The Minnesota Timberwolves hoped that they could avoid surgery for forward Kevin Love. According to ESPN.com, the team announced that Love is expected to be out for eight to 10 weeks after breaking his right hand for the second time this season.

Love missed the first three weeks of the regular season after breaking his right hand in the preseason. He returned faster than most expected, played for about a month and then broke two bones in his shooting hand in a game last week against Denver. The team said a date for the surgery would be announced Thursday. 

Ricky Rubio, who recently returned after sitting with a torn ACL, commented about the loss.

"We're going to miss him a lot, but there's nothing we can do about that right now," point guard Ricky Rubio said Tuesday night before knowing the full extent of Love's injury. "We just have to keep moving forward."

If the Timberwolves look to end in the playoffs, they'll have to do it without Love's 18.3 points and 14 rebounds per game. With the expected time loss, Love would end up coming back in mid-March, which is only a month before playoffs. If the Timberwolves can get themselves into good positioning for a playoff run, Love's return then could be key.

So far, the Timberwolves have lost Brandon Roy, Chase Budinger, Josh Howard and Ricky Rubio for significant time due to injuries. Other players on the team have minor injuries. All in all, this has not been the best of years for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who looked to be a team on the rise after sporting four Olympians on one squad.

Follow @hoopsinjurynews