Jan. 9 - I'd love to start this week's column off with a blithe basketball story, but between an amazing National Championship game, a bowl game where the two head coaches had nearly 170 years of experience between them, and a weekend where an NFL team won a playoff game with 120 yards of total offense, I'm not exactly sure they even played basketball this week. Oh, wait, there are about one thousand words' worth of injuries this week, so I'm pretty sure it was business as usual for the NBA. On to a rundown of this week's boo-boos:

It must be winter, because suddenly my power bill is high, I never see the sun, and G Larry Hughes is out for an extended time due to an injury. LeBron James' wingman will miss at least two months after having surgery to repair a broken finger. Hughes has yet to play an entire season, which is a shame considering how well he plays when he's on the court. Fingers crossed for a fast recovery.

G Damon Stoudamire underwent surgery to repair his injured right knee on Tuesday. The good news is that the surgery was a success. That information will do next year's fantasy players a lot of good. As for this year, fantasy players are out of luck. Stoudamire won't return to the court until after the All-Star break...the baseball All-Star break.

And while I'm doling out the bad news, here's more: Clippers' star Corey Maggette isn't progressing well. Now it looks as if his injured foot will keep him out of action until February. Speaking of slow healers, G Marquis Daniels continues to be bothered by a sore neck, expect him to sit at least two more weeks as the injury continues to heal. G Quentin Richardson is still bothered by back spasms, which could cause him to sit out any game at a moment's notice. C Yao Ming is at least three weeks away. And G Sebastian Telfair has missed ten-plus games due to a sprained thumb that still hasn't healed. But not every story of a slow healer has an unhappy ending; F Matt Harpring has been cleared to play in back-to-back games

More from the "Good News" department: G Ray Allen is fine despite taking a hard elbow from F Kirk Hinrich. The eye was checked-out—and cleared—by a doctor, and while Ray's vision may be temporarily blurry, that won't be enough to keep the star of He Got Game off the court. And it's not in the same league as Ray Allen's clean bill of health, but G T.J. Ford has returned to action for the Bucks after an injured foot caused the point guard to miss a stretch of games.

The frustration that has become C Tyson Chandler's season continues. This time, it's a sprained ankle (rather than exercise-induced asthma) that has hobbled Chandler. Right now, Chicago may turn to F Othella Harrington to fill Chandler's shoes, making Harrington a strong short-term play. The more likely scenario: Chicago ignores the Bulls entirely while the city rides the Bears' bandwagon.

G Dwayne Wade took a nasty blow to his shin on Wednesday which prompted him to sit out Miami's game against the Suns. At the time of my writing, Wade had yet to return to the court (either in a game or practice); however, fantasy owners shouldn't be too concerned. Wade's injury is basically a bruise, meaning that by the time you read this Shaq's co-star should be back on the court.

The Nets may be displaying signs of Vin-sanity, but it's F Richard Jefferson's ailment that should have New Jersey fans concerned. Right now Jefferson is thought to have minor back spasms, a condition that has limited his playing time but hasn't kept the forward completely off the court. The Nets should know more about Jefferson's condition by mid-week, but assume that Richard's minutes will be slightly abbreviated this week. F Jacque Vaughn may assume a larger role with the team in the interim, but he'll have very limited fantasy value.

It appears that right knee tendonitis is still bothering Miami's G Jason Williams. The injury caused Williams to miss a portion of December's games, and now reports have Jason sitting out Heat practices due to an ailing knee. Williams' status is too uncertain for fantasy owners, and teams with Jason on their roster should reserve him until the guard's knee stabilizes.

G Craig Claxton dislocated his ring finger while diving for a loose ball. Let this be a lesson to all you youngsters reading at home: it's safer to not give 110% when 100% will get the job done. Claxton sat out Saturday's game a result, but the Hornets are expected to buddy-tape those busted fingers and send Craig back out on the court. Keep him active. Of course, Claxon is especially important to Hornets fans now because....

G Chris Paul tore a ligament in his right hand and should miss two-to-four weeks as the injury heals.

Wizards' F Jared Jefferies is listed as day-to-day due to an eye injury. It's a slightly scratched eye (ouch!), but those tend to heal relatively quickly. Jefferies will probably sport eye goggles and return to the court. Nothing to worry about.

F Grant Hill is out with a groin injury. No truth to the rumor that Grant Hill is held together with duct-tape and bubble gum.

Portland's F Zach Randolph missed some time while suffering through a sinus infection. Fortunately, he seems to have recovered. Keep him active.

C Vitaly Potapenko has a back injury that has forced the Trailblazers to place their center on the inactive list. Considering that Potapenko had already seen a reduction in his minutes, it's probably a good idea to quit holding on to the big guy, if you still were.

F Troy Murphy is day-to-day with an ankle injury; however, you should keep him active unless you have attractive options on your bench.

The Houston Rockets, plagued by injuries this season, were counting on Tracy McGrady to carry them on his back until Yao Ming could return. They'll need to make alternate plans for the foreseeable future. T-Mac collapsed during Sunday's game; he went up for a jump shot, he came down with back spasms and collapsed. He was taken away in an ambulance, which even as a precautionary measure, tells you just how debilitating the pain must have been. Back spasms are usually symptomatic of larger problems, so we'll need to hear from the team doctors just exactly what is wrong with McGrady. In the meantime, if you'll pardon the understatement, you want to sit T-Mac for the week.

And finally.... Lakers' C Slava Medvedenko is likely out for the season after having surgery to repair a herniated disk. While the news may not affect fantasy players, it does touch one who is near-and-dear to many of us. Slava was one of The Talented Mr. Roto's favorite Lakers. I've had the pleasure of attending a Laker game with Mr. Berry, and when he wasn't signing autographs, Matthew would scream "Go Slava" at the top of his lungs. I'm not sure if this was to cheer for an obscure big man, or to keep the autograph hounds at bay (and you thought the lack of autographed TMR memorabilia wasn't by design?), but either way, I know that Slava will be missed.

Mike Bornhorst is a fantasy expert for NBA.com. His column Trainer’s Table runs every Monday as part of the NBA.com Premium Scouting Report. Contact him at mhb_roto@TalentedMrRoto.com .