Chris Paul Has Surgery, Out for 8 Weeks

Without warning, Clippers point guard Chris Paul underwent successful surgery for a torn ligament in his right thumb. Here is the official Los Angeles Clippers release.

Via Los Angeles Clippers | Official Release
The Los Angeles Clippers today announced that All-Star point guard Chris Paul underwent successful surgery this morning to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb. The injury occurred last month during Team USA training camp in Las Vegas, Nevada. The surgery was performed by Dr. Steven Shin, a hand specialist at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles. Paul is expected to be sidelined for approximately eight weeks, at which time he is projected to resume all basketball activities including full contact.

 Rehabilitation will take around eight weeks, which will be awfully close to the start of the NBA season. He may miss the first few games, or will be subject to limited minutes. But it is his thumb, rather than his knee so he should be ready for the start of the season.

Paul was a crucial part of the USA Gold Medal game against Spain and was a key component to the USA team throughout the tournament. It did not appear as if anything was wrong then, but nonetheless he battled through the injury throughout the Olympics.

Widely considered the best point guard in the game, Paul averaged 19.8 points and 9.1 assists a game during the regular season. He also led the league in steals with 2.5 per game.