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NBA-OKC's Sam Presti Discusses Team

Oklahoma City, OK) -- The general manager of Oklahoma City's new NBA franchise has his sleeves rolled up and is ready to go to work.

"We're thrilled. We think this is an unbelievable opportunity for our team," Presti told a jammed news conference inside Oklahoma City's historic Skirvin Hilton Hotel.

Thursday was the first time Presti had had an opportunity to talk with many of the local reporters and he missed no chances to underscore how excited he and team members are to be moving into the neighborhood.

"I'm not sure that there could have been a better place for our team to go forward and part of that reason is I feel like our vision for our team and our players is very closely linked to the identity of this city."

As Presti sees it Oklahoma City is full of people who have strong moral values, like to work hard and will keep getting up no matter how many times they've been knocked down. He thinks he is putting together a basketball team of similar character.

"When we sit back as a basketball staff and we look at our methodology and we look at the vision for our team and the type of players that we want to try to put in uniform for this community, they run very parallel."

Presti has visited the Oklahoma City area a few times before to scout players at the University of Oklahoma and at Oklahoma State. He also attended a McDonald's All-American game that was staged here a few years ago. He is on another scouting trip this week, looking not for players but a place his players can call home. The Oklahoma City team will move into a temporary practice facility while a multimillion dollar permanent structure is built.

"We're looking at several different options," Presti said, "development is a huge component to our team and our growth. That facility is gonna be the place where a lot of hard work and sweat takes place. So finding one that suits our needs from a basketball standpoint...is not a short order."

Fortunately for Presti some of the ground work has already been done. The New Orleans Hornets called Oklahoma City home for two years after Hurricane Katrina swamped the Big Easy. The Hornets practiced at a local college. That same school is in the running to host Oklahoma City's new team. Other facilities have been offered to the team as well.

"People in the community have been unbelievable in terms of their willingness to assist and help. That has maybe been the most overwhelming component to this quick transition is that there's really an outreach and a willingness to assist us and we're really grateful for that."

Presti isn't sure yet how soon the team's players and front office staff will be making the move from Seattle to Oklahoma City. The organization is trying to make the effort as smooth and easy as possible.

"Our players wanna play and surely any time there's a transition there's gonna be questions that's part of our job is to make that as easy as possible for our players and their families. But we've got a group of guys that are excited to play and excited to get started."

One thing people in Oklahoma City are desperate to know is a question Sam Presti can't answer. What's the nickname of the team going be?

"Until that gets announced we'll be waiting."

Along with about a million and a half new NBA fans in a city hungry for a taste of the big time. And though Oklahomans want to know what to call their new team Presti isn't so worried about that.

"We're more concerned with what's inside the jersey than what's on the outside of it, but I'm sure we'll have a great name."

For now just "Oklahoma City" is plenty good enough.

http://www.1520kokc.com/sportsnews/C...spx?ID=1016281