It seems that despite the severe ankle injury he suffered two weeks ago, the Hornets’ Chris Paul is already recovering quicker than expected. New Orleans’ Times-Picayune reports:
Injured All-Star guard Chris Paul now is walking without the aid of a hard, plastic boot that immobilized his badly sprained right ankle since the injury occurred Nov. 13 against the Portland Trail Blazers at the New Orleans Arena.
Paul attended the team’s shoot-around Saturday morning at the Arena, and he was wearing a shoe at Saturday and Sunday night’s games.
“I still don’t know,” Paul said of a timetable for his return, which has been left open-ended since the team announced results of an MRI exam that was performed on the ankle Nov. 14. “(Saturday) was my first day without the boot. As long as I’m walking, I’m good.”
There is a slight limp in his gait, however.
The Hornets have won three straight in Paul’s absence, a fact that’s sure to spur the ultra-competitive star to get back ASAP, so that he and his team can build on the momentum. There are some NBA players that would be sidelined for up to six weeks with a bad ankle sprain (glares at Vince Carter), but Chris Paul is not one of those players. The only question regarding this injury was whether the season would be lost by the time he came back. But with the Hornets holding steady in his absence, you can bet you’ll see him as soon as it’s physically realistic.