TEAM LEBRON

Cleveland Cavaliers center Brendan Haywood (33) grabs the rebound as Milwaukee Bucks center John Henson (31) grabs Haywood in the second half of a December game. (Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer)

(Gus Chan, The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cavaliers were thumping the Phoenix Suns in early March and had built a 32-point lead.

Coach David Blatt was comfortable enough with the margin that he emptied his bench, or so I thought. The following day in Dallas, Brendan Haywood was talking with his teammates about the game and how everyone was clicking.

Unaware for some odd reason, I foolishly asked Haywood how many minutes he logged in that game. His response was memorable.

"What number does Kevin Love wear?" he responded.

Surprised that he didn't receive any action, I asked why he thought he didn't play.

"I feel like I'm the secret weapon," he said facetiously. "My mindset is that the coaching staff doesn't want to let the other coaches in the league have film on me. So when the playoffs come along, they're going to unveil the secret weapon and they're not going to know what hit them. They're never going to see it coming. Me included."

That's classic Haywood. He always has a knack for implementing humor into a difficult situation. Now behind Timofey Mozgov, Tristan Thompson and Kendrick Perkins in the center spot, he hasn't played in almost a month. But you couldn't tell by his demeanor. He's typically upbeat.

I approached him about a story on how professional he has been on the bench even though the Cavaliers continue to blow out opponents.

"Man, I don't know if like this story," he said with a laugh. "I don't know if I like where this is headed."

Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James, left, stands with teammate Brendan Haywood during a timeout in the second quarter Tuesday in Atlanta.

But he did expound upon the complications of knowing his number probably won't get called, even if the game is out of reach.

"It's tough because you always want to play, but when you don't play you can't be a cancer," he said. "You can't be a drain on your teammates. You can't be a negative effect on the young guys. You have to prepare like you're going to play, but sometimes that's hard because you don't see the light at the end of the tunnel. At the same time, that's what you have to do if you consider yourself a pro."

Haywood, 35, said his sense of humor has certainly helped. He has a way of laughing at his pain. He also mentioned Chris Whitney and Hubert Davis, two former NBA teammates during the early days of his career.

He learned from them what being a good teammate is all about.

"Towards the end of their careers, they weren't playing as much either, but they still handled themselves in a professional way," Haywood said. "They didn't let any of their frustration boil over into practice or into the arena. When I go home, I might talk to my friends and be frustrated as hell, but when I come to the arena I'm going to smile and lift up my teammates and be very, very happy."

James Jones said Haywood is great in the locker room and praised his work ethic.

"He's engaged and he works hard," Jones said. "It's all about opportunity in this league. He's staying ready because you never know."

Haywood's numbers are down in all major categories. He says he's healthy and feels like he could make a contribution, but understands it's not up to him. Right now his job is to be a veteran locker room presence, a mentor and to remain prepared.

Pouting isn't going to change a thing. Haywood is a proven standup guy and sometimes a standup comedian, but one thing he isn't is a problem.

"You don't want to be seen as the negative guy," he said. "You don't want to be seen as the guy always trying to bring people down or the guy that's worried about himself, or the guy that's hating or being negative against his teammates because he's not playing.

"At the end of the day, your situation is a situation that's bestowed on you by your coaching staff and if you can't find a way to crack that rotation, you have to deal with it and continue to be professional."