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03/17 17:57 CDT 76ers forward Paul George will miss the rest of the season to
recover from his injuries
76ers forward Paul George will miss the rest of the season to recover from his
injuries
By DAN GELSTON
AP Sports Writer
PHILADELPHIA (AP) --- Paul George will miss the rest of the season to recover
from his injuries, ending a difficult first year in Philadelphia for the
nine-time All-Star.
The 76ers announced Monday that George had received injections in his left
adductor muscle and left knee, following consultations with specialists.
"Following the procedure, George is medically unable to play and will be out
for at least six weeks," the team said in its statement.
Philadelphia carried a 23-44 record into Monday night's game at Houston. Its
last game of the regular season is on April 13.
George, who turns 35 on May 2, signed a $212 million, four-year contract in
free agency last summer. But his first year in Philly was marred by injuries
that resulted in the forward having one of the worst years of his NBA career.
He averaged 16.2 points in just 41 games, easily his lowest scoring average in
a full season since he averaged 12.1 points for Indiana in his second NBA
season.
The 76ers last month shut down center Joel Embiid so he can focus on treatment
and rehabilitation of his left knee. Without George and Embiid, the 76ers
potentially can lose more games down the stretch and increase their odds of
keeping their first-round pick. The 76ers' first-round pick is top-six
protected or else it goes to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Sixers began the year with NBA championship hopes after signing George to
pair him with fellow All-Stars Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. All three have missed
chunks of time with injuries.
Coach Nick Nurse said it has been a disappointing season.
"There's no doubt about it," he said. "You've got expectations, you've got some
good players and we just don't seem to have much luck health-wise. And it just
never really ended."
With Embiid's return next season uncertain, the 76ers are stuck with a big,
expensive problem with an unproductive George.
George --- who averaged 20.8 points over his first 14 seasons --- wanted to
move on from the Los Angeles Clippers and declined a player option in his
contract for $48.8 million in 2024-2025. That ended a five-year stretch with
the team in which he averaged at least 21.5 points each season.
The Clippers' attempt at winning it all with their Big Three of George, Kawhi
Leonard and James Harden fell flat.
Somehow, it got worse in Philly with Embiid, George and Maxey.
The 76ers and team president Daryl Morey believed they hit the jackpot with
George, a six-time member of the All-NBA Team. He's a four-time member of the
NBA All-Defensive Team and was the league's most improved player in 2013. He
was a finalist for both NBA MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in 2019, when
he led the league with 2.21 steals per contest.
George's problems started in the preseason when he suffered a hyperextended
left knee and missed the first five games of the season. He missed more games
with injuries ranging from a bone bruise to tendon damage to the little finger
on his non-shooting left hand to groin injuries. Nurse also rested George, who
has never played in an NBA Finals, for some games.
"My biggest thing is ... we are where we are with it," Nurse said. "And with
him and with all the other guys too, as I mentioned the other night, it's just
getting them fixed up first and then healed up and back to being able to get
working at their craft again and physically back 100 percent."
George is owed an average of $54.1 million over the next three seasons, opening
the possibility the 76ers could shop him in the summer. Yes, he's old and
expensive, but a contender could take a flyer on him that he might be a missing
piece to a title team.
The 76ers would certainly listen to offers.
The 6-foot-8 George announced last month he was putting his Podcast P With Paul
George on hiatus so he could focus on rehabbing his injuries and salvaging the
Sixers' season.
Now, the 76ers are playing to lose, and George can join his podcast on the
sidelines.
___
AP Sports Writer Kristie Rieken contributed to this report from Houston.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
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