LeBron on Cavs' injuries: 'As long as I'm in the lineup, we've got a chance'

LeBron James doesn't seem to be too concerned about the Cleveland Cavaliers' future despite the fact that All-Star forward Kevin Love is expected to miss the next six weeks while recovering from knee surgery.

"As long as I'm in the lineup, we've got a chance," James told reporters at shootaround Tuesday morning. "We good. Kev is out for an extended period of time. J.R. (Smith) has been out. But I'm in the lineup. I'll be suiting up. We've got a chance against anybody. I ain't worried."

The Cavaliers are 38-16 and hold a 2 1/2 game lead over the Boston Celtics for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. But with Love's injury, as well as the Toronto Raptors' trade for Serge Ibaka and continued stellar play from both the Celtics and the Washington Wizards, the race for first place is as interesting as it's been all season.

When asked how Love's injury may alter the race? James said the Cavs "don't talk about it."

"It doesn't affect it. We haven't talked about it. We just play," James said. "No. 1 in the East, whatever. We don't talk about it. We just go out and play and let the chips lay where they may."

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James added that the Cavaliers — who signed former No. 2 overall pick Derrick Williams to a 10-day contract last week — are maintaining a "next man up" mentality in the midst of the injury woes.

"At the end of the day, injuries are a part of the game, and we hate that it happened to our All-Star," James said. "But we've got guys that are ready to go. We're not feeling sorry for ourselves. We'll be ready to play against whoever we step on the floor with."

James tallied 25 points, 14 assists and eight rebounds Tuesday night in a 116-108 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Cavaliers host the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night, their last game before the All-Star break.