Kevin Love hasn't gotten a chance to play with his new teammates yet. Cleveland shook the NBA world when it traded away half the Cavaliers roster to put a jolt into a miserable season. The results have been mixed, but part of that has been the absence of Love, who broke his hand late in January before the trade deadline.
It's hard to fully gauge the Cavs without Love in the lineup, but that could change in the very near future. Love has said that he's aiming for a return some time next week. March 23 is currently the date he's aiming for, but that could change with limited practice time. via Cleveland.com
Kevin Love said he's looking to return to the Cavaliers later next week.
Love, who broke a bone in his left hand on Jan. 30, told cleveland.com he was hopeful to play against Phoenix at The Q on March 23. The Cavs play the East-leading Raptors on March 21 and are in Brooklyn March 25.
Love was hesitant on a precise target date -- as the Cavs play every other day, which limits practice opportunities -- but he's looking at next week.
Kevin Love was having a fantastic season early on. However, when Isaiah Thomas returned from injury, Love's touches went down and his numbers took a dip as well. Thomas isn't around anymore and Love is back to being the clear No. 2 option in Cleveland.
It will be interesting to see how he fits with the new Cavs surrounding him, such as Larry Nance Jr. Cleveland has found that its best lineups since the trade involve Nance on the floor, and he might be someone that is going to close out games next to Love. He'll need to use the end of the season to build a rapport with his new teammates so they can enter the playoffs comfortable with each other.