Kevin Love Injury: no surgery for broken right hand

Injured Minnesota Timberwolves star Kevin Love (broken right hand) recently visited hand specialist Dr. Andy Weiland and learned that he will not need surgery to repair his hand, according to a report from the Associated Press. However, the team acknowledged in a statement that the same evaluation confirmed Love's expected return will be in 6-8 weeks. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports has put the timetable for Love's return at 5 to 6 weeks.

Minnesota is already without point guard Ricky Rubio, so Love's absence puts them in a tight spot at the start of the season. The big man injured his hand while doing knuckle push-ups with personal trainer Rob McClanaghan, and in the wake of the injury, Love has released a statement that tries to keep things positive: "Although I'm disappointed that this injury happened, I will work extremely hard to stay in shape and return to the court as quickly as possible."

Without Love, former No. 2 pick Derrick Williams will see more time on the floor, along with Dante Cunningham and veteran forward Andrei Kirilenko. Williams has some pressure on him to produce, because head coach Rick Adelman hasn't exactly been impressed with the second-year forward's production or approach.

The regular season starts for the Timberwolves on Nov. 2 when they host the Sacramento Kings.

This story was originally published on SBNation.com.