Kevin Love, forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers, will be sitting out for the rest of the 2015 NBA playoffs after dislocating his shoulder in the Cavs Game 4 victory against the Boston Celtics, ESPN reported.
Cleveland Cavaliers general manager David Griffin said on Tuesday about when Love might return following his injury,
“I want to make it clear that’s highly unlikely… The damage to his shoulder is extensive. This is not a situation where we’re expecting he will be available for any of this and we’re in the process of gathering information in terms of what the exact, right, next steps are and every option is on the table.”
In the midst of a tangle-up in the paint, Celtics’ Kelly Olynyk pulled out Love’s shoulder, the Inquisitr reported. This resulted in his labrum being torn away from the bone, according to Bleacher Report .
Love said about the play that lead to his injury,
“I thought it was bush league play… That’s not how you play basketball,”
And Griffin said about the play that resulted in Love’s injury,
“It sickens me that a non-basketball play resulted in what it did… But beyond that, it’s very difficult to watch because it’s totally unnatural from a basketball perspective.”
Love will need a minimum of four to six weeks to recover, which would take him out of the playoffs. Love might also have to undergo surgery to repair his injured shoulder.
The Cavaliers losing Kevin Love will take away a major weapon in the team’s arsenal. Love was part of Cleveland’s big three which included LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.
LeBron James said on Tuesday about Kevin Love,
“It’s unfortunate… I mean obviously he’s a big piece to our team. He brings os much to our team offensively and defensively. It’s a big blow for us and we’ve got to have guys step up.”
James said about the team going forward in the playoffs without Kevin Love,
“We’re good. We’re confident… We’re a confident bunch, but we’re starting a series off with two of our main guys out and like I said, we have the depth. We have guys who can step up. There’s no excuses for our team and we have to prepare ourselves to win.”
Along with Kevin Love being out for the rest of the playoffs, the Cavaliers will also need to make do without J.R. Smith for two games after he struck Boston’s Jae Crowder in the face. The Cavaliers will have time to regroup following the loss of Love and Smith as they await the winner of the series between the Chicago Bulls and the Milwaukee Bucks.
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