Paul George: Still No Timetable on When He'll Be Back in the Game

Paul George, 24, who plays the small forward and shooting guard positions for the Indiana Pacers, suffered a compound fracture of both bones in his lower right leg during off-season while trying out for the national team to be then sent to compete at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. During a scrimmage game, he landed awkwardly at the base of a basket stanchion. He underwent surgery and had to be hospitalized for about three days. While no official prognosis has been given, doctors then said he will likely miss the entire next season.

The Pacers have repeatedly refrained from publicly putting a timetable on when George will be back, although both he and team president Larry Bird have expressed optimism that it will be sometime within this season. On Monday, March 23, George who has been seen regularly practicing with the team told reporters: "I still don't know when my return date will be. I wanted it to be March 14th but that obviously didn't happen. We're just being smart about the situation, and when the time's ready I'll be back out there....  Although I'm not at 100 percent fully, I'm close to it. I feel (like) playing will bring me closer to that 100 percentile. I think that's the last part."

That Monday, Bird also told Mike Mazzeo of ESPN that he expects George to resume playing this season. Bird reportedly said: ""He's getting a lot better. I think he has to go through a series of tests this week, just like we've always been doing to see where he's at. I think he's cleared by the doctors to play, but obviously he's not in shape. Just because he's cleared to play, doesn't mean he's in shape to play. .... I expect him to play this year. I hope he does for his own good -- not for us to get in the play-offs or anything like that, but just for his own mental state. I think any time you go through an injury like that, you have to get back out there and prove yourself. But he's not going to be 100 percent."