On Monday, the Cleveland Cavaliers announced that forward Kevin Love, who suffered a dislocated shoulder during Game 4 of their first round series against the Boston Celtics, would miss the entire Eastern Conference semifinals. On Tuesday, the outlook was much bleaker.

As reported by Cavs beat writer Dave McMenamin via Twitter, "David Griffin [Cavs GM] says its "highly unlikely' that Kevin Love returns at any point during the playoffs."

Tom Withers of the Associated Press added that according to Griffinthe shoulder much more extensively damaged than previously thought. Love underwent succesful surgery Wednesday, and now the timetable set is 4-6 months.

The medical jargon for the actual injury to Love is an "acute anterior inferior glenohumeral dislocation with the corresponding ligament/labrum tearing and humeral head bone bruising," according to the Cavs' update.

It was initially thought that Love would miss just a couple of weeks to heal the shoulder, but as Jeff Stotts, who has kept a comprehensive database of NBA injuries, and who maintains injury-focused blog "In Street Clothes," points out, "the return to play time following shoulder dislocation appears to be dependent on the amount of damage to the surrounding tissues, particularly the labrum."

He carries on, "If the tear is small and the instability is minimal, general rehab can improve the area with a focus on improving the musculature surrounding the joint. Surgery may still be warranted down the road but it can be delayed. A significant labrum tear would likely require immediate surgery and force Love to miss a substantial amount of time."

Love had been playing extremely well for the Cavs in his first ever playoff appearance. In three games before getting injured, he averaged 18.3 points, nine rebounds, and three assists, while shooting 47.3 percent from three.

Apart from missing the services of Love, the Cavs would also have to temper the loss of J.R. Smith, who is suspended for the first two games of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Cleveland is still awaiting of the first round matchup of between the Chicago Bulls and the Milwaukee Bucks.