Kevin Love Injury Update: Cavs F Out of East Semifinal with Dislocated Shoulder

The Cleveland Cavaliers' title hopes took a serious hit Monday, when it was announced forward Kevin Love will be out for their impending Eastern Conference semifinals series against either the Chicago Bulls or the Milwaukee Bucks due to a shoulder injury suffered while trying to grab a rebound against Boston Celtics center Kelly Olynyk.

Dave McMenamin of ESPN passed along the full statement from the Cleveland Cavaliers:

Attention naturally shifts toward Cleveland's upcoming showdown with the Bulls, assuming Chicago can take care of the Bucks in the first round. Love's presence as a stretch forward who can hit threes is particularly difficult for the Bulls defense to deal with because it forces either Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol or Taj Gibson out of the paint.

That in turn opens up the lane for penetration from LeBron James and Kyrie Irving and offensive rebounding from the rest of the Cavaliers. 

Nick Friedell of ESPN pointed out how important this injury is for the next round:

Look for James to shoulder even more of the offensive load than usual without Love on the floor. ESPN Stats & Info broke down James' heavy responsibility without Love from a statistical perspective:

There are also implications outside the lines, especially if Cleveland loses the series without Love on the floor. Love will be a free agent this offseason and could have theoretically played his last game in a Cavaliers uniform. 

ESPN's Mike Greenberg commented on the overarching free-agency storyline in light of the injury:

Perhaps Love will feel that he owes Cleveland and will return if it loses without him on the floor. However, he could also see the injury as an indication that the immediate future is never guaranteed and go to whichever team offers the most money and long-term financial security. There's no question the whole situation in which the injury occurred with Olynyk doesn't sit well with Love, per McMenamin:

Cleveland certainly hopes that is a concern for another time, but the Larry O'Brien Trophy may not be in its immediate future if Love doesn't return soon.