Health Reports for Every 2015 NBA Title Contender
Injuries are NBA championship dream-killers. Nothing can stop a title run faster.
While health guarantees nothing in the postseason, the absence of it spells an almost certain demise.
There's no way the Oklahoma City Thunder would be fighting for their playoff lives had their rotation not been ripped apart by the injury bug. Conversely, the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks might have had trouble reaching their respective levels of success without avoiding major health scares.
"The most intriguing/undertold truth about the Warriors (and for that matter, the Hawks) is that, of all the potential playoff teams, theirs is the one that has been most stable," wrote CSN Bay Area's Ray Ratto.
Health might be as big a factor as any in this season's race to the podium. That's why we're providing this helpful guide to look at the injury issues currently facing each title contender.
For each club, we have assigned our "concern level" about its health situation on an ascending scale of one to 10. The teams with the least amount of worries will be presented first, and we'll work our way toward the biggest medical red flags in the championship field.
Golden State Warriors
1 of 8
Injuries: Klay Thompson (sprained ankle)
Concern Level: 1
The Golden State Warriors might have the league's deepest roster, but they'll need a healthy Klay Thompson to help them survive and advance in the overcrowded Western Conference.
No need to worry. That shouldn't be an issue.
While he's likely to lose seven to 10 days to the injury—"maybe more or maybe less," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said, per Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle—that time frame could be inflated given Golden State's comfortable spot in the standings. With a 7.5-game cushion on the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies, the Dubs can afford to give Thompson all the time he needs.
"This is not about anything other than he’s got a sprained ankle, it’s swollen and he needs to be out for a little bit," Kerr added. "The main thing is to get him right, and we have time."
It's tempting to bump the concern level up a couple of notches given the health histories of Stephen Curry and Andrew Bogut. But the point guard is more than two seasons removed from his last battle with his formerly balky ankle, and the center has only missed time of late for scheduled rest.
For the Dubs, their health situation looks as golden as everything else by the Bay.
Memphis Grizzlies
2 of 8
Injuries: Mike Conley (sprained ankle)
Concern Level: 1
Same injury, same lack of concern.
Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley has likely already endured the worst of his sprained ankle. He's sat out each of the team's last four games, a stretch long enough to possibly put this behind him. Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal offered an educated guess on Twitter that Conley could be planning his comeback for Friday's road clash with the Dallas Mavericks.
The Grizzlies can afford to be patient with their underrated floor general. Catching the Warriors is likely out of the question. And the teams trailing them have been unable to capitalize on Memphis' recent struggles (8-8 since Feb. 11).
Conley is an indispensable piece of this puzzle. The Grizzlies offense is 5.8 points per 100 possessions better when he's sitting behind the wheel.
But there's little reason to worry that he won't be in the driver's seat for the second season. And all signs currently point to him being surrounded by his complete supporting cast.
If this conversation was performance-based, we might be ringing a few alarm bells. But on the injury front, the grit-and-grinders are good.
San Antonio Spurs
3 of 8
Injuries: Manu Ginobili (sprained ankle), Aron Baynes (rib contusion)
Concern Level: 2
The long-term outlook for the San Antonio Spurs isn't bad.
Manu Ginobili's ankle sprain is expected to cost him "a week to 10 days," coach Gregg Popovich said, per Project Spurs' Paul Garcia. And even if the injury lingers a little longer, the Spurs have enough to hide his absence.
"We could talk about how this impacts the Spurs, but we all know they’ll just plug someone in—a combination of Danny Green, Marco Belinelli, Cory Joseph and Patty Mills—and be fine," wrote NBC Sports' Kurt Helin.
Aron Baynes' injury is even less concerning, partially due to the fact he's day-to-day and partly because he only averages 15.7 minutes per game. In terms of the rotation, he's more of a luxury than necessity.
So why didn't our concern radar give San Antonio the lowest possible score? Because this isn't Ginobili's first trip to the injury report, and at 37 years old, he might need more time than some of his younger peers.
The Spurs can survive for now without him, but they'll need their wild card when their playoff journey starts on the road against one of the West's best.
Cleveland Cavaliers
4 of 8
Injuries: Anderson Varejao (torn Achilles)
Concern Level: 3
Obviously, some clarification is needed here.
The only injury listed is the one to Anderson Varejao that occurred in December and has since been covered up by the trade for Timofey Mozgov. And despite being pictured above, Kevin Love isn't mentioned in the injury report.
We'll explain.
There was something fishy about Love's recent two-game absence. He said it had "nothing to do" with his previous back problems, per Chris Fedor of the Northeast Ohio Media Group, and that the idea to rest came from Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt. But, as ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst pointed out, "Blatt previously said Love came to him to ask for rest."
Resting a guy at this time of year is hardly unusual, but Love is on pace to average fewer minutes than he has since his sophomore season (34.3) and has a usage percentage as low as it's been since his rookie year (21.7). And Blatt just said the Cavs have "got to finish in second place," per ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin.
Maybe this is digging too deep, and Love really did rest. If that's the case, Cleveland's injury-concern level shouldn't be above one.
But no one outside of that locker room knows how Love's back is holding up. And that uncertainty is the reason the Cavs aren't sitting lower on this list.
Atlanta Hawks
5 of 8
Injuries: Kyle Korver (broken nose), Thabo Sefolosha (strained calf), Mike Scott (broken toe)
Concern Level: 4
One of the things that makes the Atlanta Hawks great is the fact no player is bigger than the team. With selflessness and depth, Atlanta is built to withstand the occasional absence.
But the Hawks still feel these losses. Every player on the sideline is one less weapon to throw at a defense.
Coach Mike Budenholzer's group should be working with close to a complete arsenal when the postseason starts. The Associated Press reported sharpshooter Kyle Korver will be re-evaluated after Friday's road clash with the Oklahoma City Thunder (via ESPN.com). Defensive swingman Thabo Sefolosha is "close to a return" from the calf injury that has kept him out since Jan. 30, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
But versatile forward Mike Scott is a different story.
His broken left big toe could keep him out the next four to six weeks, league sources told Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski. While not a major piece—he ranks 10th on the team in minutes and seventh in scoring—he's one of the second team's toughest covers. He's athletic, a good shooter and capable of finding his own looks off the dribble.
More importantly, the Hawks can use Scott to spell Paul Millsap and Al Horford without sacrificing floor spacing. They need to have that option available for the postseason.
Houston Rockets
6 of 8
Injuries: Dwight Howard (swelling in knee), Patrick Beverley (elbow bursitis), Kostas Papanikolaou (sprained ankle), Jason Terry (hamstring)
Concern Level: 6
The quantity of injuries for the Houston Rockets isn't the scary part. Frankly, neither is the severity of them.
Patrick Beverley is playing through his elbow issue, and Jason Terry should return to action on Saturday, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle and Bleacher Report. It's a little harder finding a timetable for Kostas Papanikolaou's return, but this frontcourt may not have room for the rookie anyway.
As for Dwight Howard, he says he's getting close to his comeback from the knee injury that has kept him out since Jan. 23.
"I have been feeling pretty good," Howard said, per Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle. "I had some pretty good days of practice this week."
But getting Howard back isn't the problem. Rather, we're worried about the additional time it will take for him to find his form. He's already expecting to see just 20 to 25 minutes over his first few games and has no plans of playing both ends of any remaining back-to-back sets, per Creech.
Having a healthy Howard could be the difference between planning a championship parade or coping with a premature playoff exit. He's the team's top rebounder, a fearsome defender at the rim and the most reliable offensive option behind James Harden.
But he's also a 29-year-old center who's had problems with his back and his knees. Rockets fans would be wise to study up on the delicate art of cautious optimism.
Chicago Bulls
7 of 8
Injuries: Derrick Rose (torn meniscus), Jimmy Butler (sprained elbow), Taj Gibson (sprained ankle)
Concern Level: 8
Chicago Bulls fans have been anxiously awaiting a lift, and they appear to have finally received it.
Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson were both full participants at the team's practice on Tuesday, per K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Each could hit the hardwood for a real game before the week is over.
And former MVP Derrick Rose took part in the non-contact portions of the session. Coach Tom Thibodeau said his point guard is "maybe even slightly ahead" of the four-to-six-week clock that started ticking on Feb. 27, per Johnson.
Without their key contributors, the Bulls have been trapped in a tailspin. Chicago is just 5-7 over its last 12 games.
But at full strength, the Bulls can be a championship force. They have produced a 15-4 record in the games started by Rose, Butler, Mike Dunleavy, Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah. That's a .789 winning percentage, a mark cleared only the Warriors.
That being said, we're waving the caution flag for a reason. At this point, it's become our reflex to seeing the words "Derrick Rose" and "knee" in the same sentence.
Hopefully, Rose will eventually find an injury-free future. But the basketball world will collectively hold its breath during his third attempt at a healthy return.
Oklahoma City Thunder
8 of 8
Injuries: Kevin Durant (foot surgery), Serge Ibaka (knee surgery), Enes Kanter (sprained ankle)
Concern Level: 10
The best injury news for Oklahoma City Thunder fans? Enes Kanter's declaration that there's "nothing broken" in his injured ankle, per Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman.
The Thunder are still playing the waiting game with reigning MVP Kevin Durant and his bothersome right foot. On March 11, Thunder coach Scott Brooks said KD needed another "week to two weeks," per the Associated Press (via NBA.com). Durant, who originally fractured the foot during the preseason, has only suited up for 27 of the team's 68 games.
But somehow that isn't the worst news. That dubious distinction goes to Serge Ibaka and the arthroscopic surgery on his right knee that could keep him out the next four to six weeks. The Thunder obviously need a healthy Durant working in conjunction with the fiery Russell Westbrook, but Ibaka might be just as critical as his more celebrated teammates.
"Defensively he covers for mistakes made by the Thunder's inexperienced bigs and for Russell Westbrook's gambles," CBS Sports' Matt Moore wrote of Ibaka. "And offensively, his spacing keeps the defense honest and prevents it from collapsing down on Westbrook's drives completely."
Ibaka might return in time for the start of the playoffs, but he could be covered in rust by then. And OKC, which still needs to secure its postseason spot over the pesky New Orleans Pelicans, would have zero margin for error against whichever Western Conference juggernaut it draws.
As long as the potential remains for Durant and Ibaka to return to their previous levels, the Thunder's championship window will stay open. But a vicious attack by the injury bug has left a daunting path ahead of OKC.
Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.
