While the status of New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis for the final five games is to be determined, it appears shooting guard Eric Gordon may not return to the court this season, due to left knee tendinitis.
“I doubt that he’ll play anymore this year, but that’s just (my opinion),” Pelicans Coach Monty Williams said of the sixth-year NBA veteran. “He’s getting evaluations on his knee.”
Gordon was nearly injury-free over the first five months of the season, playing in 64 of New Orleans’ first 68 games. After experiencing tendinitis following a road win in Atlanta on March 21, Gordon has been sidelined for the past nine contests. His 64 appearances in 2013-14 are the most he’s played in a single season since his rookie 2008-09 campaign with the Los Angeles Clippers.
In other Pelicans injury news, Williams again emphasized that Davis will be on the floor if he’s capable of playing. Davis is listed as day-to-day. Williams does not subscribe to the idea that just because a team is out of playoff contention, it should rest its key players.
“If a guy says he’s OK, but he doesn’t look the way I know he’s supposed to look, I take him out (of the game),” Williams said. “I did that (with Davis) against Utah. Structurally, everything’s fine with his back. So that doesn’t bother us as an organization. But you do reach a point where you start to ask yourself some questions, and we’ve done that.”
Each of the final five contests for New Orleans (32-45) feature opponents that have something at stake in the Western Conference playoff chase. However, the Pelicans have consistently said recently that they’ll approach every game the same way, regardless of the circumstances of the teams they are facing. Last week’s road trip began with games against out-of-contention Denver and Utah.
“We’re not in the mode of just sitting guys, especially when they want to play,” Williams said. “(Davis is) a guy who always wants to play and help his team. I guess it’s the NBA thing, to get to this point in the season and just because you’re not going to the playoffs, to just (sit players). Guys get paid to play in every game. So that to me is something we take into consideration. But we also have a responsibility to see that he’s good going forward. If we see anything that’s going to put that in jeopardy, we certainly wouldn’t put him in (jeopardy).”
Meanwhile, Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson is in Los Angeles today, undergoing surgery for his season-ending herniated disc injury. He sustained the injury on Jan. 3 in an accidental collision with Boston forward Gerald Wallace.
“I haven’t spoken with him (today), Williams said of one of the NBA’s premier shooters. “I had a really good conversation with him the other day, just before he left. I’ll speak with him later on this week.”