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Mavericks to sign veteran Eddie Jones
11:57 PM CDT on Friday, August 3, 2007
By CHUCK CARLTON / The Dallas Morning News
[email protected]
Coach Avery Johnson said Friday that the Mavericks will add two veterans before the season begins.
They're halfway to fulfilling Johnson's prediction.
The Mavericks upgraded their depth at shooting guard and small forward, agreeing to terms on a two-year deal with three-time All-Star Eddie Jones.
Owner Mark Cuban and Jones' agent, Leon Rose, confirmed the pending deal.
Jones, 35, is expected to fly Monday to Dallas where he'll take a physical and officially sign. He'll receive $1.83 million in the first year from the Mavericks' bi-annual exception and holds a player option for the second season.
The team retains its $5.3 million mid-level exception to use for another free-agent acquisition.
Rose said Jones was drawn to the Mavericks as a title contender.
"Obviously, it's a top-flight organization," Rose said. "It's a team to which he believes he can contribute and help take to the next level."
Donnie Nelson, the Mavericks president of basketball operations, declined comment until the deal is official.
Earlier Friday, Johnson made no secret of the team's plans in a telephone interview from his office.
"Before training camp, we're going to add two key veterans to our team," Johnson said. "It's not going to be anybody that's going to necessarily lead to a championship, but two key veterans who we think can help us achieve our goal of winning a championship."
With Jones aboard as an outside presence, the Mavericks will almost certainly start focusing on a veteran unrestricted big man.
Chris Webber and P.J. Brown each meet the criteria. Johnson acknowledged making a sales pitch to each, as he did with Jones before he signed.
"It is a necessity now because of the salary cap," Johnson said. "It's not like the Yankees who can outspend everybody, or the Red Sox. When you're over the cap, you all have the same exceptions to work with.
"Recruiting is a big part of it, selling players on our system, our environment, our fans, our selling out every night and having one of the best owners in pro sports."
Webber, a one-time elite power forward, has listed his hometown Detroit Pistons and the Mavericks as preferred destinations. Brown is deciding whether to play another season or retire.
The Mavericks also might pursue a sign-and-trade for a restricted free agent such as Golden State's Mickael Pietrus or Cleveland's Sasha Pavlovic.
But the addition of Jones takes away much of the urgency. The Mavericks pursued him last season when he was released by Memphis and eventually signed with Miami.
The 6-6 Jones carries a career average of 15.4 points per game and has been considered an excellent outside shooter and defender.
AP
Eddie Jones (left) has played for four teams, including the Miami Heat, in his 13-year career. Even though he averaged a career-low 7.7 points a game last season with Memphis and Miami, he showed that he could still deliver in stretches.
When Miami lost star Dwyane Wade with a shoulder injury, Jones played a key stopgap role late in the season. He started all 15 Miami games in March with Wade sidelined, averaging 13.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists. He shot 46.2 percent from the field, including 41 percent on 3-pointers, during that span.
"If you look at the contribution he made when he went to Miami, it was significant and helped them at a key time," Rose said.
With the Mavericks, he'll give the team another look to go with players like Jerry Stackhouse, Devean George, Greg Buckner and second-year guard Maurice Ager.
EDDIE JONES
Age: 35 (turns 36 in October)
Ht.: 6-6
Wt.: 200
College: Temple
Years pro: 13
Notable: Ranks seventh all-time in 3-pointers made. ... Will be playing for his fifth franchise. ... Made the NBA's all-defensive second team three consecutive seasons, 1997-2000. ... Averaged double-figures scoring his first 12 NBA seasons, including a career-best 20.1 ppg for Charlotte in 1999-2000. ... Considered a solid playoff performer (13.2 ppg) but struggled last season.
Personal: He and wife, Trina, have three children. ... Jones co-authored a book on his college coach, John Chaney, in 2003.
Coach sticks by current group
Even with a veteran acquisition or two, next season's Mavericks will look a lot like their 2006-07 predecessor.
That's just fine with coach Avery Johnson.
"They've won 127 games in the last two years," Johnson said. "We feel we've been very competitive. This group deserves another chance."
Johnson discussed several Mavericks topics during a phone interview Friday. Among them:
•On standing pat this summer.
"We feel Devin Harris can be 25 percent better and Josh Howard can really move to this next level where I want to go to and Jason Terry can shoot the ball like Jason Terry. ... We feel that's better than us going out, getting rid of four or five guys to get one guy."
•On the playoff loss three months ago to Golden State.
"We just made a lot of poor decisions and we missed a lot of layups. They made every shot. They made 30-footers. They made 50-footers. Baron Davis was probably the MVP of the whole playoffs at that point. It was a situation where they got really hot and we aren't on top of our game."
•On the missing ingredient.
"More than anything, we need some battle-tested veterans who can get it done for us in the playoffs."
Chuck Carlton