Injury issues continue to plague the Cavaliers, who will be without another key rotation player for the foreseeable future. According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com (via Twitter), All-Star big man Kevin Love will undergo a scope on his left knee, and is expected to be sidelined for the next six weeks. The Cavaliers confirmed the news this morning in a press release, announcing that Love underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove a loose body from his knee.
The Cavaliers had already been missing J.R. Smith, whose broken thumb is expected to keep him out of action until sometime in March, and Iman Shumpert, who has been out for the last week due to a sprained ankle. The team also lost Chris Andersen for the season due to a torn ACL, though the Birdman is no longer on the roster, having been sent to the Hornets in a trade on Monday.
With Love out of action, Tristan Thompson could see an uptick in his playing time, and newly-acquired Derrick Williams figures to get more minutes than expected. Still, the Cavs may have to consider adding a big man using the open spot on their roster. Channing Frye is currently the only other healthy big man on the roster, so the team will have to rely heavily on small lineups in the short term.
While Love – along with Smith and Shumpert – should be back well before the playoffs begin, the Cavaliers’ hold on the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference looks increasingly tenuous. The Celtics and Wizards have been red hot in recent weeks, and are gaining ground on Cleveland, while the Raptors just fortified their roster by reaching a deal to acquire Serge Ibaka.
Cavs can’t get a break with all these injuries.
Is ok, as soon as LeBron starts crying again the team will trade for a couple more superstars…
Is ok, the Knicks are a mess and will continue to be a mess for years to come. Same applies to the Nets if that’s your team.
I’ll make it easier for you, i’m a Knicks fan… Now, even if the Knicks were the best team in the NBA it wouldn’t make a difference in my life, so your point was? I bet you got offended because i took a shot at your boyfriend… Bobo!
Aren’t Yankees fans just the classiest guys around?
Nah… That title belongs to the sox fans…
I’m a Pacers fan so I could care less about the Cavs. But considering you seem to be the classic Knick fan, you’re still probably upset that he chose Miami over New York right?
I would rather see the Knicks be mediocre for another decade than to see LeBron in a Knicks uniform…
Yankees fans have gone off the deep end since they lost the ability to buy championships.
As long as we get healthy before the playoffs,I’m fine with these injuries. The playoffs are all that matter.
I tend to agree with you Andrew. At the same time, the Raptors are getting a lot better with Ibaka today.
Time for LeBron to cry some more
Yep. I need another All-Star, especially one that isn’t scared to take the last shot, like Kyrie!
Kevin Love is always hurt man wtf. Geez, now Lebron will grow his case for MVP through this stretch.
Gosh Love is such a bum. Best thing ever to see him leave MN. Completely rude and arrogant. Even stiffed a waitress at the target center AFTER getting half off by shorting the bill a dime and looking at her and going “you don’t care about 10 cents do ya?” And walked away. Hope he is injured the rest of his career. It’s already a sham he has a ring. Anyone else remember him openly saying he would never sign in Cleveland? Guy is a joke and a whiner.
-waitress
Nah just worked there bud. Listen to the guy.. you don’t have to take it from me. “Love, The disgruntled waitress”…
You seem mad
On a positive note, this opens the door for my Celtics
Maybe now the Knicks can make the Love-Mello trade work.
What was the injury in the first place ? I don’t remember even reading about Love going down.
I’m just surprise that the GSW have been as healthy as they have been the last 3 seasons.
Agreed. Most teams and players suffer the occasional injury here and there. LeBron has been an exception for the most part (when you don’t count his rest). Especially given Curry’s history with his ankles (although to be fair he had some issues with them last postseason) and Durant’s (when he went through a year or two of foot issues), I’m surprised they haven’t had a hiccup or minor injury yet. I know Klay missed the last game against Denver and their bigs have missed the occasional game here and there, but their main guys have been surprisingly consistently healthy. Even their main backups from the past couple of years (Clark, Iggy, Livingston, Speights) have all been healthy.
It’s a lot easier to be healthy when you’re just staying outside shooting 3’s or setting up spot shots inside.
Not trying to diss GSW, they are an awesome team, but their style of play is nowhere near as taxing on the body as other styles that rely on a lot of crossovers and inside driving, trying to outmaneuver defenders or power through for a layup or something.