Kevin Love nearly had his arm ripped off by Kelly Olynyk of the Celtics on Sunday.
Love dislocated his left shoulder during Sunday’s playoff game between the Cavaliers and Celtics. The injury occurred when Olynyk and Love locked arms, with Olynyk yanking on Love’s arm.
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ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reports Love is expected to miss at least two weeks of action.
Nothing will be known for sure until MRI but word within Cavs team tonight is Kevin Love likely out a minimum of 2 weeks.
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) April 27, 2015
Pro Basketball Talk notes that shoulder dislocations commonly result in “more than month” of recovery.
Kevin Love had some strong words for Kelly Olynyk & the play that dislocated his shoulder. » http://t.co/sHWXY3Vfrg pic.twitter.com/wM3k7vNVoi
— ESPN (@espn) April 26, 2015
Love’s absence is bad news for LeBron James and the Cavaliers, who went on to win Sunday’s game to eliminate Boston. Cleveland will likely play the Chicago Bulls (currently leading the Bucks 3-1) in the second round, and the Bulls bring a big front line to the court.
After struggling to find his role with the Cavs during the regular season, Love was beginning to click in the playoffs, averaging 18 points and 9 rebounds per game while shooting 47 percent from three.
The injury is serious and it could mean Love’s first year with Cleveland is over if they’re eliminated in the next round.
Meanwhile, Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports the Celtics and Lakers are considered frontrunners to land Love in free agency this summer if he doesn’t re-sign with the Cavaliers.
