Sonics fire coach Hill, remove Sund as GM

Seattle – Seattle SuperSonics majority owner Clay Bennett overhauled the Sonics’ basketball operations Tuesday, firing coach Bob Hill and removing Rick Sund as general manager following a 31-51 season that was Seattle’s worst since finishing the 1985-86 season with an identical mark.

Sund, with one-year remaining on his contract, will remain with the franchise as a consultant. Hill’s contract was set to expire in June. Both were brought in by the previous ownership group. Hill was an assistant at Kansas University under Ted Owens and Larry Brown.

“Bob Hill and Rick Sund are fine individuals of excellent personal character and are basketball men through and through. They were both extremely helpful to us during this challenging year of transition. We are sincerely appreciative to them for their service and we wish them only the very best,” Bennett said in a statement.

James skips practice but promises to play

Cleveland – LeBron James didn’t practice. He did promise to play.

Resting his sprained left ankle for another day, James was kept out of Tuesday’s workouts as the Cleveland Cavaliers prepared for Game 2 of their Eastern Conference series against the Washington Wizards.

“I’ll be ready,” James said.

During the 15-minute segment of practice open to the media, James stood on the baseline and watched as his teammates took jump shots. He did try a few free throws, but that was it.

James twisted his ankle in Game 1 on Sunday when he stepped on the foot of Wizards center Etan Thomas on a third-quarter drive. Although he was in serious pain, James stayed on the floor and finished with 23 points in Cleveland’s 97-82 win.

Game 2 is today at Cleveland.

Celtics severing ties with guard Telfair

Boston – The Boston Celtics are severing ties with guard Sebastian Telfair days after he was arrested in the New York area and charged with carrying a loaded gun in his car.

Team managing partner Wyc Grousbeck said Telfair would not be back with the team.

Telfair pleaded not guilty to a charge of felony second-degree possession of a weapon and was released Friday on $7,500 bail.

Telfair’s attorney, Ed Hayes, said the Celtics are rushing to judgment.

“It always bothers me when you punish a guy so severely before there’s been a finding of fact. I think that’s wrong whether it happens in Durham (N.C) or in Boston,” Hayes said, referring to the Duke lacrosse rape case.