David Liam Kyle/Getty ImagesCleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love was suffering from left knee pain that kept him out of the lineup and required knee surgery that will sideline him for six weeks.
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Love Undergoes Surgery; Recovery Timeline Revealed
Tuesday, Feb. 14
The Cavaliers announced Love underwent arthroscopic surgery to "remove a loose body in his left knee." The announcement noted it will take "approximately six weeks" for Love to return.
Griffin Comments on Love's Timeline for Return
Monday, Feb. 13
"I would love to be able to tell you that he'll miss three games and be back, but I can't right now because we don't know," Cavaliers general manager David Griffin said, per Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.
Love Will Be Major Part of Cavs' Repeat Efforts
Love got off to a great start in 2016-17. Between October and December, he averaged 22.2 points and 10.9 rebounds a game. He also shot 45.5 percent from the field, including 41.1 percent from beyond the arc, according to Basketball-Reference.com.
The four-time All-Star has cooled off since then, though. His scoring average has dropped to 20.0 points per game, and he's connecting on only 38.4 percent of his three-point attempts.
Love's slow start to 2017 coincided with the Cavaliers losing seven of their first 14 games to begin the new year.
While Love was largely a passenger for the 2016 NBA Finals, Cleveland will need him to play a big role offensively should it reach that stage again. His decline in performance and persistent back problems are both causes for concern.
LeBron James will likely see more time at the 4 with Love out of action, while Channing Frye and Richard Jefferson may have to pick up more minutes off the bench to fill the gap that Love's injury creates.
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