Pacers starting point guard George Hill’s pre-season injury turned out to be worse than originally thought.
Head coach Frank Vogel revealed Friday night that Hill suffered a tear in his left quad.
“They didn’t see that on the original MRI because there was too much blood on the initial picture,” Vogel said. “He’s had a tear in his quad. That’s the reason that it’s taken so long.”
George Hill and Paul George do some ball handling work prior to Friday night’s game against the Orlando Magic.
The injury occurred when Hill collided with Ricky Rubio during a pre-season contest against Minnesota. The injury was previously announced as a left knee contusion.
As for when he might return, the team isn’t exactly sure.
“The last update I got was not the first week of December,” Vogel said. “Likely mid-December.”
Hill did not comment after the game.
With Hill and his backup, C.J. Watson, sidelined up to this point, the Pacers brought in former Pacer A.J. Price for two 10-day contracts. He played very well in his time here and certainly deserves a spot in this league.
However, with Watson and David West returning Friday night, the Pacers did not reapply for the NBA’s hardship waiver for the third time and Price was officially waived on Friday.
“Thank you and good luck and we’ll be keeping an eye on you,” Vogel said of his outgoing message to Price. “As the team’s roster changes over the years, we’re still going to keep an eye on him and maybe we’ll get the chance to work together again.”