Mavericks to sign 44-year-old Willis if he passes physical

DALLAS -- The Dallas Mavericks will sign 44-year-old forward Kevin Willis to a 10-day contract Monday if he passes a physical.

Dallas coach Avery Johnson said Friday the 7-foot Willis would be signed to give the team another big man for the postseason.

"He'll be around our big guys at practice to bang on them," Johnson said. "Hopefully we can get him in good enough shape to play in an emergency and maybe give us a couple of fouls."

Willis is a veteran of 20 NBA seasons and played in 29 games for the Atlanta Hawks in 2004-05. He was not on an NBA roster last season.

Willis has averaged 12.2 points and 8.4 rebounds during his career, and he would be the oldest active player in the league if signed.