Yankees' Pettitte to skip next turn

President Pat Riley, coach Erik Spoelstra, assistant coaches, scouts, and other basketball operations employees have accepted pay cuts of up to a 20 percent to avert layoffs in the Heat’s front office. Player salaries are not affected. The Heat laid off 20 members of its business operations staff in May as a result of the economic downturn. Lower ticket prices and scaled-back sponsorship deals have decreased revenue around the NBA, which is projecting further reductions over the coming year . . . Swingman Stephen Jackson, who led the Warriors with 20.7-point average last season, was fined $25,000 by the NBA for telling Dime Magazine he wanted to be traded . . . The Suns reached an agreement on a contract buyout with swingman Sasha Pavlovic, who was acquired from Cleveland June 25 as part of the trade that sent Shaquille O’Neal to the Cavaliers. Pavlovic’s contract was acquired along with that of center Ben Wallace, a conditional second-round selection, and cash from Cleveland in exchange for O’Neal. The Suns and Wallace agreed to a contract buyout July 13 . . . Spurs forward Richard Jefferson could miss the start of training camp in two weeks after dislocating his right thumb . . . The 76ers signed free agent swingman Rodney Carney a year after trading him to the Timberwolves . . . Timofey Mozgov’s 25 points helped defending champion Russia edge Macedonia, 71-69, to reach the quarterfinals of the European championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

Andy Murray, who coached the Blues to a 41-31-10 record last season, including a 25-9-7 second-half surge that put St. Louis in the playoffs for the first time since 2004, was rewarded with a contract extension that will keep him behind the bench through the 2010-11 season . . . Also receiving an extension was Blue Jackets center Antoine Vermette, who agreed to terms through 2014-15.

Carding seven birdies, Scott Spence of Carnegie Abbey Club in Portsmouth, R.I., took a two-stroke lead with a 6-under-par 65 in the opening round of the New England Open at Walpole Country Club. Eric Egloff of Sandy Spring, Md., and Robert Tramonti of Triggs Municipal GC in Providence share second place in the 54-hole event after 67s . . . Defending champion Brian Higgins of Franklin CC set the pace with a 4-under 66 in the Mass. Mid-Amateur at Haverhill CC. Ryan Riley of Norton CC and Kevin Carey of Dennis Pines GC carded 67s in the first of two qualifying rounds for match play . . . Dana Harrity of North Hampton, N.H., won a pair of matches and advanced to the quarterfinals of the US Senior Women’s Amateur in Hot Springs, Va.

Asafa Powell cruised to victory in 9.82 seconds in the 100 meters at the Pedro’s Cup meet in Szczecin, Poland. Tyson Gay won the 200 in 20.21 . . . Surgery to repair a torn labrum in her shoulder will keep US Olympic silver medalist Samantha Peszek out of next month’s world gymnastics championships . . . Seven-time Olympic swimming medalist Amanda Beard gave birth to her first child, a 7-pound 12-ounce boy in Los Angeles . . . Irish middleweight Darren Sutherland, 27, who who won a bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics, was found hanged at his home in London. Obituary, B14 . . . US Open doubles champion Leander Paes won’t play for India in its Davis Cup series against South Africa this weekend because of an undisclosed injury.