April 26th, 2013
WITH THE NBA BEING THE SECOND MOST POPULAR SPORT IN THE WORLD, THIS YEARS SEASON HAS BEEN PLAGUED WITH INJURIES TO SOME OF THE MOST NOTICIBLE PLAYERS IN THE GAME. INJURIES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN APART OF SPORTS, AND THERE IS NO WAY TO PREVENT PLAYERS FROM INJURIES, BUT IT COULD HURT RATINGS DURING THIS YEARS PLAYOFFS. MAJOR INJURIES TO KEY PLAYERS FOR TEAMS HAVE BECOME THE TALK OF THE PLAYOFFS HERE LATE IN THE SEASON. THE SHOW MUST GO ON. LETS LOOK AT SOME OF THE MORE NOTICIBLE PLAYERS WHO HAVE BEEN INJURED THIS SEASON.
ANTHONY DAVIS- COMING OF A STELLAR CAREER AT KENTUCKY, DAVIS WAS PRIMED TO BE AN NBA SUPERSTAR. DAVIS WAS TAKEN AS THE NUMBER ONE PICK IN LAST YEARS NBA DRAFT BY THE NEW ORLEANS HORNETS. OVER HIS FIRST 64 GAME’S IN THE NBA DAVIS AVERAGED 13.5 POINTS PER GAME, AS WELL AS GRABBED 8.2 REBOUNDS PER GAME (CBSSPORTS). THOSE NUMBERS HAD DAVIS IN HIGH CONSIDERATION FOR NBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR! APRIL 11 IN A GAME AGAINST THE SACRAMENTO KINS DAVIS WAS HELPED OF THE COURT WITH A KNEE INJURY. WITHOUT DAVIS, THE HORNETS DID NOT MAKE THE PLAYOFFS THIS SEASON.
BRANDON ROY- HAS BEEN IN THE NBA FOR FIVE SEASONS WITH THE PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS, WINNING ROOKIE OF THE YEAR IN HIS FIRST NBA SEASON BACK IN 2006- 2007 SEASON. THIS SEASON HE HAD SIGNED A NEW DEAL WITH THE MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES. DURING THOSE FIVE SEASONS WITH PORTLAND, HIS SILKY SMOOTH GAME AND JUMP SHOT HAS BEEN A BIG PART OF PORTLAND RECENT SUCCESS. THIS YEAR MINNESOTA BROUGHT ROY IN TO ADD ANOTHER OUTSIDE SHOOTER TO HELP THERE OVERALL OFFENSE AND BRING MORE VISIBILITY TO THERE SMALL MARKET TEAM WITH BIG TALENT, TEAMING UP WITH DOUBLE MACHINE KEVIN LOVE. ON NOVEMBER 9TH IN A GAME AGAINST THE INDIANA PACERS, ROY’S KNEE GAVE OUT, AND HE HASN’T RETURNED SINCE. THIS HAPPENED IN THE FIFTH GAME OF THE SEASON, ENDING ANY PLANS OF THE TIMBERWOLVES MAKING A PLAYOFF RUN.
KEVIN LOVE- HAS BECOME A FORCE IN THE PAINT FOR THE MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES. OVER HIS LAST FOUR SEASONS IN THE NBA, LOVE HAS AVERAGED 18.3 POINTS PER GAME, AND PULLS DOWN 14 REBOUNDS PER GAME. DUE TO HIS CONSITANTENCY, IN 2011 LOVE WAS AWARDED MOST IMPORVED PLAYER IN THE NBA. THIS SEASON THE TIMBERWOLVES WENT OUT AND SIGNED BRANDON ROY TO GIVE LOVE SOME OUTSIDE HELP TO PROPEL THEM INTO THE PLAYOFF PICTURE, BUT DUE TO A MAJOR HAND INJURY, AND KNEE INJURY THAT REQUIRED SUGERY. LOVE WAS SIDELINED. WITH TWO OF THERE STAR PLAYERS OUT DUE TO INJURIES MINNESOTA CHANCES OF MAKING THE PLAYOFFS FADED AWAY AS THE SEASON WENT ALONG.
THOSE PLAYERS ALL ARE KEY PLAYERS FOR THERE TEAMS MARKET, AND BRING PEOPLE TO SEATS FOR THERE RESPECTED TEAMS. THE FOLLOWING PLAYERS ARE NBA SUPERSTARS WHO HAVE BEEN SIDELINED BY INJURY THIS SEASON. THESE PLAYERS INJURES WILL HAVE A MAJOR EFFECT ON THE PLAYOFF PICTURE, AS WELL AS EFFECT WHO WILL BE CROWNED NBA CHAMPION. THESE PLAYERS NOT ONLY BRING PEOPLE TO SEATS, BUT THEY POPULARIZE THE GAME ON A GLOBAL LEVEL.
RAJON RONDO- IS THE FACILITOR FOR ONE OF THE MOST STORIED FRANCHISES IN NBA HISTORY, THE BOSTON CELTICS. WITH THE ABSENTS OF RANDO, THE CELTICS FIND THERESELVES DOWN 2-0 IN THE SEVEN GAME SERIES AGAINST THE NEW YORK KNICKS. BACK IN JANURAY RANDO SUFFERED A KNEE INJURY THAT SIDEDLINED HIM, AND NOT ONLY HAVE THE CELTICS SUFFERED FROM HIS INJURY, BUT THE ENTIRE NBA FAN BASE HAS SUFFERED. RONDO IS A TRIPLE DOUBLE WAITING TO HAPPEN, AND WITH HIS AVERAGE OF 13.7 POINTS PER GAME, ALONG WITH 11.1 ASSIT A GAME, AND 5.6 REBOUNDS BEING MISSING, WE ALL SUFFER HIS LOSE.
KOBE BRYANT- IS ONE OF BEST SCORERS THE NBA HAS EVER SEEN. KOBE HAS WON 5 NBA TITLES WITH THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS, AND WE ALL HAVE WATCHED THIS SEASON AS HE WILLED HIS TEAM INTO THE PLAYOFFS, BUT NOT BEFORE A TORN ACHILLES SIDELINED HIM TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE PLAYOFFS. THE LAKERS STILL LOCKED UP A PLAYOFF BIRTH, BUT FIND THERESELVES DOWN 2-0 TO THE SAN ANTONIO SPURS.
THE KOBE BRYANT INJURY IS BY FAR THE MOST DEVESTATING INJURY TO THE NBA SEASON AND THE PLAYOFFS. NOW OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER’S RUSSELL WESTBROOK HAS BEEN SIDELINED FROM A KNEE INJURY. THIS INJURY WILL CHANGE THE DYNAMICS OF THE WESTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF PICTURE. THE NBA PLAYOFFS ARE STILL GOING TO BE VERY ENTERTAINING, AND WE WILL WATCH, BUT THERE IS SOMETHING MISSING: SUPER STARS. PLAY ON PLAYERS.
Mike Hinton
REFERENCES:
http://www.cbssports.com/nba/injuries