The NBA is knee deep in the latest golden era of professional basketball with enough headline stars to create what will undoubtedly be yet another photo finish to conclude the ‘12-‘13 season. Many of the league’s household names have entertained us on a nightly basis. However, if you look closely at the sidelines, you’ll see a litany of injured marquee talent; enough to fill an All-Star cast: Derrick Rose, Andrew Bynum, Kevin Love, Pau Gasol, Anderson Varejao, Rajon Rondo and now Tony Parker. While each of these names carries a unique burden for their given team, the question remains as to which of these players can make the biggest impact upon their return.

Derrick Rose, Bulls:

Avoiding pregame footage of Derrick Rose testing his surgically repaired knee hasn’t been easy. The star point guard’s rehabilitation has been meticulously documented as original reports were that Rose planned to rejoin Chicago just after the All-Star break. Plans changed however and the Bulls have been oddly ambiguous about his return. Last week head coach Tom Thibodeau addressed the media and defended the organization’s decision to withhold him from game action until he’s unquestionably 100%. “I just want him to continue to improve. When he’s ready, he’s ready. His focus is on the rehab, the team is focused on their improvement and our opponent and then at some point hopefully he rejoins us.”

Speculation crept into the media spotlight when it was suggested that Rose could sit out the remainder of the season, thus forcing the team to punt on 2013’s title chase. Such a move may be problematic because the team’s aging supporting players like Carlos Boozer and Richard Hamilton are older players who would be 32 and 36 respectively during the ’13-’14 season. Both players are locked into deals that will pay them $20 million collectively next year. Whether these two will have enough left in the theoretical tank a full year from now seems uncertain.

With just over 20 games remaining, implementing Rose back into the Chicago offense may make Thibodeau’s job difficult considering Rose won’t see anywhere close to the 35 minutes per night he saw last season. All fans alike have craved the return of the 24 year old, although many forget that it was only April 29^th of last year that the injury occurred. Most ACL rehabilitations take approximately nine months before the player can be expected to resume play but when you consider the slashing, fast twitch style in which Rose plays, a full 12 months may be more practical.

Ideally Chicago can hope that Rose accepts a reduced role as he’s reintroduced to game action with the goal in mind to have their star point guard ready to reclaim the reigns from Nate Robinson and Kirk Hinrich.

Andrew Bynum, 76ers:

Evidently Philadelphia’s young center doesn’t care about two things: his impending summer free-agency or his team’s pursuit of the Eastern Conference 8^th seed. Considering the NBA’s movement to a faster, more athletic style of play, adding the 7’1’’ Bynum to the middle of the Sixers frontcourt might have catapulted an otherwise struggling Philadelphia team. With the exception of just a handful of teams, many frontcourts will struggle to contend with this team’s size.

Over the weekend the 76ers addressed the issue directly when it was reported that he was having difficulty making improvements in mobility. “During this period of time, he’s not made any progress, and that’s obviously very concerning,” coach Doug Collins told the media Friday. “His concern that he was moving forward and he got to a point with the swelling where he’s making no progress.”

Incumbent big men Spencer Hawes and Lavoy Allen are combining for more than 38 minutes per contest in Bynum’s absence. The tandem combined are contributing a nightly 16.5 PPG alongside 12.1 RPG and over 2 blocks per contest. Such statistical output might allow Sixers fans to rest assured that inserting Bynum in favor of the production of Hawes and Allen may not be the answer to Philly’s woes.

Tony Parker, Spurs

Yet another year goes by and Tony Parker continues to lead the race as an NBA dark-horse MVP candidate though any chances at such hardware were derailed following news that the point guard will miss four weeks due to a grade 2 ankle sprain. His 2012-2013 campaign has been nothing short of spectacular, including near career highs in nearly every statistical category. His 21.0 PPG and 7.1 APG place him among only LeBron James and Russell Westbrook as players scoring 20+ and dishing out 7+.

Should Parker miss the full four weeks, such an absence would sideline the Frenchman for nearly the entire remainder of the regular season. The injury almost certainly spoils the Spurs’ chances at the top seed in the west; they currently enjoy a narrow three game margin over the current second seed Thunder.

Without Parker, San Antonio will be forced to rely heavily on a trio of reserves like Gary Neal, Patty Mills, and Nando de Colo.

Neal, who is recovering from a mild calf strain, figures to get the first shot at Parker’s minutes because of Popovich’s confidence in him of late (career best 17 starts this season alongside 22.5 MPG). Though not a true point guard, Nando de Colo will also see a higher workload when Spurs implement their second unit. The rookie may not fit the traditional mold of an NBA point guard, but at 6’5’’ de Colo is sure to create matchup problems with his combination of length and quickness. Mills meanwhile is most comfortable playing off the ball, but San Antonio may be forced to allow the third-year man out of St. Mary’s a larger role in the distribution department.