A few games into the season, Rajon Rondo signed a contract extension worth five years, $55 million. Ya know, Brendan Haywood money. (Yahoo! Sports)

The Dallas Mavericks have reached agreement on a six-year, $55 million contract to re-sign center Brendan Haywood, a league source told Yahoo! Sports.

Haywood came to Dallas in the middle of last season in a trade that also delivered Caron Butler and DeShawn Stevenson to the Mavericks. Haywood averaged 8.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks during 28 games for the Mavericks.

With Erick Dampier’s contract not guaranteed for this season, Haywood figures to play an even more prominent role for the Mavericks.

If you had $55 million around to spend on a basketball player, how could you possibly pick whether you offer it to Rondo or Haywood? I mean, Rondo’s an All-Star and the best player on a team that went to the NBA Finals and everything, but Haywood averaged 8.1 points and 7.4 boards last season! And he’s huge! It’s just too close to call.

Back to reality, though, Rondo’s agent should get fired. There’s no doubt Rondo would have earned a max contract this offseason if he hadn’t signed the extension, but instead he signed for Brendan Haywood money. And Danny Ainge? Somebody get that man a raise. While all those other GMs are tossing absurd money at decent players, Ainge is playing chess. Jermaine O’Neal at two years and $12 million sure looks pretty while sitting next to Haywood at six years and $55 million.

Haywood? I'm lukewarm on the possibility.

Desperate to improve a bench that will likely need a complete overhaul, the Boston Celtics have made contact with Brendan Haywood, Antoine Wright and Rasual Butler. (CSNNE)

But league sources told CSNNE.com Thursday night that the Celtics have also inquired about Dallas center Brendan Haywood. [...]

The Celtics have a couple different ways they can go about trying to acquire Haywood.

Because he’s an unrestricted free agent, they can sign him straight-up. [...]

Along with Haywood, the Celtics also reached out to a couple of wing players, 6-7 guard/forward Antoine Wright of Toronto as well as 6-7 guard/forward Rasual Butler who averaged a career-high 11.9 points per game last season with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Expect to hear a whole  bunch of names tossed around until the Celtics have finished their signings. Danny Ainge wants to explore every option, leaving no rock unturned. I’m indifferent about Haywood — he’s a big body who has pretty solid skills, but can also be a lazy lug at times — but I love Butler. He can shoot, defend, and plays team basketball. It was a shame Butler was wasted on the Clippers last year, because he’s a player who can help a good team win.

In other news, the Lakers are chasing after Tony Allen. I once wanted Tony to be traded for a bag of Doritos. Now, I wouldn’t at all mind seeing him come back… but I realize a shooter off the bench would add a dynamic the Celtics didn’t have last year.

Dirk played well, but the Celtics got retribution. (Photo by Matthew Emmons/US Presswire)

I used to call balls Sam Cassells. You know, like, “Damn, that shot was clutch. He really showed some Sam Cassells on that one.” But after Ali Farokhmanesh drained a pullup three with almost a full shot clock and only 35 seconds standing between his Northern Iowa team and an upset of the number one-ranked Kansas Jayhawks, I will now call balls Farokhmaneshes.

Tonight, the Celtics showed a huge pair of Farokhmaneshes that they’ve been lacking all season long, overcoming a seven-point fourth-quarter deficit to run their winning streak to four games. For the Celtics, the winning formula was very familiar: Timely defense spearheaded by Kevin Garnett, scoring from Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, and an elite floor game from Rajon Rondo.

It was the starting five that won this game for Boston. Pierce had the lowest +/- of any Celtic starter, and he ended up with 29 points, 5 assists, 3 boards, and 2 steals. Oh, and that “lowest +/-” he registered? It was +16. Pierce was phenomenal on both ends of the court, showcasing his improved health with an array of drives to the hoop, creating easy buckets and earning 10 trips to the charity stripe.

But Pierce wasn’t the only starter inflicting damage on the Mavericks. Ray Allen scored 21 points, hitting a number of momentum-turning shots. Rondo was aggressive early and often, scoring 20 points and 10 rebounds. Kendrick Perkins got the better of Brendan Haywood, finishing with 11 points and 6 rebounds. Even Garnett, limited to a paltry 8 points and 9 rebounds, was as active defensively as Tiger Woods is when he’s off the golf course. Garnett seemed to get his hands on every loose ball, deflecting passes and snuffing fast break opportunities. The starters played as good a game as they have all season long, and — against a very good Dallas team — it was a damn good thing.

Don’t get it twisted, either. The Dallas team Boston beat tonight is a title contender. When you combine the way Jason Kidd instinctively passes the ball upcourt, pushing the tempo and allowing his teammates to create plays, with the amount of weapons the Mavericks have, you wind up with a dangerous concoction. Top it off with Dirk Nowitzki playing perhaps the best basketball of his career, and these Mavericks are a damn good team capable of beating any opponent in a 7-game series.

They just couldn’t get it done against Boston tonight. Not with Paul Pierce attacking the hoop and doing the things that have made him so successful. Not with the Celtics playing like, well, the Celtics. Wins like this were the calling card of the Celtics of old. They kept the game close, manufactured stops when they needed them, and called on Pierce and Allen whenever a bucket was necessary. Tonight was a return to that, and it was oh so satisfying.

After the game, Pierce said, “We’re trying to gather momentum for the playoffs. I’m healthy, Kevin’s healthy, and we’re ready to roll.”

It’s sure starting to seem like he’s right.