Suns give D'Antoni OK to look around

The Phoenix Suns granted permission for coach Mike D'Antoni to talk to other teams, with the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks apparently the leading suitors. General manager Steve Kerr confirmed that D'Antoni can speak with other teams about coaching vacancies but indicated he still wants to persuade the coach to stay with the Suns. "As we continue to convey, we value Mike D'Antoni as the head coach of the Phoenix Suns and would like him to continue leading this basketball team," Kerr said in a statement. Kerr said he would have no further comment "until this process further evolves." D'Antoni, reached by telephone, declined to comment . . . The league has scheduled a news conference today at a Los Angeles hotel, where Kobe Bryant is expected to be announced as winner of his first Most Valuable Player award. The Los Angeles Times reported last Friday that Bryant had won the award.

Pittsburgh Steelers first-round draft pick Rashard Mendenhall was robbed at gunpoint along the Chicago lakefront early yesterday, his mother and agent said. The former Illinois running back was not hurt in the robbery, during which two people stole Mendenhall's wallet and cellphone, his mother, Sybil Mendenhall, told the Chicago Tribune. Police spokesman John Mirabelli said a man and a woman were robbed at the lakefront around 2 a.m. by two offenders, but declined to identify the victims . . . Bears running back Cedric Benson believes officers used excessive force against him and plans to fight charges he operated a boat while intoxicated and resisted arrest on a Texas lake over the weekend. "He denies that he was intoxicated," attorney Brian Carney said. "He denies that he resisted arrest." . . . ESPN reported that six of the bullet casings found after an April 29 shooting in Philadelphia near Marvin Harrison's car wash and garage came from a gun that belongs to the Colts wide receiver. Harrison's attorney declined comment yesterday to ESPN, and police said they have no suspects . . . The Patriots signed second-year nose tackle Steve Fifita to an undisclosed contract. The 25-year-old Fifita played in 13 games (one start) for the Dolphins last season. The team also released offensive tackle Josh Coffman and defensive lineman Carlos Feliciano, both of whom had been signed as rookie free agents May 2 . . . Falcons linebacker Michael Boley was charged with battery after his wife accused him of becoming "physical" after an argument. Boley, 25, was arrested Saturday at his Dacula, Ga., home and released on $1,200 bond for the misdemeanor . . . Former Lions defensive end Robert Porcher was sentenced to 50 hours of community service for an assault on his ex-wife in December in Bloomfield Township, Mich.

The trainer of euthanized filly Eight Belles adamantly defended the way jockey Gabriel Saez handled the Kentucky Derby runner-up. In an interview with the Associated Press, Larry Jones said Saez applied the whip only to prevent Eight Belles from crashing into the rail. "This filly in every race has tried to drift toward the rail," Jones said. "It's her comfort zone, and Gabriel knows this. This kid made every move the right move, and I hate it that they're wanting to jump down his throat. He did not try to abuse that horse to make her run faster." People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals called for Saez to be suspended . . . Chelokee, a Michael Matz-trained horse that broke down on Kentucky Oaks day, made it through surgery successfully, and a veterinarian upgraded his survival chances to 60 percent.

University of Massachusetts coach Derek Kellogg has named four assistants, including former Pepperdine coach Vance Walberg and holdover Adam Ginsburg, who has been an assistant coach for the Minutemen the past three seasons. Two former assistants at Memphis, where Kellogg spent eight years before taking the UMass job last month, also were appointed to his staff. Andy Allison will be director of basketball operations and Shyrone Chatman will be director of player personnel . . . Boston University coach Dennis Wolff announced the signings of 6-foot-8-inch forward Jake O'Brien of Boston College High and 6-8 center Jeff Pelage of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. . . . Devan Downey, who led South Carolina in scoring last season as a sophomore, has been charged with simple assault stemming from an argument with a student on campus last week.

Roger Federer's first tennis match at the Rome Masters will come against a player who's given him all sorts of trouble: Guillermo Canas. Canas rallied past Gianluca Naso, 6-7 (8-10), 6-3, 6-2, to set up a meeting with Federer, who had a first-round bye. Canas has won three of his five meetings with Federer . . . A day after Ronaldo said in a TV interview that his encounter with prostitutes last week will "not interfere" with his post as a UNICEF ambassador, the United Nation's children's agency said the Brazilian soccer star has no official link to the organization . . . A Georgia Tech pitcher died last month from an accidental drug overdose, the medical examiner's office said, but it has not been determined whether heroin was involved. Michael Hutts, 21, was the victim of accidental morphine toxicity, according to a statement from Fulton (Ga.) County's chief medical examiner . . . The Cleveland Indians will designate outfielder Jason Michaels for assignment and recall outfielder Ben Francisco from Triple A Buffalo before tonight's start of a series at New York against the Yankees . . . Colorado Rockies righthander Kip Wells will have surgery for a blood clot in his right hand and is out indefinitely . . . The Atlanta Braves acquired first baseman/outfielder Greg Norton from the Seattle Mariners for a player to named later or cash considerations . . . Raymond Androlewicz and Dale Smith of Webster-Dudley Golf Club shot a 7-under-par 65 to take a one-shot lead after the first round of the Massachusetts Four-Ball Championship, which is being contested at Franklin Country Club and Maplegate Country Club in Bellingham.