The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Love practices, could return to action soon
Kevin Love practices with the Cavs on March 14 as he continues to recover from knee surgery and could begin playing during an upcoming road trip out West.
Cavaliers general manager David Griffin had some good news concerning injured forward Kevin Love, who has been out since undergoing knee surgery Feb. 14.
Love practiced three-onthree during the morning shootaround at the Cavaliers’ practice courts in Independence, Griffin said before the Cavs played Detroit on March 14, exactly four weeks since the surgery. The practice session was a major step in Love’s return to the lineup.
Love did not play against the Pistons and he will not play against the Utah Jazz on March 16, but he could be back in the lineup soon after that. After playing the Jazz the Cavaliers go on the road at the Los Angeles Clippers on March 18, at the Los Angeles Lakers on March 19 and at Denver on March 22. The road trip ends in Charlotte on March 24.
“I would anticipate that he’ll play sometime on the road trip,” Griffin said. “Everything that happens for him is just a step in the process. Every next step you take in a rehab situation when you come back from surgery allows for the possibility of swelling and setback. It’s just how it goes. That’s why the timeline was what it was.
“If he doesn’t practice until the end of the week, that’s fine. That’s not something we would consider a setback. It’s just what we anticipate.”
Earlier in the day, Love used his Instagram account @Kevinlove to send a picture of his orange “0” jersey hanging in his locker at Quicken Loans Arena. That began a frenzy of anticipation he might play against Detroit — especially since the shootaround earlier in the day was closed to the media.
“He did that to mess with y’all,” Coach Tyronn Lue said before the game. “He came into my office and said, “You’re going to get a lot of questions today.’ I said ‘Why?’ He said because he posted something about his jersey in his locker, but, he’s not playing tonight.”
The Cavaliers reported Love would need six weeks of recovery and rehab before he could play again. Returning in the middle of next week would put his return a week ahead of schedule.
The Cavaliers were just 6-6 since losing Love before playing the Pistons. They were 2-5 this month.
Love was averaging a team-high 11.1 rebounds a game when he was injured in a game against the Denver Nuggets on Feb. 11. He was averaging 20 points a game.
Channing Frye replaced Love as a starter initially but Richard Jefferson has since replaced Frye as the starter.