CLEVELAND -- For the third time in four seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kevin Love has suffered a significant injury -- this time a broken left hand earlier this week.
For the second consecutive season, he will miss extended time and his chance to play in the All-Star Game.
"It's just one of those unlucky s--- luck kind of things. You can quote me on that," Love said. "It's frustrating. It's not just All-Star, it's missing time ... When I looked at [trainer] Steve Spiro kind of walking off the court I said, 'I know this feeling, this sucks, I can't believe it. Two years in a row.'"
Love suffered the injury Tuesday in Detroit in the first half and still doesn't exactly know how it happened, even after reviewing film. He consulted with several doctors including seeing a specialist in New York before deciding he would not have surgery.
There was a chance that surgery could've enabled him to return sooner. But ultimately, Love said, it was decided not to have the procedure, and he's projected to miss eight weeks.
"The connotation or the idea in sports is any time you go under the knife it's bad," Love said. "In some cases, at least with the hand, you understand that with certain breaks you can actually come back faster. With this, I think it's great to be able to avoid that and almost right way get back and still stay in shape and do most things."
Love spent some time before Saturday night's loss to the Houston Rockets talking to Chris Paul, who broke his hand in the playoffs with the LA Clippers last season. It is the third time in Love's career he has broken his hand and the second time he has broken his left. In 2009 he broke his left fourth metacarpal and needed surgery. This break is to the fifth metacarpal.
If he misses the full eight weeks, he would return with about two weeks left in the regular season.
"I'll do everything right," Love said. "I'll do whatever I need to do to get this thing to heal as quickly as I can and go from there."
