Fantasy Basketball Injury Woes Are the Lockout’s Fault
By Adam McGill
Most people thought after the National Football League lockout lasted 130 days of the 2011-12 season and saw hundreds of injuries as a result, that the NBA would be smart enough to minimize the days that both sides were at “ends” in order to prevent injuries. Nevertheless, the National Basketball Association went down the exact same road as the NFL, and already has had a record number of injuries in just the beginning of the sixth week. Fantasy owners’ have been forced to watch as their players are going down faster than the black plague, as frustration for some general managers are at an all-time high.
A player lockout not only hurts an athlete’s pocketbook, but it hurts their conditioning. Professional athletes have the best athletic facilities, gyms, spas, conditioning coaches, nutritionists, and medical staffs, which are normally in the dozens. A lockout drastically affects these privileges because the resources suddenly become unavailable to the athletes.
This lack of conditioning and medical treatment during extended lockouts severely hurt the athletes’ ability to perform on a nightly basis. They can train at home or hire a trainer for a couple months, but it is not the same as working with a team of coaches who know a player’s every strength and weakness. There have been record numbers of Achilles tendon and ankle sprains this season, which are two of the most common injuries suffered by poor conditioning.
Several fantasy stars that missed stretches of time already this shortened season:
PG Derrick Rose, CHI – Missed 5 games with turf toe.
SF LeBron James, MIA – Missed 1 game with an ankle sprain.
PG Chris Paul, LAC – Missed 5 games with a sprained hamstring.
SG Dwayne Wade, MIA – Missed 9 games with a high ankle sprain.
PF Dirk Nowitzki, DAL – Missed 3 games with a sore right knee.
SF Carmelo Anthony, NYK – Missed 3 games with a wrist injury, out another couple games.
PG Stephen Curry, GS – Missed 8 games with a sprained right ankle.
SF Paul Pierce, BOS – Missed 3 games with a sprained ankle.
SF Manu Ginobili, SA – Missed 17 games with a broken left hand, out another 2-3 weeks.
PF Brook Lopez, NJ – Lopez has yet to play this year with a broken ankle.
PG Steve Nash, PHO – Missed 2 games with sore left quad.
C Spencer Hawes, PHI – Missed 9 games with a left Achilles sprain and a back sprain.
PG Rajon Rondo, BOS – Missed 6 games with a right wrist sprain.
PF Amar’e Stoudemire, NYK – Missed 2 games with a sprained ankle.
C Andrew Bogut, MIL – Missed 7 games with a sore back and a fractured left ankle, but will not return for another 7-8 weeks.
C Al Horford, LAC – Missed 10 games with a torn left pectoral muscle, out another 2 months.
PF Tim Duncan, SA – Missed 1 game to just rest.
PG Baron Davis, NYK – Davis has yet to play following back surgery.
PF Zach Randolph, MEM – Missed 15 games with a bruised knee, out another couple weeks.
PG Jason Kidd, DAL – Missed 5 games with a sore calf and knee.
SG Eric Gordon, NO – Missed 18 games with a sore right knee.
PG D.J. Augustin, CHA – Missed 5 games with a swollen big toe.
SF Loul Deng, CHI – Missed 5 games with a sprained wrist, out another week.
PF Andre Blatche, WSH – Missed 4 games with a sore left shoulder and strained left calf, out another 3-4 weeks.
PG Ty Lawson, DEN – Missed 4 games with a sprained left ankle.
SF Michael Beasley, MIN – Missed 11 games due to a sprained right foot.
PG Deron Williams, NJ – Missed 1 game to rest.
The number of injuries that NBA athletes experienced this season has been extremely unconventional. Most teams are playing 5-6 games per week in an attempt by the league to cram as many games into the remaining schedule as possible. The league did not take into account the punishing toll on the athletes’ bodies from playing so much without preparation, although it should have learned from watching the toll NFL players paid this season. Several teams’ had record numbers of additions to the Injured Reserve throughout the year, something that severely hurt the overall competitiveness of the sport.
The recent flurry of injuries that the NBA is sustaining is their own fault, but it is a pity that us fantasy geeks have to suffer. Any novice prognosticator could have foreseen this blueprint for injury, but there is little we can do from a fantasy standpoint. The only thing to do is to stay deep at every position and pray to the injury gods that your star player is not the next to get the “bug”.
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