More bad news and drama in Cleveland. Kevin Love will miss the next 6 to 8 weeks after fracturing his left hand during the Cavaliers loss to the Pistons in Detroit on Tuesday night.
Here is the play…
https://twitter.com/danecarbaugh/status/958525042949726209?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
In spite of the drama surrounding the team and Love and his rumored rift with Isaiah Thomas, this is a huge blow for the Cavaliers as Love is still an asset as an elite rebounder and second scoring option who is shooting 40% from three-point range this season.
Any time you lose an All-Star for two months it is going to take a toll on a team.
You can expect Jae Crowder to reclaim his starting role in Love’s stead and Tristan Thompson to play even more minutes for a front court starved Cavs team. The person who benefits the most from this injury in the short term is Channing Frye, who should play a consistent 20 or more minutes per game now and this may limit the chances they include him in a trade over the next week.
Interestingly enough, Frye has the best plus/minus on the team and he will be able to fill the stretch four role of Love well to maintain spacing on the offensive end.
Expect Love back for the final month and 20 or so games of the season.
Will the Cavaliers ever mesh with their current core? It feels less likely that will ever happen this season.
