Kevin Love says his goal is to play in the final eight to 12 games of the season, and doctors will re-examine his hand in two to three weeks. But Love admitted on Friday that there’s a chance he won’t return this season. Read more after the jump.
From the Star-Tribune: “Timberwolves forward Kevin Love knows the season is ticking away on him and he said before Friday’s game at Houston there’s a chance he won’t play again this season. ‘I’d say that has crossed my mind, but as far as making a decision, I haven’t made that decision yet,’ he said.
Love joined the team in Houston on its two-game trip that ended Friday night against the Rockets. He learned Wednesday in a visit to his New York City hand surgeon that his right shooting hand hasn’t yet healed enough for him to play. He said he will have that hand scanned again in two to three weeks and the results will be sent to his surgeon, who will then determine if he can play the season’s final two to three weeks.
Love said he still hopes —and intends — to play the season’s final eight to 12 games. ‘We’ll see what a guy like Glen says and see what D.K. and Coach says and we’ll probably all make a decision,’ Love said, referring to team owner Glen Taylor, president of basketball operations David Kahn and coach Rick Adelman. ‘At the end of the day, the decision is still mine and I’d still like to go out there and join the team. The hand is great, my body feels great. It’s going to be a big offseason. Part of coming back [yet this season], you want to give the fans something, but you also want to do something for the team and yourself. You kind of want to see what you have here when you have a full team, and we really haven’t had that yet.’”
The Minnesota Timberwolves are currently 22-41 and hold the 12th spot in the Western Conference. They’re virtually out of the playoffs so it doesn’t make sense for Love to return early and risk further injuring his hand. The Timberwolves dealt with a lot of injuries this year but they have a lot of promising players and will likely make a splash next year barring anymore setbacks.
