Questions and Answers with Tulsa 66ers President Jim Brylewski
Jim Brylewski, President of the Tulsa 66ers, was kind enough to give me a few minutes to ask him about the state of the 66ers and the relationship between them and the Thunder. Among many interesting things, one is that the 66ers will be unveiling a new logo and new colors to match the Thunder within the month, Brylewski said. But there’s lots of good info like the advantages of having a D-League team so close, the way the franchises integrate between each other and how the 66er franchise sees itself within the Thunder organization. 
Daily Thunder: How big was it for the 66ers to move to downtown Tulsa?
Jim Brylewski: For us right now, the growth of downtown Tulsa, by April every team will be playing in downtown Tulsa. So we think it’s instrumental to the growth of the city and we think there’s some synergy now for everybody to be playing essentially within blocks of each other.
DT: And the team is playing in the… Civic Center?
JB: We’re playing in the Tulsa Convention Center. It is in the process of being renovated and will be completed by early November.
DT: Are there any aspirations to ever move to the BOK Center?
JB: Right now, from a financial standpoint, what the other teams pay in rent is not feasible from a cost standpoint.
DT: The Thunder made a slick move when it purchased its own D-League franchise. Why do you think other teams haven’t done this?
JB: I don’t know. I think that Houston just entered into an agreement where they’re handling the basketball operation in Rio Grande Valley. It’s a slow approach but I think once some of the other NBA teams see the value from a developmental standpoint that you’ll see that grow. I think that initial expense may hold back some. But from a developmental standpoint, but for us on the basketball side, if Shaun Livingston pans out the way that it looks like he’s going to, that’s the value of the franchise. So I think once other NBA franchises see that and see the benefit, that you’ll see it slowly turn that way. Read more…
