Trade of Thomas to Knicks Is Called Near

Guard Isiah Thomas of the Detroit Pistons appears headed to the New York Knicks in a trade for forward Tony Campbell and the Knicks’ first-round draft pick in June, the Detroit Free Press reported today.

Thomas, who joined Detroit in 1981 and was an all-star his first 12 seasons, and Piston owner William Davidson declined to confirm the deal, but said they plan to meet soon. Sources told the Free Press that if Thomas didn’t get what he wanted at the meeting, reportedly a lucrative contract, he would accept a trade to the Knicks. Thomas is in the last year of a contract that is paying him $2.4 million this season.

Piston spokesman Matt Dobek said he knew nothing about a trade.

Thomas, 32, who helped lead the Pistons to two NBA championships, hasn’t played since Dec. 21 because of a toe injury. He is averaging 14.3 points and 9.0 assists in 15 games.

Campbell has a pinched nerve in his left foot and sat out Sunday night’s game against Charlotte, but the injury is not considered serious. The 6-foot-7 forward, in his 10th season, was a Piston from 1984-87 and also has played for the Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves. Campbell is averaging 7.1 points in 22 games, but he played little until the Knicks’ recent run of injuries.

New York is in need of backcourt leadership because of the season-ending knee injury two weeks ago to point guard Doc Rivers. The Knicks also have been hampered by injuries to guard Hubert Davis and forwards Charles Smith, Anthony Mason and Campbell.

Tennis

Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere and Jakob Hlasek rallied for singles victories as former champion Switzerland advanced into the quarterfinals of the Hopman Cup team tennis championship in Perth, Australia.

Maleeva-Fragniere beat Miriam Oremans, 3-6, 6-3, 6-0. Hlasek rallied past Jan Siemerink, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, as the seventh-seeded Swiss defeated the Netherlands, 3-0.

Hlasek and Maleeva-Fragniere also beat the Dutch duo, 8-6, in a mixed-doubles match that was reduced to one set.

Anke Huber defeated Amanda Coetzer, 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 6-1, and Bernd Karbacher downed Marcos Ondruska, 6-4, 6-4, as unseeded Germany ousted No. 8 South Africa, 2-1.

Ondruska and Coetzer won the mixed doubles, 8-7 (12-10).

College Football

Coach Mark Duffner of Maryland fired defensive coordinator Larry Slade, the former Washington assistant who had a reputation for recruiting in the L.A. area. Slade was replaced by Kevin Coyle, who was defensive coordinator at Syracuse.

The Terrapins gave up 553 yards per game, an NCAA record, in a 2-9 season that included a 70-7 loss to Penn State and a 59-42 defeat at North Carolina.

Women’s Basketball

Lisa Leslie had 27 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots in leading ninth-ranked USC to an 82-62 victory over San Diego State at the Lyon Center. The Trojans improved to 7-1 while the Aztecs, led by Falisha Wright’s 22 points, fell to 7-3.

Names in the News

An unidentified 29-year-old man was fatally shot in the Phoenix front yard of professional boxer Michael Carbajal. When a television photographer tried to film the site later, he was confronted by three young men who tried to wrestle his camera and videotape away before one of them kicked in the windshield of the station’s news vehicle. Jack Coyner, 41, of KPHO television, was unhurt.

Paolo Benelli, an engineer and major figure in the Italian motorcycle industry, died at 59. Benelli was the son of Tonino Benelli, a motorcycle racer in Italy’s pioneer racing days.