The Western Conference playoffs will be a little less agitating than expected for point guards.
After undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left wrist Tuesday morning, Houston Rockets point guard Patrick Beverley is expected to be sidelined for the next four months, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reports, so he'll miss the remainder of the season and the playoffs.
It was expected Beverley was done for the year - something head coach Kevin McHale spoke about on the weekend - but there was a faint hope he might be able to return in two months, in time for a potential Western Conference Finals series.
The procedure necessitated the reattachment of Beverley's wrist ligament, quashing that possibility. He's expected to spend the next 10 weeks in a cast and approach a full recovery when he hits unrestricted free agency on July 1.
The loss is a big one for Houston, but not so big that general manager Daryl Morey doesn't still see his team as a championship contender.
The Rockets have navigated their way through myriad injuries, and standing second in the Western Conference speaks to their resilience. Still, with names like Chris Paul, Steph Curry, Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook littering the playoff bracket, the loss of a terrific - and annoying - defensive point guard is enormous.
Beverley, who has struggled to stay on the floor over three seasons, was averaging 10.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals, ceding control of the offense to James Harden. Jason Terry will start in Beverley's stead and will be backed up by Pablo Prigioni and Nick Johnson, the latter of whom is a solid, but untested, defender.
At 50-23, the Rockets may be fine and their stellar team defense may be able to make up for some of the loss, but to say their ceiling is as high or their standing as contenders as strong would be dishonest.
