Cartwright becomes Bulls' head coach

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Bill Cartwright has a new title to go along with the five NBA championship rings he won as a player and an assistant coach with the Chicago Bulls.

Head coach.

Cartwright, in his sixth season as a Bulls assistant, was promoted to head coach Friday. He replaces Tim Floyd, who resigned Monday after going 49-190 in three-plus seasons.

Cartwright's first game as a head coach will be Saturday, when the Bulls play host to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The 44-year-old Cartwright was the center on Chicago's first three championship teams. He averaged 13.2 points and 6.3 rebounds in 15 years in the NBA, six with the Bulls.

After retiring in 1994, he earned his master's degree from San Francisco. Phil Jackson hired him as an assistant in 1996, and he was there for Chicago's last two championship teams.

Wells, Yankees close to agreement

NEW YORK -- David Wells is close to returning to the New York Yankees, spurning an offer from World Series champion Arizona to rejoin the team he never wanted to leave.

Diamondbacks general manager Joe Garagiola Jr. said that Wells' agent, Gregg Clifton, told him that the pitcher had agreed to a deal with the Yankees. Just last week, Clifton said he was "85 percent" sure Wells would sign with the Diamondbacks.

"I think we were surprised," Garagiola said Friday. "We felt that all that remained was for him to come out here and take a physical, which was to occur next week. But he went back to Tampa and apparently things changed."

A lawyer familiar with the negotiations, speaking on condition he not be identified, told The Associated Press that Wells and the Yankees are still working on final details of the structure of the contract but are confident a deal will get done.

The deal would be for one or two years with $1-2 million guaranteed and hefty performance bonuses, the source said.

-- From wire reports