This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Patrick Christopher walked into the hallway in EnergySolutions Arena with a smile on his face. The key word being, he walked.
A little over a month removed from a nasty knee injury, Christopher is progressing back to being a basketball player again. He says he's about two weeks away from being cleared for non-contact drills. His rehabilitation is going as planned, and he's about a month away from returning to the court.
"I'm a local now," Christopher said.
The shooting guard was in his first career start when he dislocated his knee against the Atlanta Hawks at the end of December. It was a physical injury, but also a mental one. Christopher had slogged through basketball's minor leagues, hoping for a chance to become an NBA player. Injuries to Alec Burks and Rodney Hood allowed him that opportunity, and he was rewarded by being placed in the starting lineup.
There is no word on if the Jazz will sign him back - he was waived to make room for Elijah Millsap - but it's clear the organization took a liking to him as a player and a person.
Christopher was at the Jazz/Grizzlies game because he was in camp with Memphis during the preseason. He's been living in SLC during his rehab.
Tony Jones