Caron Butler laughingly said he'll comply with the NBA's rules banning the chewing of straws.

Asked what his new chew will be, Butler said: "I don't know. I'll have to find something quick, though.''

The Mavericks have signed Von Wafer to a 10-day contract.

"I'm just happy to be back in the NBA,'' Wafer said. "If it's for 10 days, fine. If it's for 20 days, fine. I'm just going to try to do what I can to help and try to get better.''

Wafer said his back, which acted up on him last season, is fine.

"It's not a big issue,'' he said. "I had a little trouble with it in the playoffs last season, but I didn't miss any games.''

The Mavericks were expected to work out forward Dwayne Jones on Tuesday and they are planning to sign him to a 10-day contract, a source has told ESPN.com.

Jones is a top rebounder for the Austin Toros of the NBDL.

A source added that Jones could even be eligible to play on Wednesday night against the Lakers.

The Mavericks are already believed to be to close to signing free-agent guard Von Wafer to a 10-day deal.

The Mavericks will audition free-agent guard Von Wafer once more before deciding whether or not to sign him to a 10-day contract.

Dallas isn't concerned with Wafer's skills, but rather his sore back.

Wafer left Greece to re-sign with the Rockets earlier this season but he failed a physical because of a bulging disk.

"He can shoot it. We know that, and he's athletic," president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said.

"When he's healthy, he can defend. His athleticism is the thing that kind of separates him, but we want to see where he's at physically and have a chance to work him out one more time."

Donnie Nelson refuted reports that the NBA is considering blocking Zydrunas Ilgauskas from re-signing with the Cavaliers.



?You hear all that hogwash about the NBA blocking that,?? Nelson said. ?But there?s no truth to it.??

Ilgauskas has spent his entire career with Cleveland.

The Mavericks were expected to give free-agent guard Von Wafer a physical on Monday.

If all goes well, Dallas could sign Wafer to a 10-day contract, according to president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson.

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan saw his team subtract at the trade deadline, but that doesn't mean he wasn't keeping tabs on the teams that improved over the last week.

"Dallas, I thought, did a good job," Sloan said. "I think Houston and Sacramento both look like they did. It all depends on how those guys play. All those things happen on paper, and we haven't seen them play. I say it looks like both teams helped themselves in the long run."

Of all the deals, Sloan believes that the Mavericks have best set themselves up to contend for a championship.

Dallas worked out both Von Wafer and Rashad McCants on Friday.

No signing of either player is imminent.

A night of drinking may have spelled the end for Josh Howard in Dallas.

According to multiple team sources, the Mavericks benched Howard for their Jan. 20 game against the Wizards because of a hangover after a night of partying.

The incident was added to a lengthy list of questionable off-court conduct toward the end of his tenure with Dallas.

The Mavericks, who were already shopping Howard and wanted to protect his trade value, announced that he had a stomach illness.

He was traded to the Wizards last week as part of a seven-player deal that brought Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood to Dallas.

The Mavericks intend to pursue Zydrunas Ilgauskas if he receives a buyout from the Washington Wizards.

Erick Dampier underwent successful surgery Wednesday morning to repair an open dislocation of his right middle finger suffered on Tuesday.

"He'll be out for a while," coach Rick Carlisle said. "I'm just not sure exactly how long."

The Mavericks can only offer Ilgauskas a prorated portion of the veteran's minimum salary of about $1.3 million. Ilgauskas has spent his entire 12-year career with the Cavaliers, but he would have to wait 30 days to return to Cleveland.