in brief

Isiah Thomas was rehired Friday by the New York Knicks, two years after he was fired as their coach and president, as a consultant.

Thomas, a Hall of Fame player, had a dismal run as team president from December 2003 to April 2008, with the Knicks never winning a postseason game despite often having the NBA's highest payroll. He was also the coach the final two seasons, getting fired after a 23-59 season in 2007-08.

In 2006, Thomas and Madison Square Garden were sued for sexual harassment by a female former team executive. MSG settled the case for $11.6 million.

Thomas will keep his job as coach at Florida International University. But his hire could violate NBA rules that forbid college coaches from having jobs with league teams, which aren't allowed to have contact with players who aren't eligible for the draft.

Also: Rookie center Cole Aldrich signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Aldrich was the No. 11 overall pick in the NBA Draft before being traded from the New Orleans Hornets to the Thunder. The former Kansas star will make about $1.8 million in the first year of his contract and $1.9 million in the second under the league's rookie scale.

The Charlotte Bobcats signed undrafted rookie point guard Sherron Collins to a two-year, nonguaranteed deal. Collins, who starred at Kansas, played well for the Bobcats' summer league team last month. The team is looking for a replacement for starting point guard Raymond Felton, who signed with the Knicks.

The Minnesota Timberwolves agreed to terms on a two-year deal with free-agent forward Anthony Tolliver. He averaged 11.7 points and 7.0 rebounds for the Golden State Warriors last season.

Free-agent swingman Keith Bogans agreed to a two-year contract with the Chicago Bulls. The deal is reportedly worth about $2.5 million, with the first year guaranteed.

golf

Ex-Gorman star Armour fires
63, leads Champions tourney

Tommy Armour III, a former Bishop Gorman High School star, shot 9-under-par 63 to take a one-stroke lead over Mark Calcavecchia and David Frost after the first round of the 3M Championship in Blaine, Minn.

Armour, who has three second-place finishes in 12 starts in his rookie year on the Champions Tour, birdied three of his first four holes and his final three to finish with eight.

Defending champion Bernhard Langer, the winner of senior major tournaments the last two weeks, is five shots behind.

Also: Lee Westwood of England withdrew from the PGA Championship. Westwood, a runner-up at the Masters and the British Open this year, suffered a calf injury at the French Open the first week in July that has caused swelling in his right ankle.

Alex Cejka shot 4-under 68 to take a one-stroke lead over Chris Tidland and Rory Sabbatini after two rounds of the Turning Stone Resort Championship at Verona, N.Y. Cejka is at 10-under 134.

miscellaneous

Lochte stuns Phelps in 200 IM
at U.S. national championships

Ryan Lochte defeated Michael Phelps for the first time in a major national or international meet, winning the 200-meter individual medley at the U.S. national championships in Irvine, Calif.

Lochte touched in 1 minute, 54.84 seconds, with Phelps second in 1:55.94. Their times were the two fastest in the world this year, and Lochte's time was the fifth quickest ever. Lochte set the world record at last year's world championships in Rome.

Also: Tyson Gay upset defending world and Olympic champion Usain Bolt in the 100 meters in a race between the two fastest runners in history. Gay finished in 9.84 seconds at the DN Galan meet at the 1912 Olympic Stadium in Stockholm, the same place where Bolt last lost a race two years ago. Bolt took second in 9.97.

Mike Modano signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings. The 40-year-old center, an eight-time All-Star who is the highest-scoring American-born player in NHL history with 557 goals and 1,359 points, will make $1.25 million, with the possibility of $500,000 more through bonuses.

Fifth-seeded Flavia Pennetta moved into the semifinals of the Mercury Insurance Open in Carlsbad, Calif., with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over second-seeded Samantha Stosur. All three of the tournament's top seeds have been eliminated.

Unseeded Xavier Malisse upset Wimbledon runner-up and top-seeded Tomas Berdych 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 in the Legg Mason Tennis Classic quarterfinals in Washington. Malisse was coming off a victory over No. 5-seeded John Isner.

Mountain Ridge opened pool play in the Little League Baseball West Regional tournament in San Bernardino, Calif., with a 10-3 loss to Ocean View of Huntington Beach, Calif.

Mountain Ridge continues pool play with a 12:30 p.m. game today against Washington, Utah.