Jan 9, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) works on his dribbling during warmups before the game against the Boston Celtics at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
True or False: Paul George will play in a game this season
Saenz — True. I believe Paul George will play this season in some form or fashion. Now, whether that’s smart or is an entirely different conversation.
McQuiston — True. It will be too early for Paul but he will force his way back and struggle as a result.
Pelosi — False. He’s crazy if he does. Why rush back at this stage?
West — Paul George could play, but for very limited time. The Indiana Pacers won’t be making the playoffs, so they have absolutely no reason to risk aggravating George’s injury or slowing down a full recovery by putting him back on the court. He could return to excite fans and get some action before going into the offseason, but it will most certainly be as brief as possible.
Mohamed — False. I don’t think PG rushes back from a serious injury to play for a lottery team.
Veiga — 100 percent false. At least I hope he doesn’t. It’ll be pointless for them to try to make the playoffs; they have a pass this year from the fans and everybody across the league.
Armstrong — False. The Pacers will not be in playoff contention, therefore Paul George won’t need to come back
Hughes — True. The Indiana Pacers are in the worst spot any sports team could possibly be in right now: the middle. They’re by no means good this season, and despite being well below .500 they’re still roughly average in the Eastern Conference. That means theres no real hope for them nabbing a very strong lottery pick. Currently Charlotte and Miami sit just two games ahead of Indiana with the 8th and 7th seeds respectively.
If the Pacers are smart they bring Paul George back once he’s medically cleared and play for a playoff seed. With the way the East has played out this year, it’s not unreasonable to think that they couldn’t potentially upset their way all the way into the Conference Semi-Finals or perhaps even better. Larry Bird has been a phenomenal exec and his old school mentality will lead him to bring in PG13 (yea I bet you all forgot he changed his number) once he’s medically cleared to play.
Julius Lasin, Staff Writer — False. Paul George will not play a game, and he shouldn’t either. As much as the Pacers are in denial, they will not make the playoffs, even in a depleted eastern conference. With that being said, there is absolutely no reason for the Pacers to rush George, and risk getting hurt, just so he can play in a bunch of meaningless games. Yes, we are all bummed out that George hasn’t played this season, but I’d rather until next year, than see him this year and watch him potentially derail his career.
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