Kevin Love Injury: Updates on Timberwolves Star's Rib Injury

After an All-Star performance worth a round of applause, Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Kevin Love suffered a rib contusion during the second half of the team’s Tuesday night 109-97 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.

While the injury appeared serious enough to keep the star forward out of the remainder of the game, there is a feeling that veteran head coach Rick Adelman kept him out of the game late just to be safe.

It also doesn’t hurt that the Timberwolves bench scored 80 points.

What they're saying

The Minnesota Star-Tribune is reporting about just how serious Love’s situation is:

"

His minutes were limited Tuesday because he got two quick fouls trying to guard Blake Griffin (a game-high 30 points) and because he sustained a contusion when he got hit in the ribs in the third quarter. He put on a padded shirt and was available to play in the fourth quarter, a decision Adelman never had to make.

"

ESPN NBA Insider J.A. Adande reported when the injury actually happened:

Who's the backup?

With the tandem of rookie Derrick Williams and still-young Michael Beasley stepped right into the role of scorer for Love and put together 54 points against the poor Clippers defense.

While there was a good chance Love was physically able to get back into the game, Love was the third most effective power forward on the team and the head coach decided to play it safe. It was a smart move.

As long as Love is feeling the effects of his injury, the ‘Wolves should ride the tandem of Beasley and Williams. It can’t hurt to give Love a rest during this extremely short season.

Devastation scale: 5 of 10, so stop fretting

While it is never good for a team to lose a piece as important as Kevin Love has become to the Timberwolves, the star just needs time to rest his ailment. As long as they don’t find any serious damage at the doctor’s, he will be fine.

Even if Love is forced to miss a few games as a precautionary measure, it is obvious Beasley and Williams are both ready to shoulder some of the scoring burden.

Minnesota sits a few points back of eighth place in the Western Conference, but its dreams would be shattered if this injury is more serious than expected. We’ll have to wait and see.

Check back for more on the National Basketball Association as it comes, and check out Bleacher Report’s NBA page to get your fill of all things basketball.

Follow @Donald_Wood