Kevin Love will return for Cavaliers from foot injury

Guess who’s back? Back again. Kevin Love’s back. Tell a friend.

Kevin Love is returning to action on Friday night for the Cleveland Cavaliers after missing 50 games due to a foot injury.

Love signed a $120 million extension with the Cavs before the season and then suffered an injury after his first week of the year. He needed surgery, which took him out for 3.5 months.

The 30-year-old forward averaged 19 points and 13.5 rebounds in the four games he did play this season. His return is probably met with mixed feelings from the Cavs. They’re battling for the worst record in the league and therefore a higher spot in the draft lottery, but maybe they figure even with Love on the floor, they’ll still have good shot at a high pick.

Love is expected to miss the team’s game on Saturday against Indiana as they ease him back into action.

Kevin Love to miss extended time after undergoing foot surgery

Kevin Love has been battling a foot injury this season that was initially believed to only need rest and rehab, but the Cleveland Cavaliers star has opted for surgery instead.

On Friday, the Cavs announced that Love underwent surgery on his left foot and will be reevaluated in six weeks.

Cavaliers say forward Kevin Love had surgery today to address continued left foot symptoms. He will now undergo an extended period of treatment and rehabilitation, with the timeline for his return to basketball activity updated in approximately six weeks.

— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpearsESPN) November 2, 2018

Love was initially expected to miss around a month with swelling in his left toe, but it sounds like he will be out even longer now that he has gone under the knife. With the Cavs 1-7 and looking like one of the worst teams in the NBA, they probably don’t want to risk Love having a lingering issue after he signed a four-year, $120 million extension this past offseason.

The Cavs are having issues both on and off the court this season, and Love’s foot injury is yet another thing that has gone wrong for the franchise in the post-LeBron era.

Kevin Love could reportedly miss more than a month with toe injury

The Cleveland Cavaliers are off to a 0-6 start to the season and just fired their head coach, and it sounds like things could get a lot worse for the team before they start to get better.

Kevin Love has missed the last two games with what the Cavs called a sore left foot, but Adrian Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst of ESPN are reporting that the All-Star forward could miss more than a month with the injury. Love has been dealing with swelling in his toe and is said to be in “intense pain,” and rest is the only way it can completely heal.

Love is the best player the Cavaliers have remaining now that LeBron James has moved on, and they decided to commit to him as their franchise cornerstone by signing him to a new four-year, $120 million contract this past offseason. The 30-year-old was averaging 19 points and 13.5 rebounds per game prior to injuring his toe.

Cleveland made a somewhat surprising decision over the weekend to fire head coach Tyronn Lue, and they may even be having some issues with their interim replacement. Everyone knew the Cavs would take a massive step back without LeBron, but things are going even worse than expected.

Kevin Love got key promise from Cavaliers before signing extension

The Cleveland Cavaliers surprised some observers by signing Kevin Love to a new four-year contract in July, even after LeBron James left the team.

Many believed the Cavaliers would tear it all down and tank in the wake of James’s departure. Love’s new contract was a major sign that Cleveland had no intention of doing so, but it turns out the star forward needed to hear those assurances too.

“The only thing I didn’t want was I didn’t want to be a team that was going to tank or be not competitive,” Love said Friday, via Chris Fedor of cleveland.com. “I’ve been a part of that for a couple of years (in Minnesota) and then we started to build something. I wanted this to be a building year and still be competitive. That was my only holdup about the whole thing. They had told me they didn’t want to take a huge step back.”

We already had hints before Love signed that the Cavaliers weren’t particularly interested in moving him. He clearly got the answer he was seeking from the Cavaliers, because it looks safe to assume that he’ll be around for a while.

10 NBA players with a lot to prove this season

The start of the NBA season is just over one week away, with the Celtics and Hornets competing in the first preseason game Friday, Sept. 28. Odds once again favor the Warriors to win it all, while Boston has the second-best title odds.

Though Golden State is a heavy favorite, last season proved even the league’s best are vulnerable. With LeBron heading to L.A., the already-loaded West has become a verifiable murderer’s row.

Get excited – the race for the Larry O’Brien Trophy begins soon. Here are 10 players with a lot to prove in the 2018-19 season.

10. John Wall, Wizards

Last season was a rough one for John Wall. After signing a $170 million extension with the Wizards, he missed two months (from late January-March) with a hand injury. He never seemed to find a real rhythm. During the season, he was criticized for being out of shape, and tempers in Washington’s locker room boiled over. Wall said the team was “not having fun right now.” The dynamics with Wall and Bradley Beal seem to be unpredictable – good today, bad tomorrow. No one questions Wall’s talent, and he’s been electric in the postseason – but this season, he needs to prove he can lead a team for a full season and be the central figure (the leader!) on a roster that actually gets along.

(more…)

Kevin Love launches new fund to focus on prioritizing mental health

Kevin Love has received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback since he opened up about his struggles with mental health in a piece he wrote for The Players’ Tribune back in March, and the reaction has inspired him to start a new foundation.

On Monday, Love announced the launch of the Kevin Love Fund, which will partner with several mental health organizations. He spoke about the new venture in an appearance on the “TODAY” show.

“We’re beating down the stigma as much as we can.”-@kevinlove dropped by to tell us about his new initiative to help people improve their physical and emotional well-being, the Kevin Love Fund pic.twitter.com/NRSH2CIccZ

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) September 18, 2018

“It’s going to empower people to really work on their physical, but also their mental well-being because we know that’s so huge,” Love said. “It’s really a special time. We’re beating down the stigma as much as we can.”

We have seen more and more star athletes opening up about their battles with mental health issues, so it’s no surprise Love has received so much support. The cause is obviously one that is very important to him, and starting a foundation will be a good way to help more people than he already has.

LeBron James congratulates Kevin Love on new contract with Cavs

LeBron James may have paved the way for Kevin Love to sign a massive contract extension when he decided to leave Cleveland for a second time, and the new Los Angeles Lakers star is looking to get a little something out of it.

Love signed a four-year, $120 million extension with the Cavs on Tuesday, and LeBron took to Twitter to congratulate him. He also wants Love to buy him dinner next time the two get together.

Secure the !!! Congrats brother @kevinlove. Nobu Malibu or Wally’s on you!!!

— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 24, 2018

LeBron’s career earnings will obviously dwarf Love’s when you factor in endorsements and other revenue streams, so perhaps they can split the bill when the Cavs visit L.A. next season.

There were various reports of tension between Love and LeBron throughout their time as teammates in Cleveland, but a lot of them were overblown. Now that both star players have secured new long-term contracts this offseason, you can’t blame them for wanting to celebrate.