Kevin Love has missed a lot of time for the Cleveland Cavaliers due to an injury, but finally has a return date in mind. In an extra bit of good news for Cleveland, it’s a bit sooner than the initial diagnoses he received after going down in January.
Since Love broke a bone in his hand, the revamped Cavaliers have gone 10-9. But the big man appears to be nearing a return, one that would get him on the floor and get him used to playing with his new teammates before the postseason begins.
Cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon reported on Wednesday that Love is eying a return sometime next week, and that he even has an exact game in mind.
Love, who broke a bone in his left hand on Jan. 30, told cleveland.com he was hopeful to play against Phoenix at The Q on March 23. The Cavs play the East-leading Raptors on March 21 and are in Brooklyn March 25.
Love was hesitant on a precise target date — as the Cavs play every other day, which limits practice opportunities — but he’s looking at next week.
As Vardon notes, Love has been injured long enough that he has yet to play with a some of the team’s biggest contributors. Cleveland acquired George Hill, Rodney Hood, Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson at the trade deadline last month, and none of them have stepped on the court with the forward this season.
LeBron James, meanwhile, told reporters that he’s eager for the team to get back to full strength.
“I just want us to get as healthy as we can get so I know and obviously our coaching staff knows and we all know what we can become,” James said.
Cleveland sits in fourth place in the Eastern Conference and it appears like a run to the top seed is impossible now, but it’s never been about where they sit when the regular season ends. For a team looking for a deep postseason run, Love is coming back for the Cavaliers just in time.
