Report: Rockets fear knee injury could sideline Paul for a month

Houston Rockets point guard Chris Paul will miss his second straight game Saturday due to a left knee bruise, and he could remain on the shelf a lot longer than that.

The Rockets fear Paul's injury, which he exacerbated during the team's season-opening win over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, could sideline him for as long as a month, sources told Marc Stein of the New York Times.

The knee issue plagued Paul throughout the preseason, and forced him to sit out the last five minutes of the fourth quarter in his first (and so far, only) regular-season game as a Rocket. He mostly struggled before being removed from the game, scoring just four points on 2-of-9 shooting, failing to get to the free-throw line, and posting a team-worst minus-13 rating.

Combo guard Eric Gordon, who has averaged 24.5 points through two games, will continue to start in Paul's stead, while the Rockets reportedly rummage through the scrap heap for a temporary fix at point guard.

The implications of the injury could be more damaging for Paul than for the Rockets. The nine-time All-Star could've opted out of his contract and signed a five-year max deal worth over $200 million this past offseason, but he chose to eschew that long-term security, instead opting into his final year so the Rockets could work out a sign-and-trade with the Los Angeles Clippers to acquire him.

Paul will be 33 when it comes time to negotiate a new deal next summer, and with the league's salary cap leveling out after a couple of spikes, money figures to be tight around the NBA. If his health continues to be a concern, that decision could wind up haunting him.