George still inactive, Vogel says he's not ready to return

Not surprisingly, Paul George has been listed as out for the Indiana Pacers' game Wednesday against the Washington Wizards, but most of Tuesday was spent dissecting head coach Frank Vogel's comments on the matter.

On Monday, Pacers president Larry Bird – perhaps erroneously – said he thought that George was cleared by team doctors to play. This, according to Vogel, isn't the case.

"There's a lot of layers to that," Vogel told reporters Monday night. "So he hasn’t been cleared to play for us."

George himself even asked nobody in particular on Monday where all these reports of his imminent return were coming from. 

The Pacers have needed George all season and even moreso now as the squad is fighting to get into the playoffs. Yet if Indiana – losers of six straight going into Wednesday – keeps losing, bringing their star back will be highly scrutinized for only a faint hope of the postseason. 

While a healthy George would be a much-needed dose of offense, the Pacers' lone savior this season, their team defense, has failed them of late. Center Roy Hibbert blames that on sheer laziness.