Replacing a false bottom with a braid

I recently bought a s.s. braid to replace the false bottom in my mash tun, (a 5 gal. Rubbermaid cooler) but I'm having problems making it fit. It's longer than the cooler is wide, which really isn't a problem, but the nipple isn't long enough to connect the spout to.
Has anyone else run into this? I can remove the hose clamp and extend the nipple another 1/4" or so, but I really don't want to if there's another way around it.

What was wrong with the false bottom? I have a false bottom on the bottom of my cooler MLT and prefer it to the braid I use to have. Can you cut the braid shorter.

I've had to wiggle and play with the spigot in order to get the mlt to drain. I don't know if the bottom is warped due to the heat, but the last four times that I've brewed I've had that problem.
I'm not worried about the length of the braid, it's more the nipple that I can't sufficiently attach the spigot to without the mlt leaking.