Virtually no one gets through an entire NBA season unscathed, but some players attract more attention than others when it comes to their injuries, often because there is a cumulative effect or because their injuries are so unusual. With that in mind, here are a handful of players to keep an eye on as the NBA season gets underway.Joel Embiid, C, Philadelphia 76ers Injury: Fractured right navicular bone (in foot) When It happened: first surgery performed June 2014; second surgery performed August 2015Embiid was selected third overall in the 2014 draft by the Philadelphia 76ers despite undergoing surgery just one week prior to repair a stress fracture in his midfoot. Complicating the picture was the knowledge that injuries to the navicular often dont heal well due to the bones poor blood supply. In fact, this injury can be career-threatening, if not career-ending, to big men (former Houston Rockets center Yao Ming comes to mind). Still, the 76ers planned to keep Embiid sidelined for what would have been his rookie season and were optimistic he could eventually embark on his NBA career.It wasnt to be in the following season either, however. Persistent symptoms in his surgically repaired foot led to a second procedure in August 2015. The second surgery was performed by noted foot and ankle specialist Dr. Martin OMalley of the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. During the second procedure the two original screws were replaced and bone grafting was added to reinforce the bone and offer further potential for healing. A similar timetable of five to eight months recovery was provided by the team, and Embiid sat out a second consecutive season. In December he was cleared to resume some workouts and he increased his activity steadily through the summer.Now entering his third year with the organization, Embiid is finally taking to the court. He entered training camp claiming his foot has healed and he has been introduced to NBA-level competition in the preseason, albeit with a minutes restriction. Those restrictions are likely to continue as the team enters the regular season not only to gradually introduce the surgically repaired foot to the stress of games but also to adapt Embiids conditioning. Its important to remember Embiid played only one year at the collegiate level (Kansas) prior to entering the draft and is now playing for the first time in three seasons. As far as the healing of his foot, while it appears that Embiid is doing well now, no one will be likely to breathe easy until he proves he can get through a season unscathed. There remains risk until proved otherwise.Marc Gasol, C, Memphis Grizzlies Injury: Fractured right navicular bone (in foot) When it happened: injured Feb. 8, surgery performed Feb. 20Gasol missed the last two months of the season after suffering a non-displaced Type II navicular fracture in his right foot and subsequently undergoing surgery to repair it. Dr. Robert Anderson and Dr. Drew Murphy performed the procedure. The navicular bone is in the midfoot and is considered a keystone of the arch. It can be problematic for a fracture here to heal as the bone does not have a great blood supply, hence the decision to surgically stabilize it and improve the overall chances for healing. The fracture was nondisplaced, meaning the bone remained in alignment, another factor in Gasols favor when it comes to healing. At the time of surgery, Gasol was projected to make a full recovery.Gasol was initially projected to be away from basketball activities for 16 weeks, thus forcing him to withdraw from the Rio Olympics. The decision paid off for Gasols NBA season, however, as he focused on his rehab and was rewarded with clearance to return for the start of training camp. He did leave one preseason game in the middle of October with a scare, but it turned out to be bruising of an adjacent bone, not an aggravation of his original injury. In fact, Gasol was able to make it back for the teams final preseason game. David Fizdale has indicated Gasol will be on some type of minutes restriction (without saying how many minutes) when the season opens as the team exercises caution with his surgically repaired foot. Fizdale also noted Gasol is likely to get scheduled nights off during the season, another component of trying to ensure his health long-term.These fractures in the middle of the foot are never ideal and have been career-ending for some, but the fact that Gasol has played in games is an excellent sign. At 31 years old, he can be expected to have intermittent stiffness and soreness in the area, which could impact his minutes played from time to time. The Grizzlies have already acknowledged as much noting he will start with a minutes restriction with planned time off throughout the season.Blake Griffin, F, Los Angeles Clippers Injury: partially torn left quadriceps tendon When it happened: original injury on Dec. 25, 2015; aggravated April 25Griffin suffered a partial tear of his left quadriceps tendon, which anchors the large muscle comprising the front of the thigh to the tibia (or shinbone). The quadriceps (or quad) is responsible for running and jumping power as well as the ability to decelerate sharply. The injury forced Griffin to miss more than half of the last regular season and a portion of the playoffs.Griffin underwent a procedure on April 27 to enhance the tendon healing, and an injection of bone marrow aspirate then followed with extensive rehabilitation. The good news is that the time to recover has no doubt done wonders for Griffins overall health. He was a regular during training camp and played in the preseason without issue.Its worth noting that when Griffin suffered a knee injury back in the 2011-12 season (a torn medial meniscus), it was to the same knee. He also fractured the patella (kneecap) in his left knee in 2009 during the summer before his rookie season. Griffin was forced to wait a year for his NBA debut but he returned from the patellar fracture to earn Rookie of the Year honors. He is just 27 years old with plenty of playing time ahead of him as long as the injuries do not continue to accumulate. The tendon should have had enough recovery time to be a nonissue at the outset of the season although Griffins history of multiple injuries in that region of his left leg makes him a greater risk for reinjury, particularly the soft tissue variety.Chandler Parsons, F, Memphis Grizzlies Injury:?right medial meniscus tear and surgery When it happened: injured March 18, arthroscopic surgery performed March 25Parsons is still working his way back from his meniscus repair. Repair of the meniscus is always preferable to partial removal, when viable, because the meniscus serves as a cushion within the knee joint. Considering that Parsons has already had a microfracture procedure on the same knee, there is interest in preserving as much cushion as possible to guard against further degenerative changes. The challenge after a meniscal repair is restricting the activity early in the rehab process as the repair attempts to heal. Typically weight bearing is limited early as is flexion, or bending of the knee beyond 90 degrees. As the healing progresses, more motion is allowed and loading is increased, but a complete recovery can range from four to six months or even beyond.As of the start of training camp, Parsons was increasing his activity but was not cleared for full practices. Over the course of camp he continued to progress, starting with clearance for contact in the first week of October, but he has not yet been cleared for game action. His return appears close, but there is no specific targeted date. Although the reports of Parsons progress have been positive thus far, there is no way to know just how he will respond to game action. Perhaps the more important question is how well his knee, which has already endured two significant procedures, will hold up over the course of a full season.John Wall, PG, Washington Wizards Injury: bilateral knee surgeries When it happened: Surgery performed May 5Wall underwent two different procedures for his knees in May with Dr. Richard Parker at the Cleveland Clinic Marymount. He had a patellar tendon debridement on his left knee and an arthroscopic lavage on his right. Of the two, the procedure performed on Walls left knee was more complex and reflects a more serious condition. Debridement is a term that signifies a cleanup type of procedure of his left tendon, the removal of scar tissue and calcification in an effort to try to normalize the tendon tissue. Ultimately, the healing response triggered by the procedure and the associated rehabilitation should help the health of his tendon long-term. Lavage, the procedure Wall underwent on his right knee, literally means a washing of the knee. Essentially, during the arthroscopic procedure, the knee is washed free of debris that has accumulated in the joint.The 26-year-old guard was able to resume running late in the summer. He steadily increased his sport-specific activity up to the point where he was able to participate in all training camp elements. Conditioning in a return from surgery on both knees proved to be one of the biggest challenges. Wall played in the last five preseason games and ultimately progressed to 27 minutes of play by the time the preseason drew to a close. He expressed confidence he would be able to play upwards of 30 minutes in games when the season opens while acknowledging he might still need intermittent breaks as he continues conditioning himself back into game shape. The Wizards seem more than content to work within Walls constraints at the start of the season if it means prolonging his health throughout the latter portion. Chris Paul Rockets Jersey . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . James Harden Jersey . After the whistle, Thornton skated the length of the ice, pulled Orpik to the ice from behind and punched him in the face several times. http://www.therocketsofficial.com/Authentic-Eric-Gordon-Rockets-Jersey/ . That left plenty of energy for pitching books and swatting away free agency questions. Anthony had 24 points and nine rebounds, and the Knicks avenged an embarrassing home loss with a rout of their own, beating the Boston Celtics 114-88 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory. PJ Tucker Jersey . You can watch the game live on TSN at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. The Flyers had won seven of eight before dropping their last two outings on consecutive days over the weekend. Philadelphia was handed a 6-3 loss by the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday afternoon before dropping a 4-1 decision to the Rangers the following night in New York City. Robert Horry Rockets Jersey . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. Stuart Binny is looking at the tour of West Indies as an opportunity to prove himself as a utility player India could rely on, across different surfaces. The allrounder, who at 32 is the second-oldest member in the squad of 17 for the four-Test series, hopes to thrive on a specific role given to him by Anil Kumble, his one-time Karnataka captain and current India coach.I see it as exciting times for me. I was part of the South Africa series which happened here but again, playing in India was difficult for me. But on an overseas tour, Im looking to play the role assigned to me, Binny, who has played six Tests over two years, said. I will look to bat at No. 7 or 8, it depends on whether we play with the extra bowler or not. It also depends on the wicket. I may play as the third seamer or if the wicket has grass, then I may play as the fourth.Basically, my role is to take some of the pressure off our fast bowlers by keeping one end tight. Thats basically my job when I bowl. Obviously with the bat, it is pretty much simple. Obviously to bat with guys who are set and try and take the team to scores that we want to put on the board. Also, for me to bat with the lower order is going to be crucial.Binny can be used as a new-ball bowler too, like he was during the second Test against South Africa in Bangalore. On that occasion, India played two specialist quicks in Ishant Sharma and Varun Aaron. In Sri Lanka in August last year, Binny played a holding role to ease the burden on R Ashwin and the pace duo of Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav at different stages.Questions over Binnys effectiveness with the old ball have been raised time and again, and not without merit. But he isnt sweating over that, and instead explained the need to stick to the methods that have brought him 183 wickets in the first-class and List A formats.I have realised that the quicker I try to bowl, I tend to get less effective, he explained. When the ball is old, it is all about bowling areas and bowling one side of the wicket. I pretty much stick to my strength, which is bowling one side of the wicket, and bowl to a field that is only off side and stick to bowling there. I am not going to try to bowl quickly at that point of time. I think my main weapon is to swing the ball and if I can get that from the fourth stump getting away, then thats my job.One of the marked changes in Binnys approach in recent times has been his fitness, something he was not known for in the past. He attributed much of the change to his inability to endure long spells on the field on sapping days. The Binny who trains at the nets these days is a leaner, sharper version of the one who made his first-class debut in 2003-04.It was a choice that I had to make, especially if I wanted to play, he said. Being leaner and stronger helped my bowling. The reason I fit into teams is because I can bowl and not because of my batting. For me, bowling was crucial and I had to get fit for more opportunities and at a higher grade. It took me two years to get into the condition right now. You get IPL along the way and you do not get time to train because you travel. But that is no excuse. It is a lot of sacrifices but goood ones.ddddddddddddI looked after my diet. That helped me 65-70%. It is about eating at the right time and five good meals. You need to balance and eat good protein. I did a lot of running in the first year. Now, Shankar Basu (Indian teams trainer) has brought in power training in the last few months. That has helped a lot of guys to bowl well in the second, third spell. That is what training is about. All this has ensured Im now able to be as effective in my second and third spells.While Binny understands the team needs him to step up with the ball, his batting abilities have somewhat been understated. His tally of 194 runs in 10 Test innings doesnt inspire much confidence, but there have been spikes in his graph. His half-century on Test debut that steered India to a draw from a tricky situation on the final day of the first Test against England two summers ago was one such effort. His 49 in the second innings of the final Test in Sri Lanka helped India extend their lead and eventually clinch a series win, their first in the country in 22 years.If it boils down to India playing five specialist bowlers, chances are Binny will be thrown into the deep end, a possibility he is ready for. I have batted at No. 6 most of my career and the only thing I changed in international cricket was that I had fewer chances to score than when you play in a Ranji Trophy match, he said. You dont really try to convert that. My approach is pretty much simple, I try and get myself in and then play the way I know to play.I have never been asked to change my game, even when batting at No. 6. Its also important that we score runs; just not hang around in Test cricket. I feel sometimes in Test cricket, it is a bit easier because they start to attack you a little more than the other formats. No. 6 is a crucial spot, it depends on the role. Sometimes I might have to play against the second new ball. Thats what I have been doing in the last week - to bat against the new ball.Binnys sense of comfort, when asked about his equation with Kumble, was evident. Equally evident was the confidence in his batting when he skipped down the pitch to loft Kumbles gentle seam-ups over the makeshift sightscreen at the KSCA B ground. Anil bhai has captained me in Ranji Trophy in fact he said. He pretty much knows my game inside out. What he has spoken about right now is not too much technical stuff.I was 21 when I played my first Ranji Trophy match with Anil bhai. He had just come back from a Test and he was tough. Thilak Naidu (the former Karnataka wicketkeeper) was all about jokes but Anil bhai was about getting the job done. He is more relaxed now and we get more smiles now! He has been positive. He has told us to play aggressive cricket. For me, it works because he has seen me play and develop as a cricketer. You are never going to stop learning. I play Test cricket but that is not everything. He has pushed us to strive for higher things. Three days ago, it wasnt about my Test hundred. He started making me believe that I can score a Test hundred. ' ' '