Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Roster, Injury News 2018: All-Star Forward Kevin Love Suffers Hand Injury
As the saying goes, when it rains, it pours.
The Cleveland Cavaliers already had to deal with rumors of dysfunction within the organization as they continue to struggle in the past few weeks, but now they will also have to make do without one of their best players for at least the next six weeks.
The Cavaliers have confirmed that All-Star forward Kevin Love has fractured the fifth metacarpal bone (pinky finger) in his left hand during the opening quarter of their game against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday and he's going to be out for a while.
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The team didn't set a timetable for Love's return, but ESPN's Brian Windhorst has reported that he's expected to be sidelined for six to eight week while he recovers from the injury.
This is definitely a big blow for the struggling Cavaliers.
"It's just unfortunate for our team,'' LeBron James said after Tuesday's game, via ESPN.
"Obviously with everything [that's] been going on as of late with our ballclub, just trying to figure out how we're going to play every night, different lineups and getting everybody into the flow, we don't need to have Kev go out like that. He's going to be out for quite a while — maybe two months — so it's just tough," he continued.
"He's a big part of this team, and it's gotta be the next-guy-up mentality. As a group, you've gotta bring what Kevin does," point guard Isaiah Thomas added.
Well, the Cavaliers can no longer use Love as a scapegoat if they continue to struggle in the coming weeks. And perhaps they will learn to appreciate his contributions to this team while he's on the shelf.
Love is averaging 17.9 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists in under 28 minutes per game this season, and he's shooting 46.3 percent from the field, 40.4 percent from beyond the arc, and 88.3 percent from the free-throw line.
