Paul George Won’t Play On Monday Versus Rockets; Pacers Say He’s ‘Not Ready Yet’

Paul George has finally been cleared to play by medical officials, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to make his season debut. Days after news broke that the Indiana Pacers superstar would return to the court “within a week,” he and team officials stressed that there is no certain timeline concerning his first appearance of 2014-2015.

Make no mistake, though – George still expects to play before Indy’s season is over. Via Wheat Hotchkiss of Pacers.com:

“I still don’t know when my return date will be,” George said. “I wanted it to be March 14, but that obviously didn’t happen. We’re just being smart about the situation. When the time’s ready, I’ll be back out there.”

[…]

Still, George maintained that he believes he will come back this season. When he does, he’d prefer to have his first game back be in Indiana.

“Obviously, I think it would be a better moment coming back here,” George said. “I think I owe it to the fans for them to get the first glimpse of my first night on the floor.”

George also said that ESPN’s report about his imminent return was “news to him.” Instead of having already decided on a date, he and team personnel will monitor his progresses towards readiness on a day-by-day basis.

The three-time All-Star has maintained throughout his recovery process that he wouldn’t play if his presence might compromise the Pacers’ rhythm. As a result, George wants to be in near perfect game-shape before appearing for the first time since last May.

Here’s Indiana president Larry Bird via ESPN:

“He’s getting a lot better. I think he’s gotta go through a series of tests this week, just like we’ve always been doing to see where he’s at,” said Larry Bird, the Pacers’ president of basketball operations. “I think he’s cleared by the doctors to play, but obviously he’s not in shape.

“Just because he’s cleared to play doesn’t mean he’s in shape to play. And I don’t want Paul to go out there until he feels comfortable with his conditioning and the way he’s practicing. I’d like to see him do a little bit better.”

Losers of five straight games, the 30-39 Pacers trail the Charlotte Hornets by half a game for eighth-place in the Eastern Conference. Indiana hosts the Houston Rockets tonight, and has a tough road back-to-back against the Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards beginning on Wednesday.

[Pacers, ESPN]

×