The injury bug hit the NBA especially hard this season. From Antawn Jamison to Jameer Nelson to now Greg Oden, it seems every other day, another big name player gets hurt and is forced to miss a month, two months or even the season. But whenever someone goes down, an opportunity arises for someone else. We saw it last year when Rafer Alston stepped in for Jameer.

I looked at some of the players who are trying to fill some big shoes right now and graded them on how well they’ve capitalized on their opportunity.

Jason Williams: It was deja vu all over again for the Magic, as Nelson was once again forced to miss an extended period of time. The only difference is Jason Williams will be stepping is as Jameer’s replacement rather than Rafer. It’s fair to say that White Chocolate has been a success as the Magic have gone 9-2 and he has averaged 9.6 points and 5.8 assists since he became a starter. Grade – A minus

Dahntay Jones: Filling in for a franchise player is never easy. Before Danny Granger injured his heel last week, he was averaging 24.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.6 spg and 1 bpg. Dahntay Jones had been starting the majority of the year and has done a solid job (15.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.9 apg). But now that Granger is out at least a month, Jones has an opportunity to take his game even higher. So far, it’s been only one game without Batman and Jones scored 19 points in a loss against the Blazers which lengthened Indiana’s losing streak to 6. Not a great start for Jones, but there are still plenty of games to go. Grade – B minus

Joel Przybilla: The Blazers were dealt a devastating blow, when Greg Oden once again went down with a season-ending injury. Fortunately for the Blazers, Przybilla has been the starter in past years and knows what is expected of him. They will be looking for Joel to replace the 11.1 ppg, 8.5 rpg and 2.3 bpg that Oden was averaging. so far in the two games since the injury, Przybilla has given them 8 ppg and 8 rpg and the Blazers ave gone 1-1. If the Blazers are going to compete for one of the top four spots in the West by the end of the season, Przybilla needs to be a beast in the paint on both ends of the floor. Grade – C plus.

Marcus Camby: With the young and extremely talented rookie, Blake Griffin, missing half a season due to a stress fracture in his left knee, the Clippers are counting on 35-year-old veteran Marcus Camby to pick up the slack. So far, Camby has held down the fort. Sure, the Clippers are only 9-12, but considering the team is only two games out of the playoff race and have had to deal with injuries to Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and Eric Gordon, that’s not terrible. Camby has surely done his part, averaging 8.4 ppg, 3.3 apg and 11 rpg – which is sixth in the league. Most impressively, the oft-injured center has been durable, playing 32.5 mpg and hasn’t missed a game yet. When Griffin comes back, the Clippers will have a strong front court that can bang with anybody. Grade – A minus.

Taj Gibson: Missing Tyrus Thomas for the majority of this season has been a killer for the Bulls. The Bulls are a disappointing 7-13 and have lost 9 of their last 10. We mentioned yesterday how coach Vinny Del Negro is skating on thin ice with his job. That’s why being a Bull right now is both a blessing and a curse for rookie Taj Gibson. On the one hand, he is playing for a sinking ship and there’s pressure on him to produce, but on the other hand, he’s getting consistent burn that he otherwise wouldn’t be getting. He’s done a decent job averaging 8.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1 bpg, while shooting 50.3 percent from the field. His free throw shooting (46.5 %) has been horrendous, but his early playing experience will benefit him in the long run. Grade – B.