For fringe NBA players, getting the first 10-day contract is huge because you fill a need or a team sees potential. Signing a second 10-day contract with a team means they like what you are doing. But it's what happens after the second 10-day contract that is most important.
After signing a player to back-to-back 10-day contracts, an NBA team has to make the decision to either release a player or sign him for the remainder of the season.
Former USC center Dewayne Dedmon had his fate decided by the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday. The Sixers did not resign him after his second 10-day contract with the club expired Sunday night at midnight.
Philadelphia head coach Brett Brown talked about the decision this morning:
"We liked him," coach Brett Brown said. "The time that he came in, how could you not like what he did at 7-foot? The whole year is about evaluating people. You are going to see people in and out. No reflection on Dewayne. It’s just the stage where we are at as a program."
Dedmon played in 11 games averaging 3.4 points and 4.5 rebounds. The 7-footer logged 13.6 minutes per contest and recorded nine blocks.
He showed great flashes and, combined with his stellar NBA Developmental League play earlier this year, should get another opportunity in the NBA.
Dedmon's release comes on the heels of Toronto Raptors forward DeMar DeRozan becoming the first former Trojan to make an NBA All-Star Team since 1983.