The Chris Paul Knee Issue

I've stated my reasons several times why I wouldn't do the Rajon Rondo/Chris Paul trade, but the scariest part of the trade would be if the Celtics re-signed Paul for $100 million over 5 years and he ceased being a top point guard. The reality is this is very possible. In case you're curious about Chris Paul's knee, here's a synopsis from last year via NOLA.com
Paul underwent surgery on the knee in early February. Noted orthopedist Dr. James Andrews, unable to sew the damaged piece of cartilage, cut it away instead, one of the primary reasons Paul played in just 45 games last season, and New Orleans found itself in the draft lottery instead of the playoffs.

Paul returned at the end of last season after rehabbing the knee, perhaps unwisely, which led to an offseason of further rehabilitation to get the knee as close to 100 percent as possible.

With Paul wearing a knee brace from the outset of training camp this season, speculation grew about the condition of his knee, fueling bizarre rumors about his health, whether there was any cartilage remaining in the joint, even if it would be necessary to go into the knee again perhaps once this season has ended.


Knees have two meniscus cartilages between the femur and the tibia bones, which provide a cushion so the bones do not grind together.

Because Paul’s torn meniscus could not be repaired by knitting it back together and the tear was sliced away, there’s the prospect of less cushioning cartilage between the bones, making it possible for some bone-on-bone wear and tear in the knee.

Portland’s Brandon Roy recently underwent surgery on both knees because of that issue. Microfracture surgery is sometimes an option for athletes who’ve had cartilage removal
So even if I wasn't a huge Rondo fan, this is why I don't want to make the trade. I don't want to be paying the name Chris Paul 100 million, but getting the game of Mike Bibby. Portland made this mistake. Minnesota previously made the same mistake with Wally Szczerbiak (and then Danny made it as well trading for him). The Kings made the mistake with Chris Webber (and then the Sixers trading for him). T-Mac is a shell of his former self. So is Jermaine O'Neal.

When a basketball player's knees go it's like Cinderella midnight time. Chris Paul will be playing with bone on bone knees before it's all said and done. Danny needs to get over this obsession. If you hate Rondo and want to move him, trade him to the Magic for Dwight Howard. But I'm not cool with the idea of Rondo averaging 20 and 15 on another team while getting paid $11 million a year, while we're stuck with damaged goods hogging up our cap making $20 mil a year.