Chris Paul's knee injury is the basketball equivalent of losing Adrian Peterson for at least a few weeks in the fall.

If that sounds dramatic, take a glance at the statistics for the Hornets' All-Star point guard. He can score (20.2 points per game), he leads the league in assists (11.2), is second in steals (2.3) and is fourth among guards in field-goal percentage (50.4). Paul also averages 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 3-pointers per game, and he commits only 2.5 turnovers (his assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.42 easily leads the league).

Now you're left with, if you're lucky, Darren Collison for at least the next month.

When asked about Paul's knee injury Monday, Hornets coach/general manager/quote machine Jeff Bowers told reporters, "It is likely there will be a surgical solution for it."

Bowers wouldn't confirm an ESPN report that Paul has a torn meniscus and could be sidelined two months.

What Bowers doesn't need to confirm is Collison's place on the waiver wire. The rookie from UCLA is a must-have for Paul owners, and he's a free-agent gem for anyone who is in dire need of assists.

Counting Monday's loss to the Suns, Collison has 32 assists in the two games since Paul was injured. He has 33 points, 10 rebounds and nine turnovers in that span, and he's made all but one of his 11 free-throw attempts.

When Paul missed eight games because of a sprained ankle earlier this season, Collison averaged 14.9 points, 6.4 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals in that stretch. He was 29-for-32 from the free-throw line (90.6 percent) and 42-for-100 from the field (hopefully, I don't have to tell you that's 42 percent) in the eight games.

The latter percentage is one of the few drawbacks to Collison.

For the season, he's shooting 41.2 percent from the field, and he's not nearly the 3-point threat Paul is (Collison has 11 treys in 42 games).

You won't get two or three steals per game, either, but you can do a lot worse than a rookie who can pile up points and assists, along with helping your free-throw percentage.

As of late Monday night, Collison was available in 93 percent of the leagues on ESPN.com.

He's a bargain in any format until Paul returns.

And we'll have to wait for further word on a "surgical solution" to know when that might be.