Well the NBA season is officially still a long ways away. This is a good thing for some of the league’s biggest stars, who are still ailing from injuries they sustained last season. Just how much time is missed by these players is still in question. Let’s have a look at some banged-up players and evaluate how their fantasy value will be affected.

Dwight Howard – Los Angeles Lakers
I have to think that Howard will be ready to go for regular season action. He might get held out of some preseason games as a precaution, but I think he will see some action in order to get some conditioning work in. If the Lakers had real concerns about the health of their new big man, I doubt they would have pulled the trigger on trading Andrew Bynum. 

According to published sources, the doctors have not yet cleared Howard for game activity. This doesn’t mean he isn’t cleared for basketball activity, so it’s likely that, come regular season, Dwight Howard will be front and center for the Lakers. None of this should affect Howard’s fantasy value. He remains a number one or two selection at the center position.

Blake Griffin – Los Angeles Clippers
Griffin suffered a medial meniscus tear during the Team USA Olympic training camp, resulting in surgery. He should be ready for the start of the season, but it remains to be seen what kind of court condition Griffin will be in. Even if he is ready for opening day, there must be some cause for alarm among the Clipper brass.

Griffin is the centerpiece of this franchise, and any further injury scares involving his knees must be concerning. Griffin remains a highly productive fantasy player and will be one of the top forwards off the board. Keep in mind his injury history, and given the type of game Griffin plays he is at reasonable risk for a torn ACL and being lost for at an entire season.  

Chris Paul – Los Angeles Clippers
Griffin wasn’t the only one to sustain an injury at Olympic training camp. Chris Paul tore a ligament in his right thumb; however, he was able to continue playing through the Olympics. Paul went in for surgery in late August, and was given an eight-week recovery timetable. He will likely miss all of training camp, and is likely to be ready to go for the regular season opener. I don’t think this affects Paul’s fantasy value too much as he is still a top-tier point guard. If anything, it’s the Clipper team chemistry that is adversely affected, but with many returning players from last year, this impact is minimal.

Ricky Rubio – Minnesota Timberwolves
March 9, 2011 marked the end of the Timberwolves season, as floor general Ricky Rubio collided with Kobe Bryant and suffered a torn ACL and LCL. This kind of injury typically comes with an eight- to nine-month intense rehab period. Reports out of Minnesota have Rubio ahead of schedule in his rehab, but don’t expect to see him in action before Christmas.

Given that Rubio will miss two months of the season, I’m forced to drop him from fantasy draft consideration. You might be able to take a flyer on him as a backup and ride out the inactive period, so long as your number one at point guard is phenomenal.

Derrick Rose – Chicago Bulls
Speaking of phenomenal, there is no greater loss to their team than that felt by the Chicago Bulls. Derrick Rose is likely out for an extended period of time, well into the regular season. Some reports believe that if the rehab doesn’t go perfectly well, then Rose might get shut down for the entire season. I can’t see this happening.

What is more likely is that Rose will be cleared for simulated game action by December, and should the Bulls be in the playoff picture, they could be looking at one heck of a boost as Rose would likely be ready for a return by then. Given the uncertainty on Rose’s return, I am dropping Rose entirely from my fantasy draft. You can’t even risk taking him with a flyer pick as a reserve; Rose simply won’t be ready and won’t contribute to your roster at all.