Kevin Love's Tooth Injury Leads To Concussion Protocol

The Cleveland Cavaliers are not taking any chances regarding the bump suffered by veteran big Kevin Love. The scary incident occurred in the first quarter of last night's 79-98 loss to the Miami Heat. Reserve center Jordan Mickey inadvertently elbowed Love, rupturing his tooth. The Cavaliers' medical staff quickly took him out of the game, his absence felt on the offensive glass and in the general makeup of the team's offence. One play in particular summed up the affair, when D-Wade cleanly swatted Lebron's field goal attempt, forcing the team to relapse into a defensive posture yet again.

The concussion protocol will at the very least rule Kevin Love out for tonight's contest against the Charlotte Hornets. The official verdict on his dental injury is that of a front tooth subluxation, which in layman terms means a somewhat dislodged tooth. Under this protocol, a player may not return to the lineup until he has been reevaluated by a physician. The player must also gradually resubmit to a series of physical activities, after which the team will submit their findings to Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher, the league's concussion doctor.

Lebron can't do it alone without a little floor spacing. As much as we've ragged on him in the past, Kevin Love needs to be healthy for this team to contend at its expected level, their loss to the Heat but one example of the dear departed.

[ESPN]