Here. We. Go. Again.
The New Orleans Pelicans have battled myriad injuries this season. From a minutes limit for Jrue Holiday, to random absences of Anthony Davis, to recurring mishaps involving Tyreke Evans, and everything in between, the Pelicans’ downfall, aided in part by their badly built roster, continues to be fueled by unfortunate ailments.
Eric Gordon, the oft-injured guard who just started rounding into durable, serviceable form last season, is the latest player to go down. The Pelicans announced on Wednesday that Gordon will miss extensive time after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured right finger.
Here’s the full release from the team:
The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that guard Eric Gordon underwent successful surgery this morning to repair his fractured right ring finger. Gordon sustained the injury during the third quarter of last night’s 114-99 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. His expected timetable to return is 4-6 weeks.
Gordon, 6-4, 215, has appeared in 41 games this season for New Orleans, averaging 14.9 points, 2.7 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 33.4 minutes per contest.
The Pelicans are more than four points per 100 possessions better with Eric Gordon on the floor, according to Basketball-Reference, and he has established himself as a legitimate complementary weapon on the outside, drilling 37 percent of his long balls—though his success rate does decline when firing off the catch, per NBA.com.
Consider this my latest call for the Pelicans to wave the white flag, sell off contracts, do whatever they must do to dump Asik, focus on entering the Ben Simmons sweepstakes and prepare to hit the ground running in free agency. Their season was over long before the latest Evans and Gordon snafus, and they must now accept that they can’t outplay the hand they’ve been dealt.
