What if...

What if…

            So my buddy and I were talking a little while ago about the past few championships and the argument over the last two specifically came up. He’s a hardcore Celtics fan (I say he’s a bandwagonner, he says he’s loved them since the Paul Peirce/Antoine Walker days of jacking up three pointers) and I’m a hardcore Lakers fan (he says I’M the bandwaggonner, when I’m just supporting my home team since the day I’ve been born.)

            Anyway, he goes on to say that the only reason the Celtics didn’t win last year was because the usually durable Garnett had a serious knee injury and couldn’t play. My argument was Celtics shouldn’t have even won 2 years ago cause if Bynum was healthy my Lakers would have taken it all. The Lakers were two games away from winning the title, WITHOUT Bynum, I think my argument made more sense.

            Regardless, it got me thinking. Yeah yeah I understand that injury is an every day thing in life, specifically in a pro athletes life. But hypothetically, how different would the NBA be today had their been absolutely no injuries. The line of championships would definitely be different, leaders would be different, and players would be different…

            The obvious one is the last two championships. Boston lost to the eventual Eastern Conference Champs Orland Magic without their undeniable intense leader Kevin Garnett in 7 games. 7 games! Chances are they would have made the finals and given the Lakers a run for their money had Garnett been healthy.

            Same goes for the Lakers of two years ago. They coasted their way to the Finals. Losing a game or two on the way. They went to the Finals with no Ariza and no Bynum. Ariza isn’t brought up to be much of a difference maker then, but we all know we couldn’t have done it the 2009 season without the energetic sparkplug. Through it all, Bynum was definitely missed. Garnett and Kendrick Perkins had their ways with Pau Gasol, throwing “Ga-soft” around like it was Glen “Big Baby” Davis’ ego. Who knows how it would have turned out with a healthy Lakers line-up…

            Now is where it gets more interesting. It’s a shame to even think what the league would be like if Grant Hill had never hit the injury bug. Here is a guy who was at one point in his career considered “the next Michael Jordan.” Chosen third overall in the 1994 NBA draft after leading Duke to the championship game, Hill went on to average staggering numbers of 19.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1.77 steals a game his rookie year. Let me say that again, his ROOKIE YEAR! His first two years he led the All-Star Fan balloting, becoming the first rookie in sports history to do so, and even edging out unretired Michael Jordan in his second year.  Also in his second year, he led the league in triple doubles (10), and won an Olympic gold medal, leading the team in steals. His 1996-97 season was when Hill really began to tap into his potential. Averaging 21.4 points a game, 9 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.8 steals a game. Joining Larry Bird as the only two players to ever average 20, 9 and 7 in one season, and leading the league in triple doubles again with 13. In 1999-2000, Hill showed he is also a prolific scorer, averaging 25.8 points a game while shooting 49 percent from the field. The 2000 playoffs were the begin of an end to Hill’s dominance. After being traded to Orlando, Hill averaged a little less than 16 games over the next three seasons, and even sitting out the entire fourth season. Since then, Hill has fought his way back into the league, despite his overwhelming number of injuries stunting his potential growth as one of the greatest to ever play the game. It’s scary to think what Hill could have become considering in his first 6 seasons in the league, Grant had totaled 9,393 points, 3,417 rebounds, and 2,720 assists. An elite club that only Oscar Robertson and Larry Bird join Hill in.

            This would all be a dream, it’s just an interesting thought to keep you thinking. What if Tracy McGrady had a healthy career, teaming up with a healthy Yao Ming and the young core the Rockets have. Would Karl Malone ever have won his ring that he deserved had he stayed healthy his last season with the Lakers? Was Greg Oden’s career over before it even started due to his microfracture surgery before his traditional rookie season?

            Injuries are inevitable sometimes, and don’t wish injury upon any athlete, but they are apart of the risk of any sport you participate in, especially against the best  athletes in the world. For my sake and all Laker fans, we have not gotten to the best start regarding injuries (Pau, Bynum…) and the Celtics have been fairly healthy (not counting Big Baby), but as history has shown us time and time again, it’s going to be a long season.