MILWAUKEE – Three people with direct knowledge of the situation told the Associated Press that the Milwaukee Bucks are close to reaching a three-year contract extension with Coach Jason Kidd.
The three spoke on condition of anonymity Monday because the deal was not final. It is expected to be announced in the next few days. Yahoo! Sports first reported the extension talks.
Kidd is entering the last year of a three-year deal with Milwaukee initially signed in 2014. He is 74-90 over his first two seasons in Milwaukee, including a 41-win season and playoff appearance in 2014-15.
Kidd also coached in Brooklyn for one season, guiding the Nets to a 44-38 record and a playoff appearance in 2013-14.
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – The Detroit Pistons extended the contract of General Manager Jeff Bower.
Pistons Coach and President of Basketball Operations Stan Van Gundy said Bower has been at the forefront of the franchise’s moves the past two seasons. The team didn’t disclose terms of the deal announced Monday.
Detroit made the playoffs this year for the first time since 2009 before being swept by Cleveland in the first round
Bower became the Pistons’ GM two years ago. Detroit made a three-win improvement in his first season and won 11 more games in the second year. He was GM of the Charlotte and New Orleans Hornets from 2001 to 2003 and 2005 to 2010.
METAIRIE, La. – A person familiar with the situation said New Orleans Saints outside linebacker Hau’oli Kikaha has an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his left knee, the same knee in which the 2015 second-round draft choice had ACL repairs twice during his college career at Washington.
The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Monday because the Saints and Kikaha have not publicly discussed the injury. The person said physicians continue to evaluate the full extent of the injury, but that Kikaha will not play in the 2016 season.
Kikaha played in 15 games as a rookie and was in on 50 tackles with four sacks, four forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
He was injured during voluntary offseason practices last week, but the Saints have not yet placed him on injured reserve.
MILWAUKEE – The Chicago Bears said former defensive lineman Bryan Robinson has died. He was 41.
Robinson was found at a Milwaukee motel Saturday night. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office said Robinson, of Gurnee, Ill., was pronounced dead at the Midpoint Motel about 10:15 p.m. An autopsy was being conducted Monday.
Robinson was with the Bears from 1998 to 2003 and also played for the St. Louis Rams, Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals.
Robinson had a game-saving blocked field goal in Green Bay six days after Walter Payton died in 1999. He preserved a 14-13 victory over the Packers by blocking a 28-yard field goal attempt by Ryan Longwell in the final seconds.
The Bears said Robinson will be remembered for his determination and work ethic.
ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Blues hired Mike Yeo as the successor-in-waiting for Head Coach Ken Hitchcock, who has declared that next season will be his last behind the bench before retiring.
Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong announced Monday that Yeo will be an associate coach for one year under Hitchcock and take over the team for the 2017-18 season. The 64-year-old Hitchcock, who led the Blues to the Western Conference finals this season, will enter his sixth year with St. Louis.
Yeo was fired Feb. 13 by the Central Division rival Minnesota Wild after compiling a 173-132-44 record over five seasons. Under Yeo, the Wild made three trips to the playoffs, including a first-round victory over the Blues last year.
NEW YORK – Ike Davis and the New York Yankees have finalized a one-year contract, giving the team more options after putting four first basemen on the disabled list.
Davis gets paid at the rate of a $1.5 million salary while in the major leagues and at the rate of a $120,000 salary while in the minors, according to the deal reached Monday. With 112 days remaining in the regular season, his prorated major league salary is $918,033.
Davis hit .268 with four home runs and 25 RBI for Triple-A Round Rock, then was released Sunday.
The 29-year-old played for Oakland last season, hitting .229 with three home runs and 20 RBI. He had 32 homers for the New York Mets in 2012.
PHILADELPHIA – Police say a man accused of throwing a beer bottle near Phillies player Ryan Howard during a game earlier this month has been cited for disorderly conduct.
Police spokeswoman Tanya Little said 21-year-old Sidney Smith, from Wilmington, Del., turned himself in on Friday over the June 4 incident.
The aluminum bottle was thrown onto the field as Howard walked to the dugout at the end of the game. It landed near him, but didn’t hit him.
Ballpark security alerted police.
Smith was issued a summary citation for disorderly conduct and released. Little said he’ll appear before a judge Tuesday and could face a fine.
The slumping Howard has been struggling all season. He was baseball’s most valuable player in 2006 and helped the Phillies win a World Series in 2008.
STUTTGART, Germany – Dominic Thiem won his fourth ATP title of the year when he came from behind to beat Philipp Kohlschreiber, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-4, in the rain-delayed final of the Mercedes Cup on Monday.
The final was halted on Sunday with Kohlschreiber up 3-2 on serve in the tiebreaker. The seventh-seeded German took the tiebreaker, but Thiem had an early break of serve in each of the following two sets.
He led 3-1 in the third and saved a break point after serving a double-fault. He made his sixth double-fault in the final game and saved two more break points before clinching the match with a stop volley. The third-seeded Austrian saved all five break points he faced.
Thiem’s seventh career title was also his first on grass. He was a semifinalist at the French Open.
HALLE, Germany – Second-seeded Kei Nishikori overcame a shaky start to beat Lucas Pouille of France, 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-4, in the first round of the Gerry Weber open on Monday.
Nishikori fell behind 3-0 at the start of the match but battled back to force a tiebreaker. He was unable to win the last two points on his serve and Pouille got the set.
Nishikori raced through the second but requested medical treatment for what appeared to be a sore left shoulder. He broke serve in the seventh game and served out the match.
Pouille had 34 unforced errors, 12 more than Nishikori, the semifinalist in Halle the last two years. Pouille has never won on grass in four attempts.
The match was played under the roof because of rain.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A person familiar with the decision said longtime Florida Athletic Director Jeremy Foley is retiring.
The person did not say when Foley will step down. The person spoke to the Associated Press Monday on condition of anonymity because the school hasn’t announced Foley’s decision.
Foley has been Florida’s AD since 1992. Although he didn’t hire football coach Steve Spurrier, he brought a distinguished list of coaches to Gainesville while building one of the top programs in the Southeastern Conference and the country.
He is the only sitting AD in the country to have won at least one national title in each of the last seven years.