Kevin Love trade, Kevin Love, Carmelo Anthony trade
Apr 17, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) and Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) go for a loose ball during the first quarter in game two of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze

Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love will miss six to eight weeks of action after suffering a fracture in his left hand, the team announced. The injury occurred during the first quarter of Cleveland's 125-114 defeat to the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT).

According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, Love's X-rays revealed a non-displaced fracture in the fifth metacarpal. Love, who had qualified for next month's All-Star game in Los Angeles, will be pulled out of the NBA's annual exhibition game. The report adds that the Cavaliers will update Love's status after further examination on Wednesday.

LeBron James, the leader of the Cavs, has realised that Love won't be easy to replace. The Cavaliers are likely to re-insert Jae Crowder into the starting unit while keeping Tristan Thompson at the centre spot.

"It's just unfortunate for our team. Obviously with everything (that's) been going on as of late with our ball club, just trying to figure out how we're going to play every night, different line-ups and getting everybody into the flow, we don't need to have Kev go out like that. He's going to be out for quite a while -- maybe two months -- so it's just tough," James said after the loss in Detroit.

Kevin Love injury update: Cavs star avoids flight back to Cleveland

Love reportedly preferred the two-and-a-half-hour drive from Detroit to Cleveland instead of being subject to air cabin pressure. The star forward bid his teammates goodbye at halftime and left for Cleveland.

Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said that Love's spirits were down when he left the arena. "Down. Down. It's just part of the game. You hate to see anyone get injured at any point in time of the season, and now we've got to rally the troops, and we've got to have his back until he gets back."

Point guard Isaiah Thomas knows that Love's injury would force him to shoulder more responsibility. "He's a big part of this team, and it's got to be the next-guy-up mentality. As a group, you've got to bring what Kevin does. Not just one guy's going to bring what he does, 'cause he's a special, All-Star-calibre player." Kevin Love is averaging 17.9 points and 9.4 rebounds in his tenth season in the NBA. Stay tuned for the latest Kevin Love injury update.