Sixers rule Paul George out for rest of season

Paul George's first season as a Sixer is over.

"Following consultation with specialists, as part of his treatment plan, Paul George has received injections in both his left adductor muscle and left knee. Following the procedure, George is medically unable to play and will be out for at least six weeks. Further updates on his recovery will be provided as appropriate," the team said in a statement on Monday evening.

The phrase 'medically unable to play' is an interesting one to me, because it seems like it's language used to appeal to the league. Remember, the NBA cares about player participation. They want to protect the competitive spirit of the sport! So, they make up these arbitrary guidelines for who is actually allowed to blatantly tank and who isn't by launching investigations if players who meet certain criteria miss games for, uh, convoluted reasons, we'll call it?

The Toronto Raptors and Utah Jazz can rest 25-year-olds for no apparent reason. But since George was an All-Star last season, he's 'medically unable to play'.

Nonsense, all of it.

Anyway, George, who will probably be accused of stealing money by the locals, suffered two bone bruises in the same knee early in the season. He never quite looked right, although there was a lot of gentle coasting through games - something his critics warned of.

He finished with 41 games played, amassing 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists on 54.3 percent true shooting. Inarguably the worst season he's had in a decade.

He is owed $162,379,140 over the next three seasons.

Now, George gets to heal his body (some will whine about him podcasting - get lives, I beg!). Meanwhile, the Sixers have one less player getting in the way of their goal - keeping that 2025 first-round pick.

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