MINNEAPOLIS _ Kevin Love's left knee injury was as bad as the Cavaliers feared. Now they'll be without their All-Star power forward for at least the next month and perhaps up to six weeks.
Love had arthroscopic surgery in New York to remove a loose body from his left knee, making him the second starter the Cavs have lost this season for an extended period of time following J.R. Smith's fractured thumb.
"It's just our road every season," LeBron James said. "One of our key guys gets hurt and this year has probably been the worst out of all years."
Indeed, both Kyrie Irving and Love missed the NBA Finals two years ago because of injuries, then Irving and Iman Shumpert missed the first couple months of last season recovering from surgeries. Now Love will miss this weekend's All-Star Game in New Orleans, his first since getting traded to the Cavs, after he was selected as a reserve. Love and Smith might be on parallel tracks to return.
Smith will have another MRI on his hand during the All-Star break, but his original timetable to return was projected at 12-to-14 weeks. That would put his return date about the middle of March. Love is on a similar track now and should be back by the start of April, giving the Cavs at least the final two weeks of the regular season to reassemble their rotations before the start of the playoffs.
Love's surgery was performed in New York by Dr. David Altchek, who also repaired Love's separated shoulder two years ago.
The bigger problem for the Cavs at this point is how Love's absence impacts James, whose 37.6 minutes per game is tied with the Toronto Raptors' Kyle Lowry for the league lead. It's easily the most minutes James has played since returning to the Cavs.
The original plan was for James' minutes to start tapering off near the end of January or start of February, but that never happened and James has said repeatedly he feels great and wants to keep his minutes where they are.
"I'll rest when I retire," James said Tuesday. "As long as I'm in the lineup, we've got a chance. We good."
The Cavs hold a two-game lead over the Boston Celtics for the best record in the East and home-court advantage throughout the conference playoffs. Coincidentally, the Raptors traded for big man Serge Ibaka on the same day Love went down. The Raptors' deep slump dropped them into a tie for fourth in the East, but they are still considered perhaps the toughest matchup for the Cavs after the Raptors pushed them to six games in the conference finals last season.
Regardless, Love's absence and the thin margin in the East could make it even more difficult for coach Tyronn Lue to get James off the floor during games.
"We can't run LeBron into the ground because Kevin is out," Lue said. "Guys got to step up and be ready to play."
Channing Frye is expected to start in place of Love against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday and Lue indicated he would start Frye again Wednesday at home against the Indiana Pacers in the final game before the All-Star break. Lue also wants to work little-used James Jones into the rotation and perhaps the starting lineup, although he said Derrick Williams is not a candidate to start at this point. Williams is on a 10-day contract, but expected to remain with the Cavs for the rest of the season.
James insisted Love's absence does not place a heavier burden on him.
"It's been a burden on me since I got drafted," James said. "Why does it change now? Ain't nothing changed. I have my guys ready to play every single night."
