Cleveland Cavaliers star power forward Kevin Love is expected to miss the next six weeks after undergoing successful left knee surgery to remove a loose body from his knee, the team announced today.
Here’s the official statement from the Cavaliers today:
Cavaliers forward and 2017 NBA All-Star Kevin Love underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove a loose body from his left knee this morning at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. The procedure was performed by Dr. David Altchek with Dr. James Rosneck of the Cleveland Clinic present. Love will now undergo a period of rest and rehabilitation and his return to play is estimated at approximately six weeks. His status will be updated as appropriate.
Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue will start Channing Frye in place of Love when the Cavaliers play the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday and the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday. Lue will also divide up minutes between James Jones, Derrick Williams, and LeBron James at the four-spot.
Kevin Love is set to miss six weeks due to a knee injury.
(Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Love was reportedly experiencing discomfort and swelling in his knee following the Cavaliers’ win over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night. With the projected timetable for return being six weeks, Love will likely return to the starting lineup with two weeks to go in the regular season as the Cavaliers gear up for a chance to repeat as NBA champions.
“Sucks,” James said at Cavaliers shootaround on Tuesday when asked about the news about the severity of Love’s injury, per ESPN. “It’s just our road every season. One of our key guys get hurt and this year has probably been the worst out of all years — having our starting 2-guard [J.R. Smith] out for so long and now having our All-Star power forward out for an extended period of time.
The Cavaliers sit atop the Eastern Conference with a 37-16 record, which is also good for the 4th best in the NBA. Love’s injury could clear the way for the Boston Celtics or the Washington Wizards to move into the number one seed, as Boston is only 2 games back of Cleveland, while the Wizards are 4.5 back.
Love is currently having the best season of his Cleveland Cavaliers playing alongside James and star guard Kyrie Irving, averaging 20.0 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. The 28-year-old Love also made his 4th NBA All-Star team this season, but will likely be replaced by either Kristaps Porzingis or Joel Embiid.
