Our man Scott Schroeder at Ridiculous Upside breaks this news:
Dwayne Jones will be signing with the Phoenix Suns for the rest of the season according to sources close to the situation.
Jones, a 6-foot-11 big man with the Austin Toros, has put up outstanding numbers this season, averaging 17.6 points, 16.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks while shooting 60% from the field.
In case you are skeptical, Scott is very plugged in to D-league happenings and has accurately reported on pretty much every major transaction before anyone else (unless he was out bowling).
The big question is what this means for Robin Lopez. Hopefully, the Suns are just hedging their bets but one can also speculate that Robin's treatment isn't going well. We will certainly try and get more info on that. Stay tuned.
[Note by Seth Pollack, 04/02/10 1:05 PM MST ]
I was able to confirm this report from Scott and learned that signing Jones now is for "insurance" in case Robin can't come back.
This is a Plan B type move. The Suns have until April 15th to submit their playoff rosters. By signing Jones now he can get some practice time in and be evaluated by the coaching staff prior to the playoffs IF he's needed.
[Note by Seth Pollack, 04/02/10 4:52 PM MST ]
Coro has some more details
azcentral.com blogs - Coro's Suns dish - PaulCoro - Suns to add big man
Jones' contract will include a second-year team option.
The option for the second year is helpful this summer. He can be included in trades this summer to make salaries work. Or maybe he will be the next
and btw, be sure to catch Jared Dudley on the Bill Simmons podcast. Some great inside stories from JD including the fact that Robin Lopez drives a 1987 Toyota Corolla.