NBA All-Durable Team: Best Players to Start Every Game in 2011-12 Season

This condensed 2011-12 NBA season has been marred by a slew of injuries.

Many of basketball's elite players have spent time on the sidelines. Those who haven't deserve recognition.

Chauncey Billups, Al Horford and Ricky Rubio headline a growing list of regulars who are in the middle of long recoveries.

There have been numerous superstars with imperfect participation. Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Kevin Love and Chris Paul, for example, have all missed games.

The following dozen men are warriors (though none of the Golden State variety).

Nobody has stayed completely healthy in this year of back-to-back-to-backs. Nonetheless, a few have played through all their aches and pains.

Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder)

Russell Westbrook has an active streak that far predates the 2011-12 season.

He has played in 288 consecutive games since being a first-round draftee by the then-Seattle SuperSonics in 2008.

He is improving each year too.

Westbrook is a top-five scorer in the NBA who's showing more confidence in his three-point shot and maintaining the best field-goal percentage of his career.

He has averaged more than 35 minutes per contest for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers)

Despite holding Kobe Bryant in the highest regard, I never imagined he would dress for every game of this condensed season with a torn ligament in his wrist.

He has overcome searing pain to do just that, leading the NBA in scoring to this point and the Western Conference in minutes played.

Bryant—not 24-year-old star center Andrew Bynum—is still the franchise player for the Los Angeles Lakers.

His stellar defense and ball-handling ability have covered up his team's weakness at point guard.

With Bryant at the helm, the Lakers are battling for a high seed in the postseason.

Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder)

Kevin Durant is a legitimate NBA MVP candidate.

His production at small forward is the reason why the Oklahoma City Thunder control the No. 1 seed in the West.

Actually, OKC's 2011-12 success threatens his inclusion on this roster. If the Thunder maintain their cushion over the next best teams, then the coaching staff might be inclined to rest key players late in the season.

Durant scores nearly as much as Kobe Bryant while shooting more efficiently from the perimeter, free-throw line and the field in general.

Moreover, he steps up in crunch time, isolation scenarios. His 1.07 points per possession under those conditions belittles Bryant's output, according to Synergy Sports (via Henry Abbott of TrueHoop).

Yet he is still searching for an NBA Finals appearance.

Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers)

Blake Griffin missed the entire 2009-10 campaign after undergoing knee surgery but has started every game since.

It's hard to believe that he has avoided serious injury since debuting. Griffin is a high-energy player who has been criticized for giving extraneous effort at times.

The additions of Caron Butler and Chris Paul have helped keep him fresh.

No longer does every possession have to run through Griffin, plus he gets to take a breather during blowout victories.

Now if only something could be done to improve his free-throw shooting...

Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic)

No center in this generation of basketball players has come close to leading the NBA in minutes played.

Times are a-changin', though, because the Orlando Magic lack frontcourt depth behind Dwight Howard.

Also, Howard is an outstanding defender who stalls opposing offenses without fouling. He has been disqualified with six personals only twice this season.

D12 is all but assured to regain the league rebounding title from Minnesota's Kevin Love in 2011-12 and win Defensive Player of the Year.

However—like Blake Griffin—his form from the charity stripe is inexplicably bad.

Months of speculation about his 2012-13 franchise will no longer be a distraction. Howard is staying in Orlando next season.

Josh Smith (Atlanta Hawks)

The first man off the All-Durable bench must be Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks.

The 6'9" forward got lean this summer. As a result, he is averaging career highs in points and rebounds per game and on pace to finish with perfect participation for the first time in eight NBA seasons.

Smith has expressed interest in leaving Atlanta, but currently he's the most valuable player on a team that's surprisingly contending sans Al Horford.

Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers)

The Philadelphia 76ers have been Andre Iguodala's team since Allen Iverson was traded to the Denver Nuggets in 2006.

In all that time, Iguodala has never had enough talent around him to contend...until now.

He plays the most of anybody of this deep roster that has won by 20-plus points on 11 different occasions.

He commits fewer than two turnovers per game despite frequently having the ball in his hands.

Iguodala has worked on his three-point shooting and individual defense in 2011-12.

Greg Monroe (Detroit Pistons)

Greg Monroe is the youngest player of this 12-man group and unfortunately controlled by the lowly Detroit Pistons.

He is, however, extraordinary on the offensive glass and—in contrast to most of these everyday guys—great from the free-throw line.

Many did not take notice of him until the Rising Stars Challenge in Orlando last month.

He will only get more well-deserved recognition if the Pistons can maintain their winning ways since the All-Star break.

Monroe is easily the "best thing happening" for his franchise.

Brandon Jennings (Milwaukee Bucks)

Not to spoil the surprise, but the final three slides were awarded to big men.

So Brandon Jennings is—I admit, unrealistically—the only reserve guard on this roster.

He previously flaunted his durability as a rookie by starting all 82 games.

Jennings has steadily improved his field-goal percentage since then, although he needs to stop attempting so many darn treys!

He had the Milwaukee Bucks competing for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference through mid-March despite a lack of surrounding talent.

Finally, the front office acquired Monta Ellis to bolster the backcourt and allow the hot streak to continue.

Pau Gasol (Los Angeles Lakers)

Pau Gasol has logged a ton of minutes for the Los Angeles Lakers, who quite frankly have no adequate substitutes on their bench.

He is still a daily double-double in his early 30s and a better passer than most power forwards.

Is he worth the approximately $18 million owed to him in 2012-13?

This question has fueled trade speculation about Gasol throughout the season. Discussions will probably take place over the summer too.

Other teams know they would be receiving a terrific, healthy player.

Marc Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies)

Pau Gasol's younger brother, meanwhile, won't be moved in the near future.

Marc Gasol's production at center has kept the Memphis Grizzlies afloat in the absence of Zach Randolph.

He averages more minutes per game at the 5 position than anybody else in the Western Conference.

Rarely can such a talent be selected late in the NBA draft, as he was by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2007 (second round, 48th overall pick).

Both Gasols are performing admirably in this condensed campaign.

Carlos Boozer (Chicago Bulls)

How about somebody from the NBA's current title favorites?

Carlos Boozer has been the lone constant in the Chicago Bulls starting lineup this season.

Reigning MVP Derrick Rose has struggled with back issues, Richard Hamilton is hurting everywhere else and even Joakim Noah has sat twice!

Boozer probably was not worth the five-year mega contract he inked during the 2010 offseason, but the Bulls aren't the league's best rebounders without him.

He has actually been labeled a fragile player in the past. It's well earned considering he was out 23 games in 2010-11 and 30-plus contests three times while with the Utah Jazz.

Championships change everything, though, and if Boozer doesn't break down this coming spring, then his team will surely contend for one.

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