MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota: Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love will undergo surgery on his left knee later this week, ending an injury-plagued season for the fifth-year NBA standout, the team said yesterday.
Love, who played in only 18 games, will have an arthroscopic procedure to remove scar tissue that has collected in his knee. Recovery time from the surgery is usually four to six weeks.
The Timberwolves, at 29-47, are out of NBA playoff contention.
Love, 24, has missed Minnesota’s past 47 games following surgery on a broken right hand he suffered on January 3. Love had sustained a fracture to the same hand during a pre-season workout that caused him to miss Minnesota’s first nine games.
Love averaged 18.3 points and 14.0 rebounds this season after coming off a shortened off-season because he played for the US Olympic gold medal team of NBA stars at last year’s London Olympics.
Meanwhile, Metta World Peace plans to play in the Los Angeles Lakers’ next game, less than two weeks after undergoing left knee surgery. World Peace participated in drills with the Lakers yesterday, and the veteran forward said he’s ready to return nearly a month earlier than anticipated after surgery on a torn meniscus.
With just five games left to get into playoff position, the Lakers (40-37) host New Orleans on Tuesday night.
“We’ve got a chance to make a push for this championship run,” World Peace told reporters after practice at the Lakers’ training complex.
“We all need it. All the guys under contract, injured or not injured, we all need each other to make a run at this thing.”
After a tumultuous season, the big-budget Lakers are running out of time even to make the playoffs.
They trail Utah (41-37) for the eighth postseason spot in the Western Conference, and the Jazz hold the tiebreaker on Los Angeles.
The Lakers thought World Peace would be out until early May after undergoing surgery March 28. AGENCIES
