Worth the wait: Shan Foster picked 51st

The temptations were out there for the Mavericks to make a move or move their pick, but with Shan Foster still available when their turn came up in the second round, the decision was made to hold steady.

“It was a very long wait,” Rick Carlisle said after making his first draft selection as Mavs coach. “We’re very happy with the guy we got. We had a list of ‘A’ candidates, ‘Bs’ and ‘Cs’ and Shan Foster was the last ‘A’ on our list.”

Carlisle was referring to the list of players the Mavs thought might fall to the 51st pick in Thursday’s 2008 NBA Draft. The 6-6 swingman out of Vanderbilt was the SEC Player of the Year as a senior, averaging 20.3 points while shooting 52 percent. The Mavs were sold on his combination of 3-point range, maturity and athleticism.

“We are really excited about Shan Foster,” president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said.

Foster is excited about joining a perennial playoff team with playing time available. The 21-year-old is headed to Dallas despite not working out for the Mavs in the weeks leading up to the Draft.

“They definitely have a great team, great defensively and a superstar in Dirk Nowitzki,” Foster said. “Brandon Bass is one of my good friends.”

Read the rest of this story at mavs.com. For more Draft coverage, including audio from Carlisle and Nelson, visit Draft Central 2008 at mavs.com.