Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul underwent thumb surgery on Tuesday and will be out until mid-October. (Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE)
Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul underwent thumb surgery on Tuesday morning to repair a torn ligament he suffered during practice with Team USA. The Clippers said Paul won’t resume basketball activities until mid-October at the earliest, which means Paul may not be ready for the Clippers season opener Halloween night against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Paul’s surgery means the Clippers two biggest and brightest stars are currently sidelined with injuries. Forward Blake Griffin is currently recovering from surgery to repair meniscus tear in his left knee — and injury he also suffered practicing for Team USA. Griffin’s injury occurred on July 16 and forced him to be removed from the eventual gold medal team.
Despite the torn ligament, Paul averaged 8.3 points per game in the 2012 London Olympics along with 5.1 assists and 2.5 steals which was the best steals-per-game average in the Olympics. He also started all eight games for Team USA, something the Clippers are looking at as good faith when it comes to how quickly he’ll be able to recover from this injury.
However, even with the surgery sidelining Paul for eight weeks, the Clippers expect that both he and Griffin should be ready to produce for the entirety of the season.
