Kevin Love out 4-6 months after shoulder surgery
Any hope that Kevin Love could return to the Cleveland Cavaliers at some point during the team's playoff run was erased on Wednesday, as the Cavs provided an unfortunate update on Love's injured left shoulder.
Cavaliers forward Kevin Love underwent successful surgery this afternoon at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City to repair his dislocated left shoulder. The surgery was performed by Dr. David W. Altchek. Continuing treatment and rehabilitation at Cleveland Clinic Courts and Cleveland Clinic Sports Health will be conducted by the Cavaliers’ medical staff and Head Team Physician Dr. Richard D. Parker. His projected recovery time is four to six months.
Love had already been ruled out for Cleveland's second-round series against the Chicago Bulls or Milwaukee Bucks, but the official four-to-six month prognosis has to be deflating for Cleveland fans awaiting the city's first major sports championship in 51 years.
Love sustained the injury in Sunday's series-clinching Game 4 win in Boston, when Celtics center Kelly Olynyk appeared to yank his arm as the two big men got tangled in the first quarter.
Love called the play by Olynyk, who was later suspended one game, "bush league."
The presence of All-Stars LeBron James and Kyrie Irving gives the Cavs a chance on any given night, but Love's ability to pull 2014 Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah away from the basket was thought to be an integral component of a potential Cavs-Bulls matchup, assuming Chicago holds off the Bucks.
With Love's floor-stretching ability now a non-factor, and starting shooting guard J.R. Smith set to miss two games due to suspension, the Cavs will be hard-pressed to reach the Eastern Conference finals.
In addition to the Cavs' title odds taking a major hit, Love's future in Cleveland will now come into focus, as the three-time All-Star can become an unrestricted free agent this summer by opting out of a 2015-16 player option worth more than $16.7 million.
Love, who was acquired in a summer blockbuster that sent No. 1 overall pick (and Rookie of the Year) Andrew Wiggins to Minnesota, could also opt in for (at least) one more year in Cleveland, postponing free agency until 2016, when the NBA's lucrative new media rights deal causes the salary cap to spike.
Love's individual numbers took a hit in his first season with the Cavs, as he filled a complementary role behind James and Irving and perhaps wasn't used optimally, but the 26-year-old remains an All-Star-caliber talent capable of posting prodigious numbers.
While his relationship with James was the subject of scrutiny all season, he received praise from the four-time MVP after a 23-point, nine-rebound performance in Game 3 against the Celtics, with James calling Love's play in his postseason debut "unbelievable."