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Pelicans' Gordon says surgery on injured shoulder a last resort

Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

The New Orleans Pelicans aren't going to rush their decision on how to treat Eric Gordon's torn labrum.

Gordon said Tuesday that he and the team won't make a choice until sometime in the next two weeks, as he's hoping to avoid surgery on the left shoulder, which he injured on Saturday. He's considering surgery a last resort, even though his left labrum is completely torn.

"We'll see," Gordon told John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "If I keep on playing, it’s going to be a lingering issue. This thing doesn’t heal all the way correctly, I’ve heard, unless surgery happens."

The team will consult with their medical staff, who will help Gordon, general manager Dell Demps and head coach Monty Williams come to a collective decision. The difficulty will likely be balancing his timeline for recovery with his chance for suffering another injury, a complicated matter given Gordon's long injury history and his $15.5-million player option for next season.

In 12 games before the labrum tear, Gordon was averaging just 9.5 points in 31 minutes, shooting 39.8 percent from the floor. He had started to round back into form over the last handful of games, but the injury threatens to stall that momentum. Gordon has only once played more than 64 games in a season, back in his 2008-09 rookie campaign.

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