In new comments after his recent knee surgery, Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon says he didn’t think he needed the procedure during the past NBA offseason.
When head coach Mike D’Antoni disclosed last week that Gordon’s knee pain dated back to last season, many fans naturally wondered if the 30-year-old should have had the procedure during the summer — when the projected six-week recovery timetable would not have forced him to miss any games of the 2019-20 regular season.
However, in speaking with reporters this week at Toyota Center, Gordon said he did not view the prior pain as worthy of surgery.
I’ve been dealing with this since last season, I’m pretty sure coach told you about that. Along the way, it just got worse and worse. It’s something that needed to happen, and so it’s definitely a major relief. Now I can go out there and play free.
It just got worse over time, and it was really affecting what I do. I couldn’t be as athletic as I wanted to be, and that was something I was really working on. That’s what I was worried about, more the rehab and doing things to keep me out there on the floor, instead of just worrying about playing. But I’ll get back to that here very soon.
Eric Gordon (@TheofficialEG10) meets with media for 1st time since having his right knee scoped: “I’m rehabbing quickly. I know it’s going to be a 5to6 week process.” (Was a relief to find the problem & fix it) “It was a major relief.I’ve been dealing with this since last season” pic.twitter.com/BKNwkTtD2I
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) November 19, 2019
The knee problem likely contributed to Gordon’s much worse than expected start to the season — with shooting percentages of 30.9% overall and 28.4% from three-point range. Both figures are well below the 41.4% and 36.4% percentages logged by Gordon during his first three seasons in Houston, and his current average of 10.9 points per game is the lowest of any season in his 12-year career.
“I know it’s going to be a six-week process,” said Gordon, who signed a multi-year contract extension with the Rockets in September. “I’ve just got to follow it and get back out there as soon as I can.”
Even with Gordon missing time, the Rockets (11-3) entered Wednesday with the NBA’s longest active winning streak at eight games. As one might expect, Gordon is hoping to get back as quickly as possible to help his teammates continue their run of success.
I just like how we’re playing, I like our record. It’s good that we got off to a good start. By the time I come back, hopefully we can continue to keep thriving.
Six weeks from his Nov. 13 surgery date is Dec. 25, which is when the Rockets have a nationally televised game at Golden State as part of the NBA’s annual Christmas Day slate. If Gordon returns then, that would mean he misses 20 total games due to the procedure.
[lawrence-related id=17776,16928]