Off the wire

BASKETBALL

Bulls’ Gibson fined $25,000

The NBA has fined Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson $25,000 for an outburst at a referee in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at Miami. The league announced the fine Friday. The Heat were well on their way to a 115-78 victory when Gibson went off at an official early in the fourth quarter. With 10:13 remaining, he did not leave the court in a timely fashion after he and teammate Joakim Noah were ejected by referee Scott Foster. Gibson continued to shout at Foster. The Bulls were called for six technicals during that game and Miami three. The game was the most lopsided postseason victory for Miami and the biggest playoff loss for Chicago.

The New Orleans Pelicans said guard Eric Gordon has undergone successful arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle. The club said the procedure, performed Thursday by Dr. Richard Ferkel of the Kerlan-Jobe Clinic in Los Angeles, was aimed at alleviating pain caused by scar tissue. Gordon is expected to begin rehabilitation immediately and return to basketball later this summer. Gordon missed the first two months of the 2012-13 season while recovering from a right knee injury, but still had the highest scoring average on the team after his return, with 17 points per game in 42 games. Gordon played in only nine games the previous season because of his knee injury, for which he also had arthroscopic surgery in February 2012. Last summer, he signed a four-year, $58 million contract.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have waived guard Brandon Roy, likely bringing an end to an All-Star career that was shortened by knee problems. The Timberwolves announced the move Friday. Roy retired before last season due to knee issues, then attempted a comeback with the Timberwolves this season after going through a procedure that gave him hope that the chronic pain in his knees would be reduced. But after a promising training camp, Roy’s knee issues returned early in the regular season. He played just five games. The second season of the two-year contract Roy signed with the Wolves was not guaranteed, making his release inevitable. Roy, 28, was a three-time All-Star with the Portland Trail Blazers.

A person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press the Philadelphia 76ers have hired Sam Hinkie as team president and general manager. The person spoke Friday on condition of anonymity because the deal is not official. Hinkie, a former Houston Rockets assistant general manager, was the top choice by owner Joshua Harris to oversee the rebuilding of the beleaguered franchise. Tony DiLeo is out after one full season as Sixers general manager. He was with the organization for 22 years and was widely credited for orchestrating the botched deal for center Andrew Bynum. Hinkie must hire a coach after Doug Collins resigned following three seasons. Philadelphia went to the playoffs in Collins’ first two seasons, and advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals last season, but with Bynum injured all season, the 76ers stumbled to a 34-48 finish this season. Collins has remained with the franchise as an adviser and has one year left on his original four year deal worth $4.5 million, but is now in the background of a major reconstruction project that Harris, Hinkie and a new coach will tackle. Bynum never played for the Sixers because of bone bruises in both knees. He insisted from training camp he would play this season, only to shut it down for good on March 18 and undergo season-ending arthroscopic surgery on both knees. Bynum earned $16.5 million this season and is set to become an unrestricted free agent.

TENNIS

Nadal, Williams advance

Rafael Nadal rallied past David Ferrer 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-0 Friday in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open, maintaining his bid to reach a seventh consecutive final since returning from a knee injury. Top-ranked Serena Williams struggled before defeating Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3, 0-6, 7-5, and second-ranked Maria Sharapova joined her in the semifinals after easing by Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 6-2, 6-4. In a meeting of Spain’s top-ranked players, Ferrer’s baseline game on the red clay almost proved too much for Nadal. But Nadal won the tiebreaker to force a third set and won six consecutive games to improve his career record against Ferrer to 18-4, avoiding an early exit with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer this week. Nadal will play Pablo Andujar or Kei Nishikori, who upset Federer Thursday. Sharapova will play Ana Ivanovic after the Serb dispatched Angelique Kerber 6-3, 6-1. Defending champion Williams will face Sara Errani, who downed Ekaterina Makarova 6-4, 6-3.

AUTO RACING Allmendinger racing

AJ Allmendinger will drive in IndyCar’s Belle Isle Grand Prix Dual in Detroit. Team Penske confirmed the move Friday. He will drive the No. 2 Quicken Loans Dallara/Chevrolet on the 2.3-mile street circuit. It is IndyCar’s first doubleheader weekend, with races June 1 and June 2. Allmendinger has spent the past six seasons in NASCAR after spending his early career in Champ Car. Team owner Roger Penske has given the driver a second chance after firing him last summer for failing a NASCAR drug test. Allmendinger has raced in four Cup Series events for Phoenix Racing in addition to two IndyCar Series starts. He will race in the Indianapolis 500 later this month.

Denny Hamlin has no doubt he’ll stay in the car for the entire Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Hamlin turned 23 laps last week at Talladega before turning the car over to relief driver Brian Vickers. It was Hamlin’s first race since sustaining a compression fracture in a vertebra in his lower back. Hamlin has no plans to have a driver on standby tonight. He had his first real workout Friday in two practice sessions. Hamlin said he stayed in the car for 90 minutes during the first practice, which convinced him he’s ready for a full race. Hamlin is determined to qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

BASEBALL Umpires fined, crew chief suspended after botched ruling

LOS ANGELES - Major League Baseball on Friday suspended the crew chief and fined all four umpires involved in a bizarre incident during Thursday’s game between the Los Angeles Angels and Houston Astros.

The discipline resulted from what an MLB statement called “a misapplication” of a rule. In other words, the umpires didn’t know the rules.

Crew chief Fieldin Culbreth was suspended two games.

Culbreth and the other three umpires on the crew all were fined an undisclosed amount.

The announcement appeared to reflect MLB’s concern about umpire accountability. When umpire Tom Hallion was fined last week because of an incident with Tampa Bay Rays pitcher David Price, the fine was not announced.

None of the four umpires corrected Houston Manager Bo Porter, who claimed he could replace one new relief pitcher with another when the Angels used a pinch-hitter. Baseball rules require a relief pitcher to face at least one batter, barring injury or illness.

Porter told reporters in Houston on Friday that he had made an honest mistake and had apologized to Culbreth and the rest of the umpiring crew. Angels Manager Mike Scioscia went ballistic on the field Thursday, calling the umpiring decision “an embarrassment” in television replays.

Scioscia said the interpretation of the rule - by Porter and by all four umpires - was incorrect.

“Mike Scioscia was right,” Porter said Friday.

The trouble occurred in the seventh inning at Minute Maid Park, and while baseball does have video replay for some hard to-tell calls - and has talked for a couple of years about expanding its scope - there was no mistaking what umpires saw.

With two outs and the Astros ahead 5-3, Houston reliever Wesley Wright came in from the bullpen and threw several warmup pitches from the mound. Porter, a first-year manager, then ran onto the field to stop him and brought in another reliever, Hector Ambriz.

Scioscia argued that Wright was required to pitch to at least one batter, but the umpires permitted Ambriz to stay in the game. Scioscia put the game under protest, but it became moot when the Angels rallied to win 6-5.

Pinch-hitter Luis Jimenez was on deck when Wright entered. Once Ambriz took over, Scott Cousins came up as a pinch-hitter.

“Technically, Wesley came in to face the batter that was scheduled to hit, but he pinch-hit for the batter that was scheduled to hit, which my understanding of the rule means you can now bring in another pitcher to face the pinch-hitter,” Porter said.

Culbreth provided little clarification after the game.

“Well, the only thing I can tell you is that all matters concerning protests are handled through the league office,” he said.