On Monday, Pacers president Larry Bird said that he expects star Paul George to return and play for the team this season.
While Indiana fans maybe celebrating of what could be great news to help the team make a final playoff push, head coach Frank Vogel isn’t as optimistic as Bird.
“There’s a lot of layers to it,” Vogel said. “(Paul’s) not ready. He hasn’t reached our level of what we feel he’s ready to play.”
Bird also told reporters that George has been cleared to practice, but not full contact ones.
Led by George, Indiana was the top seed in the Eastner Conference before falling to the Heat in the Conference Finals. This season hasn’t gone as well for the Pacers, as they’re one game behind the eight seeded Celtics in the playoff standings.
While a George return will most likely improve the Pacers, with him being their best player, nobody really knows what to expect from the 6″9 swingman coming off a gruesome injury.
