Cavs championship hopes take hit with Kevin Love injury
The Cleveland Cavaliers' championship aspirations took a hit on Sunday when forward Kevin Love was diagnosed with a dislocated left shoulder.
He sustained the injury in the first quarter of Cleveland's 101-93 series-ending victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 4. Boston's Kelly Olynyk grabbed and had Love's arm locked after a missed shot. After the game, Love called it a bush-league play and said he had no doubt Olynyk did it on purpose.
The average timeline for a return from a dislocated left shoulder is about four weeks — some returns are longer and some shorter depending on the severity of the injury. Before he was traded to the Cavaliers, guard Iman Shumpert dislocated his left shoulder with the New York Knicks on Dec. 12 and returned to the lineup with the Cavs post-trade on Jan. 23, a six-week absence. In 2011, Channing Frye dislocated his shoulder and returned 14 days later.
The Cavaliers did not specify if Love's injury was full or partial dislocation. A partial dislocation would mean a shorter recovery time.
Love will return to Cleveland with the Cavs later Sunday and "receive additional examination, imaging and evaluation at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health over the next 24 hours," the team said.
Certified athletic trainer Jeff Stotts said the best-case scenario for Love would be an acute dislocation with minimal damage to the surrounding soft tissue and an absence of 2-3 games. The worst case would be a dislocation with a significant torn labrum and the possibility of surgery.
On its own, it's a devastating injury for Cleveland, which likely will play the Chicago Bulls and their deep frontcourt in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Through the first three games, Love played tremendous basketball, averaging 18.3 points, nine rebounds and three assists. He also had made 47.3% of his three-pointers. In Game 3, Love had 23 points, nine rebounds and three assists.
Follow Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt.
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