In what could be a major blow to the Cleveland Cavaliers title hopes, power forward Kevin Love will reportedly be unavailable when his team takes on either the Chicago Bulls or Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Love, who suffered a dislocated shoulder in Cleveland’s series-clinching Game 4 win over the Boston Celtics, apparently won’t be ready to go at any point in the upcoming round of the playoffs.
#Cavs says F Kevin Love unavailable for team's next series.
— Tom Withers (@twithersAP) April 27, 2015
Love struggled for the most part in his first season with the Cavaliers after being traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves last summer. However, he had performed much better recently. The 26-year-old big man put up 18.3 points and 9.0 rebounds in the first three games of the first-round series against Boston.
Love was also pretty vocal following a scuffle with Celtics player Kelly Olynyk, which he deemed dirty after the game:
I thought it was a bush-league play,” Love said, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “I have no doubt in my mind that he did it on purpose.
With Love now out for the upcoming series, Cleveland will have to rely on a combination of Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov to up their scoring output on the front line. However, neither of those inside presences offer much in terms of stretching the court from outside the lane.
In short, it’s a major loss for the Cavaliers.
Photo: USA Today Sports