National Basketball Association

Hornets' Gordon out 3 more weeks

Published Jan. 25, 2012 12:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

New Orleans guard Eric Gordon will miss at least another three weeks as he recovers from a bruised right knee.

''Eric is going to probably be out for another three weeks,'' New Orleans coach Monty Williams said Wednesday night before the Hornets faced the Thunder. ''We will re-evaluate after that time. Doctors think he needs more time. It's prudent for us as an organization is to make sure he's right before he comes back.''

Gordon came to New Orleans as part of a multiplayer trade shortly before the regular season that sent Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Because of the bruised knee, Gordon has played in only two games this season, including New Orleans' season opener, when he hit the winning shot to cap a 20-point outing in Phoenix. He bruised his right knee in that game and attempted a comeback on Jan. 4, when he scored 22 points in a loss to Philadelphia.

Gordon averaged 22.3 points last season, his third as a pro since being selected seventh overall out of Indiana in the 2008 NBA draft.

Gordon would be a restricted free agent after this season if he does not sign an extension with New Orleans by midnight. Hornets officials didn't say what they were going to do with Gordon's contract about an hour before their game in Oklahoma City.

The Hornets are 1-1 in games Gordon has played and 2-13 in games he has missed. While New Orleans has played good enough defense to remain competitive in most of its games, playing without Gordon's scoring punch has hurt in crunch time. Of New Orleans' 14 losses, 10 have come by single digits, including three-straight two-point losses.