Eric Gordon, the New Orleans Hornets guard the team is depending on for scoring, has been sidelined indefinitely with an undisclosed right knee injury.
“The way I understand it, he’s going to be out indefinitely until we get some more clarity on what’s going on so I don’t have to answer these questions every day and give you guys the update,” coach Monty Williams said to The Times-Picayune. “We’ll just go from there.”
Gordon, who practiced for the first time Sunday, was instructed by the Hornets’ media relations staff not to speak with reporters and was escorted to the locker room after the team’s shootaround.
Gordon, unfortunately, has a history of injuries. He is coming off the 2011-12 season where he only played in 9 of the Hornets 66 games, compared to playing in 56 of 82 games while with Los Angeles Clippers before being traded to New Orleans for point guard Chris Paul. During his four-year career he has already missed 107 games.
He underwent arthroscopic surgery on the knee in February, but is still experiencing discomfort.
“He probably does feel pain; that would be the only reason why a guy can’t play,” Williams said, according to the newspaper. “For me to try to read an MRI . . . I’ll find out more as we go forward. I try to not get into all that because that would just make me upset.”
During the summer, the Hornets matched a four-year, $58-million offer from the Phoenix Suns to keep Gordon in hopes that he would be healthy and could be a boost to their offense.
With Gordon out, Williams will insert rookie Austin Rivers into the starting line-up Wednesday as they take on the San Antonio Spurs in the season opener. Rivers has been dealing with ankle issues during the preseason, but is healthy enough to play.
The Hornets will have to depend on Rivers, rookie Anthony Davis and Ryan Anderson to make heavy contributions on the offensive end until Gordon can make his way back.
