Rick Carlisle said after Thursday's game that Brendan Haywood's knee sprain is not of the serious variety.

Haywood left with a "mild" knee sprain in the third quarter, but it's unclear if he'll be forced to miss any time as a result. If the veteran is sidelined, Ian Mahinmi would step into a larger role with Brandan Wright also seeing an increase in minutes.

Brendan Haywood left Thursday's game against the Bobcats with a "mild" right knee sprain and did not return.

Haywood was coming off an ankle injury, too, so needless to say he's got his hands full with injuries. He left the game with six points, eight boards, and two blocks against a struggling Bobcats squad in 15 minutes, while backup Ian Mahinmi has eight points with five boards and no steals or blocks in 18 minutes off the bench. Should Haywood miss any time, then Mahinmi starts as a low-end spot play for deeper formats.

Brendan Haywood (ankle) returned to action on Tuesday against the Wizards, scoring six points on 3-of-7 shooting with eight rebounds and one assist in 25 minutes.

The deep league center option got his feet wet against one of the league's worst teams and is worth a look in those formats.

Brendan Haywood (ankle) is expected to play on Tuesday against the Wizards.

Haywood participated in practice Monday so this shouldn't come as a surprise. He'll slide back into the starting lineup but has averaged just 5.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks this season.

Brendan Haywood (ankle) participated in practice Monday.

Haywood is on track to play in Tuesday's game against the Wizards after four games out. We'd expect him to immediately get his starting job back from Ian Mahinmi. Haywood has averaged 5.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in that role this season.

Brendan Haywood (ankle) was dressed and technically active for Saturday's game, but he did not play.

The Warriors aren't a great matchup for Haywood anyway, so there was no incentive for the Mavericks to rush him back into action. Ian Mahinmi (nine points, nine rebounds) started at center again, but Haywood should retake the job vs. the Wizards on Tuesday.

Brendan Haywood (sprained left ankle) is a game-time decision vs. the Warriors on Saturday.

Ian Mahinmi will get another start if Haywood can't suit up.

Brendan Haywood (ankle) has been ruled out of Friday's game against the Kings.

With Haywood out, Ian Mahinmi will again step into the starting lineup. Mahinmi played 32 minutes last night and only was able to score four points and grab four boards and is not a recommended last-minute add.

Brendan Haywood (sprained left ankle) has officially been ruled out for Thursday's game vs. the Suns.

The Mavericks are in the first game of a back-to-back-to-back set, and Haywood remains day-to-day. With Brandan Wright sidelined there is plenty of pressure on starter-by-default Ian Mahinmi, who makes an interesting spot-start.

Brendan Haywood (ankle) is not expected to play in Thursday's game against the Suns.

Haywood just has a standard sprain and is doing better, but he isn't ready yet. Look for Ian Mahinmi to draw another start at center. Mahinmi had nine points, six rebounds, two blocks and three steals when Haywood missed Tuesday's game against the Knicks.

Brendan Haywood has been ruled out for Tuesday's game with a sprained ankle.

The injury doesn't sound serious, but after leaving on the first play of Monday's game, he's now 0-2 to start his five-game week. Consider him questionable for Game 3 of the week on Thursday in Phoenix.

Brendan Haywood said he suffered a "simple sprain" of his ankle in Monday's loss to the Thunder.

Brendan Haywood returned to action on Monday March 5.

Brendan Haywood, a hot pickup in the midst of a five-game week, said that he might "miss a game or two" after going down with a left ankle injury on the game's first play on Monday.

Ian Mahinmi scored 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting with five rebounds, two assist, two steals, and a block, and is worth a look for the remaining four games. Haywood said that it wasn't an injury that "would cost (him) three weeks or anything," so owners relying on him will want to weigh their options before dumping.

Brendan Haywood suffered a sprained ankle on the first play of Monday's game and headed straight to the locker room.

This is potentially bad news for his new owners, who might have rolled with him for five games this week. He'd been playing pretty well, but the sprain didn't look great, and he could miss time with the injury. Stay tuned for an update.

Brendan Haywood (back) played 27 minutes on Friday, scoring four points on 2-of-6 shooting with seven rebounds and two blocks.

Haywood struggled to get his back loose early, but eventually got it together and returned to play. He missed a bunny late that ultimately sealed the Mavs fate in their loss.

Brendan Haywood "has a little back thing" according to coach Rick Carlisle, and "should start" in Friday's game against the Hornets.

If you've been relying on Haywood in a deeper format this probably means that you can use him tonight. If Haywood doesn't go, then Ian Mahinmi will get all the minutes that he can handle.

Brendan Haywood is a game-time decision for the Mavericks due to a sore back.

If he's out, Ian Mahinmi should see heavy minutes tonight.

Brendan Haywood is averaging 9.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks over the last five games.

Big Brendan has actually scored in double-figures in two straight, the first time that's happened since the 2009-10 season. His improved play of late has made Ian Mahinmi a DNP-CD in two of the last five games. There's going to be wild inconsistency here thanks to Haywood's below-average talent level, but he's a deep-league option for those in deep of blocks.

Brendan Haywood had 18 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in Tuesday's loss to the Nets.

Haywood has had some nice games this season but has been highly inconsistent. If you're desperate for a starting center, Haywood may be ready to heat up, although tonight's big line also says something about the defense, or lack thereof, of Brook Lopez.