In one of the few positives to emerge from the Cleveland Cavaliers’ struggles this season, the team’s practice on Thursday presented the welcome sight of power forward Kevin Love taking part.
What remains unknown is exactly when Love will take part in an actual game again.
Kevin Love participated fully in practice today. It was a non-contact practice and Larry Drew said there was no timetable for a return, but, Love did all the stuff
— Joe Vardon (@joevardon) January 24, 2019
Love played in the season’s first four games until a nagging problem with his toe resulted in surgery being performed on Nov. 2. One of the early timetables for his return to the court was sometime in January, a timeline that becomes less likely with the start of February just eight days away.
The 30-year-old veteran injured the toe during the preseason and was held out of the five contests in order to give him the opportunity to prepare for the start of the regular season. While Love put up solid numbers with 19.0 points, 13.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, his shooting touch was noticeably affected by the injury. He connected on just 32.3 percent of his attempts from the field and only 29.2 percent on 3-pointers.
Love’s injury was one of many on a Cavaliers team that this season has collapsed from its glory years of four consecutive trips to the NBA Finals and one league title over the previous four campaigns. The departure of Love’s former teammate, LeBron James, has also been a major factor, with the Cavaliers having already made trades of some of the team’s veterans as part of a rebuilding effort.
One of the players that’s been rumored to be on the trading block has been Love himself, even though he’s expressed a willingness to be part of that rebuilding process. The possibility of him being traded likely depends on what the Cavaliers, who have shown no willingness to discard him, are offered.
The 9-40 Cavaliers, who have dropped 17 of their last 18 games, will next face the Miami Heat on Friday night at Quicken Loans Arena.
