66ers make a trade after the draft

I didn't blog last night because I felt something was in the works. At the 66ers draft party last night, you could just get the feeling when Rio Grande Valley took Robert Vaden with their first-round pick that he would eventually come into Tulsa's hands. After all, Vaden was familiar with the Thunder system after spending some time in it this summer.

Today, Vaden came back to the Thunder family .. and the 66ers. The 66ers acquired Vaden, a guard and the seventh overall pick in 2010 D-League Draft, from the Vipers in exchange for guard Mustafa Shakur..

Additionally, the 66ers obtained a 2011 first round draft pick from the Springfield Armor in exchange for guard Scottie Reynolds. Tulsa selected Reynolds with its 13th pick in the first round of the 2010 D-League Draft. This was big news as Reynolds, the All-American from Villanova, was arguably the biggest "name" available in the draft.

After being selected by the Charlotte Bobcats with the 54th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, Vaden’s draft rights were acquired by the Oklahoma City Thunder. He spent the 2009-10 season playing overseas in Italy for Aget Imola. Vaden appeared in 29 games and averaged 16.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 35.7 minutes per game.

Vaden, 6-5/215, enjoyed a successful collegiate career at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, where he became the fastest player in UAB history to score 1,000 points (50 games).

Information on some of Tulsa's other draft picks...

Looking to add some size, Tulsa picked former Kentucky forward Perry Stevenson with its second-round pick. The 6-9 forward played in 34 games for the Wildcats last season.

In the third round, the 66ers went even bigger when they tabbed Josh Lomers, a 7-footer out of Baylor. Lomers averaged 6.6 points and 3.7 rebounds for the Bears last season.

Tulsa spent its fourth-round pick on Devin Sweetney, a 6-6 wing who played for St. Francis (Pa.). In his four seasons for the Red Flash, he was a member of the Northeastern Conference All-Freshmen Team and was named All-NEC last season after posting 16.9 points and 7.4 boards per game.

In the fifth round, Tulsa selected Mamadi Diane, a 6-6 guard/forward from Virginia. He Played professionally in Spain for the 2009-10 season, averaging 11.3 points and 22.5 minutes in 26 games for CB Penas Huesca of the LEB, the second Spanish basketball league.

Tulsa's final three draft picks were Brandon Brooks (sixth round, Alabama State), Marlon Jones (seventh round, Oklahoma City), and Michael Sturns (Holy Family).