BASKETBALL

KNICKS SIGN 19-YEAR-OLD CBA CENTER

Jackie Butler, a 19-year-old center from the CBA, signed with the Knicks yesterday to fill their active roster.

Butler, 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds, signed as a free agent for the rest of the season. He was averaging 18.1 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 1.45 blocks this season for the Great Lakes Storm. Butler finished high school in Virginia Beach, Va., and was not selected as an early entry candidate in the 2004 draft.

His addition is another move for a Knicks team that is 23-33 and last in the Atlantic Division. New York beat Indiana on Saturday night to win consecutive games for the first time since late December. Before the trade deadline, New York acquired two first-round draft picks and forward Malik Rose from San Antonio and forward Maurice Taylor from Houston. The Knicks sent Nazr Mohammed and Jamison Brewer to San Antonio and Vin Baker, Moochie Norris, and a no. 2 pick to the Rockets.

HOCKEY

LEMIEUX SAYS PLAYERS DECEIVED HIM

Mario Lemieux says he was led to believe the NHL Players’ Association would submit a new offer when he agreed to participate in a negotiating session just days after the season was canceled, according to a newspaper report.

Lemieux, the player-owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Phoenix managing partner Wayne Gretzky were invited by the NHLPA to participate in a negotiating session on February 19.They believed a new collective bargaining agreement offer would be made, featuring a $45 million salary cap.

“The only way that Wayne and I would have gotten involved is because we believed there was a new proposal coming from the players’ association,” Lemieux told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for a story in yesterday’s editions. “We were told by some of the players we were talking to that there would be a new proposal on the table at the $45 [million] level.”

The offer was never made, and NHLPA officials said later they never intended to make one. They insisted they went to New York only because the league had requested a meeting.

TENNIS

FEDERER BEATS LJUBICIC IN DUBAI FINAL

Top-ranked Roger Federer won his third straight Dubai Open on Sunday, defeating Ivan Ljubicic 6-1, 6-7 (6), 6-3. It was the third time this year Federer has beaten the Croat in a title match. Federer extended his ATP record streak of finals wins to 16, including three this year. The Swiss star won last month in Doha, Qatar, and last weekend in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Federer improved his record to 20-1 this year. He’s won 36 of his last 37 matches.

SOCCER

CHELSEA WINS ENGLISH LEAGUE CUP

Chelsea ended a miserable week by winning the English League Cup yesterday, coming back to beat Liverpool 3-2 in overtime. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho earned his first trophy in English soccer although he was forced to watch much of the game on TV because he was ejected in the 79th minute for celebrating his team’s tying goal.

Chelsea was knocked out of the FA Cup last weekend, and lost to FC Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday. But the Blues still lead the English Premier League by six points.

BASEBALL

MATSUI: CONTRACT TALKS WON’T BE RESOLVED BEFORE SEASON STARTS

Yankees left fielder Hideki Matsui doesn’t expect talks on his possible contract extension to be completed during spring training. Arn Tellem, Matsui’s agent, and Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman started negotiations Saturday.

Matsui is due $8 million in 2005, the final season of a $21 million, three-year deal. He has a clause in his contract that requires the Yankees to put him on waivers unless a new contract is agreed to by November 15.

“Probably not going to be anything that’s going to happen prior to the beginning of the season,” Matsui said through an interpreter yesterday. “My original plan was to play through my three years and then decide where to go from there. That was my original plan when I came here, and that still is.”

SMOLTZ TO START BRAVES’ OPENER

It’s all but official: John Smoltz will be the opening-day starter for the Atlanta Braves. While manager Bobby Cox hasn’t revealed his choice, he’s already set up his spring pitching schedule in such a way that Smoltz would be ready to go in the April 5 opener at Florida.

Smoltz, the only player who has been with the Braves for their entire run of 13 straight division titles, is returning to the starting rotation after spending the last three years as the closer, earning 144 saves.

The only other pitcher who warrants consideration for the honor is Tim Hudson, a former 20-game winner who pitched on opening day several times for the Oakland A’s. But Hudson has said he wouldn’t feel comfortable making the opening day start instead of Smoltz.

– Associated Press