Five Most Devastating NBA Injuries in 2009

In the NBA, 2009 has been the year of the injury. It seems like every time you turn on ESPN, someone else is going down. Virtually every team in the league is dealing with at least one injury.

Here are the five most devastating NBA injuries that could have an impact on the 2009 NBA championship:

5. Tyson Chandler, New Orleans Hornets
It’s a bad sign when a team trades for you without giving up much of anything and then they rescind the trade due to health reasons. That’s exactly what happened to Chandler after being traded to the Thunder. If Chandler doesn’t get healthy, the Hornets have no championship shot.

4. Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns
Stoudemire would be higher on this list of the Suns were a true championship contender. His injured eye will likely keep him out for the rest of the season, which will make it tough for Phoenix to make the 2009 NBA playoffs.

3. Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs
Coming off of offseason ankle surgery, Ginobili now is facing a stress reaction in his other ankle. If Ginobili can’t return to the Spurs at 100%, their championship hopes go down the drain. The good news for San Antonio is that he should be able to return in a few weeks.

2. Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles Lakers
Although Bynum’s torn MCL isn’t as bad as the injury he had last season, Lakers fans won’t be able to breath again until they see him back on the court. Last season Bynum was expected to be back in plenty of time for the playoffs … yet never returned.

1. Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics
Garnett is dealing with a knee strain that will keep him out two to three weeks. If Garnett doesn’t get fully healthy prior to his return, he could re-injure his knee. For the Celtics to win back-to-back championships, Boston definitely needs Garnett leading the way.