New Orleans Hornets Reportedly Still Open to Trading Eric Gordon


The Eric Gordon Experience hasn’t exactly worked out very well so far in New Orleans. It’s not too surprising, given he never really wanted to be there in the first place. According to the Times-Picayune, Gordon will likely be part of trade discussions once again this summer: “In three seasons, New Orleans Hornets Coach Monty Williams has never verbally lashed out at one of his players in front of fans during a game. But in a heat of the moment situation Friday night at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City against the Utah Jazz, Williams apparently got into a shouting match with starting shooting guard Eric Gordon during a timeout with 8:47 remaining in the third quarter. The blowup came after a stretch when Gordon committed turnovers on two of the Hornets’ four possessions in the quarter and didn’t appear to hustle back in transition defensively on a possession that ended with forward Paul Millsap scoring on a layup after Anthony Davis blocked Randy Foye’s shot attempt. After Williams hastily called a timeout with his team trailing the Jazz 57-49, he shouted in Gordon’s direction. NBA.com reported that Williams had to be held back by assistant coach Randy Ayers after Gordon hollered back at him when the team went to the bench. […] Gordon sat at the end of the bench, but appeared engaged during timeouts. But after the game, Gordon appeared to be puzzled about getting benched. He also made no mention of the shouting match. He finished with seven points on two-of-three shooting, playing just more than 17 minutes. It was the Hornets’ eighth consecutive loss on the road. ‘There was nothing wrong physically, it was just his decision to take me out of the game,’ said Gordon, who remains on strict restrictions by team doctors to not play in the second game of back-to-back sets. ‘I thought we were (in a good flow). You always make adjustments throughout the game. We’re down at halftime by two points, and two or three possessions (in the third quarter), I’m out of there. I’d love to figure (it) out. You always want to do what’s best for the team. Since he took me out, he took me out. I definitely wanted to be out there for sure.’ […] The Hornets were unable to pull off a trade involving Gordon before the February trade deadline, but the franchise is still likely to remain open to trading him after this season ends, according to sources Saturday.”