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By Mike Bornhorst, www.TalentedMrRoto.com

A review of the league's injured, taking a closer look at the injury and rehabilitation expectations

Looks like Mike Miller is done for the season. (Joe Murphy/NBAE/Getty Images)

The fond farewell column. Every year it happens – the three-week injury that occurs with two weeks left in the season. This week it is time to say goodbye to a number of productive players. For many of us they take with them our hopes of a respectable finish. And unlike the NBA teams, there is no promising draft pick waiting to assure us that everything is going to be all right.

Eastern Conference

Goodbye Gilbert Arenas (knee surgery). Goodbye Caron Butler (fractured right hand). For a number of fantasy teams, this means goodbye top finish. Both will be fine going in to next season, should keeper implications be running through your mind. Washington will increase their reliance on Antonio Daniels and Jarvis Hayes to fill those minutes.

Welcome to the LeBron James dilemma. You can’t sit one of the top fantasy producers in the game, yet LeBron is experiencing tendonitis in his right knee. The ailment is severe enough to keep King James out of team practices for the remainder of the season. This isn’t a concern for the coming week, but it is obviously in the Cavs’ best interest to have a healthy LeBron as they enter the playoffs, which may color their distribution of minutes during their last few games. Something to consider as the fantasy season draws to its close.

A sore elbow has sent Jamaal Tinsley to the bench. The guard initially downplayed the injury, thinking he could be a “pass only” point man (the sore elbow severely affected his shooting). Unfortunately, Jamaal’s rosy predictions failed to come to fruition. Instead, the guard has missed two games because of the injury. He’ll likely be able to play next week, but that’s far from certain. Also of uncertain status is Jeff Foster. The forward continues to be bother by back spasms and as a result he’s missed Indiana’s last two games.

Chicago finds itself understaffed coming in to the weekend. Tyrus Thomas has the flu, and Ben Wallace is suffering from sinusitis. Both were forced to sit out Friday’s contest and will be day-to-day through the weekend. A Sunday start for either is possible, but a return by Tuesday’s game is the safer call.

The banged-up Bucks may be forced to tell their next injured player to take a number. Neither Michael Redd (left knee pain) nor Brian Skinner (ear infection) traveled with the team for their contest against Atlanta. And an appearance in Saturday’s game is highly unlikely. Making things worse, Mo Williams is experiencing pain in his left knee, which will probably send him to the bench for the weekend’s matchups as well. Best to bench all three for the coming week.

Josh Childress will miss the rest of the season because of a stress fracture in his right foot. Joe Johnson will likely sit until the start of next season due to a calf injury.

Rasheed Wallace appears able to play through a hyper-extended finger injury. Besides the buddy-tape, you’d never know the difference. Keep Wallace active for the coming week.

Paul Pierce has been advised by doctors to sit out the remainder of the season. Eventually, the inevitable will become official. By now, no doubt, back-up plans have already been activated. Al Jefferson’s injury is more encouraging—if an injury can be classified as encouraging. The forward will miss this weekend’s action because of a knee injury but should be available by the middle of next week.

Recurring knee pain continues to plague guard Derek Anderson. He’s been iffy for almost a month now, evidenced by his 55 total minutes since mid-March. And evidence by the fact that’s a free agent in your fantasy league (I hope!).

It’s always a bad sign when we’re repeatedly reassured a player’s injury is not season-ending. And this is the situation teams with Steve Francis find themselves in; the former Stevie Franchise has an ankle injury which has caused him to miss the last four Knicks games. Francis thinks he may be able to return to the court on Sunday. Either way, he is not a fantasy option.

Stephon Marbury made an early exit from Friday’s game after injuring a toe during the game. Marbury attempted a return, which suggests the injury isn’t terribly serious. Consider him questionable through the weekend, but a somewhat safe bet to play.

More from Occupational Hazard March 31: March 31 Updates March 24: March 24 Updates March 17: March 17 Updates More Occupational Hazard

Western Conference

Don’t worry about Dirk Nowitzki’s recent bout with food poisoning; by the time you read this, his intestinal maladies should be behind him.

Yao Ming missed Friday’s game against the Trail Blazers because of soreness in his back. Back ailments are notoriously fickle, but there’s currently little reason to worry about this instance. Ditto for Tracy McGrady, who also refrained from Friday’s contest. However, McGrady’s malady is a little more troubling given the forward’s patient history. Don’t read too much into a single game, but if McGrady’s minutes seem diminished at the start of the week, it may trigger some worry.

It’s probably not a good idea to wait for Sam Cassell’s return this season. As if it wasn’t bad enough that the guard has limped through an injury-plagued season to date, last weekend Cassell collapsed during the team’s game against Portland after his back gave out. He’s since been slapped with the “out indefinitely” label.

Kwame Brown aggravated an ankle sprain earlier in the week. The injury will likely cost him all of this weekend’s action.

It’s a wrap for Mike Miller. The guard has shut down basketball operations for the season due to knee tendonitis. In his absence, Memphis has looked to Tarence Kinsey.

Chris Paul (foot) and Tyson Chandler (toe) did not play in Friday’s Hornets-Suns game, and both are listed as questionable for the second half of the team’s back-to-back schedule. If your league allows for daily transactions, send both to the bench this Saturday. Otherwise, monitor the situation closely as neither appears to be a lock to play next week.

Mike Bornhorst is a fantasy expert for www.TalentedMrRoto.com, which features free advice, news, stats and analysis for all fantasy sports. It was nominated for four FSTA awards, including best site. Contact him at mhb_roto@TalentedMrRoto.com .

The views expressed by TalentedMrRoto.com represent only the views of the writers; they do not represent the views of the NBA or any NBA team.

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