The Cleveland Cavaliers have officially suffered a major blow to their championship hopes. The team has learned star power forward Kevin Love’s shoulder injury will keep him out a considerable amount of time and may ultimately end his season.
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According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports, Love has been ruled out for the entire second round of the playoffs:
Cavs say Kevin Love (shoulder) is unavailable for the East Semis and his status beyond that will be determined over the next several days.
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) April 27, 2015
Love dislocated his left shoulder after getting tangled up with Kelly Olynyk of the Boston Celtics in Game 4 on Sunday. The following is a description of Love’s, via Spears:
Love has "an acute anterior inferior glenohumeral dislocation with the corresponding ligament/labrum tearing and humeral head bone bruising"
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) April 27, 2015
With Love ruled out of the second round against either the Chicago Bulls or Milwaukee Bucks, the road to the 2015 NBA Finals has gotten than much tougher for the Cavaliers. The Bulls currently have a 3-1 lead on the Bucks and will likely advance to face Cleveland setting up a compelling matchup between arguably the two best teams in the Eastern Conference.
Along with LeBron James and company no longer having Love on the floor for a crucial second-round series, the rumors surrounding Love’s immediate future continue to swirl. Although Love has downplayed any talk of him leaving Cleveland this summer, all signs seem to point to him at least considering heading elsewhere with the Los Angeles Lakers potentially being his desired destination.
Following the news of Love’s injury timetable, Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding mentioned the Lakers keeping an eye on the three-time All-Star:
Kevin Love's injury has major big-picture ramifications. His potential free agency remains at the forefront of the Lakers' thoughts.
— KEVIN DING (@KevinDing) April 27, 2015
Love’s future in Cleveland is by no means set in stone and this severe injury may ultimately mark the end of his short stint with the Cavaliers. Although there’s a chance Love moves on and signs with the Lakers or another team NBA free agency, there’s still a long way to go with a long-term deal with Cleveland isn’t out of the realm of possibility just yet.
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