Coach Doc Rivers said Wednesday that he's hopeful Rivers (hand) will be able to meet the short end of his four-to-six week recovery timetable, Rowan Kavner of Clippers.com reports.

Coach Doc Rivers said Wednesday that he's hopeful Rivers (hand) will be able to meet the short end of his four-to-six week recovery timetable, Rowan Kavner of Clippers.com reports.

Analysis:

Because Rivers won't require surgery to address his fractured left hand, the team doesn't feel his recovery process will be quite as arduous. Still, the backup guard will need to demonstrate progress in the next two weeks or so in order to justify the optimism that he'll be back on the court within a month. While Rivers continues to recover from the injury, Jamal Crawford, Pablo Prigioni, and Lance Stephenson will take on more important roles in the Clippers' backcourt.