After helping lead Team USA to a second consecutive gold medal during the 2012 Olympics, Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul had to address an injury that required surgery.

During training camp for Mike Krzyzewski’s squad, Paul suffered an injury to the thumb on his right hand. The injury wasn’t severe enough to greatly impact his play on the floor, but it was enough to send him into surgery on Tuesday.

Apparently, the recovery from thumb surgery will take up to two months. The result of the long recovery means Paul will miss Clippers training camp and a good majority of the NBA preseason.

Even though Paul’s presence during training camp and throughout the preseason will be miss, the start of the regular season doesn’t appear to be in jeopardy as of right now. Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro urged Paul to get the surgery as soon as possible so it doesn’t bother him down the road.

In the meantime, Eric Bledsoe and the newly acquired Jamal Crawford will take over while Paul recovers.

This upcoming season will be an important one for Paul as staying healthy will be a requirement. With Paul eligible for a five-year contract extension resulting in a huge payday, the perennial All-Star will need to stay healthy in order to convince the team that keeping him in L.A. long-term is in their best interest.

Superstar forward Blake Griffin recently signed a five-year deal worth $95 million. Paul will be looking to sign a similar deal with the team attempting to keep both players in Los Angeles for the long haul.

It’ll be interesting to see what impact the pending extension for Paul and Griffin’s recent extension will have on the team moving forward.

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