Pistons Get Thorpe for Rookie Childress

In a deal that had been expected since June, the Portland Trail Blazers traded forward Otis Thorpe to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday for rookie guard Randolph Childress and second-year forward Bill Curley.

The Pistons chose Childress, from Wake Forest, with the 19th pick in the June 28 draft, but wanted to trade him for Thorpe, 33, who was unhappy in Portland.

Thorpe, traded by Houston to Portland in February in a deal that sent Clyde Drexler to the Rockets, was a backup power forward to Buck Williams.

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Hakeem Olajuwon of the Houston Rockets said during a promotional visit in London that common sense prevailed in the NBA labor dispute that ended with players supporting their union. “After seeing what happened in baseball and hockey, both parties should compromise to make this work,” he said.

Bob McAdoo, who led the NBA in scoring three times, and longtime coach Scotty Robertson were hired by the Miami Heat as assistants to Pat Riley. . . . Dominique Wilkins scored 19 points in his first game in Greece, leading Panathinaikos Athens in an exhibition game.

College Basketball

Coach Jerry Tarkanian reportedly broke NCAA rules in his first week at Fresno State when he watched members of the team practice at a local fitness center. ESPN, citing unidentified sources, reported that Tarkanian observed Bulldog players practicing at a health club, a violation.

Tarkanian said he was working out at the club on a stationary bike at the time. The school is investigating reports that Tarkanian and his staff held illegal off-season practice sessions. Supervised practices may not be held from April 15 to Oct. 15.

Ben Quillan, acting athletic director, said he has found nothing to support the claims. Tarkanian, who returned to coaching at his alma mater in April, was forced out as coach at Nevada Las Vegas in 1992 after the school was placed on probation for numerous violations.

“Everything we did was all done according to the rules,” Tarkanian said. “We didn’t hide anything. I’m disappointed that someone would start a rumor like that.”

Hockey

The NHL and the players’ association are having high-level talks in New York this week on a number of issues, and the Canadian Press reported progress has been made on the question of NHL players competing in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Japan.

Travel time to Japan is a major concern. The NHLPA wants players to have a minimum of four days between their arrival and the first day of competition, and they want a recovery period when they return home.

Joe Murphy, a winger with the Chicago Blackhawks, was suspended without pay for the next eight exhibition games and the first two games of the season by the NHL for a slashing Edmonton’s Tyler Wright in an exhibition game last Sunday. . . . William Wirtz, 64, the owner of the Blackhawks, was hospitalized in Chicago with what the team termed a “possible recurrent small stroke.” Wirtz had a blood clot surgically removed from his neck last February. . . . Gov. Arne Carlson said that he still supports public aid to bring the Winnipeg Jets to Minnesota. . . . The Philadelphia Flyers traded left wing Andre Faust to Winnipeg in exchange for the Jets’ seventh-round pick in the 1997 NHL entry draft. . . . Detroit goalie Mike Vernon, who was ruled a free agent two weeks ago by an arbitrator, signed a two-year contract with the Red Wings.

Soccer

Dynamo Kiev was suspended from European soccer for two years after an inquiry found the Ukrainian club tried to bribe a Spanish referee to fix a match. The match in question was a Sept. 13 Champions Cup game between Kiev and Panathinaikos of Greece, which Dynamo won, 1-0.

Tennis

Second-seeded Helena Sukova was upset in the second round of the Moscow Ladies Open, losing to unseeded Adriana Serra-Zanetti, 6-3, 6-2.

Jurisprudence

Boxing promoter Don King will be in New York court today to face charges that he lied to collect $350,000 in insurance money after a 1991 fight was canceled. King, one of the most powerful men in boxing, submitted a fake contract to Lloyd’s of London saying he paid WBC super-lightweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez $350,000 in non-refundable training fees, prosecutors say.

King, 63, is charged with nine counts of mail fraud. Each is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He has been free on a $250,000 personal recognizance bond.

Sammie Smith, former Miami Dolphin running back, was denied bail after Florida prosecutors produced a videotape showing him discussing the drug business with an undercover agent.