Pelicans' Eric Gordon healing from knee surgery, expects to start playing in July

Eric Gordon is no stranger to the rehabilitation process.

While that's largely a negative, it also means you can probably trust him with some degree of certainty when he expresses confidence in how he's recovering from his latest surgery, a minor procedure to clean up his left knee.

“The knee is doing well,” Gordon told VigilantSports.com. “I’ve been running, moving around very well now. There’s no rush but I mean I’m good now. I'll start playing around July.”

Gordon underwent the surgery in the season's final week and was similar to procedures he's had on his right knee in the past. In all, Gordon has spent nearly as much time hurt as playing, having missed 165 of a possible 476 games in his six-year career (34.7 percent).

This past season, Gordon managed to appear in 64 games, the most since his 2008-09 rookie season, but averaged a career-low 15.4 points and a 14.9 player efficiency rating, the rare time he has been below the league-average mark of 15.

While Gordon has two years and $30.4 million left on his contract, he may not be long for New Orleans if his knees are healthy and the Detroit Pistons have interest in his services.

[Dap PBT]