Gustavo Ayon injury: Hawks center disappointed, recovering

Gustavo Ayon suffered a shoulder injury in the team's first preseason game. He was at practice on Friday with an ice pack on his shoulder and talked about his disappointment with the AJC's Chris Vivlamore:

"Not good," Ayon said. "Right now there is inflammation. I will exercise and workout. Now the shoulder is weak."

Ayon had built some momentum over the summer after being named MVP at the FIBA Americas while leading Mexico to the tournament championship. Now he must fight back from injury while attempting to figure out his place with a new team that is installing a new system.

Ayon is slated to return in 4-8 weeks which is a pretty wide window as far as injury recoveries go. The key will be getting the inflammation down enough that he can once again start to build strength in the shoulder. He is not likely to return early due to the increased risk of a subsequent injury.

The Hawks will return to the court without Ayon again on Sunday when they take on the New Orleans Pelicans in Biloxi, Mississippi.

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