Blazers, Pistons Cut Deal

In an NBA deal that had been expected since June, Portland traded forward Otis Thorpe to Detroit for rookie guard Randolph Childress and second-year forward Bill Curley.

The Pistons chose Childress, a sharpshooter from Wake Forest, with the 19th pick in the June 28 draft.

At the time, Detroit coach Doug Collins made little attempt to hide the fact the pick was made for Portland, and a deal for Thorpe, 33, was imminent.

The trade couldn’t be made until a new collective bargaining agreement with the league’s players was completed.

Phoenix star Charles Barkley says he’ll be back next season.

Barkley was hobbled by a leg injury in May when the Suns lost to Houston 115-114 in the seventh game of the Western Conference semifinals. He underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left knee and hedged about his future.

On Wednesday, he said the decision has been made, thanks to support from coach Paul Westphal, members of the team and the fans.

Bob McAdoo, who led the NBA in scoring three times, and longtime coach Scotty Robertson were hired by Miami as assistants to new head coach Pat Riley.

The Heat also hired Stan Van Gundy as an assistant coach and Jeff Bzdelik as a scout, giving Riley a full staff for the 1995-96 season.

The Houston Rockets agreed to a one-year contract with former University of Washington guard Eldridge Recasner of the CBA Yakima Sun Kings, Houston television station KRIV reported.