Rockets are for sale
The Houston Rockets are going up for sale.
Rockets chief executive Tad Brown made the announcement Monday, hours after owner Leslie Alexander made the decision.
Alexander took over as owner on July 30, 1993, and the Rockets went on to win back-to-back titles in 1994-95 behind the likes of Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. In 24 seasons under Alexander, the Rockets have won 56.9% of their games, fifth-highest in the league.
The Boston Celtics announced that they have signed Paul Pierce to a contract so the 10-time All-Star can retire with the team he spent his best 15 seasons in the NBA with. Pierce helped bring a championship in 2008 as part of the “Big Three” with Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.
Unseeded Marco Cecchinato defeated fifth-seeded Gilles Simon of France 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 to open the Croatia Open with an upset result.
The 105th-ranked Italian broke his 36th-ranked opponent twice in the opening set, and did the same in the decisive third set after the favorite Simon won the second.
Canada came from four goals down to draw with Montenegro 8-8, while the United States lost its opening match of men’s water polo at the world championships.
Croatia, the only team to have won a medal at each of the last five worlds, defeated the United States 12-7 in Group D, where Russia beat Japan 15-8 in the late match.
The Nashville Predators have signed forward Frederick Gaudreau to a three-year contract. For the first two years of the deal, GauBut dreau’s contract will be worth $650,000 when he’s in the NHL or $70,000 when he’s in the American Hockey League. His contract will earn him $700,000 in the 2019-20 season.
The Ottawa Senators avoided arbitration with restricted freeagent forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau by agreeing to terms on a $9.3-million, three-year contract. The 24-year-old center will earn $2.6 million next season, $3.3 million in 2018-19 and $3.4 million in 2019-20.
Defenseman Brian Campbell is retiring at age 38 after playing 17 NHL seasons and winning the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010. The Blackhawks say he’ll join their business operations department, assisting with community and youth hockey initiatives and marketing.
The Philadelphia Flyers have signed first-round pick Nolan Patrick to an entry-level contract. The 18-year-old center was selected No. 2 overall last month.