Chris Paul cleared to return to play

Clippers point guard Chris Paul has been medically cleared to play and could join the team for Thursday’s game against the Golden State Warriors.

Rowan Kavner of the Clippers official website tweeted out that Paul had been cleared and could be in the lineup on Thursday following his January surgery to repair a torn ligament in his thumb.

Paul injured his thumb on January 16 against the Oklahoma City Thunder and had surgery soon after. He was expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks so his return on Thursday is way ahead of schedule.

The Clippers barely stayed afloat in Paul’s absence going 6-7 in 13 games. His return is sure to be a big boost especially with the team heading into a tough 2-game stint against the league-leading Warriors in Oakland on Thursday followed by a contest with the  San Antonio Spurs back at Staples on Friday.

As reported by the AP, Coach Doc Rivers said that Paul “looked great” in practice but the question remained as to how he would respond to consistent play.

“Overall, he was pretty aggressive,” Rivers said of Paul’s first practice in 4 weeks on Tuesday, “but it was clear as practice went on he got more and more aggressive. In the first half, he wouldn’t even play with the starters; by the end of the practice he was back playing with the starters.”

With Blake Griffin healthy and back in the spotlight, his job will get even easier with Paul running the point. Due to injuries these two have barely been on the court at the same time this season.

While I am glad Paul is ahead of schedule for his return, I don’t want him to push it. It would be disastrous for him to come back before he’s mentally and phycially ready only to reinjure himself.

Next: Boston has its eye on Blake Griffin

We will find out tomorrow night as they take the floor at Oracle to take on the Warriors.