Payton and Heat Are Close to Deal

Gary Payton’s quest for an NBA championship will apparently continue in Miami.

The nine-time All-Star guard is on the verge of signing a one-year free agent deal with the Heat, a move that could be formally announced as early as today.

Payton’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, said he would be in Miami today to continue his ongoing dialogue with Heat president Pat Riley and other team officials.

Although Miami has its entire $5 million mid-level exception available, the team could land Payton, 37, for as little as $1.1 million.

Payton averaged 11.3 points and 6.1 assists for the Boston Celtics last season.

He would be reunited with former Laker teammate Shaquille O’Neal in Miami.

*

The Lakers have hired Craig Hodges as a special assistant coach. The former Chicago Bull will work with players on offensive skills, primarily shooting.

*

Serbia and Montenegro Coach Zeljko Obradovic resigned after his team’s early exit from the European Championship and a locker room brawl between several teammates. Team captain Dejan Bodiroga, center Zeljko Rebraca of the Clippers and Dejan Tomasevic also announced they were quitting the national squad.

*

Tennis

Serena Williams was upset in the second round of the China Open, losing to unheralded Sun Tiantian, 6-2, 7-6 (7), at Beijing. Sun, ranked 127th in the world, took advantage of numerous errors by Williams.

Third-seeded Kveta Peschke was upset by 25th-ranked Severine Bremond, 6-0, 6-4, in the second round of the Slovenia Open at Portoroz.... Melinda Czink moved into the quarterfinals of Sunfeast Open at Calcutta with an 0-6, 6-4, 6-4 upset of third-seeded hometown favorite Sania Mirza.

A Nevada group is making a bid to have Las Vegas play host to the ATP Tour’s Tennis Channel Open in February. Las Vegas Events chief Pat Christenson said he hoped to know early in October whether the tournament will be played in Las Vegas. It has been played in Scottsdale, Ariz., since 1986.

*

Motor Sports

Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials announced the facility would play host to the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix for a seventh consecutive year on July 2, 2006.

NHRA announced it has rescheduled this weekend’s O’Reilly Fall Nationals in Ennis, Texas, because of the looming threat of Hurricane Rita. The event will be held Oct. 6-9.

*

Soccer

Ruben Omar Romano, the Argentine coach of Mexico’s Cruz Azul team kidnapped in July, was freed.

Officials said Romano, 47, was freed in what local media described as a police raid in the low-income district on the eastern outskirts of Mexico City.

American Brian McBride scored in injury time to give English Premier League club Fulham a 5-4 victory over tiny Lincoln City in the League Cup tournament.

*

Miscellany

Chris Osgood, who was signed last month by the Detroit Red Wings to compete with Manny Legace at goaltender, might have to sit out the exhibition season because of a groin injury.

Two sports leaders have asked the World Anti-Doping Agency to suspend French laboratory Chatenay-Malabry and investigate who leaked documents leading to a report that Lance Armstrong used banned substances during the 1999 Tour de France.

Karin Thurig of Switzerland won the opening race of the road cycling world championships at Madrid to take the women’s time trial in 28 minutes 51.08 seconds. Kristin Armstrong of the U.S. is in third.

UCLA gymnast Kate Richardson will be out at least four weeks after she broke her left leg.

Guy Baker has replaced Heather Moody as coach of the U.S. women’s water polo team. The change was made after a reorganization of USA Water Polo, which did away with Baker’s job as high performance director.