by Marcel Mutoni / @ marcel_mutoni
Kevin Love’s season, which never really got off the ground, is officially over.
The Minnesota Timberwolves announced that their star forward will undergo season-ending arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. Love played in only 18 games after breaking his hand twice — once while doing knuckle pushups during a workout at home.
The knee operation will be to remove a buildup of scar tissue in the joint.
Per the Pioneer Press:
“The scar tissue had been developing for some time,” Timberwolves GM David Kahn said on a conference call with local reporters. “We’re not aware of any particular moment when it started, but he told Dr. Fischer (Wolves team physician David) about it when he was playing. Kevin never felt it was serious enough to have an MRI, but in hindsight, it was something we could have pursued.” Kahn said Love “will probably” have the surgery on Wednesday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, the same facility where Love underwent surgery on his right hand on Jan. 15 to repair the third and fourth metacarpal bones. The surgery will be performed by Dr. David Altchek.
Love is expected to be sidelined four to six weeks after the surgery. Kahn said the decision was made to “address it now” when Love began to have difficulty running while trying to get in shape for a possible return this season.
During his nightmarishly short season, Kevin Love averaged 18.3 points (on a career-low 35.2% shooting) and grabbed 14 rebounds per night.
