One final addition to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ preseason roster was announced with the re-signing of veteran guard Dahntay Jones. The deal, noted by Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com, isn’t guaranteed, with Jones battling for the final spot on the roster.
The 35-year-old Jones was signed in the final days of last year’s regular season and scored 13 points in the regular-season finale. He then stood out twice during the postseason, performing duties that helped the Cavaliers in different ways.
In the closing seconds of the contentious Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Jones was inserted and proceeded to punch Toronto Raptors center Bismack Biyombo in the groin. That resulted in a one-game suspension for Jones, but enhanced his stature among teammates.
Then, in a crucial Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors, Jones was inserted in the closing minutes of the first half. During that time, the Cavs went on a 5-0 run to boost their halftime lead to 16 points, while the Warriors’ Draymond Green was assessed a pair of fouls.
Though Jones was subsequently released during the offseason, that mentioned stature was evidenced by the fact that LeBron James invited Jones to take part in the team’s unofficial minicamp in Santa Barbara, California. Jones posted a photo of the team on his Instagram account.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BKrH5l3DYkT/
The team gets training camp going on Monday with media day, with the first practice taking place on Tuesday. As defending NBA champions, the team has already adopted a motto concerning a possible repeat: “defend the iron throne.”
