The Toronto Raptors have been most fortunate in being able to avoid major injuries over the past few seasons. Yes, Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan have missed significant time, but neither has ever suffered with a career-threatening hurt. Jonas Valanciunas badly strained his ankle in the playoffs two years ago, after which Bismack Biyombo stepped up.
But consider other NBA teams, whose seasons have been shipwrecked by the loss of key personnel. The Los Angeles Clippers were already underachieving, and now Blake Griffin is gone with a messed-up knee. The Memphis Grizzlies tossed their coach overboard this week, but how can you blame him for the loss of point guard Mike Conley?