Tyler Kaufman – USA Today Sports Images
It would be unwise to deny the talent of New Orleans Pelicans guard Eric Gordon. From the moment he set foot in the NBA for the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2008-2009 season, it was evident that Gordon has a great amount of skill. In that rookie year, Gordon played in 78 games and averaged 16.1 points, 2.8 assists and 2.6 rebounds in 34.3 minutes per game.
However, since coming to New Orleans beginning in the 2011-2012 season, Gordon has had a difficult time staying on the floor. In fact, over the past two seasons Gordon has only played in a total of 51 games.
Not having Gordon on the floor all that often isn’t only a shame because of Gordon’s potential as a player on this league, but also because of how him not playing has affected this New Orleans team. This is an organization that invested a ton of money and stock into Gordon and not having him on the floor has hurt their chances at being successful.
The Pelicans now have a bit of insurance for Gordon, though as they head into the 2013-2014 season. New Orleans was active this summer in making additions to their roster, completing two of the biggest deals of the off-season. Not only did they add All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday via a draft-night trade, but they also completed a sign-and-trade that landed them Tyreke Evans.
Particularly with Evans now on the Pelicans’ roster that gives New Orleans much more flexibility than they have had the past couple of years. If Gordon were to go down again with injury, they could slide Evans over to the two-guard and start Al-Farouq Aminu, who started at the three for them last season.
Obviously the Pelicans are excited about the talent that they added this summer, but that may not be the biggest benefit of their additions. Having injury insurance for Gordon is huge for this team’s chances of making the postseason. There’s no doubt the franchise would rather have Gordon healthy, but if he can’t stay that way, it won’t be as detrimental as it has been in recent seasons.
Cody Williams is a Senior Writer with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20, add him on Google and like his Facebook page.
