What if the Pelicans Push Paul Out of Playoffs?

All that glitters is not gold. Not even the bright lights of Los Angeles.

Chris Paul would have stayed in New Orleans if he thought he could win. The bond he created with the Hornets fans throughout his 6 year tenure will last a life time.

The core of Paul, David West, Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza seemingly reached its peak after the 2010-2011 season. Paul made his desire for a title known, and the path New Orleans was going down did not spell championship soon enough for the star point guard.

When he was finally dealt to the Los Angeles Clippers, I desperately wanted to see CP3 earn his first ring. He had done so much for the franchise, morphed into the best point guard in the league, and gave New Orleans a legitimate reason to cheer for the city’s basketball team.

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Four years later, the script has flipped.

The Clippers announced on Sunday that star forward Blake Griffin would be having elbow surgery to remove a staph infection. According to Arash Markazi from ESPNLosAngeles.com no timetable has been set for his return, but recovery time could fall anywhere between two to six weeks.

As of Monday morning, the Clippers sit a half game ahead of the San Antonio Spurs for the 6th seed in the Western Conference. The core of Paul, Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan, led by coach Doc Rivers, were a game away from Western Conference Finals last season and still have championship aspirations.

This injury to Griffin has a chance to jeopardize those dreams.

After rattling off six wins in a row, the red hot Clippers were cooled off by the Pelicans in the Smoothie King Center. They rebounded by beating the Spurs the night after, but have dropped four games in a row since then. The upcoming schedule is absolutely brutal for the Clippers: 12 out of their next 15 games come against opponents above .500, and 11 of those teams play in the West.

As seen by some of the Pelicans’ struggles with injury, winning games without one of your best two players (Holiday) is no small task.

Jan 16, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) and guard Jrue Holiday (11) sit on the bench during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The race for the 8th seed thus far has revolved around the Pelicans, the Thunder and the Suns. If the Clippers struggle with this upcoming stretch, it is not out of the question for them to fall to the 7th seed, and possibly even the 8th. The Pels, Suns, and Thunder will not ease up to let a perennial Western Conference power maintain their dominance.

Especially New Orleans.

The Pelicans struggles kicked in immediately when the main piece from the Paul trade, Eric Gordon, went down 9 games into the season. They seemed like a hopeless team that was going to need a big break to get back on the map any time soon.

And boy, did they get a break.

Mar 17, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; New Orleans Hornets forward Anthony Davis (23) shoots a free throw during the third quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center. The Timberwolves defeated the Hornets 97-95. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

The Anthony Davis lottery victory was miraculous. Not only was a miserable season rewarded, but the Hornets now had a player to start the rebuild with.

A lot has been said about the way that this Pelicans team has been built around Davis. Dell Demps’ “young veterans” approach has been widely criticized by the media and in some cases the fans. But it cannot be argued that this team has playoff level talent, and it has shown in their competitiveness in the playoff race.

The toughest part of the Pelicans schedule is now behind them. The Clippers are just now preparing to embark on their Western Conference gauntlet: and it may be without Blake Griffin. Regardless of who the coach is, how good your best player may be, or what you have done in the past, teams cannot and will not be given a free pass to the playoffs.

It is too soon to draw any conclusions, but the Pels could make the playoffs for the first time since 2011. And it could be at the expense of the man who led them there last:

Chris Paul.

Feb 6, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) yells out instructions against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Clippers 123-107. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Next: NBA Trade Deadline 2015: Will the Pelicans Make a Move?