Dallas Mavericks fans can rest easy, as Rick Carlisle has confirmed he will stick with Brendan Haywood as the team's starting center despite playing him only three minutes in the second half of their Game 2 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
↵In 29 minutes of playing time in the series, Haywood has shot 2-7 while getting 7 rebounds, 2 blocks and 4 personal fouls.
↵You might ask yourself what value an aging center with a 12.95 PER who specializes in post defense has against a Thunder team that never features their center in the low post. However, you have to understand that Haywood has played in a lot more career NBA games than Ian Mahinmi and Brandan Wright.
↵Somehow, this makes up for his waffle-iron hands, slow feet and poor shooting touch.
↵Would Wright's offensive ability or Mahinmi's superior athleticism give Dallas a better chance in this series? Rick Carlisle neither knows nor cares apparently.
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