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Post by John on Dec 30, 2006 6:45:56 GMT -4
From the AP...
An ankle injury will keep New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul sidelined for at least a month.
Paul had an MRI on Thursday and has a severely sprained ankle that will take a minimum of four weeks to heal, team spokesman Scott Hall said on Friday.
Paul injured the ankle when he stepped on the foot of Seattle's Johan Petro late in the first quarter of a game in Seattle on Tuesday.
Paul is the Hornets' leading scorer, averaging 18.4 points. He also leads the team in assists with 9.0 per game.
He is the fourth of the Hornets' top six players out with an injury.
Guard Peja Stojakovic is out for up to three months after back surgery, forward David West is out for up to two months after elbow surgery and key reserve Bobby Jackson will miss another two weeks while recovering from a cracked rib.
Jannero Pargo is expected to replace Paul as the team's starting point guard. In 28 games, the past two as a starter, Pargo is averaging 9.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 23.6 minutes.
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Post by John on Jan 31, 2007 23:06:37 GMT -4
From the New Orleans Times Picayune...
On a play in Tuesday's 20-minute scrimmage, Hornets point guard Chris Paul ran by backup guard Jannero Pargo after making a crossover dribble.
Shortly after that play, Paul then raced beside Devin Brown before he whipped a pass behind his back to Cedric Simmons for a breakaway dunk. Paul also ran down a loose ball before it crossed midcourt, and he successfully cut off Pargo on a defensive play to force a missed jump shot.
For the first time since severely spraining his right ankle in a Dec. 26 game against Seattle that has caused him to miss 17 consecutive games, Paul was cleared to practice.
"He moved pretty well on it," Hornets Coach Byron Scott said. "I saw a couple of spin moves that he really didn't seem like he thought about it."
Although a decision has not been made yet, Scott did not rule out the possibility Paul could play tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Ford Center. Paul will be evaluated again at the shootaround practice this morning, where he will be put through another scrimmage similar to Tuesday's, to determine if he can make the same quick cuts without experiencing stiffness in his ankle for the second consecutive day.
"I would love to play, but Coach told me that I'll come to the shootaround and see how it feels, and then we'll talk from there," Paul said. "If I don't play, then hopefully I will definitely be able to play by Friday. I thought I could go probably a week ago, but what I think probably is not always the best decision."
For the past two weeks, Paul had been relegated to rehabilitation workouts that included defensive slide drills, which involve stepping from right to left and riding an exercise bike. Before Tuesday's scrimmage, Paul went through a three-on-two fast-break drill for 10 minutes with his teammates.
"We definitely wanted to see if he's ready or not, and I think today he proved that he was," Pargo said. "I think he's going to play, but I'm not sure how much. He'll get out there and give us a lift. I think he can keep guys in front of him and push the ball."
Scott said if Paul plays against the 76ers, he would start and play about 25 minutes because he is still not in ideal condition. Before the injury, Paul was averaging a team-leading 35.7 minutes and was the Hornets' leading scorer, averaging 18.4 points.
Since Paul has been out, the Hornets have gone 8-9. However, they will take a three-game winning streak into tonight's game. Despite having one of the worst records in the league, the 76ers defeated the Hornets 102-96 on Jan. 23 at the Wachovia Center.
If Paul returns, it would leave only starting shooting guard Peja Stojakovic on the injured list. Stojakovic, who required back surgery in December, could miss the remainder of the season, but the team is hoping that he can return in March.
Starting forward David West, who missed 30 games after having elbow surgery last month, has returned and scored a game-high 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in Monday's 103-91 victory against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Top backup guard Bobby Jackson missed 21 games with five cracked ribs but returned Jan. 19. He has scored in double figures in three of the past four games.
"I'm happy, but at the same time I'm kind of upset, because I missed a whole month that I'll never get back," Paul said. "Our team has been through some tough times with all the people we had out. I just want to get back to 100 percent as soon as possible."
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