A NBA general manager competes for the “W”, just like NBA players, but the difference in competing is not always directly reflected on the hardwood of each game arena, but with an business analytics approach applied to the make-up of the team franchise and selection of the best players for overall team performance.  In player evaluation, taking into consideration player performance and gauging risk for injury is necessary i.e. Houston Rocket’s GM Daryl Morey on Yao Ming’s (C) injury in the video here.

Some NBA GM’s outsource data via scouts, statisticians, etc. to gain a “leg-up” on competition in the league and others may use formula for application of an effective strategy for drafting a player.  Simply put, injuries can make or break a team.

Below are some helpful injury facts to consider for fantasy drafts in your leagues and assembly of your team rosters to compete in WINNING.

1.  Most of the time when a detailed diagnosis is posted, it is probably true.
Because this occurs regularly, even for medical diagnoses that are quite personal and for severe injuries that are career threatening,  it’s presumed that there is a low level of medical confidentiality for NBA players, although there is a level of discretion from NBA GM’s in terms of injury reporting that’s shared on the internet.

2.  The most common inaccuracy of injury information is the “fringe” player (eighth man or lower on the roster). A fringe player is declared “injured” by the team in order to make room on the 12-man roster for another player who is needed more by the team at that time. In this case, the injury is either a pseudo-injury (fabricated) or, perhaps more often, a minor injury that has had its severity inflated by the team (ie, an injury that exists and is limiting the player to some degree, and is perhaps affecting his selection at that time, but would not be severe enough to prevent him from playing if he were needed).

3.  Injuries cause more missed “playing time” in players age 30 or older and those with a BMI(Body Mass Index) of 26 or higher.

4.  There is NO relationship found between injury rate and player demographics, including age, height, weight, and NBA experience.

5.  Bench players are more likely to be injured verses the starting 5 players for a team. Injury reporting on bench players is usually spurious because of the 12-man roster limit in the NBA, with replacements allowed only when players are waived or injured. This leads to exaggeration of the number of injuries in the NBA in the media as a result.

6.  Of the starting positions on a roster in the NBA, at the center position(5), players MISS the MOST playing time because of injuries, and at the small forward position(3), players MISS the LEAST.

7.  Knee, foot, and ankle injuries are the most frequent and prevalent injuries in the NBA. Lateral ankle sprains are the MOST COMMON orthopaedic injury, followed by patellofemoral inflammation, lumbar strains, and finally hamstring strains, but the  MOST GAMES MISSED are related(ranking order) to patellofemoral inflammation, and lateral ankle sprains, knee sprains, and finally lumbar strains.