When A. J. Hammons slipped right into their lap in the second round of Thursday’s NBA Draft, the most surprised people in America were the Dallas Mavericks’ front office personnel. Hammons is a 7-feet, 250-pound center from Purdue, who the Mavericks figured would be long gone by the time they selected their lone draft pick. But much to their delight, the reining Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year was still available, and the Mavericks didn’t waste time drafting him. "We really like him, we like his talent,’’ coach Rick Carlisle said. "We feel he’s definitely a first-round talent. "There were a lot of weird things happening in this draft, some guys moving into the first round unexpectedly and some guys really slid. We were fortunate that he slid.’’ - See more at: http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/nba/dallas-mavericks/full-court-press-blog/article85705667.html
