http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/nba/news/story?id=4938744 Why does Von amuse me so much? D-Leaguer averaging double-double Comment Email Print Share By Marc Stein ESPN.com Archive The Dallas Mavericks are bringing in a D-League rebounding machine to audition for the sudden vacancy created by Erick Dampier's finger injury. Sources close to the situation told ESPN.com that the Mavericks will work out Dwayne Jones of the Austin Toros later Tuesday and sign him to a 10-day contract if they like what they see. More on the Mavs News, notes and analysis of the Mavericks from ESPNDallas.com's Jeff Caplan, Tim MacMahon and the rest of our team. Blog. The Mavericks have already lined up Von Wafer to provide some backcourt depth by signing a 10-day contract, which is expected to be formally inked Wednesday to maximize the number of games Wafer can play in after the ex-Houston Rocket started this season in Greece. Dallas plays six games in 10 days starting with Wednesday night's showdown with the Los Angeles Lakers. But Dallas has been looking for an extra big man as well after losing Dampier to a dislocated finger in its first game out of the All-Star break. The Mavericks also considered re-signing Jake Voskuhl to a 10-day contract after Voskuhl was Dallas' last cut in training camp. But the first chance to fill in for Dampier will go to Jones, who is averaging 16.8 points, 15.4 rebounds and two blocks while shooting 61.1 percent from the field for Austin. Scouts regard Jones as a non-scorer -- virtually all of his D-League scoring comes through his work on the offensive glass -- but he has legit NBA size and an unquestioned ability to rebound. In three previous NBA stints with Boston, Cleveland and Charlotte, Jones has appeared in 80 games but only averaged 1.4 points and 2.3 rebounds in 7.9 minutes. Dallas decided to dip into the D-League for its short-term Dampier replacement because many of the veterans it hoped to have a shot at scooping up off the waiver wire appear to be unavailable. The Los Angeles Clippers continue to insist that ex-Mav Drew Gooden -- shipped to Washington in the deal for Brendan Haywood and Caron Butler and then routed to L.A. in the three-way deal that landed Antawn Jamison in Cleveland -- will stay on their roster for the rest of the season. Had he been able to secure a buyout from the Clippers, Gooden would be eligible to sign with Dallas after a 30-day wait. The Mavericks would naturally have huge interest in Zydrunas Ilgauskas, too, after Ilgauskas' forthcoming buyout from Washington. It's likewise believed that they would have a decent chance of convincing Ilgauskas to give Dallas consideration given his longstanding relationship with Mavs president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson after their time working together with Lithuania's national team. The Mavs, though, are resigned to the reality that Ilgauskas is determined to wait the mandatory 30 days and re-sign with the Cavaliers after finalizing his buyout with the Wizards. Sources say that the Mavericks, like several playoff-bound teams, were also hopeful that the Milwaukee Bucks would buy out veteran power forward Kurt Thomas after the former Hillcrest High and TCU star was not dealt before last Thursday's trading deadline. Yet one source with knowledge of the Bucks' thinking told ESPN.com that Milwaukee is adamant about keeping Thomas for the rest of the season.
