When will CPIII REALLY be healthy?

It's time for me to admit something that I've been fighting all year...as of now, Chris Paul is not what he used to be. He can't explode around a screen and get to the basket like he previously could. And when he breaks down a defender off the dribble, the defender is often able to recover before Paul scores or a big will have time to rotate and at least impede Paul's progress to the rim. Paul has also got into a streak of playing very well in the first quarter and then tailing off as a game goes on. See, e.g., the Hornets game against Golden State the other night (a legal citation there to keep ya'll on your toes). It's not clear to me whether this apparent endurance issue has to do with his leg getting worse as the game goes on or if it is a product of his still not being in peak playing shape after missing much of last year.

What's crazy is that Paul is still the best pure point in the league. His efficiency numbers are, as always, unreal. He has an assist to turnover ratio of nearly 4:1 and a TS% of over 60%. He has a PER of 24.6, good for fourth in the league. He's a good, though not great, defender, with real strengths (ball skills, smarts) and weaknesses (small size means that guys like Billups, particularly if Paul has been helping in the post, can simply shoot over him as though they're putting up open jumpers). Is Chris Paul better than Derrick Rose? I'm not entirely sure--while they are both point guards, they play the position in completely different manners (hence my earlier statement that Paul is the best pure point)--but lets just say that Paul is still damn good and leave the Rose v. Paul comparison alone for now.

But again, he's not what he used to be. Yes, he has the fourth best PER in the league, but it doesn't approach his absurd PERs of 30.0 and 28.3 posted in 08-09 and 07-08 respectively. Much of the disparity can be explained by his declining usage numbers, down from 27.5% (08-09) and 25.7% (07-08) to 21.1% (this year). In fact, his current usage percentage is the lowest of his career. At the start of the season, I tried to explain this away by citing to Monty Williams' efforts to rely less on Paul, and therefore keep him fresh for the stretch run. But that was easier to say when the team was winning. Now, with the team struggling and desperately needing Paul to take over, he appears unable to do so.

Will Paul ever regain his pre-injury athletic abilities? I've seen disparate opinions and don't pretend to have the medical knowledge to give an educated answer. But here's hoping that at some point, whether it's later this year or perhaps next season, Paul is back to what he once was. It would be a shame to miss out on what could and perhaps should have been the best point guard of all time.