We might have seen the last of Kevin Love on the court this spring. But Love might not be done being honored for his breakout season.
Love, who has a strained groin, has missed six of the past eight games. Neither he nor center Darko Milicic (ankle) practiced Friday. Both traveled with the team to Denver, but both are listed as doubtful for the game Saturday against the Nuggets.
After talking with Love, it sounded as though he's unlikely to play.
"I don't think, as of right now, I could play," he said about playing Saturday. "I don't think I'll play. Unless something happens miraculously, it heals up, I won't be playing."
Love also said that if he doesn't play in Denver he would think seriously about not playing in the final two games as well.
"We've been working every day, still keeping in shape, on the bike, lifting weights," he said. "But it's just tough right now. I won't want to do anything to reaggravate it."
So Love might have put the final touches on his third season, and on his application for the NBA's Most Improved Player award. In 73 games, Love has averaged 20.2 points and 15.2 rebounds. He is a 47 percent shooter overall, 41.7 percent on three-pointers.
His outside shooting combined with his rebounding make him one of the league's unique players. There are other strong candidates for the award -- Derrick Rose, LaMarcus Aldridge, Russell Westbrook, Dorell Wright, Kris Humphries and Kyle Lowry should be in the mix. But Love deserves to be in that conversation. He has increased his scoring by 6.2 points per game over the 2009-10 season (sixth-best improvement in the league), increased his rebounding by 4.4 per game (second-biggest improvement) and improved his three-point shooting by 8.9 percent (seventh-biggest improvement).