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NBA: 5 Teams That Can’t Afford An Injury

By Eric Saar

Nov 9, 2014; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) reacts to a call in action against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 9, 2014; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) reacts to a call in action against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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Which five NBA teams can’t afford an injury?

Injuries are just a part of the NBA. Tons of money is spent on and by the training staff to keep the players healthy for the as much of the season as possible. They need to keep them in tip-top shape so they can perform at the highest level on game days.

They need to decrease wear and tear on the body so players are fresh and minimize time lost due to more serious injuries.

We’ve already lost some great players to injury right now, with Indiana Pacer Paul George, most of the Oklahoma City Thunder including Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio.

Let’s see which teams can’t afford to lose their star player and still have a shot at the playoffs.

Houston Rockets (James Harden)

Harden is the engine for the Rockets. Against a then-undefeated Warriors team, a Howard-less Rockets team lost. However, if Harden went down, they could end up losing many more games to lesser opponents.

Harden is valuable as he’s the third-highest scorer in the league, averaging 25.4 points per game. He really gets to the free throw line (causing many fouls on the opponent) as he converts them on more than 90 percent clip and attempts nearly 11 a game.

Nov 4, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh (1) drives to the basket past Houston Rockets forward Kostas Papanikolaou (16) during the second half at American Airlines Arena. The Rockets won 108-91. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 4, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh (1) drives to the basket past Houston Rockets forward Kostas Papanikolaou (16) during the second half at American Airlines Arena. The Rockets won 108-91. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

Miami Heat (Chris Bosh)

With LeBron James gone and Dwayne Wade another year older, the offensive and leadership load falls to Chris Bosh once again as the number one option. Bosh is seventh in points per game with 23.6, reminiscent of his play in Toronto before joining James and Wade in Miami.

Bosh was relegated to the third option when LeBron was there, mostly shooter jumpers, even developing three-point range, off of pick-and-pops. Now he’s doing that a lot less and able to get some post touches.

Sacramento Kings (DeMarcus Cousins)

The Sacramento Kings are 5-2. A lot of this is due to DeMarcus Cousins. He is averaging 23.0 points per game, along with 11.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. He is a beast down on the block and has certainly matured on the court. Cousins still doesn’t have a technical this season and even calmed his coach down to avoid a tech in their double overtime victory over Phoenix.

The Kings probably will cool off a lot from their hot start anyway, making Cousins’ presence less important in the case of an injury. He is an MVP candidate if Sacramento makes the playoffs though.

New York Knicks (Carmelo Anthony)

The fortunes of the Knicks this season, start and finish with Carmelo Anthony. He just resigned a big deal to come back to New York, when he could have gone to any number of teams. They also traded away Tyson Chandler.

If they lose Anthony to an injury their season is over. If he is gone, they are losing nearly 20 points a game. That’s really underselling his value to the team. He draws double teams and can put up 50 points on any night. He really creates problems for opposing defenses.

With a rookie head coach in Derek Fisher and trying to install the triangle offense, they are having trouble. But for the Knicks, nothing would be worse than Melo going down with an injury.

New Orleans Pelicans (Anthony Davis)

Anthony “The Brow” Davis is special. His stat lines are ridiculous. 24.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, 4.4 blocks per game. He is one of the few players who are capable of blocking jumpshots and is just so dominant on both sides of the ball.

If Davis went down with a season-ending injury, it would be dire for the Pelicans. They would be in the lottery for a high draft pick, which is not where this team wants to be.

Davis is already statistically a top-five if not top-three player in the league. He just has to make the next step and lead a good team to the playoffs. The most important thing for a great player is leadership, and one aspect of that is making your teammates better versions of themselves out on the court.

Houston and Miami probably are going to be going the furthest in the playoffs this year, but the Rockets would be most severely hampered by losing their superstar. Harden is just so valuable to that team.

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