Coming out to hit shots during pregame warmups, while also ripping through his teammates during drills at practice, Chris Paul made it abundantly clear how close is to returning to Phoenix Suns this past week and a half.
Prior to the All-Star break, really just a few minutes before it to be exact, Paul injured his right wrist after his arms collided with a Houston Rockets defender’s while throwing a pass. Suffering what was ruled a “right thumb avulsion fracture” CP3 needed to sit out Phoenix’s last 14 games.
Without their star distributor, the Suns stayed afloat, going 10-4 over that stretch. However, they looked far different from the well fortified team we saw torment the rest of the NBA during the season’s first half.
The lowly Sacramento Kings took the Suns to overtime just yesterday, and Phoenix only beat the Orlando Magic and New York Knicks by a combined four points. Although a few other injuries to key players along the way certainly factored into those near-losses, Paul’s absence has to be the driving force.
But although that initial report stated that Phoenix planned to re-evaluate Paul in six-to-eight weeks, Sam Amick of The Athletic reported this morning that the CP3 may return to play vs the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday.
“Sources say Paul, whose team-issued timetable of six to eight weeks on Feb. 20 would have slated his earliest return date for April 3, is likely to return even sooner,” wrote Amick. “Some sources close to the situation wouldn’t even rule out a Paul return for Wednesday’s game at Minnesota, but these coming days will be key in determining the exact timing of it all.”
Amick went on to mention how Paul’s conditioning will be a key factor in deciding when exactly to give him the green light. Even though his numbers might argue otherwise, Paul remains 36-years-old, making Phoenix’s decision here to closely monitor his in-game readiness well warranted.
But whether or not Paul indeed suits up this week or the next, this news finally allows Suns fans to exhale fully. Although some conflicting reports came up, there was a chance that Paul might miss the beginning of the playoffs based on his initial timeline.
At this point though, we know he’s not only knocking, but hammering his fists on the door to make his return. Get your prayer books ready, the Point God will be back sooner rather than later.