Pelicans officially announce Eric Gordon out 4-6 weeks

Eric Gordon was expected to miss four weeks due to a broken finger.

The official prognosis is a little more grim.

Pelicans release:

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that guard Eric Gordon underwent successful surgery this morning to repair his fractured right ring finger. Gordon sustained the injury during the third quarter of last night’s 114-99 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. His expected timetable to return is 4-6 weeks.

It’s possible nothing has changed in Gordon’s outlook. Teams commonly give longer timetables in injury releases, allowing players more leeway to avoid public scrutiny and giving them a chance to exceed public expectations.

Whether they expect Gordon to miss four or six weeks or anything between, this is bad news for the Pelicans.

Despite already being hit with a ton of injuries, they’ve climbed to 14-27 – four games out of playoff position in the Western Conference. Now, their still-bleak playoff odds shrink even further.

Gordon provided important wing depth, especially after Quincy Pondexter’s season-ending injury. New Orleans can do some juggling, starting Jrue Holiday at Norris Cole at point guard and sliding Tyreke Evans to shooting guard.

The Pelicans need a couple teams to stumble while Gordon is hurt. In the likely event that doesn’t happen, their best hope might be Gordon showing he’s healthy before the trade deadline and dealing him.