It's official. As everyone seemed to suspect, when the MRI results came back in Cleveland, Chauncey Billups of the Los Angeles Clippers has a torn left Achilles tendon. Watching the injury as it happened in Orlando last night, it had the look of a torn Achilles; the MRI simply confirmed what everyone assumed. The absolute shortest recovery time for this type of injury is six months, and it usually takes longer than that. Regardless, Billups' season is over.
This is a tough blow for Billups. He'll be a free agent at the end of the season, so his future with the Clippers, and indeed his future in the NBA, is up in the air at this point. Billups will be 36 before he even has a chance to play NBA basketball again. If he wants to keep playing, someone will give him a chance. But it's not so easy returning from major injuries at 36.
It's a blow to the Clippers as well of course. For the present time, Randy Foye will slide into the starting lineup, leaving Mo Williams in the sixth man role that has worked so well for him this season. Eric Bledsoe is trying to come back from an injury of his own, so if he's back on the court soon, the overall Clippers guard depth will be more or less the same going forward. Of course, neither Randy Foye nor Eric Bledsoe are Billups. The luxury of having several players willing to take, and capable of making, big shots is the biggest loss here. You can't underestimate the value of a Chauncey Billups in a close game.