NBA teams are beginning to lay off employees during the lockout that has now lasted close to a month.

The Cavaliers, however, have not experienced any layoffs yet, a source said.

The NBA league office recently laid off 114 employees, although they said it wasn't because of the lockout.

Cavaliers rookie Kyrie Irving, the No. 1 pick in the recent NBA draft, announced his new deal with Nike via Twitter today.

Tweeted Irving, "Feels good to officially be apart of @nikebasketball! Can't wait to meet all the family I'm going to be apart of. Dreams really do come true!''

Cleveland Cavaliers Director of Player Personnel Wes Wilcox has been named general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers new NBA Development League franchise in Canton, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today.

"Having Wes in this role is another reflection of the synergy and connectivity that owning and operating our own D-League team in Canton provides. As Wes has been an integral member of our staff for the past eight years, it enhances the opportunity for us to extend our team and organizational culture further into the player development process. Wes has been intricately involved in the D League evolution over the last several years and the Canton franchise has already and will continue to, greatly benefit from his knowledge and experience."

Wilcox will oversee all of the Canton team’s basketball operations elements, as well as all team personnel and activities. He will also continue in his role as the director of player personnel for the Cavaliers.

Canton will be the site of the Cavaliers new NBA Development League team. The Cavaliers have called a noon news conference in Canton to formally announce the move.

While the selection of Canton is a bit of a surprise -- Youngstown had been the rumored site -- it was clear the Cavaliers were going to try their hand at running their own team in the D-League after the Erie BayHawks, the Cavs' D-League affiliate since 2008, recently signed an exclusive agreement with the New York Knicks.

Such exclusive agreements have become popular recently, with a number of teams preferring a one-on-one partnership. The Cavs shared the BayHawks affiliation with the Toronto Raptors.

Both the Knicks and Spurs made trade calls to the Cavaliers about the availability of Omri Casspi following the team's acquisition on Thursday.

Cleveland general manager Chris Grant rebuffed their overtures, indicating that he has liked Casspi since the 2009 NBA Draft when he was selected by the Kings.

Cavaliers forward Antawn Jamison predicted the labor dispute will either be settled before games are missed -- or the entire season will be lost.

"I think in '98-99, we didn't think it would be a long, drawn out process," Jamison said after speaking to children at a school in his hometown. "Just the unity, the guys understanding what we're facing and what we're up against is totally different than what it was when I first got into the league.

"You've got the LeBron Jameses and the Dwyane Wades and all those guys who are really taking a stand and being a face of this movement," Jamison said. "I think back then we really didn't have the superstars that were together as the superstars are now. I think it's making a difference."