Pelicans Injury News: Eric Gordon Out Indefinitely

Eric Gordon of the New Orleans Pelicans is out indefinitely with a shoulder injury (torn labrum)

Eric Gordon of the New Orleans Pelicans has a history of injuries — and the bug has struck him again. He’ll be out indefinitely after suffering a left shoulder separation that tore his labrum as a result. As per the Pelicans official press release, he’ll be looked at throughout the week to determine a timeline.

It’s a shame for Gordon, who had finally gotten over the early season funk that had him shooting just 28.8 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from the foul line through seven games. Through his next four games, he was shooting 57.1 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from the 3-point line.

He was injured early in the Pelicans game in Utah on Saturday, November 22. The medical term for his separation was a “subluxation,” which means that the shoulder popped out and then popped back into socket. That jarring puts a severe strain on the labrum, which is the current issue.

The labrum’s main function is essentially to keep the shoulder in it’s socket, along with the ligaments. Typical recovery time varies depending on the type and severity of the tear, but Johns Hopkins Medicine notes that it is “believed that it takes at least four to six weeks for the labrum to re-attach itself to the rim of the bone, and probably another four to six weeks to get strong.”

That’s bad news for the Pelicans, who have been one of the more surprising teams in the Western Conference this season, currently sitting at 7-5. Anthony Davis has been a man amongst boys and having another scoring threat like Gordon on the court only spreads the floor more for Davis to work.

The Pelicans will have to lean on Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday and Ryan Anderson to spread the floor, with Austin Rivers being the most likely candidate to pick up the starting minutes.

Next: NBA Power Rankings: Can The Pelicans Soar Without Gordon?