excellent campaign that saw the team finish fifth. Midfielder Vicent

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Golden State Warriors are taking another chance on a television analyst and former NBA guard who has never been a head coach at any level. The Warriors won the bidding war with the New York Knicks for Steve Kerr on Wednesday, hiring him away from the TNT broadcast table to be their coach. Kerr agreed to a five-year, $25 million deal with Golden State, said his agent, Mike Tannenbaum. The Warriors confirmed the agreement Wednesday night and said they will introduce Kerr at a news conference after the contract is complete. Kerr had been in talks with the Knicks about becoming their coach since Phil Jackson took over as team president in March. He won three titles playing for Jackson in Chicago and another two under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio. Kerr told NBA.com, which first reported the agreement, that going to Golden State "just felt like the right move on many levels." He said his daughter plays volleyball nearby at the University of California, Berkeley, his oldest son is in college in San Diego and his youngest son is a junior in high school. Kerr called the offer to coach the Knicks a "tantalizing" opportunity. He said it was "agonizing" to say no to Jackson "because of what I think of him and what hes done for my career." "I told Phil, I think I have to pursue this other opportunity," Kerr told the website. "He gave me his blessing. He said. Go look at it, and do what was in my heart." Kerr, 48, said last month that he has wanted to coach since stepping down after three seasons as general manager of the Phoenix Suns in June 2010. And while the lure of rebuilding a flagship franchise with his mentor at Madison Square Garden looked appealing, the chance to coach a Western Conference contender in his home state proved to be too much. Kerr replaces Mark Jackson, who was fired by the Warriors on May 6 after three seasons and back-to-back playoff appearances -- mostly due to a sour relationship between him and team management. The Warriors job is certainly a far more attractive one than when owner Joe Lacob hired Jackson away from the ESPN/ABC broadcast table in June 2011. The Warriors are coming off a 51-win season and consecutive playoff appearances for the first time in 20 years, and theyve surrounded star Stephen Curry with a talented young core. Kerr became the hottest coaching candidate on the market after Phil Jackson started courting him to the Knicks. Kerr also has close ties to Lacob, his son, assistant GM Kirk Lacob, and Warriors President Rick Welts, who worked in Phoenixs front office during Kerrs time as Suns general manager. Given the tension that built between Jackson and Warriors management last season -- and the back-and-forth that played out between them in the media after Jackson was dismissed -- having an established relationship with Kerr was a big reason Lacob wanted him as coach. Lacob lauded Kerr as a candidate last week and defended the decision to change coaches -- which has been debated at great lengths in the basketball-united Bay Area. He compared the decision to how he built his fortune as a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley. Lacob said theres a different person to lead a business at different stages of development, and the Warriors have gone from a "startup" company to an organization looking to maximize its output. "Or in this case win an NBA championship," he said. "And we just felt overall we needed a different person to go forward and get to the next level." And while Kerr has no coaching experience, he played 15 seasons and -- also similar to Mark Jackson -- has been around some of the most successful sideline leaders. Kerr has credited Phil Jackson and Tex Winter for most of his basketball knowledge. Winter taught the triangle offence -- which Kerr would not commit to running with the Warriors -- and was a longtime assistant for Jackson, who used the system to win an NBA-record 11 championships as a coach of the Bulls and Lakers. Golden State also spoke with former Orlando Magic and Miami Heat coach Stan Van Gundy during its search. Van Gundy agreed to a $35 million, five-year deal with Detroit on Tuesday after the Pistons also gave him control of basketball operations -- something the Warriors wouldnt do with general manager Bob Myers and Kirk Lacob in place. The Warriors met with Kerr again on Tuesday night in Oklahoma City, where Kerr was calling the Thunder-Clippers game. And they apparently made a big enough impression -- and contract offer -- to land the man they wanted all along. Aleksander Barkov Jersey .C. -- Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe is resigning after 13 seasons at the school. Florida Panthers Jerseys . As if he had been rehearsing it, Vasquez looked around with a grimacing stare as he clinched two fists and flexed his muscles. What do you think of DeMar DeRozans face after he hits a big shot, he was asked moments earlier. http://www.hockeypanthersofficialonline.com/customized/ . -- Former NHL star Jeremy Roenick shot a second-round 69 to take the lead after 36 holes and former LPGA great Annika Sorenstam and Chad Pfeifer, who lost his left leg above the knee serving in Iraq, are among several players in contention in the American Century Championship tournament on Saturday. Vincent Trocheck Jersey . But qualifying for her first Scotties Tournament of Hearts after years of falling short in tough Manitoba provincial championships is as good as consolation prizes get for the 29-year-old from Winnipegs Fort Rouge Curling Club. Evgenii Dadonov Jersey .C. - Brent Sutter scored 1:32 into extra time as the Charlotte Checkers came from behind to defeat the visiting Abbotsford Heat 5-4 on Sunday in American Hockey League action.BARCELONA, Spain - Osasuna and Valladolid were relegated on the final day of the Spanish league season on Sunday and will join the already doomed Real Betis in the second division next season. Osasunas 2-1 win at home over Betis was overshadowed by a railing collapse that left dozens of fans injured, and counted for little when Granada won 1-0 at Valladolid, Getafe beat Rayo Vallecano 2-1 and Almeria drew 0-0 with visiting Athletic Bilbao. Play was delayed for more than half an hour at Osasunas Sadar Stadium when a railing collapsed following Oriol Rieras 12th-minute goal, sending fans tumbling forward. The club said that a total of 68 people were hurt and that one man suffered a broken leg. The other three matches with relegation implications were then delayed an extra 35 minutes during halftime to synchronize their estimated finishing times. Before the games to determine relegation were over, the party in the Spanish capital had already begun with Atletico Madrid celebrating its league title with thousands of fans. Osasuna hasnt played in the second division since 2000. Valladolid has spent the last two seasons in the top flight. "In football, when you think you have wrapped it up, you are put in your place," Riera said. "We reacted, but it was too late. We ask our fans for forgiveness and tell them we will do our best to come back up." Osasuna and Valladolid entered the final round in the drop zone, both needing to win their matches and hope the other three teams in danger slipped up. Osasuna did its part by beating Betis from Rieras opener and Carlos Acunas goal in the 14th right after play was restarted. Betis Francisco Chica pulled one back with a long strike in the 70th. But Valladolid self-destructed in a direct matchup with Granada, one of the trio of teams along with Getafe and Almeria still in danger. Valladolid disappointed its fans at Jose Zorilla Stadium with a paltry performance that reached its low point when defender Stefan Mitrovic scored an own goal in the 44th minutte by knocking in Francisco "Piti" Medinas cross.dddddddddddd "We shouldnt have arrived to this week in this situation," Granada coach Lucas Alcaraz said. "We were facing a do-or-die match and my boys were able to handle it." Despite assuring their teams stayed up for another year, both Alcaraz and Rayo coach Paco Jemez said that they would most likely not be continuing with their teams next season. Getafe won at crosstown rival Rayo thanks to Ciprian Maricas brace. The Romanian striker scored from long range in the 43rd and then added a second from the penalty spot in stoppage time after Roberto Trashorras had levelled in the 67th. Almeria needed goalkeeper Esteban Suarez to save Guillermo Fernandezs point-blank try in injury time to ensure a point against Bilbao. Earlier, Europa League champion Sevilla routed Elche 3-1 at home to round off an excellent campaign that saw the team finish fifth. Midfielder Vicente Iborra scored twice in the 16th and 72nd with Jairo Samperio netting in the 61st for Sevilla. Yiadom Boayke scored Elches consolation goal moments before the final whistle. Giovani Dos Santos scored one goal and set up another to help Villarreal win 2-1 at Real Sociedad, overtaking its rival to finish the season in sixth place. Dos Santos raced into the box before cutting back to put the ball on his left foot and curl in the 26th-minute opener. The Mexico forward set up Ikechukwu Uche on the break in the 69th before Carlos Vela pulled one back in stoppage time. Villarreal, which spent last season in the second division, rose above seventh-place Sociedad on head-to-head goal difference. Both teams had already clinched Europa League berths. Atletico won the league title for the first time in 18 years on Saturday after it drew 1-1 at Barcelona. Barcelona needed to win to defend its title but finished second, level on points with Real Madrid. Bilbao had already sealed its fourth-place finish, completing the top four teams heading to the Champions League. ' ' '