Dahntay Jones Will Be Signed According To ESPN’s Chris Haynes

Dahntay Jones will be joining the Cleveland Cavaliers for their playoff run, again.

According to ESPN’s Chris Haynes, 36-year-old shooting guard Dahntay Jones will indeed be signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The deal is expected to happen by tomorrow.

Jones’ highlights from last season?

After averaging 15.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game for the Grand Rapids Drive of the NBA Development League, Jones was signed on April 13th and played 42 minutes in the Cleveland Cavaliers regular season finale. In that game, Jones recorded 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal.

Playing sporadically in the NBA playoffs, Jones was suspended for a single game for hitting Bismack Biyombo below-the-belt and that was the highlight of his postseason. It was notable because it put Jones in an enforcer role, as Biyombo had been terrorizing Tristan Thompson and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the paint for much of the series while Jonas Valanciunas was out with an injury.

That’s a role that Jones also would have because his suspension wouldn’t necessarily hurt the Cavs, while provoking other players and causing their suspension could hurt them far more in a matchup.

Just ask Draymond Green, who had this to say after Jones bumped into him during a postgame interview. A bump that may have been intentional.

(Quote gathered by Sports Illustrated’s Ben Golliver)

"“It kind of caught me by surprise. I got bumped, I looked, I looked again, just kind of curious if he did it on purpose or not,” Green said. “I think he wanted a reaction from me, but he don’t play. Me getting suspended and him getting suspended, it’s different. When you don’t play, that’s probably his role on that team. I’ve had that role once before in my career, a couple years ago. I can’t afford to feed into that, where I get into it with him after the game, get fined, get suspended and hurt my team. If he gets suspended, they may not even notice.”"

Jones’ most memorable play though was the following sequence from Game 6 of the NBA Finals:

A sequence so important that Jones’ play was even referenced by LeBron James during the Cavs’ championship parade:

He finished Game 6 with 5 points, a rebound and a block in four and a half minutes. The Cleveland Cavaliers won 115-101 and made history in Game 7, being the first team in 33 attempts to come back down from down 3-1 in the NBA Finals.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, who had as rocky a season as they’ve had since James returned, will surely be looking for a little more of that magic in this playoff run. Jones’ veteran voice and locker room leadership will also be big for the Cleveland Cavaliers, like James Jones. He’s another player who is on the outside of the rotation looking in and offering veteran perspective, something that only “Champ” is able to do right now with the way the roster is constructed.

On-the-court, Jones has been a defensive-minded player his entire career. Recently, he’s improved his three-point shooting to make him a respectable threat from beyond the arc. He’s also capable of guarding three positions, like the recently DeAndre Liggins.

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