NBA Injury Report at the Halfway Point of the 2014-15 Season

• Post By: Jeff Stotts
• Date: February 2, 2015
• Category: Injury Report, NBA

The 2014-15 NBA season has reached its halfway point with every team logging 41 games played. An extended All-Star break will allow players to rest and recuperate, especially with injuries beginning to mount. Despite the number of games lost to injury rising during the second quarter, the league is on pace to finish below last season’s record setting total and below the league average over the last nine seasons. Some familiar franchises, including the Knicks and Timberwolves, were hit particularly hard with a massive amount of games and dollars lost. 

The Phoenix Suns sit atop the rankings with the fewest games loss to injury after 41 games. Led by head athletic trainer Aaron Nelson, the Suns medical staff has helped keep the team afloat in the tough Western Conference playoff picture by insuring the top talent remains on the court. Of the 16 games Phoenix has lost to injury, only two belong to a starter. Questionable wardrobe aside, the Suns medical team continues to be the measuring stick for healthcare in the NBA.

Sitting behind the Suns for the top ranking is the team touting the best record in the NBA. The Atlanta Hawks went 19-2 during the second quarter of the season, including a perfect 17-0 for the month of January. During this span Atlanta lost just 10 games played with half of the total attributed to illness rather than an on-the-court injury. While Thabo Selfolosha’s calf strain insures the totals will go up in the third quarter, the Hawks remains one of the elite teams in the NBA in both talent and health.

Another team able to take advantage of a string of good health was the Detroit Pistons. The team’s two lost games to injury were the lowest total in the league for the second quarter. The two games were the result of Jodie Meeks’ final days of recovery from a stress reaction in his lower back discovered during the preseason. At full strength the Pistons were able to win 13 of 19 games including a season-best seven straight. Sadly the run came to a crashing halt when guard Brandon Jennings ruptured his Achilles, ending his season. The injury insures the team will loss at least 38 games before the season concludes, a number nearly equal to their total games lost thus far.

On the opposite end of the spectrum the Pacers have now missed the most games to injury in the league. The number was expected to grow with All-Star guard Paul George still recovering from a broken leg but a lingering groin injury for George Hill compounded the problem. The Sixers and Lakers are ahead of Indiana by only a handful of games lost and both team have recently suffered season-ending injuries. The Sixers lost guard Tony Wroten to a partially torn ACL while the Lakers lost Kobe Bryant to a season-ending injury for the third consecutive season. Not only does Bryant’s torn rotator cuff affect the on-court product but also it comes with a steep price tag. Bryant will miss the team’s final 39 games at a cost of $11.1 million and bring the three-year total for salary dollars lost to injury by the former MVP to a shade over $40 million.

The Knicks had the most costly second quarter of the NBA losing $8.8 million in salary to injury or illness. Andrea Bargnani’s lingering calf is the primary reason for the hefty total but lingering issues for Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire remain problematic as well. The injury bug also overwhelmed the Minnesota Timberwolves, as Ricky Rubio (ankle), Nikola Pekovic (ankle and wrist), Kevin Martin (wrist), and Shabazz Muhammad (oblique) all were sidelined for significant stretches. Minnesota has now lost the fourth most games to injury and has amassed the third highest total for salary dollars lost.