GRIZZLIES FIRE WINTERS: Brian Winters was fired as coach of the Vancouver Grizzlies on Friday, a day after receiving a vote of confidence from general manager Stu Jackson.
Jackson will be the interim replacement for Winters, the club said.Vancouver has the worst record in the league at 8-35. The team has suffered several one-sided losses at home, including a 19-point defeat to Minnesota on Thursday.
A week ago, veteran guard Blue Edwards suggested changing coaches, saying most players were not listening to Winters.
The Grizzlies had the worst record in the NBA last season, their first in the league, at 15-67.
The team has been outshined by its expansion cousins, the Toronto Raptors, who were 21-61 last year and already have 14 victories this year. Toronto replaced coach Brendan Malone during the offseason with Darrell Walker.
BLAZERS-PISTONS TRADE: The Detroit Pistons traded Stacey Augmon, who has not played since a shouting match this month with coach Doug Collins, to the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday for three reserve guards.
Portland sent Aaron McKie, Randolph Childress and Reggie Jordan to Detroit for the 6-foot-8, 205-pound Augmon, a six-year veteran.
Augmon, a regular in his first five seasons with Atlanta, had been asking to be traded after failing to fit into the starting lineup at Detroit.
He walked out of practice earlier this month after the shouting match with Collins. He averaged 4.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in just 20 games with Detroit this season.
The Blazers will assume Augmon's contract, which runs three more years after this season, Paxson said.
Also Friday, Portland put center Arvydas Sabonis on the injured list for at least five games with a bruised left calf.
ROGERS' SISTER DIES: The sister of Toronto Raptors forward Carlos Rogers died Friday afternoon, a day after the rising NBA star had traveled to Detroit with the thought of donating his kidney.
Rogers returned home to learn that his sister's immune system had been ravaged by an infection. Doctors said Rene Rogers was too weak to undergo a transplant operation.
"My sister fought a long and hard battle, and it's kind of hard to sit here now and talk about it," Rogers said.
Rogers, a 6-foot-11 forward who had maintained a stoic composure while dealing with numerous interviews this week, wiped away tears as he spoke briefly at a news conference at the hospital.
"People say that my statement (about donating a kidney) was kind of jumping the gun," he said. "But I feel that any sane person would do it for their family.
"I don't think I did anything that any ordinary person wouldn't do."
NUGGETS SIGN SMITH: Seeking a backup point guard, the Denver Nuggets on Friday signed veteran Kenny Smith to a 10-day contract.
MELEE AFTERMATH: A soda-dumping, basketball-hurling melee that erupted after No. 9 Cincinnati won a close road game prompted a formal reprimand Friday of host North Carolina Charlotte by Conference USA.
The public scolding was determined an adequate response, in part because N.C. Charlotte was apologetic about Tuesday's incident involving 49ers fans.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins said Friday that player Ryan Fletcher - who admitted to throwing a basketball into the crowd at N.C. Charlotte's Halton Arena - will stay home while the Bearcats travel to play Southern California on Sunday.
The altercation started after Cincinnati survived a late comeback attempt by the 49ers and won 77-67 Tuesday.
Fans began by taunting Bearcats players, then threw ice and sodas as the athletes entered a tunnel to return to their locker room. The climax came with players zipping basketballs into the stands in retaliation.
UCONN INVESTIGATION: Kirk King's career at Connnecticut could be over.
The NCAA suspended the Huskies' basketball captain for the remainder of his senior season for accepting an airline ticket from a sports agent, then lying about his conduct, the university said Friday.
Sophomore point guard Ricky Moore was suspended for three more games for accepting an airline ticket, receiving less of a penalty partly because the NCAA found he was unaware it was provided by an agent.