Legends' Antonio Daniels out 4-6 weeks

The Texas Legends took it hard upon learning that Antonio Daniels, who's trying to get back to the NBA as the D-League's oldest player ever at 35, will be lost for at least four to six weeks thanks to a hand injury that probably will require surgery.

"We will miss him dearly on many levels," Legends coach Nancy Lieberman said Thursday night.

The only consolation, purely from the Mavericks' perspective, is that rookie guard Dominique Jones should now receive significant minutes at point guard in Daniels' place. There is strong sentiment within the organization that Jones, because of his passing ability, has untapped potential at the point, even though owner Mark Cuban paid $3 million on draft night to acquire his rights from the Memphis Grizzlies with the idea that the Mavs were landing a shooting guard after Jones' scoring prowess at South Florida.

Jones is averaging 16.4 points on 50 percent shooting from the floor in five games in the D-League since the Mavs designated him for assignment, and he had begun to take practice reps at point guard even before Daniels got hurt. Given the struggles of highly touted Mavs teammate Rodrigue Beaubois to get comfortable with the intricacies of NBA point guard play, Jones could certainly solidify his standing on the roster if he adapts well.