Kevin Love Out 6-8 Weeks With Broken Hand, What It Means For Cavs

CLEVELAND, OH — Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love broke his hand on Tuesday night in a game against the Detroit Pistons. The All-Star will be out six to eight weeks while he recoups. His absence will throw a wrench into both team chemistry (if there is any) and possible trade plans.

To add insult to injury, a depleted Detroit squad managed to beat the Cavaliers, 125-114. The Pistons were playing without newly acquired forward Blake Griffin and were without wing help after shipping Avery Bradley and Tobias Harris to the Los Angeles Clippers. Still, they managed to beat the struggling Cavs.

Love's injury is a tough one for Cleveland. The team has been dealing with heavy rumors of in-fighting and a toxic lack of chemistry. For a team that has appeared in three straight NBA finals, the Cavaliers appear anything but poised for another deep playoff run.

With Love out, head coach Ty Lue will need to adjust his rotations. Look for Jae Crowder, Tristan Thompson and Channing Frye to get more minutes. It's also possible that Cleveland will look to the recently acquired Ante Zizic for more minutes at center. To this point, the 21-year-old been little used by the Cavaliers and has spent some time with Cleveland's minor league team the Canton Charge.

Love's injury may also throw a wrench into any pending trade plans. There have been rumors for weeks that both Love and Isaiah Thomas, the team's new point guard, are on the trading block. With Love out for six to eight weeks, he'll be ineligible for inclusion in trades until after the 2018 trade deadline. So he's not going anywhere.

With Thomas still recovering from a serious hip injury suffered last season, it's possible that the Cavaliers will only be able to move bench players around, rather than produce a blockbuster trade.

Love's injury also leaves the team short on big men. Frye and Thompson are the only experienced players left in that department, with the aforementioned Zizic as one other option. There were rumors that Frye was part of a trade to the Sacramento Kings for George Hill, but it's unclear if the Cavaliers still feel comfortable swapping one of their few big men for another guard.

The Cavaliers are currently third in the Eastern Conference, with a record of 29-20. The Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors are both ahead of Cleveland. Boston has a record of 36-15, while Toronto has a record of 34-15.

AP Photo/Tony Dejak