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With that Daniel Orton open roster spot burning a hole in their pockets, the Sixers will work out two other big men today who both hail from the magical land of the D-League. Both Jarvis Varnado and Dewayne Dedmon performed in front of Sam Hinkie at the D-League showcase and have flirted with the Sixers a few times over the years. Spencer Hawes and Lavoy Allen and the Ghost of Kwame Brown remain the only healthy centers on the Sixers roster.
2014 NBA Draft
Let's start with Varnado. I and some longstanding LB members have been clamoring for Varnado for the better part of three seasons. He played four years at Mississippi State, where he blocked a veritable butt-ton of shots, after which he was replaced by UTEP transfer and current Sixers paperweight Arnett Moultrie. JV has steadily put on weight as he's gotten older, which has helped him on the defensive glass. He's now weighing in at 230 -- not horrible for a backup center. Playing with the Iowa Energy, Varnado is averaging 14 and 11 on 50% shooting with 4.7 blocks per night. He's had a few sips of coffee with the Heat and Celtics since graduating.
Source confirms Dewayne Dedmon's workout with #Sixers tomorrow. The former USC center had a solid workout in Philly pre-draft this summer.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) January 12, 2014
Dedmon, on the other hand, played relatively sparingly for some nondescript USC teams and has worked hard to get to this point. He picked up basketball late-ish, and the fight has paid off lately -- the Warriors gave him a shot earlier this year. At a legit 7-feet, Dedmon isn't the shotblocker that Varnado is, but he makes up for it with overpowering athleticism and a decent jumper. He's killing it in Santa Cruz, putting up 15 and 13.5 on 54% shooting.
The obvious qualifications are obvious -- both guys meet the "NO GUYS OVER 25" requirement. Though Varnado will turn 26 in March, so he would have to be cut with extreme prejudice before then. Dedmon is 24 until August, and if you think about things such way, has the higher upside. Varnado would be Nerlens Noel-lite, only lighter. Serviceable backup role player though. Shotblocking is, as they say, at a premium.
We'll see. And hopefully some more exciting news than D-League workouts on the horizon, if that's even possible.
