The Infimary
Gamblers that are looking for action and value going into the second half of the NBA season have to be fully aware of the major injuries around the league as they will play as much a part as any in a team’s overall success.
So let’s go through the league and isolate guys that will be missing and guys that will soon be back on the court to help their teams.
It’ll be a case of good news and bad news for the Celts. They will start the second half without Marquis Daniels, whom they traded and Jermaine O’Neal but will soon get back Shaquille O’Neal and the very versatile Delonte West, who may be a bit of a head case but can play either guard positive and he will D up to boot.
Big Baby Davis has played great for the Celts all year but he will now miss time due to a strained patella in his left knee.
The puzzling trade for the Celts is the dismissal of Kendrick Perkins, the one true big on the team that seemed to be the glue.
The Bobcats, who have been playing much better for Paul Silas, will still be without talented Tyrus Thomas until mid March.
Charlotte’s best player, Stephen Jackson, strained a hammy last week and is day to day. That injury must be watched intently.
Like the Wizards don’t have enough problems but two of their key players, Nick Young and Rashard Lewis are nursing knees and although they should be soon in the line up their effectiveness may be compromised.
A similar thing goes for Cleveland as two contributors, Daniel Gibson and Semih Erden have minor concerns and their availability must be monitored.
Cavs starter Antawn Jamison is out for the season with a broken finger.
Now, let’s take a look at the West.
Although the Mavericks have played great all year, they still will not get Caron Butler back until early May and possibly the second round of the playoffs.
The Lakers were relying on Theo Ratliff to give them a lift down low but he had a setback and may be lost for the season. A key defender for L.A., Matt Barnes, is practicing and is just days away from action.
Two key New Orleans players should be 100% soon and they are Trevor Ariza and Emeka Okafor. Don’t be shocked if this team, which started the year 33-25, turn it up a few notches in the second half.
Portland has had the injury bug for decades now and its iffy if they will have either Brandon Roy or Marcus Camby back in the near future.
Utah defensive specialist Raja Bell and forward Mehmet Okur are both ailing. Bell has had calf problems, but is playing, while Okur has never recovered from a bad back and is still weeks away from serious minutes.
The effect of injuries are written into the point spread but when deciding on which teams to bet and which games to pass on, think about how the injury list mentioned will affect rotation, playing time, depth and overall toughness both offensively and defensively.
Here’s hoping they all get healthy and wise hoop wagers are made by all. Good luck.
