Sam Presti refuses to let the Thunder fade to the background | ProBasketballTalk | NBC Sports
Sam Presti doesn't just wait by the phone. He had antennae implanted in his brain years ago, for convenient and instantaneous connections to each and every GM in the league. Every time the draft broadcast goes 5 minutes without mentioning the Thunder or showing Kevin Durant, he makes a brain call and a subsequent move. Boom, whiz, pow, and the Thunder grabbed the 11th pick in a draft that didn't feature them as major players -- and filled a positional need -- while holding on to the 18th pick.
Twitter / Darnell Mayberry:
For whatever it's worth, two of Around the Horn's panelists (Woody Paige and Tim Cowlishaw) say OKC was the draft's big winner.
Busy Thunder add Kansas' Aldrich to mix at center | Yahoo! Sports
Add Cole Aldrich to the crowded race to become the starting center for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Taken with the No. 11 pick in Thursday night’s draft, the 6-foot-11 Aldrich was sent to the busy Thunder in a trade with the New Orleans Hornets. Oklahoma City gave up a pair of first-round picks (Nos. 21 and 26) but also got veteran forward Morris Peterson in the swap. Aldrich enters the mix with starter Nenad Krstic and reserve Serge Ibaka, who received increased playing time down the stretch and made a defensive impact in the playoffs. The Thunder also are trying to develop Byron Mullens, who was the No. 24 overall pick in last year’s draft.
2010 NBA draft results: Draft grades - ESPN Insider
(B+) The Thunder's target at No. 11 was Aldrich, a true rebounding, shot-blocking center. Aldrich fits a need for the Thunder in the middle, where he could provide the kind of defense that Joel Przybilla has given the Blazers.Pleiss is also intriguing. He's huge, active on the defensive end, and improving slowly on offense. He's stated he wants to return to Germany, but the word out of OKC on Thursday night was that the Thunder will try to convince him to stay and develop in the U.S.
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