Usually, when a team loses their best player, it’s hard to take a glass half-full approach to it. It’s even rarer to see the best player finding the silver lining in his own injury.
Leave it to Chris Paul to shatter convention. The Hornets’ All-Star point guard said that his ankle injury that’s keeping him out for upwards of two months could be a blessing in disguise for the Hornets, who can now adapt to winning on a nightly basis without his talents.
“Me being out, this may be a blessing in disguise,” said Paul. “Some people may say, ‘What in the world does that mean?’ But I think it gives other guys a lot of confidence right now. Hopefully when I come back … we can make a push at this playoff run.”
Unfortunately, Paul, who was voted a starter for the Western Conference All-Stars, will also miss the All-Star game due to his injury.
“I’m taking our trainer with me so I’m going to be doing rehab” in Dallas, he said.
“I definitely wanted to play in that game, especially with all the fans, it being Cowboys Stadium,” Paul continued. “I’m just happy to be an All-Star. The fact I can at least go sit on the bench, it’s an honor. But stuff happens. I think everything happens for a reason so hopefully I can come back better from this.”
Thursday, February 11, 2010 at 10:40 pm by bryan
By Bud L. Ellis
Playing without their floor general, the New Orleans Hornets experienced for themselves the impact such a player can have Monday night.
Missing dynamic point guard Chris Paul, the Hornets tried to no avail to slow Vince Carter and the Orlando Magic in the second half. Carter scored 48 points, including 18 in the fourth quarter, and a 15-point New Orleans lead at halftime evaporated into a 123-117 loss at Orlando.
Peja Stojakovic led New Orleans with 29 points. Darren Collison and David West each scored 27, but the Hornets simply had no answer for Carter or Dwight Howard (25 points, 12 rebounds).
This one belonged to the Hornets early. New Orleans led 32-28 after one quarter, then took control in the next 12 minutes, outscoring Orlando 38-27 to take a 70-55 lead into the locker room. But the Magic were unstoppable in the second half.
New Orleans takes on Boston at home Wednesday. The Hornets have lost four of six without Paul, who had knee surgery last week and probably will be out another four to six weeks.
—30—
Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at 5:54 pm by bud
Tags: Boston Celtics, Chris Paul, Darren Collison, David West, Dwight Howard, National Basketball Association, New Orleans Hornets, Orlando Magic, Peja Stojakovic, Vince Carter
New Orleans Hornets star point guard Chris Paul will undergo surgery on his left knee and is out indefinitely.
The injury is likely a fatal blow to the Hornets playoff hopes, as the entire team is run through their star guard.
The team initially thought Paul was just battling a deep bruise, but an MRI revealed more significant damage.
He first injured his knee against Golden State, and then ran it into a camera on the baseline the following game.
The Hornets will not confirm that Paul will have to undergo surgery, saying only that they are just trying to learn more about the injury at the moment.
Friday, February 5, 2010 at 10:35 am by steve
