The Injury Bug in the NBA

The National Basketball Association is wrapping up February and sprinting towards March, and for good reason.

During the month of February, there have been dozens of injuries that will have serious implications on who gets what playoff spot. The players that have sustained the injuries and the teams that have these players seem to be the ones that are desperate for help.

The Phoenix Suns lost Amare Stoudemire for the remainder of the season because of an injury to his right eye. Already in ninth place and looking from the outside in, they will not make the playoffs unless they can advance seeds. Then, to make matters worse, Steve Nash injured his ankle and will be missing some time.

The San Antonio Spurs have their own injuries to deal with, too. Although they are almost guaranteed a playoff spot, Manu Ginobili will be out for three weeks and Tim Duncan has had to sit out a few games in a row to mend his knee. This will certainly lower their hopes of attaining the number two seed in the West, making them have to play the second round without home court if the number two seed advances.

However, Denver, who is looking to become the number two seed, will be without Kenyon Martin and Nene (injuries to back and knee respectively). They will be out for a significant part of the season.

Boston's Paul Pierce, who hurt his thumb, and Kevin Garnett both have injuries they must attend to. Because of their frantic battle against Cleveland for the top spot in the East, this will damper their chances. Still, Cleveland was not free from the injury bug, either. Center Ben Wallace sustained a freak accident and broke his leg. He will be out for four to six weeks. Wallace is one of a handful of Cavaliers that will have missed significant time this season. This makes it seem that Orlando is one of the frontrunners. However, they lost guard Jameer Nelson to an injury to his right shoulder, meaning he is out for the year.

Houston revealed the Tracy McGrady will be out for the rest of the season. This means that Houston, which looked like a lock for the playoffs, will be scrambling to attain a seeding come playoff time.

Greg Oden will be missing some time due to his knee. Portland, although they have be securely in the four spot for a while, may be dropping due to his injury. Like Houston, they must be clinging onto a playoff spot until the final week.

Finally, Elton Brand of Philadelphia has an injured right shoulder, causing him to miss the remainder of the seasaon. Philadephia, without their big man, may see a drop in their record and may be home for the playoffs.

These are just the beginning of the injuries. Monta Ellis, Al Jefferson, and Mike Dunleavy have injures that will require them to be out for some time. No team seems to be safe from injuries, especially during this time of the year when teams must be at their full strength.

Yahoo Sports, NBA Injuries