Cavs News: Kevin Love Takes Major Step in Recovery From Surgery

The rehabilitation of Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love’s left foot following his Nov. 2 foot surgery is continuing to move forward. The veteran is now out of his walking boot and has also been part of the team’s bench for its past two home games.

Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com offered an update on Love’s progress, though the veteran isn’t expected back on the court until January. Fedor also noted that despite Love’s absence, the Cavaliers gave fans attending Monday night’s game bobbleheads of the power forward:

“On Monday morning, Love was doing more rehab work off to the side following shootaround, tossing a medicine ball up against the wall. Later that night, he was out of his walking boot, cheering on his teammates while they were making a second-half rally on his bobblehead night.”

Love struggled in the games he played in prior to the surgery, especially in the area of shooting from the field. The combination of that problem and his subsequent absence has played a key role in the Cavaliers’ slow start.

Entering training camp, Love was expected to be the centerpiece of the team’s offense. The team was hoping his production would increase in order to compensate somewhat for the loss of LeBron James in free agency.

Instead, the team dropped its first six games, leading to the dismissal of former head coach Tyronn Lue. Things failed to improve under new head coach Larry Drew, with the Cavs winning just two of their next 10 games.

However, the Cavaliers won two games on Friday and Saturday and came close to knocking off the Minnesota Timberwolves. Whether or not that’s an indication that the team has finally adjusted to all of the early-season turmoil remains to be seen. The team’s next two tests will be Wednesday night, when they play on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder, followed by a Friday night road clash against the Boston Celtics.