Pelicans scoring leader Eric Gordon has been the subject of trade rumors. (Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

New Orleans Pelicans shooting guard Eric Gordon underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove scar tissue causing pain in his left ankle on Thursday, according to the team.

Gordon’s rehabilitation is expected to include a return to basketball activities later this summer.

The five-year veteran averaged a team-high 17 points while missing 40 games and being limited to a strict regime designed to allow his right knee to heal during the 2012-13 season.

Gordon, the Pelican’s most valuable asset, has been linked to trade scenarios in the upcoming offseason.

Eric Gordon is being shopped by the Hornets. (Layne Murdoch Jr./Getty Images)

The New Orleans Hornets are shopping the oft-injured guard Eric Gordon despite matching an offer sheet for him during the offseason to retain the restricted free agent for four years and $58 million.

Gordon has missed half the season so far because of various injuries and is currently back on the bench because of more knee problems. In his 19 games this season, he is averaging 16.6 points on 40 percent shooting.

The Hornets have reportedly been telling teams that he is on the market, according to a tweet on Wednesday from ESPN’s Chris Broussard, but there aren’t any interested parties so far, with one day before the trade deadline, because of concerns about the longterm effects of his various injuries.

According to Hornets beat reporter John Reid for NOLA.com, the Hornets would be interested in dealing Gordon to the Golden State Warriors as part of a deal that would send second-year guard Klay Thompson to New Orleans, but the Warriors are reportedly not interested because they believe Thomspon is a budding star. So far this season, Thompson is averaging 16.4 points on 41 percent shooting to go along with 3.9 rebounds.

Sources: New Orleans has made Eric Gordon available for trade. Trade not likely though as clubs concerned about EG's health going forward.—
Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) February 20, 2013

Hornets guard Eric Gordon is set to make his season debut tonight. (Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)

The New Orleans Hornets placed shooting guard Eric Gordon on active list and he is expected to make his season debut against the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday night, reports Yahoo! Sports.

Gordon was cleared for contact practice last week after undergoing knee surgery and had been rehabbing his right knee in Los Angeles since Nov. 7. A patella tendon disorder and bone bruise on his right knee required arthroscopic surgery and forced Gordon to miss all but nine games last season and the first 29 games of this season.

New Orleans is 6-23 this season and will be facing a Bobcats team that has lost 17 games in a row. The Hornets have lost 12 of their last 13 games.

“We’re going to put him in situations (during practice) and will evaluate him,” Hornets general manager Dell Demps  said last week. “It would not be smart to play him 48 minutes.”

Gordon has averaged 18.2 points a game in four NBA seasons.

Hornets have moved guard Eric Gordon to the active list and swingman Darius Miller to the inactive list for tonight's game versus Charlotte.—
Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) December 29, 2012

Eric Gordon has missed all but nine Hornets games in the last two seasons. (Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)

Hornets coach Monty Williams predicted shooting guard Eric Gordon would make his season debut Saturday against the Bobcats, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

A patella tendon disorder and bone bruise on his right knee that required arthroscopic surgery have forced Gordon to miss all but nine games last season and the first 27 games of this season.

Gordon’s right knee has been pain-free since Monday.

“If I had to guess it would be Saturday against Charlotte,’’ Williams said before Wednesday night’s game against the Orlando Magic. “A lot of that is me, and we want to make sure that we bring him back when he’s in a lot better shape. He’s spent so much time rehabbing and getting his quad stronger, but we have to make sure he’s in a good place before he comes back.’’

Gordon’s presence should immediately help the struggling Hornets who are one loss way from matching a franchise-record 12-game losing streak set in 1990.

“He changes the way we play with his ability to do a number of things,’’ Williams said of Gordon’s impending return. “Shooting the ball and attacking the basket and defending certain guys. It will take him not long to get back to the frame of mind that he needs to play and that’s always at a high level. But we want to make sure that he has the conditioning level that he needs to play well.”

Eric Gordon said he is “90 percent” sure he will play in a game before the end of the December. (Harry How/Getty Images)

The New Orleans Hornets’ Eric Gordon is expected to rejoin the team on Saturday and although General Manager Dell Demps wouldn’t estimate when he would play in a game, the shooting guard predicted he will make his season debut by the end of December.

Gordon said this week that he is “90 percent sure” that he will be in a game before the end of the year, according to John Reid of The Times-Picayune.

Demps said on Gordon’s return to game-shape, “he’s close but he’s not quite there yet.”

Gordon has yet to play this season because of recurring knee issues. He had been going through rehabilitation workouts with three different trainers in Los Angeles for the past month and said that he’s no longer experiencing any pain in his knee.

“Now, I’m in position to really get back with the team and really get things going as far as practicing and getting back to playing. [I]‘m more than 90 percent sure I’m going to play before this month is over. That’s what I’m striving for and I’m starting now to turn things up.”

The Hornets play the Spurs on Friday and then the Pacers on Saturday, so the team will likely get a day off on Sunday and Monday could be Gordon’s first full practice in more than two months.

The Hornets successfully kept Gordon, a restricted free agent, from signing a contract with Phoenix this offseason, matching the Suns’ offer of four-years, $58 million. He played in only nine games last season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his knee in February. When healthy, Gordon is one of the more potent scorers in the league among other shooting guards. In 56 appearances with the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2010-11 season, he averaged 22.3 points on 45 percent shooting and 4.3 assists in 37 minutes per game.

Hornets guard Eric Gordon will miss more games due to a lingering knee injury. (Chris Covatta/NBAE via Getty Images)

Hornets guard Eric Gordon told Yahoo! Sports he expects to miss 4-6 weeks due to a recurring knee injury.

Despite experiencing pain, Gordon was told he would not require surgery during a visit to a Chicago doctor on Thursday.

“The doctor could tell I was going through a lot of pain,” Gordon said. “But I know I can strengthen it during the four- to six-week time period and return. This was a big break. I’ve been dealing with this injury for a year. To hear that news was good to me because I thought it would be possibly worse.”

Gordon underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on Feb. 14 and played in just nine games of the 2011-12 lockout-shortened season. During the offseason, the Hornets matched a five-year, $58 million contract offer sheet he signed with the Phoenix Suns.

He reported soreness in the knee after volunteer workouts with Hornets teammates, then missed the team’s training camp and preseason games.

The Hornets head coach has announced that Eric Gordon will be out indefinitely with recurring right knee trouble.

Monty Williams says Eric Gordon is out indefinitely.

—
WWL-TV Sports (@wwltvsports) October 31, 2012

The injured knee kept Gordon sidelined for all of training camp. Williams doesn’t expect Gordon to play until more is known about the knee issue.

“He probably does feel pain; that would be the only reason why a guy can’t play,” Williams said. “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.”

Gordon is an essential piece for the Hornets, but he’s struggled to stay healthy. He will start this season sidelined, and played only nine games last season after being traded to the Hornets by the Clippers.

With Gordon sidelined, Roger Mason and rookie Austin Rivers will see increased minutes. Ryan Anderson and No. 1 draft pick Anthony Davis will be expected to carry a larger load offensively.

Months after winning a national title with Kentucky, Anthony Davis set lofty goals for his rookie NBA season. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Anthony Davis has lofty goals for his inaugural season in the NBA with the New Orleans Hornets. He wants to win the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award and is aiming for an even bigger goal, too: Defensive Player of the Year.

Davis sat down recently for a Q&A with The New York Times’ Joe Brescia, where it became clear that the glow of winning a gold medal with Team USA had worn off on Davis.

From the Q&A:

Q. What part of your game do you want to improve?

A. I want to get stronger. Improve my ball-handling and become a better shooter.

Q.What do you want to accomplish in your first season in the N.B.A.?

A.Win rookie of the year. Make first-team all-rookie, first-team all-defense and defensive player of the year.

Davis has had quite a year — in addition to a gold medal, he also led Kentucky to a national championship. He will be part of a revamped young lineup that includes fellow Top 10 draft pick Austin Rivers and the re-signed guard Eric Gordon.

“Eric is a great player,” Davis told the Times. “One of the best in the league. He doesn’t get enough credit. He’s the whole package. Shoots and plays defense. We have to find the right pieces and approach the season as winners.”

The Hornets are expected to match the Suns’ contract offer to Eric Gordon on Saturday. (Harry How/Getty Images)

Despite protests from Eric Gordon, the Hornets are expected to match the Phoenix Suns’ four-year, $58 million offer sheet on Saturday to keep him in New Orleans, The Times-Picayune’s John Reid reported.

Gordon signed the maximum contract offer sheet with the Suns on Wednesday, the first day free agents could sign with teams. The Hornets have 72 hours to match, so they’ll have to do so on Saturday. By waiting for most of the 72 hours, the Hornets effectively blocked the Suns from chasing any other free agents.

Gordon has come out with strong opposition to the Hornets matching the offer, saying that his “heart” was in Phoenix and that he didn’t feel respected by the Hornets during the process. He said he’d be “disappointed” if the Hornets matched the offer, and that there was nothing the organization could do to change his mind.

The Hornets traded point guard Jarrett Jack this week, which should alleviate some of Gordon’s concerns about sharing time at shooting guard with draftee Austin Rivers.

Last Sunday, Hornets coach Monty Williams said that he was not upset at Gordon, saying he expected the controversy to “blow over” with time.

“I don’t take it seriously. What Eric said is not who he is. It’s unfortunate because people at home are pretty upset about it,” Williams told The Times Picayune on Sunday.

“Everywhere I go, somebody’s got something to say. What I would say is ‘Let’s understand how we were when we were 23.’ Give the kid some mercy. We still love him. We’re not upset with him. We understand the process. It’s unfortunate that it happened this way, but that’s just a part of it.”

Eric Gordon ripped the Hornets for the way they have handled his free agency, but Hornets coach Monty Williams said the organization “still loves him.” (Harry How/Getty Images)

New Orleans Hornets coach Monty Williams said Sunday that he was not upset at Eric Gordon for some recent comments expressing his displeasure with the way the Hornets are handling his free agency.

“I don’t take it seriously. What Eric said is not who he is. It’s unfortunate because people at home are pretty upset about it,” Williams told The Times Picayune on Sunday.

“Everywhere I go, somebody’s got something to say. What I would say is ‘Let’s understand how we were when we were 23.’ Give the kid some mercy. We still love him. We’re not upset with him. We understand the process. It’s unfortunate that it happened this way, but that’s just a part of it.”

Gordon signed a maximum contract with the Phoenix Suns late Tuesday night. But the Hornets have the right to match the deal because Gordon is a restricted free agent. However, Gordon has said his “heart” was in Phoenix, and he told reporters in Las Vegas on Friday that he would be disappointed if the Hornets matched the offer.

“If (the Hornets) were interested, there wouldn’t have been no tour, there wouldn’t have been nothing,” Gordon said, according to The Times Picayune. “There’s been no negotiations. I was right there in Indiana. I haven’t received no calls, to me personally.”

But despite Gordon’s displeasure, the Hornets have repeatedly insisted they plan to match the Suns’ offer. They have three days to match starting July 11, when free agents can officially sign with teams. Williams, though, thinks Gordon’s sentiment will “blow over” with time.

“I did the same thing when I was that age,” said Williams, who played nine years in the NBA. “You want what your peers get. You want more and none of us are worth this kind of money. I try not to get much further than that. I think it’s unfortunate that it was played out this way. But I think it will blow over soon.”

Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic reports that the Phoenix Suns and restricted free agent guard Eric Gordon have agreed to an offer sheet worth four years and $58 million.

In a prepared statement, Gordon said: “After visiting the Suns, the impression the organization made on me was incredible. Mr. [Robert] Sarver, Lon Babby, Lance Blanks, the front office staff and Coach [Alvin] Gentry run a first-class organization, and I strongly feel they are the right franchise for me. Phoenix is just where my heart is now.”

Gordon cannot sign the deal until July 11, and Coro writes that the New Orleans Hornets are expected to match it. A source told SI.com’s Sam Amick the same thing:

Source with knowledge of New Orleans' strategy says the team still plans to match despite his comments about wanting to be in Phoenix.—
Sam Amick (@sam_amick) July 04, 2012

Gordon was the key piece acquired by the Hornets when they traded Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers, and they have repeatedly expressed a desire to keep Gordon in the fold. The Hornets believe that Gordon and 10th overall pick Austin Rivers can play in the same backcourt.

The Phoenix Suns are preparing an offer for restricted free agent Eric Gordon. (Harry How/Getty Images)

The Phoenix Suns are preparing to make restricted free agent Eric Gordon a “large offer” with approximately $23 million in salary-cap space, The Arizona Republic’s Paul Coro reported Saturday.

The New Orleans Hornets, though, have already reportedly promised to match any offer for Gordon, even if it ends up being a maximum-level contract of five years and $80 million. If Gordon signed an offer sheet with the Suns, the Hornets would have three days to match it.

Coro breaks down why an offer could make sense for the Suns. If Gordon signs and the Hornets don’t match, the Suns would get a prolific wing scorer. If not, it would show fans they are committed to spending.

If Gordon was the choice and it failed, the Suns could be satisfied with showing the fan base a willingness to spend. They would still conserve the cap space for a trade taking on money in the summer or during the season — or 2013 free agency, when they would be interested in Oklahoma City shooting guard James Harden.

The Hornets acquired Gordon from the Los Angeles Clippers in the Chris Paul trade last December. Gordon averaged 20.6 points per game on 45 percent shooting. But he only played in nine games while battling knee and back injuries.

But despite his injury history, the Hornets see Gordon as a key part of their future core, along with recent Top 10 draft picks Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers.

The Hornets are planning to match any offer to restricted free agent Eric Gordon. (Harry How/Getty Images)

The New Orleans Hornets plan to match any offer presented in free agency to shooting guard Eric Gordon, The Times Picayune‘s John Reid reported. From the report:

All indications point toward the Hornets making a concerted effort to re-sign their restricted free agent, shooting guard Eric Gordon.

New Orleans appears ready to match any offer Gordon might get on the open market, even if means extending him a maximum-money contract of five years worth $80 million, league sources said.

The Hornets acquired Gordon from the Los Angeles Clippers in the Chris Paul trade last December. Gordon thrived during the games he played in New Orleans, scoring 20.6 points per game on 45 percent shooting. He didn’t play in many games, though — only nine, while he battled knee and back injuries.

But despite his injury history, the Hornets are prepared to make Gordon a focal point of their future core. They are expected to take Kentucky’s Anthony Davis with the No. 1 pick in next week’s NBA Draft, and they also have the No. 10 pick.

Reid reports that the Hornets’ payroll stands at $38.3 million, “one of the lowest in the league” and more than $20 million under the salary cap before the free-agency period begins in July.

New Orleans Hornet star Eric Gordon’s eighth grade brother, Eron Gordon, has received an offer from Indiana’s head coach Tom Crean over the weekend, according to CBS Sports.

“I don’t pay too much mind to [expectations],” Gordon told the Indianapolis Star. “I just play as hard as I can and hope I can be even better.”

Eron Gordon plays with the U-15 Eric Gordon Central Stars on the AAU circuit, and attends Westlane Middle School. He plans to follow in his brother’s footsteps and attend North Central High School.

Gordon plans to take an unofficial visit to Purdue this weekend, and will most likely receive an offer from the Boilermakers.

Eric Gordon played one year for Indiana before entering the NBA.

Eric Gordon will return to the New Orleans Hornets’ lineup tonight against the Denver Nuggets, according to The Times-Picayune.

“I’m looking forward to playing (today), and that’s just really what I’m looking for. For sure,” Gordon told the paper. “It’s an overall decision. Like I’ve told a lot of people, it’s an overall decision. I practiced today, and I felt fine. I’m ready to move forward into playing.”

Gordon, the centerpiece of the L.A. Clippers’ trade package to acquire Chris Paul from the Hornets last month, has been out for most of the season with a sore knee. He’s played just two games in a Hornets uniform, averaging 21.0 points and 5.0 rebounds.

He has not played since Jan. 4 where he scored 22 points while grabbing six rebounds in a 93-101 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Last season Gordon played in 56 games for Los Angeles, and averaged 22.3 points per game.

New Orleans Hornets shooting guard Eric Gordon told the Indianapolis Star that he has interest in potentially joining the Indiana Pacers when he becomes a free-agent this offseason.

“It’s going to be interesting,” Gordon told the paper. “It’s all about whatever happens, happens. Coming back here would be a lot of pressure, but I think it would be good for the fans. We’ll see. You never know where this summer will take me.”

Gordon, 23, grew up in Indiana and spent one season at Indiana University before being entering the NBA draft. In his sole season with the Hoosiers, he averaged 20.9 points and 1.3 steals per contest.

Following this season, Gordon will be a restricted free-agent, meaning that the Hornets can match any offer given to the fourth-year-pro. New Orleans acquired Gordon this offseason as part of the deal that send star point guard Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers. Due to a knee injury, he has only been able to play two games this season.

Last year in 56 games played for the Clippers, he averaged 22.3 points and 4.4 assists per contest.

Eric Gordon wasn’t able to reach an agreement on a contract extension with the New Orleans Hornets by Wednesday night’s deadline, but he insists that it wasn’t solely his decision.

“It wasn’t that I turned down anything,” Gordon told John Reid of the Times Picayune. “It works both ways. Yes, I’ll be [a restricted free agent], but I am just a basketball player right now, and the future is unclear. All I can do is worry about coming back at this point to try and help the team win games at the end of the year.”

Gordon, the centerpiece of the L.A. Clippers’ trade package to acquire Chris Paul from the Hornets last month, has been out for most of the season with a sore knee. He’s played just two games in a Hornets uniform, averaging 21.0 points and 5.0 rebounds.

The Hornets are 3-15 this season, the worst record in the Western Conference, heading into tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic.

The New Orleans Hornets already have the worst record in the Western Conference at 3-14, and they’ll have trouble improving upon that mark without star shooting guard Eric Gordon. Gordon is still nowhere near a return from his bruised right knee, according to NBA.com.

“Eric is going to probably be out for another three weeks,” coach Monty Williams  said before tonight’s game against the Thunder. “We will reevaluate after that time. Doctors think he needs more time. It’s prudent for us as an organization is to make sure he’s right before he comes back.”

Gordon, the centerpiece of the Clippers’ trade for Chris Paul last month, has missed 15 of the Hornets’ first 17 games due to the knee ailment. He averaged 21.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in the two games he did play, a win over Phoenix and a loss to Philadelphia.

Further complicating the Gordon situation, the team has until midnight to offer the young guard a contract extension. Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports reported last night that the NBA had approved a potential offer to retain Gordon; at the moment, the team remains tight-lipped on whether a deal will get done in time.

New Orleans Hornets guard Eric Gordon is expected to miss two to three weeks with a knee injury, according to the New York Times.

Gordon has been struggling with bruising in his right knee over the past several weeks. The injury forced Gordon to miss four games earlier in the season. The 23-year-old saw his knee swell up after Wednesday’s 93-101 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, according to The Times, which is why team doctors have suggested he rest the injury.

In just two games played this season Gordon is averaging 21 points and 5.6 rebounds per game for the Hornets. Last year for the Los Angeles Clippers, he registered a career high 22.3 points and 4.4 assists per game.

The fourth-year guard recently made headlines when he claimed that the Clippers lied to him about the potential of a trade to New Orleans.

Eric Gordon claims that the Los Angeles Clippers lied to him about the eventual trade that sent him to the New Orleans Hornets, according to Yahoo! Sports.

“All you do is take the man’s word and take that he said that no one is going to go anywhere,” Gordon told Yahoo! Sports. “… To completely lie like that is something unprofessional.”

“They literally told me as an organization that they wanted to keep me, and [the trade still] went down?”

Clippers general manager Neil Olshey, who orchestrated the deal that sent Gordon to New Orleans, and brought Chris Paul to Los Angeles, denies that he lied to Gordon.

“I’m not deceptive enough to look players in the eye and tell them something that is not true,” Olshey told Yahoo!. “And I can tell you from an ownership level, the president of our company, myself, we made a corporate decision Monday morning that when the deal didn’t go through on Sunday night we would no longer pursue the trade. And that’s when we notified our players, to get the elephant out of the room during our abbreviated training camp.”

Gordon, 23, averaged 22.3 points per game for the Clippers last season in his third year in the league.

The new-look New Orleans Hornets have lost three straight games, and Eric Gordon, the cornerstone piece of the deal that sent Chris Paul to Los Angeles and began the team’s rebuilding effort, has watched all three from the bench, out with a sore knee.

The season is still young, but already, Gordon isn’t happy.

Gordon expressed his frustration with being traded in a report today from Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports, saying that Clips executive Neil Olshey deceived him about his future in L.A.

“All you do is take the man’s word and take that he said that no one is going to go anywhere,” Gordon said. “To completely lie like that is something unprofessional.”

The Hornets originally planned to send Paul to the Lakers on Dec. 8, but that trade was nixed by league offices. The Hornets then tried the Clippers — that deal fell apart on Dec. 12, at which point Gordon claims Olshey told him he wasn’t going anywhere. Then the deal went through on Dec. 14, and Gordon was shipped to New Orleans.

Olshey denies lying to the 23-year-old guard.

“I’m not deceptive enough to look players in the eye and tell them something that is not true,” Olshey said.