Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George is one of the latest NBA players to jump into the podcast space, and on the most recent episode of "Podcast P," he gave a vague update on the status of his knee injury and absolved Oklahoma City Thunder guard Lu Dort of any wrongdoing.
Late in the fourth quarter of the Clippers' loss to the Thunder on March 21, George and Dort were going up for a rebound and their legs collided upon landing. As a result of the force, George's leg bent back violently, and he had to be helped off the floor. Some criticized Dort for being reckless in the play, and George agreed that he can be "wild" at times. However, George didn't fault him for the injury.
"I don't think what he did was malicious," George said. "He wasn't trying to hurt me. He just plays hard. He can get wild at times, but he's a hard worker, he plays hard and was trying to get extra possessions. I don't knock him for competing. It was just a freak accident."
Here’s the play where Paul George suffered what appears to be a leg injury. pic.twitter.com/k0JbXyrXvn
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) March 22, 2023
George, who played for the Thunder from 2017-19 before being traded to the Clippers, said that he heard from a number of Thunder players and team personnel in the aftermath, all of whom wished him well. Dort, for his part, said after the game that he didn't mean to cause any harm.
"I saw the play," Dort said. "When I went up for the rebound, I kind of hit his leg. I didn't do it on purpose, you know. It was definitely an accident. But you know, I hit his leg. I just hope he's all right and he'll be back the next game."
George, of course, was not able to play in the Clippers' next game, but he did avoid a major injury. Scans revealed that he did not tear any major ligaments, and the Clippers announced on March 22 that he would be out for at least two-to-three weeks, at which point he would be re-evaluated.
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Players are usually not ready to go at that re-evaluation point, and assuming that's the case for George, it would put him in doubt for the beginning of the playoffs, which will start on April 15. All of that is just guess work, though, as even George is unsure when he'll be back.
"I don't know what my timetable is, to be honest," George said. "I'm going to do whatever I can do to shorten the process of when I can return. But I don't know when that date is."
The Clippers enter Tuesday's slate of games in fifth place in the Western Conference at 40-36. Their first-round opponent at the moment would be the Phoenix Suns, but given the state of the West playoff race, every seeding position between Nos. 4-11 is in flux.