The Cleveland Cavaliers will continue to be shorthanded as their All-Star forward, Kevin Love, will miss their game on Wednesday against his former team, the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Love has been plagued with recurring back spasms and was forced to sit out the second half of their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday. Even after undergoing an MRI on Monday which showed no structural damage, the Cavs are expected to take a cautious approach on him as there is no need to rush him back to play at this stage of the season.
Cavs say MRI found no structural damage for Kevin Love. He remains on couch with @JasonLloydABJ and I
— Joe Vardon (@joevardon) January 31, 2017
The 28-year-old UCLA product was named an All-Star last week for the fourth time in his career after having his best season so far with the Cavaliers. He is averaging 19.9 points, 11.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists this year, providing the team with timely outside sniping and a monster on the boards.
Tristan Thompson discussed, via ESPN, what his injury meant to the team and also made it clear that he and his teammates are ready to step up in his absence.
“This has been our mantra since we all came together: Next man up. We talk about it every year: Next man up. We hope Kevin gets well, takes care of his body, because you know we’re going to need him for the long haul.”
With the Cavs poised to end up with one of the top seeds in the Eastern Conference, they will wait until Love finds himself at 100 percent. The team understands his value and knows he will be a vital cog to their quest to repeat as champions this year.
