There is renewed excitement surrounding the Cleveland Cavaliers these days. The trade deadline brought fresh blood and young legs into a locker room that desperately needed it. But while those pieces will help the team in the interim, the team won’t hit it’s ceiling without the presence of Kevin Love.
In an interview with NBCSports, Love opened up about when he expects himself to return to the lineup:
“I’m probably about two weeks out from getting this movable cast off for good, and then from there about a few weeks after that before I get back,” Love told NBCSports.com about his recovery from a fractured left hand. “So I have a good amount of time, about a month.”
Now, if we’re taking Love’s words literally, four weeks from this interview would put a return at March 17th. The Cavs play the Bulls on March 17th, the sixth and final game of their longest road rip of the season. It’s probably unlikely that Love would play during that stretch, making his likely return date March 19th at home against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Assuming Love doesn’t experience any setbacks, this would give him around 13 games to work his way back into playing shape prior to the playoffs. That should be enough time for him to integrate himself into the lineup so that the team is firing on all cylinders when the games begin to matter. As a player who isn’t ball dominant, Love’s transition should be relatively smooth.