Last year’s pro sports drafts have been great for the state of Oklahoma and OU specifically: The Sooners’ Blake Griffin was taken No. 1 overall in the 2009 NBA Draft, while Sam Bradford was selected No. 1 overall in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Not to mention OU’s Gerald McCoy and Trent Williams were picked at No. 3 and 4, and Oklahoma State product Russell Okung had his named called at No. 6.

Last week’s NBA Draft was still great for the state of Oklahoma, but it was far less dramatic for the Sooners.

In 2009, Griffin was the center of everyone’s attention for the start of the draft and the weeks leading up to it. This year, OU was absent from the entire first round.

Maybe the Clippers’ curse that kept Griffin from playing during his rookie season trickled down to his old college team.

It’s no secret how disastrous last season was for men’s basketball at OU. The team lacked chemistry, failed to reach modest expectations and has been steeped in controversy since Keith “Tiny” Gallon allegedly accepted money from a financial adviser in Florida.

Following the 2009 season, three Sooners declared for the draft: Willie Warren, Gallon and Tommy Mason-Griffin.

Gallon and Mason-Griffin’s seasons were less than spectacular for a typical one-and-done college star, so the Sooner Nation held low expectations for their chances to be drafted.

It turned out Gallon was the first Sooner taken in Thursday’s draft, midway through the second round at No. 47 to Milwaukee. Warren followed, joining Griffin with the Clippers after being selected with the 54th pick. Mason-Griffin was not drafted.

Sooner fans hoped for more, but got less from 2009’s OU NBA draft class.

Jeff Capel’s “superstar-loaded” team seems to have turned out to be a bust more or less at the next level, but who knows, maybe Warren will get some playing time and make a name for himself dishing the ball to once-again-healthy scoring machine Blake Griffin on Los Angeles’ other team.

The NBA Draft is always uncertain and superstars have made names for themselves from everywhere along the board. But one thing is certain: The greatness of 2009’s drafts may not be matched again for a while.

Grading the Thunder’s draft

A pretty common phrase among Thunder fans is “In Presti We Trust.” Last Thursday, the Oklahoma City Thunder general manager put that trust to the test.

Sam Presti was extremely active during the draft, trading this and that for him and this all over the place.

It started when Presti sent the 21st and 26th picks to New Orleans for the Hornets’ No. 11 pick, Kansas big-man Cole Aldrich and veteran Mo Peterson.

Presti kept wheeling and dealing all night, eventually turning the Thunder’s modest original picks (21, 26, 32 and 51) into six players and a future draft pick.

The sly GM addressed the Thunder’s weakness down low head on by acquiring Aldrich, German 7-footer Tibor Pleiss, Florida State’s Ryan Reid and the D-League’s Tulsa 66ers forward Latavious Williams.

Odds are at least one of those four guys can solve Oklahoma City’s problem against the likes of Pau Gasol and Mehmet Okur, who gave the Thunder fits last season.

The most likely solution to the problem is Aldrich. The guy was a force in college for the Jayhawks at Kansas, and several NBA scouts have compared him to Boston’s Kendrick Perkins.

He rebounds, he’s got good footwork and he’s solid on defense.

Even if you disregard the other five players and a future draft pick, Aldrich makes this year’s draft a smashing success for Oklahoma City.

Mo Peterson and sharpshooter Daequan Cook, acquired from the Heat, have potential to be off-the-bench playmakers for the Thunder as well.

And who knows, maybe Presti can turn that future draft pick into three or four players in the next draft.

“In Presti We Trust?”

I know I do.