William Dwyer said Tuesday.
A preliminary breath test showed Westbrook's blood-alcohol level was 0.15, above the legal limit of 0.10 for drunken driving, the chief said.
FISHER REACHES AGREEMENT: The Tennessee Titans and Jeff Fisher reportedly reached an agreement that will make the coach of the AFC champions one of the NFL's highest paid.
The Titans and Fisher could disclose details on Tuesday of a contract extension that will keep him with the team through the 2003 season, according to reports by The Tennessean and WKRN-TV of Nashville.
Fisher, who has one year left on his current contract, gave the Titans a deadline of Thursday, the end of the team's minicamp, to complete negotiations.
Fisher, Titans president Jeff Diamond, and Marvin Demoff, Fisher's agent, could not be reached for comment Monday night.
The new contract is expected to put Fisher in the same salary range as Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher, Jacksonville coach Tom Coughlin and Carolina coach George Seifert. Each earns between $2.2 and $2.5 million a season.
Soccer
PORTUGAL WINS: Portugal beat England 3-2 at the European Championships. Also, defending champion Germany tied Romania 1-1 in Liege, Belgium.