Clippers’ Chris Paul is ‘done feeling sorry for myself’
It took Chris Paul two days to finally get out of his funk after he learned he had a Grade 3 AC joint separation of his right shoulder that will sideline him up to six weeks.
Paul was injured Friday night in Dallas but doesn’t need surgery.
The Clippers All-Star point guard learned that the AC joint separation is an injury to the area connecting the collarbone with the front part of the shoulder blade, and a Grade 3 is considered the worst of the three grades.
“I woke up [Sunday] and was done feeling sorry for myself,” Paul said Monday night in his first interview since the injury. “I’ve got to approach the rehab and get back as soon as I possibly can.”
Paul probably won’t return until after the All-Star break, around Feb. 17.
Paul sat out his second consecutive game Monday night and is in line to sit out 20 games.
“I felt it when it happened. I could sort of hear it and I knew that it was pretty significant,” said Paul, who was averaging 19.6 points per game and an NBA-best 11.2 assists. “I think the thing that made me mad too is I feel like as athletes, you prepare, you do everything possible to try to not get injured. That’s all the preparation, the strength training, the stretching. I think that was the most frustrating part.”
Making some moves
The Clippers signed former Lakers point guard Darius Morris to a 10-day contract and he was in uniform for the game Monday night against the Orlando Magic.
A Clippers representative watched free-agent forward Hedo Turkoglu work out in Orlando to see if he would be someone the team might also sign to a 10-day contract.
Turkoglu was waived by the Magic on Friday.
With all NBA contracts being guaranteed Tuesday, the Clippers would have to waive a player if they signed Turkoglu because the team has the NBA maximum of 15 players.
Turkoglu had been told to stay away from the Magic this season, and he played for Orlando in only 11 games last season because of injuries and a 20-game suspension for use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Turkoglu, 34, has averaged 11.9 points and 3.1 assists over his 13-year NBA career.
“I think if he’s out there, we should look at him,” Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said.
Morris averaged 4.1 points and 1.7 assists in 79 games over his short three-year NBA career.
Twitter: @BA_Turner
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