BASKETBALL

NUGGETS HIRE KARL AS HEAD COACH

George Karl was hired as head coach of the Denver Nuggets yesterday, returning to the NBA after nearly two years to take over a team that has failed to live up to lofty expectations.

The deal was finalized yesterday morning and announced in Milwaukee, where the Nuggets play the Bucks tonight. Karl is expected to be on the bench for the game, making his debut with the Nuggets against the team that fired him in 2003. Interim coach Michael Cooper will stay on as an assistant.

Karl has won 708 games in 16 NBA seasons – 13th in league history – and helped Seattle reach the playoffs in 1991-92 after a 20-20 start. Karl also took the Sonics to the NBA Finals in 1996 and led them to at least 60 wins three times in five years.

BASEBALL

BERKMAN AVOIDS ARBITRATION, SIGNS WITH ASTROS

All-Star outfielder Lance Berkman, expected to miss the start of the season after hurting his knee playing flag football, avoided salary arbitration when he agreed yesterday to a $10.5 million, one-year contract with the Houston Astros.

Houston said it will attempt to reach a multiyear deal with Berkman, who is eligible to become a free agent after next season. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in November. Berkman had asked for $11 million in arbitration and had been offered $10 million. Berkman hit .316 with 30 homers and 106 RBI last season, He led Houston in batting average, homers, walks, slugging average, total bases, on-base average, and games.

WHITE SOX INK IGUCHI ON BUSY DAY OF SIGNINGS

Tadahito Iguchi, who spent the past eight seasons with the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks of Japan’s Pacific League, signed a two-year contract worth $4.95 million with the Chicago White Sox. The 30-year-old infielder ranked among Japanese baseball leaders with a .333 batting average, 280 total bases, 170 runs, and 18 stolen bases last season.

In other signings, outfielder Doug Glanville and utility player Damian Rolls reached preliminary agreements on minor league contracts with the Yankees. Glanville would get a $550,000, one-year contract if he is added to the major league roster and Rolls would receive a $600,000, one-year deal.

Also yesterday, former N.L. Rookie of the Year Hideo Nomo agreed to a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks after going 3-11 in 18 starts for Los Angeles in 2004.

FOOTBALL

PASQUALONI LANDS WITH COWBOYS

Former Syracuse head coach Paul Pasqualoni became the first new addition to Bill Parcells’s coaching staff in Dallas yesterday. Pasqualoni, 55, has yet to be assigned a specific role. The only current vacancy on Parcells’s staff is tight ends coach, following last week’s release of offensive line coach George Warhop and kicking coach Steve Hoffman. The team’s former tight ends coach, Tony Sparano, was moved to replace Warhop.

Pasqualoni was fired after a 6-5 campaign last season. He was 107-59-1 in 14 seasons at Syracuse and led the Orangemen to nine bowl games.

49ERS HIRE MCCARTHY AS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR

Mike McCarthy will return the West Coast offense to the San Francisco 49ers after joining the club as coach Mike Nolan’s offensive coordinator yesterday. The 49ers also hired George Warhop as their offensive line coach, adding two more veteran NFL assistants to Nolan’s new staff. McCarthy spent the last five seasons with the New Orleans Saints, where his offense led the NFL in scoring in 2002. McCarthy also coached the quarterbacks at Green Bay and Kansas City – working with Brett Favre and Joe Montana – before joining the Saints.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

ARIZONA TAKES PAC-10 LEAD WITH WIN OVER WASHINGTON

Channing Frye scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half and no. 11 Arizona made 38 of 40 free throws to beat no. 10 Washington 91-82 last night, taking over first place in the

Pac-10. Salim Stoudamire scored 25 points capped by a three-point play on a leaning baseline bank shot with 44 seconds left for an 88-82 Arizona lead.

The Wildcats (17-3, 7-1) trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half and were down 47-40 at the break against the Huskies, who beat Arizona three times last season. Brandon Roy led Washington (16-3, 6-2) with 15 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists but was just 5-of-14 from the field.

GOLF

OGILVIE TAKES LEAD AT BOB HOPE CLASSIC

Joe Ogilvie shot a 9-under 63 yesterday to take a three-stroke lead over defending champion Phil Mickelson and Fredrik Jacobson after the second round of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. Ogilvie began the five-day tournament with a 64 and was at 17-under 127 for two rounds, the third-most shots below par through 36 holes in PGA Tour history. Mickelson, who also won the 2002 Hope, shot a 64, and Jacobson had a 62 – the best round of the tournament so far. Fred Couples and Billy Mayfair were in a group of five at 13 under, four shots off the pace. Couples had a 66 and Mayfair a 64.

– Associated Press

AROUND THE NBA

DETROIT 88 Chauncey Billups scored 20 points and Tayshaun Prince added 16 as the Pistons
INDIANA 76 handed the Pacers their third straight loss. Indiana dropped below .500 with the loss.
CHARLOTTE 93 The Bulls won their fifth straight game and 10th out of 11 behind 17 points from
CHICAGO 101 Andres Nocioni, 16 points from Eric Piatkowski, and 14 points from Jannero Pargo.
**LATE GAMES Sacramento at San Antonio