Age:
27
Hometown: Chester, Pa.
Birthdate: June 9, 1983
Height: 6-10
Weight: 251
Position: PF/C
Experience: 5 years
Draft: Undrafted (2005)
College: St. Joseph’s
2010-11 salary: Non-guaranteed
2010-11 season outlook: It would be a surprise if Dwayne Jones saw the court beyond garbage time this season, but he could be an asset for small stretches against big teams. Jones is a ferocious rebounder and a tireless worker who constantly stayed after practice at the end of last season knowing full well he didn’t have much of a shot at getting into games.
The one thing Jones has going for him is the fact that his biggest strength –rebounding — just happens to coincide with Phoenix’s top weakness. Particularly if one of the Suns’ front court rotation players goes down with an injury, it could be worth giving Jones a shot to see if he can rebound half as well in the League as he did in the D-League last year.
In all likelihood, Jones will not play a whole lot for Phoenix. However, he now has a chance to prove that he belongs in the NBA with the Suns.
Biography: It’s been an up and down ride for Dwayne Jones, but he seems to have finally found a more stable setting in Phoenix. After finishing high school at American Christian in Morgantown, W. Va., Jones started his college career at St. Joseph’s. Jones was a key piece of the 2004 St. Joe’s squad that nearly went undefeated and made it to the Elite Eight. He played on that team alongside Orlando Magic point guard Jameer Nelson and Boston Celtics shooting guard Delonte West. The hard-hitting big man made the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive team in 2004-2005 and won the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award in 2003-04 and 2004-05.
Undrafted out of college, Jones joined the Minnesota Timberwolves, who assigned him to the NBA Developmental League’s Florida Flame. In one season for the Flame, Jones led the league in rebounding. He was then traded in 2006 to the Boston Celtics, where he played 14 games and averaged 1.0 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. Before the 2006-07 season, Jones was traded to the Cavaliers, but only played in four games before heading back to the D-League. The following season, Jones made it an entire year in the NBA, playing in 56 games while pulling down 1.4 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.
The Suns signed Jones in April 2010 when Robin Lopez went down with a bulging disk. At the time, Jones was dominating the D-League with 17.6 rebounds and 17.0 rebounds. He only saw action for the Suns that season in two games.
Links to ValleyoftheSuns coverage of Jones: