Rumors have begun to surface that teams are inquiring about Hornets point guard Chris Paul ahead of this Thursday's NBA Draft and the start of free agency next week.

Lost in all that has been Paul's slow recovery from a number of injuries, which keep him out of 37 games this past season.

"I'm still getting there. I'm still doing rehab and stuff like that so I can get to 125 percent," Paul said Monday. "I'm excited about getting healthy. It's like I'm starting over almost."

Paul suffered a sprained left ankle in November, then underwent surgery in January to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. He then missed the final four games of the season with a torn ligament in his right middle finger.

"It was really tough. Really tough dealing with the injuries, not making the playoffs," Paul said. "This has definitely been the longest stretch of my career, easily."