Pacers' Paul George practicing, hopeful of returning this season
Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird said there's a chance injured star Paul George could return this season. Days later, George is singing the same tune.
George has been participating in non-contact portions of practice and is hopeful of returning to the court later in the season. He's targeting a return to full practice by March 1, according to Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star.
When George broke his right leg in a nasty fall with USA Basketball in the summer, it was expected that his 2014-15 season would be lost. And while that still might be the case, hearing him and Bird talk about a potential return separately in the same week is a clear sign George's rehab is going smoothly.
George said he won't rush back just to get on the court and salvage some part of his season, but he's also not worried about doing further damage to the leg. Still, he pegged his chances of returning at less than 50 percent.
"I'm not too worried about re-injuring it," George said. "The only problem I'll have is just getting back to where I was."
The Pacers enter play Friday sitting 3.5 games out of the East's final playoff spot. Securing the last playoff spot won't be easy with multiple teams to leapfrog, but having the conference's fourth most efficient defense will keep the team in plenty of games.
If the Pacers are in the playoff race once George is cleared to come back, it could be a deciding factor on whether he chooses to or not. And if he does, and the Pacers sneak in, he says watch out.
PG: "I think adding me to a great team, we definitely have enough firepower to make some noise in the playoffs if I come back."
— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) February 5, 2015
Injuries have crushed the Pacers, a season after they made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. David West missed a chunk of time, George Hill has only played 11 games and been on a minutes restriction for most of those contests, while George hasn't played a second. That's three-fifths of the team's starting unit.
The fact Indiana and its putrid offense could still snag a playoff spot is pretty remarkable. What's even better for the team is that George's rehab is going well.
It's good for fans, too. He's kind of an exciting player.