Aaron Gordon’s frustrating odyssey through the NBA concussion protocol has ended.
Orlando Magic officials announced Monday that Gordon has “cleared” the protocol and will be available to play when the team hosts the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night at Amway Center.
“It’s good to be back with this team, back competing,” Gordon said after the Magic’s practice Monday. “It’s just fun. We’ve got a good group of guys here, so it’s good to be out on the court helping them win and just progressing.”
Gordon collided with an opposing player on March 7, experienced concussion symptoms and was placed the next day into the league’s concussion program.
Although Gordon has insisted he merely was suffering from a migraine, he didn’t pass the final stage of the league’s protocol, a test that measures short-term memory, after multiple attempts. Gordon said he failed the short-term memory test because he had scored so highly on a baseline exam conducted before this season — making it difficult for him to match his prior score.
Magic medical staff reached out to the independent neurologist appointed by the NBA to oversee its concussion program.
It’s unclear if Gordon finally passed the final test or if Gordon was cleared because his score on his preseason baseline test was difficult to match. A team spokesman would not comment, and a request to the NBA for clarification was not immediately fulfilled.
Gordon sat out the Magic’s last five games, and there were times when the Magic’s offense looked powerless without him.
He practiced energetically Monday, according to coach Frank Vogel.
“He looked really good,” Vogel said. “He played the right way. He does everything that Aaron Gordon does. He impacts the game on both ends of the floor and didn’t really show any signs of rust. I don’t know if that will be different when he gets out and plays against the No. 1 seed in the East [the Raptors]. But he hasn’t been out too long, so hopefully it’s minimal.”
The Magic’s final 12 games are critical for Gordon, who will become a restricted free agent in July.
Few teams will have significant cap space this summer, and it would help Gordon generate interest from other teams if he plays well over the next few weeks.
If Gordon suffered a concussion on March 7, it would have been his third concussion over a 23-month span.
Well wishes
Vogel feels empathy for Cleveland Cavaliers coach and former Magic guard Tyronn Lue, who has been dealing with health problems lately.
On Monday, the Cavaliers announced Lue has taken a leave of absence from coaching to address those issues.
Earlier this season, Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford also took a leave of absence to focus on his health.
“It’s concerning,” Vogel said. “It’s definitely eye-opening. This is a very stressful profession — not just coaching but head-coaching at this level, with all the variables that you have to have on your mind 24/7. It does take its toll on your health, and you have to be very cognizant about what’s going on with your body. You have to listen to your body, and you’ve got to make sure you’re taking care of your body and your mind.”
Still out
Evan Fournier (left knee sprain) and Terrence Ross (right knee bone bruise) are “not close” to returning to game action, Vogel said.
Fournier shot free throws Monday after practice, but he wore a bulky brace around his knee.
The Magic also added Jonathon Simmons to their injury report, listing him as questionable to play against the Raptors because he has a right wrist contusion.
Spreading cheer
D.J. Augustin and Khem Birch headed a contingent of Magic employees who visited Florida Hospital for Children on Monday and handed out get-well teddy bears to patients.
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