IN BRIEF
BASKETBALL
Telfair, Timberwolves agree to multiyear deal
Even when Timberwolves boss Kevin McHale declined to extend Sebastian Telfair a qualifying offer before free agency began, he knew he wanted the point guard to return to Minnesota.
On Tuesday, the sides reached agreement on a multiyear deal to make that happen.
The unrestricted free agent agreed to return for a second season with the Timberwolves, who acquired him from Boston in the Kevin Garnett trade last summer.
When Randy Foye went down with a knee injury in the preseason last year, Telfair was thrust into the starting role with the Timberwolves and emerged as a capable game manager. He averaged a career-high 32.2 minutes and 5.9 assists per game to go along with 9.3 points.
Also: Golden State acquired Marcus Williams from New Jersey, filling its need for a backup point guard.
The Warriors, who lost Baron Davis to the Los Angeles Clippers in free agency, traded a conditional first-round draft pick to the Nets for Williams, a first-round pick in 2006.
Williams averaged 5.9 points and 2.6 assists in 53 games with the Nets last season after missing the first 23 games with a broken right foot.
The San Antonio Spurs re-signed Kurt Thomas, keeping the veteran forward after trading for him in February.
The 6-foot-9-inch Thomas averaged 4.5 points and 4.9 rebounds for the Spurs in 28 games. Thomas appeared in all 17 playoff games for San Antonio, averaging 4.1 points and 4.9 rebounds.
Well-traveled sharpshooter Matt Barnes signed a one-year contract with the Phoenix Suns.
The 6-7 forward spent the last two seasons with Golden State, averaging 8.5 points and 4.5 rebounds.
A scuffle in the final minute of a WNBA game between the Los Angeles Sparks and Detroit Shock resulted in players and coaches from both teams leaving the bench.
Things turned ugly in the final seconds of the Sparks' 84-81 win in Auburn Hills, Mich., as a collision between L.A.'s Candace Parker and Detroit's Plenette Pierson turned into a shoving match.
Shock assistant coach Rick Mahorn, who was involved in the Pistons-Pacers brawl on Nov. 19, 2004, as a Detroit broadcaster trying to break up the fight, appeared to shove the Sparks' Lisa Leslie to the floor at one point.
Parker, Pierson, Mahorn and L.A.'s DeLisha Milton-Jones were all ejected, and Detroit's Cheryl Ford left the floor on a wheelchair after getting injured while trying to restrain Pierson.
TENNIS
Serena Williams hurt, drops out of tourney
Serena Williams' injured left knee has knocked her out of another tournament less than three weeks before the Beijing Olympics.
After practicing Tuesday morning, Williams said she knew she couldn't play in the East West Bank Classic in Carson, Calif. She was scheduled to open today against Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic.
Williams withdrew from Saturday's semifinals at Stanford after injuring her knee.
Also: Imagine Roger Federer playing one of the Williams sisters. Or Rafael Nadal facing Maria Sharapova.
Promoter Steve Bellamy, who previously ran Las Vegas' Tennis Channel Open, envisions such matchups one day, although he'll go with less dynamic pairings for now. On Aug. 3, he'll stage what's believed to be the first tournament involving world-ranked men and women going head to head.
The one-day competition in suburban Pacific Palisades, Calif., comes with several big rules changes: no overhand serve, second serves or lets. All serving is drop-hit and struck from below the waist.
Bellamy said Vince Spadea, Justin Gimelstob, Derrick Rostagno and Alexandra Stevenson are among those expected to play.
MISCELLANEOUS
Powell outruns Bolt in 100-meter showdown
Asafa Powell capitalized on Usain Bolt's weak start and edged the world-record holder by one-hundredth of a second, leading from start to finish in the 100 meters at the DN Galan meet in Stockholm, Sweden.
Powell, the former world-record holder, won their highly anticipated rematch in 9.88 seconds. Bolt, who was slow out of the blocks, nearly caught his fellow Jamaican at the finish line.
Bolt set the world record of 9.72 in New York on May 31, breaking Powell's mark of 9.74.
Also: Frank Schleck of Luxembourg kept the yellow jersey in the Tour de France, with riders pushing themselves through the Alps as cycling's showcase race left Italy and returned to France.
French rider Cyril Dessel won the 16th stage for his first stage victory in this race. He led a breakaway group of four riders to a downhill finish, completing the 98-mile trip from Cuneo, Italy, to Jausiers, France.
Joe Calzaghe postponed his proposed Sept. 20 fight against Roy Jones Jr. because of a sprained right wrist.
The 36-year-old Calzaghe, who is unbeaten in 45 professional fights during a 15-year career, injured his hand Sunday in London while punching pads.
Daniel Carcillo, who led the NHL in penalty minutes as a rookie last season, was re-signed to a two-year contract by the Phoenix Coyotes.
Carcillo, a 23-year-old left winger, had 13 goals, 11 assists and 324 penalty minutes in 57 games.
He became the first rookie in NHL history to have more than 300 penalty minutes and 15 points in one season.
The son of Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid was sentenced to two years in a drug rehabilitation program.
Garrett Reid had pleaded guilty in May to trying to smuggle dozens of pills into the Montgomery County Jail.
Reid, 25, was serving time in the jail for a heroin-fueled car crash that injured a motorist.
When Reid surrendered on charges related to that crash in October, prison guards found 89 prescription pills inside his rectum.
UCLA tailback Christian Ramirez won't play for the Bruins this season because he didn't meet NCAA eligibility requirements.
The junior will have two seasons of eligibility remaining and can count 2008 as a redshirt season.
Second-round play at the U.S. Junior Amateur in Shoal Creek, Ala., was suspended because of threatening weather, but not before 15-year-old Jorge Fernandez Valdes of Argentina extended his lead to five strokes.
Valdes was 1 under through eight holes after opening with a 7-under-par 65 before play was suspended in midafternoon.
