Saunders avoids bridge collapse

Pistons' coach was 20 yards from site

Road construction put Detroit Pistons coach Flip Saunders on the 10th Avenue bridge Wednesday in Minneapolis.

The detour perhaps saved his life.

"I usually take the 35W bridge, but the ramp was closed," Saunders said Thursday from Minneapolis in a telephone interview with the AP. "My daughter was driving in a car right behind me when the bridge collapsed -- about 20 yards away from us. It sounded like a bomb when it dropped.

"I got out of my car, and the first thing I heard was the kids screaming on the bus. I called 911. I didn't really know what else I could do."

Saunders, a former Minnesota Timberwolves coach, was driving home after speaking at Tubby Smith's basketball camp at the University of Minnesota, where Saunders starred as a player.

"A day later, I'm still in a surreal state of mind," he said. "I can still see what happened. It's kind of like having flashbacks."

BULLS SIGN CURRY: The Chicago Bulls signed second-round draft choice JamesOn Curry on Thursday.

Curry, Chicago's third selection after Joakim Noah and Aaron Gray, averaged 13.5 points and 2.9 rebounds at Oklahoma State. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound junior, who starred at Eastern Alamance High, finished 13th in school history in scoring, third in successful 3-pointers and ninth in assists.

WIZARDS' BLATCHE ARRESTED: Washington Wizards forward Andray Blatche, a restricted free agent, was arrested Thursday on sexual solicitation charges.

Blatche and a man identified in court documents as Gregory Palmer tried to solicit sex from an undercover police officer, according to charging documents.

Blatche, 20, appeared Thursday in District of Columbia Superior Court, court spokeswoman Marie Robertson said. He also was wanted for failure to appear on a charge of driving without a license, stemming from an October 2006 arrest, according to court documents.

In 2006-07, he averaged 3.7 points and 4.4 rebounds in 56 regular-season games.

YI LEADS CHINA IN STANKOVIC CUP: Former NBA player Wang Zhizhi and draft picks Yi Jianlian and Sun Yue combined to score 59 of China's 82 points in its victory over the NBA Development League team at the Stankovic Cup in Macao, China.

After China's 82-67 win, each team finished the tournament with a 3-2 record.

Renaldo Major of the Dakota Wizards, a former Fresno State player, led the D-League Ambassadors with 16 points and eight rebounds.

Yi, who had 28 points, was drafted sixth by the Milwaukee Bucks. Sun was picked in the second round by the Los Angeles Lakers.

TARPLEY WANTS REINSTATEMENT: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is siding with former Dallas Mavericks player Roy Tarpley in his legal fight for reinstatement by the NBA, which banned him in 1995 for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

The EEOC ruled that the NBA violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to reinstate Tarpley, 42, who has passed all drug tests taken in the past four years, EEOC District Director Spencer Lewis wrote in a letter of determination dated May 17. The letter was sent to Tarpley, the Mavericks and league attorneys.

In a separate letter, dated June 28, Lewis wrote that the EEOC's attempt to mediate an out-of-court resolution had failed, clearing the way for Tarpley to sue within 90 days. He is seeking at least $6.5 million, said Joe Walker, his attorney.

Tarpley acknowledged that he is too old to make a comeback.

"Right now, it's about me getting my name back and being able to help someone else who's struggling with issues," he said.