Bullets Get Another Shot to Sign Howard

Juwan Howard, his contract with the Miami Heat rejected by the NBA, is negotiating with the Washington Bullets in an attempt to rejoin his former team, according to The Washington Post.

The newspaper, siting an unidentified source, also said the NBA likely will allow the Bullets to exceed the league’s salary cap to re-sign Howard.

Howard became a free agent last month and signed a seven-year, $100.8 million contract with the Heat. But the NBA blocked the contract last week, saying the team exceeded the league’s salary cap by agreeing to pay Howard $9 million this season.

Teams are allowed to exceed the cap to re-sign their own players, but not to sign players from other teams.

If the Bullets are allowed to re-sign Howard, they probably would have to waive forward Tracy Murray as part of a negotiated resolution. Washington signed Murray to a seven-year, $17 million contract July 15.

The NBA and the Heat will meet in arbitration later this month to resolve Howard’s signing.

Boxing

Mark Johnson, winner of 28 consecutive fights after losing his pro debut, defends his International Boxing Federation flyweight title for the first time tonight against Raul Juarez at the Forum.

Johnson, from Washington, D.C., has knocked out 22 opponents, including the last 11. He won the title from Francisco Tejedor of Colombia with a first-round knockout May 4 in Anaheim.

“It makes me proud to be IBF champion and to be the first African-American to win the flyweight title,” said Johnson, 24. “But as importantly, I hope, now that I’m a world champion, that I can help make a name for all the boxers like me in the lower weight classes.”

Juarez, 22, from Mexico City, will be making his U.S. debut. He is 20-2, with 12 knockouts, and is getting his second shot at a world title after losing a 12-round decision to Yuri Arbachakov on Feb. 5.

Auto Racing

Brazilian Helio de Castro Neves led every lap en route to his victory in the inaugural running of the PPG-Firestone Indy Lights Championship at the historic Grand Prix Player’s de Trois-Rivieres in Quebec.

Neves, who won his first career Indy Lights pole Saturday, added his first Indy Lights title when he defeated Brazilian countryman and teammate Tony Kanaan by 5.332 seconds.

Alex Padilla of San Jose, was third, with championship leader David Empringham of Toronto finishing fourth. Empringham’s teammate, Bertrand Godin, finished fifth.

College Football

USC begins full practice today when 38 lettermen, including 10 starters from last season’s 9-2-1 Rose Bowl championship team, join the Trojan freshmen class, which began practice last week.

The Trojans begin with three-a-day practices at Howard Jones Field through Wednesday. Two-a-days begin Thursday.

USC’s opener is the Aug. 25 Kickoff Classic against Penn State at the New Jersey Meadowlands.

Pro Hockey

The Hartford Whalers signed right wing Nelson Emerson, their third-leading goal scorer last season, to a three-year contract.

Whalers General Manager Jim Rutherford said the length of the contract puts Emerson “in our organization’s long term plans.”

Tennis

Francisco Clavet of Spain defeated Younes El Aynaoui of Morocco, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4, to win the Grolsch Open in Amsterdam.

Pro Football

The Dallas Cowboys will play the Kansas City Chiefs in the 27th installment of the American Bowl, an international exhibition game tonight at Monterrey, Mexico.

ABC will broadcast it nationally in the United States and Television Azteca in Mexico. The 45,218-seat stadium is sold out.