Chris Paul spoke to the media this morning at shootaround and one thing was clear, he isn’t the biggest fan of watching games on TV.
“I stayed back in LA for the first part of the trip to get treatment and had to watch the games on TV,” Paul, who joined the team in Charlotte yesterday for the rest of the seven-game, 13-day trip, said. “I hated it, I was texting some of the coaches about this and that, then when the game started no one would text me back because we were playing.”
It is obvious that no one is more anxious to get back to the court than Paul, who has begun doing some light shooting and conditioning, but he knows that the most important thing is health. Paul suffered the Grade 3 AC joint separation on Jan. 3.
“Right now, I have no clue,” Paul said when asked about his timeline on his injury. “I have a little pain, but it is feeling a lot better. One thing I do know, is that I am just trying to get 100% healthy and rehab like crazy. I am not rushing things because I know health is the most important thing.”
The initial timeline was up to six weeks for Paul’s injury. That would put the 2013 All-Star MVP back right in time for the All-Star game in New Orleans which takes place Feb. 14-16.
“If I can, I am playing in the All-Star game,” Paul explained. “My first All-Star game was in New Orleans and since I played there for a while and have ties to the city, it would mean a lot to me to play. New Orleans is a part of me and means a lot to me.”
The six-time NBA All-Star has appeared in 34 games this season, averaging 19.6 points, a league-high 11.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game.
As Paul finished talking to the media, he turned around, grabbed a basketball and started to talk to a couple teammates and coaches about what the Bobcats may do tonight. Needless to say, happy to be back with the team.