MINNEAPOLIS – Eleven days, a battery of NBA-mandated tests and just one practice after Kevin Love suffered a mild concussion in Denver, the Timberwolves announced Sunday that their star power forward will sit for the remainder of the 2011-12 season.
Love did pass the final mandated neurological test and was cleared to play by the NBA, but the team decided it was in his best interest to sit against Golden State on Sunday and Denver on Thursday.
"Everybody talked about it," Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman said. "It was mostly that. ... It's been 10, 11 days since he's played, and we had a very short practice yesterday, so we just went with that."
The decision did not come as a complete surprise. Adelman and Love remained unsure at Saturday's practice of Love's status for the season's final two games, and Love said that if he were to miss Sunday's contest, it would be a tough decision about whether to come back for just one game.
With that decision, Love's totals for 2011-12 are in the books. He finished his breakout year averaging 26.0 points and 13.3 rebounds, which ranks fourth and second in the league, respectively. With so few games remaining in the season, those positions will likely hold.
Adelman also said Sunday that point guard Luke Ridnour, who's missed the past nine games with a sprained right ankle, is likely finished for the season. The 12.1 points Ridnour averaged this season are good for a career-high, and he also finished averaging 4.8 assists and 2.7 rebounds.
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