Kevin Henry: After watching the game tonight (a Tulsa win over Fort Wayne), what were your overall impressions?
Scott Brooks: I think they looked great. Nate (Tibbetts, Tulsa head coach) has done a terrific job. It’s never easy to integrate guys into your lineup during the season, but he’s done a great job. Watching tonight, you could tell it’s been a smooth transition and he has his team playing hard. Nate is a talented coach with a very bright future.

KH: What impressed you the most tonight?
SB: The defense. I’m very impressed that Fort Wayne didn’t score for nearly eight minutes in the fourth quarter.

KH: Defense is a high standard for you and for everyone in the Thunder organization, isn’t it?
SB: Absolutely. I liked their defense tonight, especially in the fourth quarter. The guys were really getting after it. I like this team and their spirit. There was a lot of excitement in the building tonight.

KH: How important is it for you as a coach to have an affiliate team like Tulsa that is so close to Oklahoma City?
SB: It’s great, especially when you have guys who need to be sent down because of injury or to get some additional playing time. While they’re here, these guys get to develop their games. Playing in games and playing in practice are two different things. When guys have missed time, they need game reps. This gives them the opportunity to get those reps. It’s also a benefit to be so close because, on a night like this, I can come over and watch them play. There aren’t too many coaches in the NBA who can say that. It’s a nice opportunity.

KH: What were your impressions of your three players on assignment?
SB: I think they’re all getting better thanks to the game reps and hard work.

Note: Since this interview, White and Weaver has been recalled by the Thunder.

Kevin Henry authors the excellent 66ers Nation, a Tulsa 66ers blog and also serves as the beat reporter for the 66ers for the Tulsa World. You can follow him on Twitter here.

(Note: This was written before Thunder night last night)

Normally in the NBA Development League, when the relationship between a parent club and an affiliate team is discussed, it’s only looked at in terms of the on-court product. Today, with “Thunder Night” in the works for Friday night, I thought it would be interesting to look at the inner workings of the Tulsa 66ers-Oklahoma City Thunder relationship. Specifically, the marketing and sales aspects were of interest to me. With that in mind, I interviewed Brian Byrnes, the senior vice president of sales and marketing about how Oklahoma City views its ties with Tulsa … from a different standpoint.

Incidentally, “Thunder Night” will include the Thunder Girls and Thunder drummers, as well as a matchup of former first-round draft picks in Oklahoma City/Tulsa center B.J. Mullens and Memphis/Dakota center Hasheem Thabeet.

“Thunder Night” takes place on Friday night when Tulsa and Dakota square off at the Tulsa Convention Center.

Kevin Henry: Personally, you have to be excited about Thunder Night. You’re one of the people really behind the idea.
Brian Byrnes: We have an ownership interest in the team and we see Friday night as a great opportunity for the Thunder to spread its wings throughout the state. Tulsa is truly a developmental team for us. Players in Tulsa are involved in the same things the Thunder players are involved with, everything from coaching strategies to nutrition to offseason analysis. We are constantly challenging ourselves to make sure things are the same in Tulsa and Oklahoma City.

KH: Certainly everyone in Oklahoma City keeps track of the basketball being played, but you’re keeping track of the intangibles as well.
BB: We have a constant interest in our brand and we want to use the 66ers as an extension of our brand. It’s important to us to be able to bring our brand to the entire state of Oklahoma.

KH: You’re seeing a lot of people making the drive from Tulsa and other parts of the state to support Oklahoma City, correct?
BB: We’re impressed with how many people are making the commitment to seeing the Thunder and they’re breaking down any geographic barriers to come to Oklahoma City. We’re excited about that, but not surprised. The people of Oklahoma proved they could support an NBA team (when the New Orleans Hornets moved to OKC during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina) and they continue to show they can support an NBA team.

KH: Speaking of the drive to OKC, many Oklahomans make long drives during college football and basketball season to support their state teams. Is there a difference in asking people to support a college or pro event?
BB: There’s a great history of people in Oklahoma driving to OU and OSU to support their teams. Really, we’re not asking them to do anything different than what they’re already used to doing.

KH: During Thunder games, I’m seeing more and more promotions for the Tulsa 66ers, right?
BB: Absolutely. It’s really about communication, and we want the Thunder fans to understand what is going on with the 66ers. We also want our fans to know that the 66ers players and coaches are part of the Thunder family.

KH: What’s your main goal for fans attending games, whether it’s Thunder or 66er games?
BB: We want them to have a quality experience. We have them to have a social experience that engages them. We always want our fans to have good experiences and see our teams as teams that can provide a safe, affordable environment. The more we can market that, the more barriers we can break down.

KH: What do you see as the biggest marketing challenge with the Thunder in Tulsa?
BB: First, I think the biggest challenges also present the biggest opportunities. That being said, I know that there has been a long history between Tulsa and Oklahoma City … and it hasn’t always been the friendliest. I think the Thunder can be a common denominator between the two communities and bridge some of the problems there may have been in the past.

Kevin Henry authors the excellent 66ers Nation, a Tulsa 66ers blog and also serves as the beat reporter for the 66ers for the Tulsa World. You can follow him on Twitter here.

In the midst of a five-game West Conference road trip, the Tulsa 66ers find themselves at 14-14 and in desperate search of the chemistry they had at the start of the calendar year.

Roster moves are common in the NBA D-League, and Tulsa has certainly had its share of changes, including big men Byron Mullens and D.J. White being recalled from Tulsa to the Thunder. I’ve talked to 66ers head coach Nate Tibbetts several times about how he handles what can sometimes be a revolving lineup door thanks to injuries, call-ups, and even defections (Zabian Dowdell left the 66ers to join Unicaja in Spain, part of an exodus of D-Leaguers heading overseas in the early portions of 2010). When we’ve talked, he’s always mentioned the importance of chemistry and finding a lineup that works well together. Right now, that’s a key for the 66ers.

With West Conference leader Rio Grande Valley now 7.0 games up on the 66ers, the next two games against the Los Angeles D-Fenders are big for the 66ers. Last night Tulsa dropped a game in overtime at Bakersfield that, on paper, they should’ve won, so the two games in Los Angeles before the All-Star break now loom as even more critical.

OK, there’s the bad side of the picture at the moment. Conversely, there’s plenty of good to talk about as well. Here are three 66ers players you need to know.

Mustafa Shakur is having a tremendous season and was recognized by fans and coaches with an All-Star game nomination. He’s the only 66er that will play in the All-Star game, but it’s certainly a tip of the hat to the former University of Arizona guard who has carried the 66ers at times this season. Last night’s game in Bakersfield was a great example of Shakur’s overall season as he totaled 22 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. For the season, Shakur is averaging 19.6 points and 6.9 assists per outing.

Latavious Williams is progressing nicely. The first high school player ever drafted by a D-League team, Williams was a first-round pick of the 66ers and had plenty of high expectations surrounding him heading into the season. Williams is just now starting to find his stride, including a 19-point performance last night against Bakersfield. Earlier in the season, he had a game of 18 points and 18 rebounds, and is one of the most productive 66ers when it comes to pounding the boards. Despite averaging just under 19 minutes a game, Williams averages 7.0 rebounds per outing. His playing time will only go up as the season goes along, so be prepared to see more impressive numbers posted by the youngster.

Larry Owens can ball. While he doesn’t get the attention of Shakur and Williams, Owens is a guy who can play the three or four position and score from anywhere on the court. He’s quick and his teammates have faith in him to score if they need a big basket. Owens has started all 28 games this season, scoring 15.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

After the All-Star break, Tulsa’s schedule is light with two home games against Maine (Feb. 18) and Springfield (Feb. 25) as the only games in a 12-day span.

A Detroit Shock official says the WNBA team is moving to Tulsa, Okla. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to The Associated Press on Monday because he was not authorized to make the announcement.

Detroit made its debut in the league in 1998 and won titles in 2008, 2006 and 2003. The Shock lost last month to the Indiana Fever in the Eastern Conference finals after rallying to earn a playoff spot.

Good for Tulsa I guess. I have absolutely no interest in the WNBA and likely will soon forget there is even a team there, but that’s cool for them if they wanted it. So now we’ve pulled basketball teams from two different cities in two different leagues. Oklahoma: The Land of Relocation.