Darnell Jackson, F, 6-8, 250, Kansas -- Hard-working big man who bangs around the basket. He's one of five Kansas players who were drafted.

Sasha Kaun, C, 6-11, 250, Kansas -- He's signed to a three-year contract with CSKA Moscow in Russia. The Cavs will hold his rights. He's a skilled big man who can score and rebound.

PLAYER NOTES:

--Veteran F/C Ben Wallace will be the Cavs' highest-paid player this season at $14.5 million. That's a bit more than F LeBron James, who will earn $14,410,581.

--G Eric Snow's knee is shot and he can no longer play in the NBA. He has one more year on his contract worth $7.3 million. A source said he won't be a member of the team this year -- as a player or coach -- but he might have a spot on the 15-man roster. If he's waived, his $7.3 million contract will remain on the books. That's not what the Cavs want. They can't petition the league to remove his salary from their payroll until one year after Snow's last game (last Feb. 22 against Washington) in an injured player exception.

Up until that time, Snow could theoretically be used in a trade. Remember, he still owns an expiring contract, which could come into play near the trade deadline of Feb. 19, 2009. If he's traded, though, the team that acquires him can't use the exception. This is a separate issue from the insurance disability claim the Cavs have made. The insurance company has been asked to pay a portion of Snow's salary, but normally a player must miss 41 games before that happens.

--Even though there's been no announcement, the Cavaliers waived G Billy Thomas on Sept. 8. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Thomas had a contract worth $826,269 for the 2008-09 season. But it wasn't guaranteed. After the Cavs signed G Tarence Kinsey on Aug. 4, Thomas' agent probably started plotting his client's exit strategy. Thomas, 32, has since signed with Kavala/Panorama in the Greek A1 league.

--The Cavaliers have signed rookie F Darnell Jackson to a three-year contract recently. Jackson, a 6-foot-8, 250-pounder, was a second-round pick of the Miami Heat in the June draft. He was dealt to the Cavs on draft night for a second-round pick in 2009.

"Darnell has showed us he is a young, smart, hard-working player," Cavs general manager Danny Ferry said. "We are excited to see his development continue now."

The 22-year-old averaged 11.2 points and 6.7 rebounds in 40 games (35 starts) during his senior year at the University of Kansas. He shot 62.6 percent from the field and helped the Jayhawks to an NCAA national championship. Jackson played for the Cavs' summer-league team in Las Vegas and averaged 5.8 points and 5.4 rebounds. He's expected to play behind starter Ben Wallace and backups Anderson Varejao and J.J. Hickson at power forward.