WORKING AROUND INJURIES YIELDS SUCCESS
It’s that time of year again in the NBA.
The list of injuries grows longer, with teams forced to fill holes in the most creative ways while trying not to lose ground in the playoff race. With the New Year nearing and so many coaches hoping their health resolutions come true, here’s a look at some of the most relevant injury situations in the league and what we’ve learned as a result of them.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
As the Cavs showed in their first three games without J.R. Smith after he broke his right thumb — averaging 113.7 points in wins vs. the Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets and Golden State Warriors — they can score fine without the starting shooting guard who might not be back until the end of the regular season. One fascinating wrinkle: His replacement, journeyman DeAndre Liggins, is proving quite capable with a defense-first style.
The Cavs are at their defensive best when Liggins is on the floor, as he has a team-high defensive rating of 98.7 points allowed per 100 possessions during that time. He does not score much — 2.7 points per game — but they don’t need him to.
Not bad for a 28-year-old who signed a partially guaranteed, two-year, $2 million deal with Cleveland three months ago, when it was negotiating with Smith en route to his four-year, $57 million payday. Smith, whose defensive rating of 104.6 is seventh on the team, was having a down year. His scoring was down from 12.4 points a game to 8.6, and his three-point percentage was down from 41.5 to 33.7.
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
Somewhere along the way, the Clippers ticked off the basketball gods. Blame their shamed former owner, Donald Sterling, or just good, old-fashioned bad luck, but the injury bug that haunted them last season is back again in a big way. And as was the case the last time around, when Chris Paul’s and Blake Griffin’s seasons were cut short four games into the postseason, their dynamic duo is on the bench again.
Griffin had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Dec. 20 and is expected to miss three to six weeks. Paul has missed the last three games because of a hamstring strain, and the Clippers fell to three of the league’s worst teams in the process (the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets).
Considering Paul and Griffin can be free agents this summer, along with shooting guard J.J. Redick, the stakes couldn’t be higher for the Clippers. Yet after starting the season atop the NBA at 14-2, they find themselves in fourth place in the Western Conference (22-11) and have lost four of their last six games.
Last season, they went 31-15 without Griffin during his absence. In the six seasons since Paul came to town, they’re 25-21 when he’s not on the floor. Paul, who has played in 88.5% of the possible regular-season games in that span, is questionable to play in Wednesday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
HOUSTON ROCKETS
Clint Capela lacks the name recognition of his predecessor Dwight Howard, but he was quickly proving to be a better fit for the Rockets before breaking his left leg against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 17. The 22year-old center was averaging 11.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game while playing so well off of MVP candidate James Harden, but he must wait until mid-January to be re-evaluated.
The good news for Houston, which entered Tuesday as the third-best team in the West at 23-9? His replacement, secondyear big man Montrezl Harrell, is turning heads. In the first four games without Capela, Harrell — who was drafted 32nd by the Rockets — averaged 14.0 points (hitting 24 of 35 shots, 68.6%), 4.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 blocks while posting the team’s third-highest plus-minus mark (+9.5) as the Rockets went 2-2.
An assist goes to Mike D’Antoni, the first-year Rockets coach who is reminding the league that he’s one of the most creative offensive minds the game has seen. The Rockets are third in offensive rating (111.4), behind only the Warriors and Toronto Raptors.
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
Losing Kevin Durant in free agency last summer came with an obvious ripple effect for the Thunder: They would struggle to score without him. So when shooting guard Victor Oladipo went down with a right wrist in- jury Dec. 11 and the Thunder responded to the loss of Russell Westbrook’s new sidekick with lackluster losses at the Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz, it was fair to wonder if Oklahoma City was about to go off the rails.
Cue the Westbrook-to-the-rescue music — again.
Since the back-to-back losses, and entering Tuesday’s matchup against the Miami Heat, Westbrook had averaged 38.0 points (48.4% shooting overall, 40.0% from three-point range), 12.4 assists and 10.0 rebounds as the Thunder went 4-1. With the Thunder (19-12) sitting at No. 5 in the West, the timetable for Oladipo’s return has not been set.
“The major problem for him is shooting,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan told reporters Monday. “That’s the biggest problem, because he just has a really hard time following through. And especially the farther he moves away from the basket, the more painful it is for him. The more he has to flick his wrist, that’s where he struggles.”
All in all, the offensive struggles will be a season-long challenge for the Thunder. After finishing second in offensive rating last season (109.9 points scored per 100 possessions), they are 16th (104.5).
UTAH JAZZ
At 18-13 entering Tuesday, the Jazz would have qualified as a surprise team this season, even if injuries weren’t part of their story.
But factor in the extended absences to key players such as George Hill (20 games and counting because of thumb and toe injuries), Derrick Favors (15 games missed because of a knee injury) and Alec Burks (hasn’t played this season after Nov. 1 ankle surgery), and it’s downright shocking what coach Quin Snyder and his group have been able to accomplish.
Now, we finally might see what they can do when they’re healthy. While Favors has been back since Dec. 14, Hill and Burks took part in practice Monday and appear close to returning.