News regarding the return of Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love from surgery he had two months ago has been clouded in uncertainty because of a lack of information.
However, the Cavaliers offered an update on Thursday that indicates that Love’s rehabilitation has advanced to the point where he can begin the process of returning to the court.
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It remains uncertain exactly what’s involved with respect to “select basketball activities,” though that likely includes cardio training for Love, who hasn’t played an NBA game since October. Originally, he was expected to return sometime this month, though the exact timetable depends on how well these final stages of rehabilitation go for the veteran.
The 30-year-old Love first began experiencing pain in his foot during the preseason and was held out of the Cavaliers’ exhibition games. He played in just four regular season games, the last coming on Oct. 24, before he underwent his surgery in New York on Nov. 2.
A quick look at Love’s overall numbers for those four contests wouldn’t immediately appear to show a problem, considering he was averaging 19.0 points, 13.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
However, a look at his shooting percentages would pinpoint the existence of a problem, since he was only hitting 32.3 percent of his shots from the field and 29.2 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. Both numbers are far below his career numbers of 44.3 and 37.0, respectively.
Last month, there had been hope that Love could return at some point during the Cavaliers’ upcoming Western road trip. That six-game swing gets underway next Wednesday and spans 11 days, the last contest taking place in Denver on Jan. 19.
Love’s ability to potentially deliver a double-double every night would help provide a boost to a staggering Cavs team. The Cavaliers enter Friday night’s home game against Utah with an 8-30 record and have dropped their last seven games.
