■ Basketball
Cavaliers fire Jim Paxson
Jim Paxson was fired Thursday as general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers, whose stunning second-half collapse this season cost them their first trip to the National Basketball Association playoffs in seven years. Paxson's dismissal has been expected for weeks and came exactly one month after Paul Silas was fired as coach by owner Dan Gilbert, who has had a tumultuous first 50 days running the franchise. The Cavaliers were 31-21 on Feb. 25, and 34-30 when Silas was fired. But the team fell apart down the stretch.
■ Hockey
Demitra decides to play
Pavol Demitra has decided to play for Slovakia at the ice hockey world championships. The NHL forward initially said he would skip the April 30-May 15 tournament to stay home with his wife, who is expecting twins and has been hospitalized. But on Thursday, Demitra told TV Markiza in Bratislava, Slovakia that he has changed his mind after discussing the matter with doctors and his family. Slovakia, which won the title in 2002, is also expected to have Marian Hossa of Ottawa, Zigmund Palffy and Jozef Stumpel of Los Angeles and Miroslav Satan of Buffalo.
■ Boxing
Title fights scheduled
WBA super featherweight champion Yodsanan Nanthachai of Thailand and IBF junior bantamweight champ Luis Perez of Nicaragua will defend their titles on April 30 at Madison Square Garden. The bouts will be on the undercard of WBA heavyweight champion John Ruiz's defense against James Toney. Yodsanan (44-2-1, 36 knockouts) will fight Vicente Mosquera of Panama in a mandatory bout. Yodsanan has held the belt since 2002 and has not lost since 1994, winning 37 straight. Mosquera is 20-1-1 with 10 knockouts. He will be participating in his first title fight and making his first appearance in the US. Perez also will make a mandatory defense against No. 1 contender Luis Bolano. Perez (22-1, 14 knockouts) won the 51kg title on Jan. 4, 2003. Bolano (38-2, 28 knockouts) is from Colombia.
■ Basketball
Academic expresses doubts
Yao Ming has been nominated as a "Model Worker," but a prominent Chinese academic says the NBA star doesn't qualify for the title usually bestowed on ordinary laborers. "Sports stars ... are not the perfect models for the public," Zhou Xiaozheng, a sociology professor at Beijing's Renmin University, was quoted by the official Xinhua News Agency said Wednesday. "According to the past criteria, the title of `Model Worker' should only be given to ordinary laborers," Zhou said. The ruling party nominated the Houston Rockets center last month for the honor, which for decades has turned anonymous miners, teachers or factory workers into celebrities in the state media. Winners are to be announced April 30. Yao already has twice received a local version of the award given by his hometown of Shanghai. Shanghai has also named him an official spokesman to promote the city.
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