NBA News, Rumors 2015: Indiana Pacers' Paul George Could Return To Action This Season
After the gruesome on-court accident last summer, fans of the Indiana Pacers' Paul George may see the player getting back to into action "as soon as next month."
Pacers president Larry Bird announced to the media that if the 24-year-old shooting guard is already cleared by his attending doctors and is deemed ready to play, he would readily put him back into the competition.
"It seems like every week Paul is getting better and better," Bird told ESPN. "So if we do have an opportunity to get into the playoffs and [George] can get some games under his belt and get ready to go next year ... I always say if a player is ready to play, they gotta play."
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"We're not going to hold him back if he's able to go out there and play. When you're out like that, you lose something. ... I still think it's important if he's able to play, he should be out there," Bird continued.
Much to the delight of his followers, the two-time All-Star player went to his social media to tweet a possible date for his return.
"March?!" his post reads.
Meanwhile, USAToday mentioned in their article the team's head coach Frank Vogel saying that the California-born baller has been seen participating "in team non-contact drills."
"Any ticket-buying fan can witness George's pre-game workout routine that he religiously does on the road and at Bankers Life Fieldhouse," the publication stated.
Now close to seventh months since the gruesome accident took place, Vogel implied that even though the NBA superstar is now getting more and more active, it could still take a "long time" for George to return in his 100 percent playing condition.
"I think you've just got to be smart," the coach explained. "Like Larry said, if the doctors say he can go, then I think he should get on the court and try it as soon as he's ready to but we all understand that's a long time from now."
"I have no clue whether he's going to play or not," Bird added. "But if he gets healthy and they say he can play and he wants to play, we'll put him out there."
