The Cleveland Cavaliers, who LeBron James will tell you are already lacking playmakers, will be without one of their All-Stars for the next six weeks after Kevin Love had surgery on his left knee.
The team announced Love’s surgery was to remove a “loose body” from his left knee, and a six week timetable would mean the star power forward will be out until very late March or early April. Losing Love (on Valentine’s Day, no less) means the Cavaliers will likely sign Derrick Williams, currently on a 10-day contract, for the season as he has gotten the stamp of approval from LeBron James and would fill the depth need at power forward.
With Love out, it will be interesting to see how the Cavs handle the trade market, with James having already pressured them to get a point guard. If Williams is indeed deemed the fit to replace Love in the short term and serve as his backup once he returns, that should allow the Cavs to continue moving forward in search of backcourt help. Having already dealt an injured Chris Anderson and cash to clear roster space, the Cavs have put themselves in a position to continue acquiring pieces.
The #Cavs announce Kevin Love is out for six weeks. Toronto making moves. Gonna be an interesting couple months in the Eastern Conference. pic.twitter.com/dvTDSrQYQD
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) February 14, 2017
Love coming back in early April would leave time for him to get back into the Cavs rotation before the playoffs. However, with the Celtics and Wizards charging up the standings and the Raptors making a deal to land Serge Ibaka, Cleveland could find itself entering the playoffs without the top seed in the Eastern Conference after going six weeks without Love.
Love’s injury also will keep him out of this weekend’s All-Star game, meaning a roster spot on the Eastern Conference squad will need to be filled. Names like Bradley Beal and Carmelo Anthony are in the mix.
