Eric Gordon Injury Update: Pelicans SG Out for Season After Finger Surgery
 

http://blackandgold.com/images/pixel.gifThe disappointing season for the 24-38 New Orleans Pelicans took another turn for the worse Tuesday when the team announced shooting guard Eric Gordon is out for the remainder of the season.

According to the Pelicans' press release, Gordon had surgery Tuesday to repair a fractured ring finger.

Justin Verrier of ESPN.com noted Gordon refractured the finger on his right hand Saturday during New Orleans’ 104-96 loss to the Utah Jazz. The guard missed 16 contests earlier in the season because of surgery to repair a fracture in the exact same finger.

Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry commented on the setback, per Verrier: “I don't know for sure what happened, but it looks like he might have done the same thing again. And that would be unfortunate because he worked so hard to get back. I thought he was really playing really good basketball.”

As Gentry mentioned, the timing was unfortunate because Gordon was playing impressive basketball heading into that Utah game:

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Gordon averaged 15.2 points and 2.7 assists per night behind 38.4 percent shooting from three-point range in 45 games this season. However, he was never able to establish much consistency because of the injuries, which has been a common theme throughout his career.

He has only played more than 64 games once since he entered the NBA in 2008, and that came in his rookie season with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2008-09, when he appeared in 78.

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Gordon is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, per Spotrac. While he is only 27 years old, teams looking to sign him will likely be worried about his durability moving forward with that injury history.

This is also another blow for the Pelicans, who are 6.5 games behind the Houston Rockets for the No. 8 and final seed in the Western Conference playoff picture. New Orleans also trails the Utah Jazz, Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets in the standings and is running out of time and healthy bodies to make a run with 20 games left.

There was plenty of optimism in New Orleans at the start of the season after the Pelicans reached the playoffs in 2014-15 and brought back many of the same pieces, including superstar Anthony Davis. However, season-ending injuries to Gordon, Tyreke Evans, Quincy Pondexter and Bryce Dejean-Jones have served as significant roadblocks to the Pelicans’ chances of reaching the playoffs again.

This latest setback to Gordon feels like the final blow for New Orleans and something that could linger over his potential free agency in the offseason.

Read more New Orleans Pelicans news on BleacherReport.com



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