Rumblings surrounding Kevin Love and a potentially lengthy absence from the floor have been percolating for a while and, on Friday, things came to a head in the form of surgery for the All-Star big man. First, Joe Vardon of The Athletic broke the news that Love would be absent for at least six weeks after a procedure on his injured toe.
Kevin Love has surgery on his left toe, per sources, and his status will be updated in six weeks.
— Joe Vardon (@joevardon) November 2, 2018
From there, the team itself announced Love’s surgery, indicating that the move is “to address continued left foot symptoms.” Officially, Love’s status will be updated in six weeks and it is also worth noting that a timeline for reevaluation is not the same as a projected return to the floor in that same time period.
In the four games to this point without Love, the Cavs are 1-3 with only a home victory over the lottery-bound Hawks and, even with the caveat that Love was off to a slow start, Cleveland absolutely needs him on the floor to operate at the level they would like. With that said, this does open the door for the Cavaliers to push forward into a potential full-fledged rebuild, even if Love’s injury may aid in actually deflating his own trade value, should Cleveland look to explore his market this season.
Without Love, the Cavs are firmly among the bottom tier of NBA teams and, even when he’s healthy, Cleveland’s upside is greatly limited. When coupled with the ongoing weirdness in the head coaching position, it might be a long season for the Cavs in year one without LeBron James.
