Unable to settle on a backup center, the Cavaliers will play the field.

The club has signed Jahidi White, Obinna Ekezie and Zendon Hamilton to non-guaranteed contracts and the three will battle it out in training camp starting next week.

After picking up Alan Henderson two weeks ago, the Cavs now have four healthy big men who figure to be part of the rotation. Zydrunas Ilgauskas will start at center and either Drew Gooden or Donyell Marshall will start at power forward. Henderson will backup both positions.

Second-round draft pick Martynas Andriuskevicius isn't expected to be a contributor in his rookie year. Anderson Varejao might miss half the season recovering from shoulder surgery.

With a 15-man roster permitted, general manager Danny Ferry wants to have an experienced fifth big man in case of another injury.

Training camp starts two weeks from today, but the Cavaliers aren't done tinkering.

With two roster spots open, general manager Danny Ferry is looking to add another big man and a third point guard.

The Cavaliers have been in talks with free-agent center Jahidi White for much of the summer and hosted him on a visit last month. They've also been in touch with free-agent big men Christian Laettner and Andrew DeClercq among others. Several other free agents have come to Quicken Loans Arena to work out in recent weeks, among them former Utah Jazz center Ben Handlogten.

White and his agent hope that they're close to a deal with the Cavaliers.

``We're probably going to try to get something done by Tuesday or Wednesday,'' White's agent, Chubby Wells, said Monday.

Free-agent forward Alan Henderson signed a one-year contract Saturday with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who added another veteran to support LeBron James in hopes of making the playoffs.
The 32-year-old Henderson spent last season with Dallas after playing nine seasons for the Atlanta Hawks.

"Alan is a proven veteran with playoff experience who will be a valuable asset to us on the floor and in the locker room," Cavs general manager Danny Ferry said. "He can give us toughness and depth in the post."

The Cavaliers will begin the season without forward Anderson Varejao, who dislocated his shoulder playing for Brazil at last month's world championships and recently had surgery.

"I'm happy to be here," Henderson said. "I'm excited to work with the players, the coaches and the whole organization. Cleveland made some great moves this summer."

When Zydrunas Ilgauskas first arrived in Cleveland from Lithuania all he could think of was home. When it came to his first summer of free agency, all he could think of was Cleveland as home.

Ilgauskas signed a five-year, $53 million contract to remain with the Cavaliers on Tuesday.

Ilgauskas agreed to the deal back in July, but waited until now to sign it because it gave the Cavs salary-cap advantages when signing other free agents.

For the Cavs, it meant keeping a two-time All-Star who has been healthy for five years and is in the prime of his career. For Ilgauskas, it gave him long-term security and kept him in his American home.

``When push came to shove, I just had a hard time realizing being anywhere but in a Cavs uniform,'' Ilgauskas said at a news conference at Cub Cadet headquarters. ``It has become home to me and my family.''

When Ilgauskas left Gund Arena the day after last season ended, the vibes were strong that he'd played his last game with the Cavs. Things started to turn around when Mike Brown was hired as coach and told ownership he'd like to have Ilgauskas re-signed.

Then Danny Ferry, one of Ilgauskas' good friends, was hired as the general manager and he, too, wanted Z back.

``From Day One I wanted Z here,'' Brown said. ``He's going to be the anchor of our defense, an anchor of our offense.''

Cavaliers first-year coach Mike Brown added assistants Michael Malone and Melvin Hunt to his staff on Tuesday.
Malone is the son of Brendan Malone, a former Cavaliers assistant who served as Cleveland's interim head coach last season after Paul Silas was fired.

The younger Malone spent the past two seasons as an assistant with the New York Knicks.

Hunt was an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers last season after spending five seasons with the Houston Rockets. He was a three-year starter at Baylor and played pro ball in the Caribbean and Mexico.

Brown, an assistant coach with Indiana before getting the Cleveland job, previously hired Hank Egan and Kenny Natt as assistants. Natt was with the Cavs last season.

A charge against NBA forward Alan Henderson for allegedly taking an unlicensed gun to a New York airport was conditionally dropped Monday.

The weapon case will be adjourned for six months "in contemplation of dismissal," Queens district attorney's office spokeswoman Meris Campbell said.

If Henderson commits no offenses, the charge will be dismissed. He also will have to pay a $500 fine and work 10 days of community service, Campbell said.

Henderson, a 10-year veteran, was arrested on July 2 when he allegedly took a gun that was not licensed in New York to the John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Henderson, 32, played last season with the Dallas Mavericks, averaging 3.5 points per game.

The home of the Cavaliers is now Quicken Loans Arena.

Dan Gilbert, who bought the Cavaliers this year, officially renamed the building after the online lending firm he founded. The change had previously been announced and was made official Saturday during a party at the former Gund Arena to mark the 20th anniversary of Gilbert's founding of Quicken Loans.

The Livonia, Mich.-based company is the nation's largest online mortgage broker. The company intends to emphasize "The Q" in the exterior signs on the 20,000-seat arena.

Alan Henderson will become the latest free agent to join the Cavaliers. Henderson is expected to sign a one-year contract [veteran's minimum of $1 million] with the Cavs next week, according to several league sources.

Henderson, a 6-9 forward, will help fill the gap left open when Anderson Varejao dislocated his right shoulder last month while playing for Brazil in the Americas World Championship qualifying tournament. Varejao will be lost for much of the season and Henderson, a 10-year veteran, will try to maintain in the post.

Henderson, 32, averaged 3.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in 52 games for the Dallas Mavericks last season. Before playing for the Mavericks, Henderson played his first nine seasons with the Atlanta Hawks. His best year was the 1999-2000 season. He averaged 13.2 points and seven rebounds per game.

Henderson, however, will have to deal with a major issue before the start of the season. On Monday, he will be in court facing charges of carrying a loaded gun in JFK International Airport two months ago. The gun was stored in a metal lock box in his suitcase. Henderson did not have a license for the gun in the state of New York.

According to league insiders, the Cavaliers top target is Alan Henderson. The 10-year veteran played last season with the Dallas Mavericks, where he averaged 3.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in 52 games. He played the previous nine years with the Atlanta Hawks, where Cavs assistant general manager Chris Grant, a former Hawks executive, got to know him well.

The 6-foot-9, 32-year-old Henderson is known as a good mid-range shooter but, more importantly for the Cavs, an active rebounder. He was second in the NBA last season in offensive rebounds per 48 minutes.

Getting a player like Henderson became imperative after forward Anderson Varejao went down with a severe shoulder injury that required surgery last week. He might be out until February.

But signing Henderson might be complicated. The salary won't be: He'll get $1,138,500, the veteran's minimum, of which about $400,000 will be picked up by the league. However, Henderson was arrested July 2 at JFK Airport in New York for having a loaded gun.

The NBA has announced the players that will participate in a charity game on September 11th for victims of Hurrican Katrina.  The game will be played at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Tickets are priced at $300 (includes floor seats and player meet/greet) $25, $15 and $10. Special ticket arrangements will be made for Hurricane Katrina victims.

Players schedule to appear...
LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Steve Francis, Orlando Magic
Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Sam Cassell, Los Angeles Clippers
Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves
Ron Artest, Indiana Pacers
Jermaine O?Neal, Indiana Pacers
Chauncey Billups, Detroit Pistons
Stephon Marbury, New York Knicks
J.R. Smith, New Orleans Hornets
Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
Dantay Jones, Memphis Grizzlies
Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns
Mike James, Houston Rockets