Sports briefs 1/25/05

Basketball

* Phil Jackson would listen if the New York Knicks came calling about their coaching position.

Jackson told ESPN2 on Monday that he had not been contacted by Knicks president Isiah Thomas, but would be open to discussing a return to the team he helped lead to the 1972-73 NBA title.

"What I did say (is that) I'd have to listen if they came and talked," Jackson said. "I'd have to listen to them, but that's not saying I'd be ready to coach."

Jackson, who coached the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers to a combined nine NBA titles, was in Melbourne for the Australian Open.

Lenny Wilkens resigned as New York's coach Saturday and was replaced by Herb Williams for the rest of the season. The Knicks (17-23) have lost 10 of 11 games.

Football

* The St. Louis Rams on Monday hired Kurt Schottenheimer as their new secondary coach.

Schottenheimer replaces Perry Fewell, who left the Rams to work for the Chicago Bears.

Schottenheimer served as defensive backs coach for Green Bay last season. Before that, he worked as a defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions from 2002-2003, for the Washington Redskins in 2001 and for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1999-2000.

The Rams also hired Bob Ligashesky as special teams coach over the weekend. Ligashesky replaces Mike Stock, who was fired after one season with the team. Ligashesky worked with Rams head coach Mike Martz from 1986 to 1988 at Arizona State, where both were assistants. Ligashesky was an assistant to Jacksonville Jaguars special teams coach Pete Rodriguez in 2004.

* Jim Bates was hired Monday as defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers, marking the second time in two years the team has changed coordinators after losing in the playoffs.

Bates spent 4 1/2 years as Miami's defensive coordinator before taking over as interim coach last year when Dave Wannstedt resigned at midseason. Bates led the Dolphins to a 3-4 record. The team was 1-8 when Wannstedt quit.

Hockey

* The NHL and the players' association will resume talks in a bid to save the season -- and they'll meet yet again without commissioner Gary Bettman or union head Bob Goodenow.

The sides met twice last week without Bettman and Goodenow. Those meetings, over two days in Chicago and Toronto, were initiated by Vancouver Canucks center Trevor Linden, the NHLPA president.

Again, the sides are hoping to sit down in secrecy. Neither group would reveal the time or location of this week's talks.

The lockout reached its 131st day on Monday and has already forced the cancelation of 699 of 1,230 regular-season games, plus the All-Star game.