Cavs give ex-Jayhawk a chance, contract
Darnell Jackson signs contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers while Sasha Kaun will play in Russia.
By Case Keefer (Contact)
Monday, September 8th, 2008
playing as pros
All five former Jayhawks who were drafted in this summer’s NBA Draft will play professionally next year.
Darnell Jackson became the final Kansas player to sign a contract this weekend when the Cleveland Cavaliers offered him a three-year deal. The financial terms of the deal have not been released.
The Cavaliers acquired Jackson in a trade with the Miami Heat, who selected him in the second round, on draft night. Jackson played for Cleveland’s summer league team in Las Vegas and averaged nearly six points and more than five rebounds per game.
“Darnell has showed us he is a young, smart, hard-working player,” Cleveland general manager Danny Ferry said in a statement. “And we are excited to see his development continue.”
The Cavaliers also hold the rights to former Kansas center Sasha Kaun, but Kaun will play professionaly in Russia for CSKA (a Russian sports club) Moscow this season. Brandon Rush and Darrell Arthur were given guaranteed contracts by the Indiana Pacers and Memphis Grizzlies, respectively, for being picked in the first round of the draft. Mario Chalmers signed a contract with the Miami Heat this summer after they picked him in the second round.
Chalmers, Arthur apologize
Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur both issued apologies for being kicked out of the NBA rookie symposium this weekend, but said they were not caught with marijuana.
Chalmers released an apology through the Miami Heat. Arthur expressed remorse in an interview with the Memphis Commercial Appeal. They both said they were wrong to violate the league’s policy by bringing women into their room, but denied reports that they were smoking marijuana.
“Everyone who knows me knows I am a good person,” Chalmers told the Miami Herald. “I am embarrassed this happened. I broke the rules, but I did not smoke marijuana.”
Chalmers and Arthur will have to attend the symposium again next year. They were fined $20,000 each and could be suspended to start the season.
Arthur said he planned to help children in the Memphis community by teaching them to make the right decisions to make up for his actions.
“I made a bad mistake by bringing the girls in and violating the rules,” Arthur told the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “It was a bad mistake. I’m not a bad kid or anything. I just put myself in a bad situation.”
— Edited by Arthur Hur
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