The Oklahoma City Thunder named Nate Tibbetts Head Coach of the their NBA Development League affiliate, the Tulsa 66ers, it was announced today by Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.
“We are pleased to add Nate to the Thunder organization,” said Presti. “We feel that in adding Nate, we are bringing someone on board that possesses a commitment to the development of our players in both Tulsa and Oklahoma City.”
Tibbetts joins the 66ers after spending the past four seasons with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League. After two seasons as an assistant with the Skyforce, Tibbetts was promoted to Head Coach prior the 2007-08 season. In two seasons at the helm of the Skyforce, Tibbetts guided Sioux Falls to a 53-47 (.530) mark including a playoff berth during the 2007-08 season.
Before joining the Skyforce in 2005, Tibbetts was an assistant men’s basketball coach at the University of Sioux Falls for four years (2001-05). In his four seasons at USF, the Cougars posted a record of 92-44 (.676), including two trips to the NAIA Division II National Tournament. The 2003-04 team posted a school record 26 wins before falling to Bellevue University (Neb.) 72-60 in the Final Four of the NAIA Division II Tournament.
Tibbetts enjoyed a successful collegiate career at the University of South Dakota. He ranks second all-time in the USD record books in career assists (678) and steals (215). He was named to the All-North Central Conference (NCC) team in 2000-01 and Honorable Mention All-NCC in 1999-00.
Also, we have a winner in the 7-word essay contest. Congrats to Randy Roper of Edmond for proclaiming he will wear his Thunderwear in Times Square.
terrell can play for the d league but he better off trying to get his self seen more by playing with bigger and better people
If he stays healthy, I see no issue with getting Kaman. He's a solid character guy who has been very productive when healthy. I think he would be a very nice asset, but, as I said before, I wouldn't give up too much for him. Mike Taylor is the Clips' backup PG right now, and, to be honest, he's way better than Watson, so they may not want to take him. Collison fits in to their team very well, especially considering that Camby is likely on the move too. I might throw the Nuggets pick in too to get the Clips to bite, but not anyone like Weaver or White.
While getting David Lee sounds like a nice concept, I'm kind of skeptical. I think that the Knicks may try to retain him, and, if not, the Pistons and Kings could both possibly be in the running for his services. Whoever gets him will probably end up overpaying for an undersized power forward that comes from a no-defense system. While he is a very good player, I just don't think he fits with what Presti is trying to do.
@Vega
Yeah, I think Harden looks like a pretty good fit too. Kamen is just wild assed speculation on my part- but it really would make sense- IF the Clips wind-up picking 3rd or worse and opt for Thabeet. Nick would be a solid back-up behind Randolf. Local-boy Watson would back-up Baron, and from what I can remember of our games against them, they didn't have much in the way of a bench. If they add a center, and have Camby for at least the coming season, shedding Kamen's future salary and getting honest to God role players back should be pretty tempting. I agree that we shouldn't offer more than that, but I honestly can't come up with a better use for Collison and Watson if we pick up a starting 4. (Presti- you reading this? Just give me a call if you need help with this whole GMing thing)
I wouldn't mind Lee, so long as he's willing to play defense. If we get Kamen for Watson and Collison, Presti should definitely do it, but if we have to give up anything else besides Collison and Watson, don't pull the trigger. Kamen has gotten kind of injury prone, and I don't think it would be wise to give up a young guy to get him.
Unless we get the first pick, Harden is our guy. It's scary how perfectly he fits the system.
While this has absolutely nothing to do with our D-League team, here is what I think we can realistically expect from Presti this summer. Draft- We come away with James Harden. Even if we fall as low as the fifth pick, most of the lottery front runners seem pretty locked in at this position, and we can reasonably expect him to be on the board whenever we pick. This guy can contribute immediately, and would likely be our new starting 2guard. We pick up David Lee through free agency. This position is where I feel we need the most help, and Lee is young, relatively injury issue free, a decent contributor on the offensive end, and one of the top rebounders in the league. Trading away Wilcox for essentially an older Wilcox at the same money never made any sense to me- UNLESS we were specifically playing nice with the Knicks to facilitate a move down the road. I'm thinking we could realistically look to pick him up for somewhere between 7 and 9 mill per, and the Knicks might not try and match our offer (he is restricted) because they are angling for Amare or Chris Bosh- and look, they have this Wilcox guy hanging around that they can sign for considerably less. Those two moves should be enough to put us in playoff contention next year. Maybe we add Ibaka. Maybe pick up the Polish Hammer. Maybe trade Watson and Collison for Kamen if the Clippers add Thabeet with their pick.