Dreaming of an injury-free season: Which NBA team hurt most?

The 2012/13 NBA regular season was one of the most exciting in recent memory. But for a few players, this season was one to forget.

UKAmericanSportsFans.com takes a look back at the past 82 games and wonders:

Which injury had the biggest impact on their team?

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Amar’e Stoudemire – New York Knicks – Games missed: 53

Injury type: Burst cyst in left knee, debridement (cleaning out knee).

The New York Knicks recorded more wins than in any other season since 1996/7 and did so with a squad that had the oldest average age in NBA history. But how many more wins could they have achieved with a healthy six-time All-Star? Stoudemire was averaging 21.8 points off the bench when he returned in January, but played just 30 games before bowing out again.

Rajon Rondo – Boston Celtics – Games missed: 44

Injury type: Torn ACL

The Boston Celtics had been struggling for form in the first-half of the season and when their starting point guard, Rondo, hit the deck in a late-January game against the Hawks, common sense screamed out that the Celtics were in trouble. But something changed. The Celtics responded to losing Rondo by reeling off seven-straight wins and reaching the play-offs with a 41-40 record.

Andrew Bynum – Philadelphia 76ers – Games missed: 82

Injury type: Surgery on right knee and left knee

Traded to the 76ers as part of the Dwight Howard deal, Bynum failed to play a single minute for his new team, watching from the sidelines as his ‘teammates’ struggled to a 34-48 record. After losing Vucevic to the Orlando Magic and watching him flourish in his new surroundings, Sixerland was left angry, confused and helpless as Bynum was ruled out for the year with damaged cartilage caused by…bowling. How different could the Sixers have been with a player who averaged career highs of 18.7 points and 11.8 rebounds per game during the previous season?

Danny Granger – Indiana Pacers – Games missed: 76

Injury type: Patellar Tendinosis

The 2011/12 leading scorer for the Indiana Pacers sat all but five games of this season due to a persistent injury and although his team won 49 games without him, the 4-1 record achieved with him back in action was just enough to have Pacers fans wondering, ‘What if…’.

Derrick Rose – Chicago Bulls – Games missed: 82

Injury type: Torn ACL

He was the 2010/11 MVP and one of the most devastating players in the league but the Chicago Bulls had to persevere without Rose, their franchise point guard, for an entire season. The Bulls had a remarkable season in his absence though, winning 45 games and reaching the play-offs as the fifth-seed but with a healthy Rose playing, could the Bulls have challenged the Miami Heat for first place in the East?

John Wall – Washington Wizards – Games missed: 33

Injury type: Stress injury to left kneecap

John Wall returned to the Wizards’ line-up in January and turned them from a terrible team into a .500 team. The Milwaukee Bucks reached the ’12-’13 play-offs by winning only 38 games. With the Wizards only nine games back from the Bucks at season’s end, could a healthy John Wall from the opening tip have helped them reach the post-season?

Kevin Love – Minnesota Timberwolves – Games missed: 64

Injury type: Broken bones in hand, knee surgery

The Timberwolves’ young duo of Love and Rubio played just three games together all season. In the 2011/12 season, Love and Rubio played together 37 times, winning 54% of their games.

Now, if both Love and Rubio had achieved something in the NBA that they’re yet to do – stay healthy for a full season – AND we allow ourselves to think that by them staying healthy they would have taken at least one game off of the Lakers (who in reality they went 0-3 against), they would have replaced the Lakers in the play-off picture and been a part of the post-season.

Ah, sweet, sweet dreams.

Andrew Bogut – Golden State Warriors – Games missed: 50

Injury type: Variety of ankle issues

A healthy Bogut can make a big difference – just ask the 2010/11 Milwaukee Bucks. If Bogut had played a career average 55 games, could he have helped the Warriors improve upon their middle-of-the-league 14th best defensive rating and ultimately, their record?

Pau Gasol – LA Lakers – Games missed: 33

Injury type: Plantar fascia

Steve Nash – LA Lakers – Games missed: 32

Injury type – Fracture in shin, back and hip ‘issues’

If you don’t think that having a point guard who is arguably one of the best passers in league history, who has career shooting percentages of 49/42/90 and is a master in the offensive pick and roll and combining him with a lethal high-post threat who has a solid jumper from 16 feet and is one of the best passing bigs in the league, would have helped the Lakers storm through the West, then you’re not thinking hard enough.

Dirk Nowitzki – Dallas Mavericks – Games missed: 29

Injury type: Knee surgery

The Dallas Mavericks missed the play-offs for the first time in 12 years. Dirk Nowitzki missed the largest number of games in a season in his NBA career. Coincidence?