Emeka Okafor signs second 10-day contract and has three more games to prove worth to New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans have made it official, signing center Emeka Okafor to another 10-day contract.

Okafor will be available to play against the Los Angeles Lakers tonight and then in the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks matchups following the upcoming nine-day All-Star break. The Pelicans are able to utilize Okafor for longer than the typical ten-day stretch because the rules provide for teams to get the benefit of players on a 10-day contract for a minimum of three games on their schedules.

According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, Okafor will receive a salary of $157,875 for the next twelve days of work and the Pelicans will incur a salary cap hit of $99,755.

Through three games, Okafor is averaging 5.0 points and 5.7 rebounds in 14.3 minutes of action, but has exceeded many expectations and has given Anthony Davis a break from guarding some of the biggest players in the association. Head Coach Alvin Gentry inserted Okafor into the starting lineup against the Detroit Pistons and he held his own against Andre Drummond by posting eight points, seven rebounds and one block in 14 minutes.

Despite being 35 years of age and out of the league for over four seasons, both his skills and athleticism seem vastly intact which begs the question: Should General Manager Dell Demps strongly consider signing Okafor for the rest of the season once his 2nd 10-day contract expires?