Pelicans SG Eric Gordon will miss first 2 weeks of training camp

Uh-oh.

That was inevitably the sentiment of every single fan of the New Orleans Pelicans upon finding out that shooting guard Eric Gordon will be sidelined for the first two weeks of training camp. Of course, it was stressed (more than once) that Gordon’s absence is strictly a precaution in the wake of off-season ankle surgery, but we’ve all heard this act before throughout Gordon’s checkered injury past.

For further clarification, here is a quote from New Orleans head coach Monty Williams surrounding Gordon’s unavailability:

"“He’s ramping up, getting his conditioning back, since he just got his release from the doctors,” Williams said. “He’s moving toward the type of conditioning he needs to be in. I don’t want him to go out there full bore and pull a hamstring or something, because he hasn’t been going (physically) as long as the other guys have.”"

If this wasn’t Gordon himself, this explanation would be enough, but for a guy who has missed 139 games over the past 3 seasons, it doesn’t assuage any concern. The former Indiana and Clippers shooting guard has been awesome at times in the league, highlighted by the 2010-2011 season where he averaged more than 22 points a game, but he also struggled to a 40% clip from the field last season and didn’t look like a healthy, explosive player.

Until Gordon hits the court and looks like his old, explosive self, questions will abound, but I will choose to believe Monty Williams and company.

For now.