Love out 6 weeks after arthroscopic knee surgery

The Cleveland Cavaliers will be without Kevin Love for most of what's left of the regular season.

The All-Star power forward underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove a loose body from his ailing left knee Tuesday, and will be sidelined for approximately six weeks.

Love began suffering from a sore left knee Saturday against the Denver Nuggets and underwent an MRI the following day, though it didn't reveal any structural damage. Following the initial results, he sought out a second opinion that led to his decision to undergo surgery.

"He's a little down. He's a little down," Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue said of Love via ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "But that's part of it. Injuries are part of the game and that happens and the best thing for us is that we caught it early enough that he can get his surgery and then be ready to come back for the playoffs. So, I'm glad we caught it early enough."

With Love out, Channing Frye, Richard Jefferson, and Tristan Thompson will likely see an uptick in minutes, as well as Derrick Williams, who is working on a 10-day contract.

Love, who will miss the All-Star Game as a result of the surgery, is averaging 20 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 46 games this season.