Week 1 Injury Watch

TEAM INJURIES

Atlanta Hawks Louis Amundson (Scalp) The Hawks head into Week 1 with an almost fully healthy squad. Louis Amundson is dealing with a lacerated scalp, but beyond him the rest of the ream is fully healthy. With Trevor Booker and Alexis Ajinca, the absence of Amundson should not make much of a difference.

Brooklyn Nets Josh Huestis (C-D), DeMarcus Cousins (Suspension), George Hill (Illness)- Already considered the "ugly duckling" of the Atlantic Division, the Brooklyn Nets come out of the gates with some key injuries to start the season. The newly acquired Cousins will miss the week following a suspension and point guard Hill is fighting off a respiratory infection. The Nets will dig deep, likely starting Terrence Jones at center and Cory Joseph at point guard. It is going to be a tough week for them.

Boston Celtics Kendall Marshall (Knee), Kevin Durant (Hamstring), Branden Dawson (D-League) The Celtics might be the favorite (by some) to take the Eastern Conference but not if Durant misses a bunch of games this season. After missing most of the last season with an injury, Durant will sit out the entire first week of this new one with a hamstring injury. It is good the Celts are taking it cautious with their star, but the guy needs to play for this team to rise above their competitors.

Charlotte Hornets Carl Landry (Wrist), C.J. Wilcox (D-League), Iman Shumpert (Wrist), Myles Turner (Thumb) Charlotte was a free agency loser and that lack of depth is going to hurt the team this week with four players out. Wilcox is just playing in D-League, but the others are more significant. Shumpert (does he ever play?) had wrist surgery and will not be back until February. Rookie Turner fractured his left hand and had surgery. He will not be back for six weeks. Meanwhile, Landry is expected to be sidelined until January after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right wrist. So, the team is fielding only nine healthy players to start the season. We recommend: get your butt to the FA pool and sign Jonathon Simmons.

Chicago Bulls Chris McCullough (Knee), JaVale McGee (Leg), Pablo Prigioni (Illness), Kevon Looney (Hip), Brandon Rush (C-D) Lots of injuries for the Bulls but no surprises. McCullough and Looney are out for a long time and McGee simply will not make an impact. The sick Prigioni is the key injury here, but even he is not a huge part of the rotation. With all its important starters in place, the Bulls will just have to rely more heavily on them for Week 1.

Cleveland Cavaliers Kendrick Perkins (Pectoral), Jodie Meeks (Foot), Rodney Stuckey (Ankle) Cleveland starts the season missing some depth with two major injuries. Meeks had surgery to repair a non-displaced fracture of the 5th metatarsal in his right foot and will be sidelined for 12-16 weeks. Meanwhile, Perkins could miss up to three months with pectoral strain. Stuckey has an ankle problem, but it seems mild enough. As long as the team has Lebron James healthy, nothing else really matters in this space.

Dallas Mavericks Cleanthony Early (C-D), Zach Randolph (Knee) An injured Zbo would be a disaster for most other teams. But since GM Smokey plans to start Nikola Mirotic at power forward, Zbo has been shuffled to the bench. So while the knee injury will keep him out of some games, the Mavs will not be missing him too much.

Denver Nuggets James Young (D-League) Denver is ready to rock and roll with a fully healthy squad.

Detroit Pistons Eric Moreland (C-D) Frequently on the wrong side of good luck these days, the Pistons start the season with no significant injuries.

Golden State Warriors Erick Green (Waived in NBA), Quincy Pondexter (Knee), Wilson Chandler (Hip), Jarnell Stokes (C-D), Joe Harris (D-League) Not a good start for new GM Mailo. Of course, he received a team that has been neglected for a very, very long time. Missing 1/3 of your roster is not a good thing. Even worse? Losing your star player (Chandler) to surgery for the season. Are the Warriors still a train wreck this season? Most likely.

Houston Rockets Matt Bonner (C-D), Brandon Jennings (Achilles) Getting Jennings back would be a boon for the post-Kobe Rockets. He is still gone for at least another month, so Jose Barea will have to hold down the fort in the meantime.

Indiana Pacers Jarell Martin (Foot), Rakeem Christmas (D-League) The Pacers begin the season missing only Martin (broken foot) who would not really figure much into the rotation anyway.

LA Clippers Chris Andersen (Personal) Andersen is away from the team on a personal matter. No matter, it is going to be a long season for the Clippers.

LA Lakers Manu Ginobili (Hip) Ginobili will likely miss a lot of games this season for the Lakers. This week, he is dealing with hip tightness but should be back soon. Since Ginobili is ineligible to play at PG this season, he will see less time for the Lakers as he competes with other players off the bench.

Memphis Grizzlies Dante Exum (Knee), Cory Jefferson (C-D), Bruno Caboclo (D-League), Jeff Teague (Ankle) Losing Exum for the season was just the beginning of the bad luck the Grizzlies has dealt so far this season. An inactive trade and FA crop makes this team look lottery bound. An ankle injury to starting PG Teague is the last thing this team needs. Hopefully, GM Houndy petitions the league for an unlocked replacement.

Miami Heat Jimmer Fredette (Waived in NBA), Norris Cole (Ankle) Although missing Cole and Fredette might might seem significant, the Heat really have no one else to back up Rajon Rondo. Who will it be? Marcus Thornton? The Heat bench might be a mess in Week 1.

Milwaukee Bucks Brandan Wright (Knee), Jusuf Nurkic (Knee) The oldest player on the Bucks is dealing with a sore knee while Nurkic is recovering from surgery. The Bucks will be fine without these guys.

Minnesota Timberwolves Richaun Holmes (Hamstring), Tyreke Evans (Knee), Bradley Beal (Shoulder), Martell Webster (Hip) So it begins. The injury-prone Wolves start off the season with four key players on the IR, none of them surprisingly Andrea Bargnani. Evans will be out a good amount of time following knee surgery while Beal nurses what will likely be the first of a series of injuries. The loss of Holmes should not be a big deal but with a woeful lack of big men on the team, it hurts GM Javi. Worst of all? Webster is gone for the entire season following surgery for a partially torn labrum. The Wolves are howling already.

New Orleans Pelicans Cody Zeller (Ankle), Lucas Nogueira (D-League), Anthony Brown (D-League) The loss of Zeller could sting the Pelicans. With the center missing time, the only player on the Pelican bench over six foot seven is Jon Leuer. GULP!

New York Knicks Kyrie Irving (Knee), Tony Wroten (Knee) "I am not injury prone!" Irving said in a recent Knicks news article. He has played in more and more games each of his four seasons, but this is not a good start. In the meantime, the team will ask Ronnie Price to handle the one spot. This is a big deal for a player waived a few times last season. Play your heart out, Ronnie! Wanna make a bet if Wroten or Kyrie comes back first?

Oklahoma City Thunder Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Shoulder), Tibor Pleiss (C-D), Joffrey Lauvergne (Back), Damien Inglis (C-D) Losing MKG for the season hurts the Thunder. However, it gives Robert Covington a chance to shine. Even though the Thunder are missing four guys, they should be fine for Week 1.

Orlando Magic Nikola Pekovic (Achilles), Tyler Ennis (C-D) I warned Laddas not to trade for Pekovic. He is still without a timetable after missing a good chunk of last season. Tiago Splitter will likely get the nod while Pekovic counts the $12.1 million he makes this season for not playing.

Philadelphia 76ers Mo Williams (Leg) The Sixers will be without big FA acquisition Mo Williams as he deals with posterior right ankle inflammation. T.J. McConnell, let us see what you are made of!

Phoenix Suns Patrick Beverley (Ankle), Paul Pierce (Rest)- The Suns will be missing two major pieces as the season unfolds. Pierce will be given the week off to rest and Beverley has an ankle injury. CJ Miles will get his time to shine but who will back-up Kemba Walker?

Portland Trail Blazers P.J. Hairston (Quad), Terry Rozier (D-League), Sam Dekker (Back), Robert Sacre (C-D) The worst team in the league gets even worse by missing four of its players. Since the team no one ranked better than 142 on the ESPN list, it is unclear how these missing guys would have affected the squad. Expect an 0-4 Week 1, but not because of injuries.

San Antonio Spurs Joel Embiid (Foot), John Jenkins (C-D) See that first name here? Get used to see it all season long, folks. The Spurs enter the season more or less healthy, save you know who.

Sacramento Kings Jordan Adams (Knee), Meyers Leonard (Shoulder), Aaron Brooks (Hamstring) Leonard will miss a good deal of time after dislocated his shoulder. His loss hurts the Kings, who are starving for big man help after losing Robin Lopez and trading David Lee. Channing Frye should get the nod, but leaves guys like Sasha Kaun and Drew Gooden to shore up the bench. Brooks will not be missed with Jordan Clarkson and Jerryd Bayless on-hand.

Toronto Raptors Nemanja Bjelica (Knee), Donatas Motiejunas (Back), Kent Bazemore (Ankle) What? You were expecting Kobe Bryant? The Raps lose some bench depth but no one too important for Week 1. We are all wondering when Dot Mot will come back from his back issues.

Utah Jazz Jordan Mickey (D-League), Derrick Rose (Ankle), Mike Dunleavy (Back) Do not mess with Davestrodamus. No Derrick Rose for the Jazz means -200 points for the first week. Dunleavy would be nice but he is coming off back surgery. So no guarantees when he is back. Hopefully this is just an odd week for D-Rose but we bet he is going to miss much more time this season.

Washington Wizards Shayne Whittington (D-League) Finally SOMETHING goes right for the Wizards. They have a fully healthy squad for Week 1!

TEAM	INJURIES
	Louis Amundson (Scalp) The Hawks head into Week 1 with an almost fully healthy squad. Louis Amundson is dealing with a lacerated scalp, but beyond him the rest of the ream is fully healthy. With Trevor Booker and Alexis Ajinca, the absence of Amundson should not make much of a difference.
	Josh Huestis (C-D), DeMarcus Cousins (Suspension), George Hill (Illness)- Already considered the "ugly duckling" of the Atlantic Division, the Brooklyn Nets come out of the gates with some key injuries to start the season. The newly acquired Cousins will miss the week following a suspension and point guard Hill is fighting off a respiratory infection. The Nets will dig deep, likely starting Terrence Jones at center and Cory Joseph at point guard. It is going to be a tough week for them.
	Kendall Marshall (Knee), Kevin Durant (Hamstring), Branden Dawson (D-League) The Celtics might be the favorite (by some) to take the Eastern Conference but not if Durant misses a bunch of games this season. After missing most of the last season with an injury, Durant will sit out the entire first week of this new one with a hamstring injury. It is good the Celts are taking it cautious with their star, but the guy needs to play for this team to rise above their competitors.
	Carl Landry (Wrist), C.J. Wilcox (D-League), Iman Shumpert (Wrist), Myles Turner (Thumb) Charlotte was a free agency loser and that lack of depth is going to hurt the team this week with four players out. Wilcox is just playing in D-League, but the others are more significant. Shumpert (does he ever play?) had wrist surgery and will not be back until February. Rookie Turner fractured his left hand and had surgery. He will not be back for six weeks. Meanwhile, Landry is expected to be sidelined until January after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right wrist. So, the team is fielding only nine healthy players to start the season. We recommend: get your butt to the FA pool and sign Jonathon Simmons.
	Chris McCullough (Knee), JaVale McGee (Leg), Pablo Prigioni (Illness), Kevon Looney (Hip), Brandon Rush (C-D) Lots of injuries for the Bulls but no surprises. McCullough and Looney are out for a long time and McGee simply will not make an impact. The sick Prigioni is the key injury here, but even he is not a huge part of the rotation. With all its important starters in place, the Bulls will just have to rely more heavily on them for Week 1.
	Kendrick Perkins (Pectoral), Jodie Meeks (Foot), Rodney Stuckey (Ankle) Cleveland starts the season missing some depth with two major injuries. Meeks had surgery to repair a non-displaced fracture of the 5th metatarsal in his right foot and will be sidelined for 12-16 weeks. Meanwhile, Perkins could miss up to three months with pectoral strain. Stuckey has an ankle problem, but it seems mild enough. As long as the team has Lebron James healthy, nothing else really matters in this space.
	Cleanthony Early (C-D), Zach Randolph (Knee) An injured Zbo would be a disaster for most other teams. But since GM Smokey plans to start Nikola Mirotic at power forward, Zbo has been shuffled to the bench. So while the knee injury will keep him out of some games, the Mavs will not be missing him too much.
	James Young (D-League) Denver is ready to rock and roll with a fully healthy squad.
	Eric Moreland (C-D) Frequently on the wrong side of good luck these days, the Pistons start the season with no significant injuries.
	Erick Green (Waived in NBA), Quincy Pondexter (Knee), Wilson Chandler (Hip), Jarnell Stokes (C-D), Joe Harris (D-League) Not a good start for new GM Mailo. Of course, he received a team that has been neglected for a very, very long time. Missing 1/3 of your roster is not a good thing. Even worse? Losing your star player (Chandler) to surgery for the season. Are the Warriors still a train wreck this season? Most likely.
	Matt Bonner (C-D), Brandon Jennings (Achilles) Getting Jennings back would be a boon for the post-Kobe Rockets. He is still gone for at least another month, so Jose Barea will have to hold down the fort in the meantime.
	Jarell Martin (Foot), Rakeem Christmas (D-League) The Pacers begin the season missing only Martin (broken foot) who would not really figure much into the rotation anyway.
	Chris Andersen (Personal) Andersen is away from the team on a personal matter. No matter, it is going to be a long season for the Clippers.
	Manu Ginobili (Hip) Ginobili will likely miss a lot of games this season for the Lakers. This week, he is dealing with hip tightness but should be back soon. Since Ginobili is ineligible to play at PG this season, he will see less time for the Lakers as he competes with other players off the bench.
	Dante Exum (Knee), Cory Jefferson (C-D), Bruno Caboclo (D-League), Jeff Teague (Ankle) Losing Exum for the season was just the beginning of the bad luck the Grizzlies has dealt so far this season. An inactive trade and FA crop makes this team look lottery bound. An ankle injury to starting PG Teague is the last thing this team needs. Hopefully, GM Houndy petitions the league for an unlocked replacement.
	Jimmer Fredette (Waived in NBA), Norris Cole (Ankle) Although missing Cole and Fredette might might seem significant, the Heat really have no one else to back up Rajon Rondo. Who will it be? Marcus Thornton? The Heat bench might be a mess in Week 1.
	Brandan Wright (Knee), Jusuf Nurkic (Knee) The oldest player on the Bucks is dealing with a sore knee while Nurkic is recovering from surgery. The Bucks will be fine without these guys.
	Richaun Holmes (Hamstring), Tyreke Evans (Knee), Bradley Beal (Shoulder), Martell Webster (Hip) So it begins. The injury-prone Wolves start off the season with four key players on the IR, none of them surprisingly Andrea Bargnani. Evans will be out a good amount of time following knee surgery while Beal nurses what will likely be the first of a series of injuries. The loss of Holmes should not be a big deal but with a woeful lack of big men on the team, it hurts GM Javi. Worst of all? Webster is gone for the entire season following surgery for a partially torn labrum. The Wolves are howling already.
	Cody Zeller (Ankle), Lucas Nogueira (D-League), Anthony Brown (D-League) The loss of Zeller could sting the Pelicans. With the center missing time, the only player on the Pelican bench over six foot seven is Jon Leuer. GULP!
	Kyrie Irving (Knee), Tony Wroten (Knee) "I am not injury prone!" Irving said in a recent Knicks news article. He has played in more and more games each of his four seasons, but this is not a good start. In the meantime, the team will ask Ronnie Price to handle the one spot. This is a big deal for a player waived a few times last season. Play your heart out, Ronnie! Wanna make a bet if Wroten or Kyrie comes back first?
	Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Shoulder), Tibor Pleiss (C-D), Joffrey Lauvergne (Back), Damien Inglis (C-D) Losing MKG for the season hurts the Thunder. However, it gives Robert Covington a chance to shine. Even though the Thunder are missing four guys, they should be fine for Week 1.
	Nikola Pekovic (Achilles), Tyler Ennis (C-D) I warned Laddas not to trade for Pekovic. He is still without a timetable after missing a good chunk of last season. Tiago Splitter will likely get the nod while Pekovic counts the $12.1 million he makes this season for not playing.
	Mo Williams (Leg) The Sixers will be without big FA acquisition Mo Williams as he deals with posterior right ankle inflammation. T.J. McConnell, let us see what you are made of!
	Patrick Beverley (Ankle), Paul Pierce (Rest)- The Suns will be missing two major pieces as the season unfolds. Pierce will be given the week off to rest and Beverley has an ankle injury. CJ Miles will get his time to shine but who will back-up Kemba Walker?
	P.J. Hairston (Quad), Terry Rozier (D-League), Sam Dekker (Back), Robert Sacre (C-D) The worst team in the league gets even worse by missing four of its players. Since the team no one ranked better than 142 on the ESPN list, it is unclear how these missing guys would have affected the squad. Expect an 0-4 Week 1, but not because of injuries.
	Joel Embiid (Foot), John Jenkins (C-D) See that first name here? Get used to see it all season long, folks. The Spurs enter the season more or less healthy, save you know who.
	Jordan Adams (Knee), Meyers Leonard (Shoulder), Aaron Brooks (Hamstring) Leonard will miss a good deal of time after dislocated his shoulder. His loss hurts the Kings, who are starving for big man help after losing Robin Lopez and trading David Lee. Channing Frye should get the nod, but leaves guys like Sasha Kaun and Drew Gooden to shore up the bench. Brooks will not be missed with Jordan Clarkson and Jerryd Bayless on-hand.
	Nemanja Bjelica (Knee), Donatas Motiejunas (Back), Kent Bazemore (Ankle) What? You were expecting Kobe Bryant? The Raps lose some bench depth but no one too important for Week 1. We are all wondering when Dot Mot will come back from his back issues.
	Jordan Mickey (D-League), Derrick Rose (Ankle), Mike Dunleavy (Back) Do not mess with Davestrodamus. No Derrick Rose for the Jazz means -200 points for the first week. Dunleavy would be nice but he is coming off back surgery. So no guarantees when he is back. Hopefully this is just an odd week for D-Rose but we bet he is going to miss much more time this season.
	Shayne Whittington (D-League) Finally SOMETHING goes right for the Wizards. They have a fully healthy squad for Week 1!