The 2014 season seems to be little different than 2013’s epilogue as major NBA stars continue to be crushed under the weight of their own athleticism. Oh, how the mighty fall.
This week, the Blazers’ Jacques-of-all-trades Frenchman Nicolas Batum leads the charge of the decrepit with a broken middle finger. How do you say karma in French? Oh, right, karma. Let’s take a look at all of the star’s on this week’s NBA injury report.
Nicolas Batum (left middle finger) – With the Blazers playing their best ball in years – though they’ve fallen off a bit recently – there’s no chance Batum is going to miss any time. He’s an integral part of their offense and defense and will battle through the next six weeks with a cast on his hand…on the court.
Nikola Vucevic (ankle, now head, tomorrow never knows) – The Magic just aren’t the Magic – already a lottery team – without a healthy Vucevic. And it hasn’t helped that the big man has dealt with his fair share of injuries – some very real, some exaggerated given the obvious tanking mode going on in D12’s old home. After just recovering from an ankle problem the rebounding machine fell hard on his head. If a concussion is in the picture, he will miss some time.
Deron Williams (ankle) – D-Will has been dealing with chronic ankle problems for the best part of two years now. Every time it seems he’s off the injury train, he unexpectedly finds himself within its train cars again. He missed Monday’s head-to-head with the Horford-less Hawks and is doubtful for tomorrow.
Chandler Parsons (knee) – ‘Negative’ said the MRI on Parsons’ knee. While that’s a good long-term projection, in the short-term the lanky forward could miss a game or two as he deals with pain that started last Thursday. He’s been pretty resolute this season so, even if he misses time, it shouldn’t be more than a game or two.
Luol Deng (rest…yeah, right!) – The Bulls didn’t include the gritty small forward because he was part of a semi-lucrative swap with the Cavs for Andrew Bynum. Expect a slight dip to his overall numbers but perhaps a nice increase in efficiency and defensive stats.
Mario Chalmers (Achilles) – After the point guard hurt himself in Sunday’s close contest with the Raptors – much to the chagrin of this fantasy owner – it was reported that Rio was dealing with Achilles’ trouble all week. Spoelstra has listed his sitting out of most of the Raptors game as a precaution, however, so he might not miss any more time. Verify online before setting your lineups.
John Henson (ankle) – The Bucks’ big man of the future is still out with an ankle injury and will most likely return some time this weekend. With Larry Sanders back in the lineup, however, it remains to be seen how Henson is utilized going forward. Still worth a stash if you can spare it.
Tony Wroten (illness) – The gradual rise in minutes has made Wroten a borderline fantasy asset which is why it’s saddening to see him miss any action at this point in time. He missed yesterday’s whooping at the hands of the Wolves and could also sit out today’s more manageable skirmish with the Cavs due to illness and a nagging migraine.
