South Dragons have swung a wrecking ball through their fledgling NBL franchise, sacking US basketball legend Mark Price as head coach, replacing him with Shane Heal.

Price, the highest profile basketball identity ever to become involved with the NBL, was hired in a blaze of glory earlier this year after a stellar playing career in the NBA.

But with the Dragons losing their first five matches, the club sent the four-time NBA All-Star packing and elevated Heal to player-coach.

Heal continued the blood-letting soon after his appointment.

His first job was sacking import Todd Fuller, a former NBA player who had been posting reasonable numbers for the struggling Dragons.

Heal admitted he knew going into Sunday night's 20-point loss to crosstown rival Melbourne that Price was a dead man walking - club officials approaching him about taking Price's job late last week.

Rumours had been circling last week of player disenchantment with Price's coaching style and tension between Price and Heal - lured out of a two-year retirement to be the club's marquee player.

But Heal denied any rift between he and Price, or Price and the rest of the Dragons players.

"I don't think it's for me to say whether that happened or not," Heal said when asked whether Price had lost respect of players.

"When he came in, everyone respected what Mark Price had done as a player, and he'll leave with that same respect of what he did as a player.

"We had what I would call a good working relationship.

"Mark was a nice enough guy, very introverted.

"He wasn't big on a whole lot of discussion."

Dragons owner Mark Cowan admitted Price's fate had been sealed last week, and the American had been asked for his resignation last Thursday but refused to provide it.

His eventual demise came in a meeting with Cowan.

Cowan blamed in part Price's problems in juggling his coaching commitments and settling his young family into Australia.

"There were some genuine difficulties his family had encountered in being in this country - that was part of the reason for him coming to that conclusion," Cowan said.

"It's certainly a less-than-ideal beginning (for the club) and from my point of view, I never envisaged having a conversation like that with Mark.

"We went into it with our eyes open. We wanted to do something a little bit different in this league, and Mark had wonderful credentials as a player.

"We checked out Mark's basketball mind with a number of international people who vouched for that, but it hasn't worked out."

Price, who was on a one-year contract with the Dragons, was bunkered down in his beachside home.

He is believed to be devastated by the Dragons' decision, and is understood to be planning a media conference on Tuesday.

Price had never coached at senior level before being appointed to the Dragons' top job - a problem 36-year-old Heal is also going to face as he juggles being starting point guard with coaching duties.

But the club has appointed ex-Cairns coach Guy Molloy as an assistant coach under Heal, with current assistant Scott Ninnis to stay on.

Heal admitted his job would be difficult, but was confident he would be able to provide the success Price had not been able to achieve.

"I'm going to need the support of the players, I've got that," Heal said.

"I'm going to need the support of the right coaches, I've got that.

"We're going to have to make some tough decisions and band together, because so far what we've done as players hasn't been acceptable."

The surprise decision to also axe Fuller also leaves the Dragons without any recognised big men going into their clash with second-bottom Adelaide in Adelaide on Wednesday.

Defeat could leave the winless Dragons three wins adrift at the foot of the table by the end of round six.

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