Craig Ehlo will not be leaving Eastern Washington to be an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers. A source with knowledge of the situation told SWX the EWU assistant coach did not get the job with Cleveland head coach Byron Scott.

Ehlo, a former Cleveland Cavalier, took an assistant coach position with
the Eagles during the offseason – his first college coaching job. He interviewed for the job in Cleveland, and several sources believed over the weekend he would be offered the job.

That turned out not to be the case.

Neither Ehlo nor EWU coach Jim Hayford were available for comment.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cavaliers swingman Omri Casspi has opted to play overseas until the NBA lockout ends.

He has signed with Israeli powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv, according to Creative Artists Agency which represents him, and he will join the club in several weeks.

Casspi, acquired from the Sacramento Kings in the offseason, has been long rumored to return to Israel during the work stoppage. He also had been considering a team in Italy.

Over the weekend, Casspi expressed his frustrations with the NBA on his Twitter account and hinted that he was in favor of disbanding the union.

He joins Semih Erden (Turkey) and Christian Eyenga (Spain) who are playing overseas. Alonzo Gee (Poland) has returned home.

Kyrie Irving is believed to be weighing his international options, as well.

Former Cleveland Cavaliers forward J.J. Hickson is adjusting to life in Israel. Hickson, who was traded by the Cavaliers to the Sacramento Kings during the offseason, signed with Bnei Hasharon/Herzliya of the Israeli Basketball Super League for the duration of the NBA lockout, writes A.J. Mitnick on SheridanHoops.com.

Hickson is the fifth current NBA player to sign in Israel during the lockout, Hickson’s acquisition comes with a mountain of expectations, considering that he is the most heralded prospect to make the leap.

But the transition hasn’t been so easy. Hickson scored 20 points and had eight rebounds and five assists, but that doesn’t mean too much when your team gets blown out by 39 points against a middle-of-the-pack team.

It is difficult enough for a 23-year old to change teams in the NBA, let alone move 6,000 miles away and adapt to a different style of play. European teams tend to change their offensive and defensive sets far more often than NBA and NCAA teams. Consequently, players must be willing to learn and adapt on a daily basis if they hope to succeed, or else they will be exposed, as Hickson was last night.

 Former Cavaliers guard/forward Luke Jackson also plays in Israel.