It’s the same knee that forced Arenas to miss last year’s playoffs and almost the entire regular season. The good news is that the injury is being called a bruised knee. Currently, it isn’t believed that Arenas suffered any structural damage.

Down 0-2 in the series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Wizards blew out the Cavs 108-72. Before leaving with injury, Arenas played ten minutes and had two points and three assists.

Arenas having an issue with his troublesome knee has to concern fantasy basketball owners heading into the 2008-09 NBA season. It’s been over a year since Arenas was able to play pain-free and at 100%.

There is a good chance that the Wizards will hold out Arenas for the rest of the series against the Cavaliers – and perhaps for the rest of the playoffs.

Watch this recap of the game between the Wizards and Cavaliers:

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“I think without a doubt that Andrew would come off the bench, and we would play him a little bit off the bench if there was any chance that he could come back and play again, but it’s such a remote thing,” Jackson told The Los Angeles Daily News. “We’re not seriously thinking about it.”

Even without Bynum, the Lakers were able to dominate in their first game of the playoffs. Defeating the Denver Nuggets 128-114, Pau Gasol led the way for Los Angeles with 36 points, 18 rebounds and eight assists. Kobe Bryant chipped in with 32 points.

If Bynum does indeed miss the rest of the season, Gasol would remain the team’s center. In the frontcourt, he’d likely continue to be joined by Lamar Odom and Vladimir Radmanovic at the forward positions. Derek Fisher joins Bryant in the backcourt.

Before getting hurt this season, Bynum was averaging 13.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. He was also shooting 63.6% from the field.

Andrew Bynum before his injury:

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Although he played in Game 1, he admitted afterwards to being hampered by the injury. Head coach Mike D’Antoni said that he was going to do a better job of limiting Hill’s minutes if he saw Hill not at 100%.

If Hill isn’t able to start, expect Leandro Barbosa to start in his place. If Barbosa starts, he’d play shooting guard and Raja Bell would move over to small forward. Gordon Giricek would also likely see an increase in playing time.

For the season, Hill averaged 13.1 points, five rebounds and nearly three assists per game. In Game 1 of this series, Hill had five points and seven rebounds.

Grant Hill Highlight Video:

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With the playoffs starting this weekend, this is horrible timing for an injury. It sounds like Alston will miss the first two games of the playoffs, if not more. His surprisingly effective fantasy basketball season is all but over.

In Alston’s place, Bobby Jackson will get the start. As a spot starter, you may get good production out of Jackson. Jackson isn’t much of a playmaker but he can score and come up with steals. Jackson will be backed up by Aaron Brooks and Luther Head.

The Rockets desperately need a win in their season finale against the Los Angeles Clippers. A loss will likely drop the Rockets to the sixth seed in the Western Conference playoffs. A win will likely mean a first round with homecourt advantage.

With that in mind, start players like Tracy McGrady and Luis Scola with confidence.

Check out this streetball video of Rafer Alston:

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The good news is it sounds like McGrady will be able to play on Friday. He missed a game to rest his sore shoulder but insists he’ll be ready to go against the Suns. Although he has struggled with his shot in recent weeks, McGrady should be a quality fantasy basketball start on Friday.

Battier’s status appears to be less sure. He’s officially listed as questionable and there’s a very real chance he’ll miss at least one game for the Rockets. Battier bruised his foot in Wednesday’s game against the Seattle Supersonics.

Behind McGrady and Battier at the swingman positions for the Rockets are Luther Head, Bobby Jackson, Mike Harris and Steve Novak. While none of those three players is a true small forward, they are next in line to get minutes if McGrady and/or Battier miss time.

Image details: Houston Rockets v Los Angeles Lakers served by picapp.com

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On Friday night against the Seattle Supersonics, Ginobili will not play. His availability after that is still up in the air. How long will Ginobili be out? There’s a decent chance that the Spurs could elect to hold him out for the rest of the regular season to ensure that he’s as healthy as possible for the beginning of the playoffs.

For no, keep him out of your fantasy lineup. Even if he is questionable for a game, there’s a good chance that Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich won’t play him extended minutes again until the playoffs arrive. If the Spurs are fighting for homecourt advantage in their last game of the season against the Utah Jazz, Ginobili might see a lot of playing time in that game. Otherwise, it appears like he’ll have spot duty at best from here on out.

Who will pickup Ginobili’s slack? Most likely, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker will have to carry more of the offensive load. Both Duncan and Parker should be more valuable in the fantasy world for the rest of the regular season. As far as getting Ginobili’s minutes, expect Michael Finley and Ime Udoka to play more. There’s also a chance that Brent Barry could return from injury and jump into a 15 to 20 minute per game role in the last few games of the season.

Image details: San Antonio Spurs v Chicago Bulls served by picapp.com

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With the playoffs about ten days away, the Cleveland Cavaliers can’t afford for LeBron to hurt his back further. The team will be extra cautious with LeBron’s injury and will likely keep him sidelined for at least a game or two.

If you own LeBron, be sure to check his injury status before Wednesday’s game against the New Jersey Nets. The Cavs, who appear relatively assured of the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, no longer have any hopes of catching the Orlando Magic for the third seed.

While there’s obviously not going to be a LeBron replacement if he were to miss games, the player most likely to see a jump in production is Wally Szczerbiak. Szczerbiak would get a big jump in minutes and would be looked at to score as much as possible. Devin Brown would also be expected to pick up more of the slack.

LeBron talks about his back spasms …

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The good news for Yi is that the injury isn’t considered serious and he’ll be fine for both the upcoming Olympics and next year’s NBA season. With the Olympics to be held in Beijing, China, it would have been a crushing blow for Yi if he were forced to miss out.

While Yi fizzled down the stretch of the NBA season, he showed good promise early on. He’s a tall, aggressive player with a nice outside shooting touch. He can also rebound and block shots. In upcoming seasons, Yi should start to blossom on the NBA level.

In terms of fantasy basketball, Yi is a nice player to have on a dynasty team. While he’s probably two years away from really contributing, he should be a very solid player once he does contribute. His rookie season, on a whole, was a success.

Yi Jianlian Mix ..

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If the Nets are considering surgery for Carter, chances are his season is over. Carter had a mostly disappointing season, however he did play well in the last six weeks of the season. Surprisingly enough, he started playing well after Jason Kidd was traded.

If you have Carter on your fantasy basketball team, expect to have to try to make do without him. Even though Armstrong started, he isn’t a player to sign in fantasy basketball. If you are looking for a guard from the Nets to sign, Bostjan Nachbar or Marcus Williams. Both players should play more with Carter sidelined.

Next season, Carter’s fantasy stock will have to be lower than it was going into this season. Can he play at a high level for a whole season without Kidd on his side? Fantasy owners won’t be so sure.

Vince Carter Mix from his Rookie Season …

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Gooden’s stats have been much better since he joined the Bulls. His points (14), rebounds (9.3), assists (1.7) and blocks (1.3) are all up as a member of the Bulls. His field goal percentage and free throw percentage are also both up, while his turnovers are down. All of this while his minutes have remained pretty much the same.

However, this injury could end Gooden’s season prematurely. There is no word of when Gooden could return and with the season’s end about two weeks away, the Bulls may opt to just rest him. Heading into the 2008-09 NBA season, Gooden’s fantasy stock should rise after seeing what he did as a member of the Bulls.

If Gooden does miss the rest of the season, that’s great news for Tyrus Thomas owners. Thomas, the inconsistent and young power forward on the Bulls, has actually played well as a starter in each of the games that Gooden missed. Picking up Thomas and starting him at this point is a solid option.

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