Kevin Love “hoping” he can return before missing eight weeks

Kevin Love is hoping he can return before the eight weeks the eight-week timetable his doctor set for him. Just this week, reports indicated that Love was not currently on track to return before the end of March. He has been out since breaking a bone in his hand on Jan. 29 against the Pistons.

“If I can get back before eight weeks, great, so I’m hoping that that is the case,” he said Friday, per cleveland.com.

Love said that he can “catch the ball, guide it and shoot it within 12-15 feet, so that feels good to do something other than run on the treadmill or run on the bike,” per cleveland.com — the first public notion that he can do anything other than cardio. He also worked out with a protective glove on his hand at Friday’s practice.

Love’s return can’t come soon enough for the Cavs, as he has yet to play a game with all of the team’s new pieces. But it’s also likely not worth him coming back before he’s ready. How this plays out over the next few weeks is going to be a key story to keep an eye on.