Report: Kevin Love out six weeks with knee surgery

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love will miss the next six weeks with knee surgery, according to reports.

The Cavaliers are leading the Eastern Conference with a 37-16 record, but maintaining that position is about to become much more difficult. On Tuesday morning, reports broke that forward Kevin Love will miss the next six weeks with knee surgery.

The 2017 All-Star leaves a huge void in the Cleveland lineup next to LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. Love is averaging 20 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, giving the Cavaliers almost 32 minutes per game. Without him, Cleveland will have to go with some different rotations, perhaps including more minutes for Channing Frye and Richard Jefferson.

In the East, Cleveland leads the Boston Celtics by two games in the standings. If there is a silver lining, Love should be back on the court by April, giving him a few games to get ready for the postseason. If the recovery time doesn’t go as planned, the Cavaliers still have time. Nobody is going to challenge them in the first round, and likely not in the first two.

Next: NBA 1990s All-Decade First Team

Perhaps the loss of Love makes Cleveland more aggressive at the NBA Trade Deadline. The Cavaliers could add another big man, strengthening a frontcourt that will have to do dirty work down the stretch.