'I don't have to carry' Cavs - James
Injuries have hampered the Cleveland Cavaliers, but four-time NBA MVP LeBron James is confident the team can cope.
LeBron James believes the Cleveland Cavaliers have enough talent to deal with a number of injuries and unfit players heading into the NBA season.
NBA Finals runners-up the Cavaliers open their 2015-16 campaign at the Chicago Bulls on October 27, with Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and Iman Shumpert among rostered players dealing with or overcoming injuries.
Irving is expected to miss the season-opener due to a knee problem, Love (shoulder) is still working his way back to full fitness and Shumpert (wrist) is three months away from a return.
Timofey Mozgov (knee) and Anderson Varejao (Achilles) are both behind in conditioning, while Tristan Thompson is holding out for a new deal, however four-time MVP James believes the Cavs can cope.
"I will lead this team, but I don't have to carry it," James said on Wednesday. "We have enough guys until all our guys get here.
"Until Kyrie [Irving] and Tristan [Thompson] and Iman [Shumpert] is ready, we have enough guys that will all help.
"It's not about me carrying the team and that nature. We're all grown men, we're all professionals and they're here to do their job."
The Cavs lost to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals in June, despite making a disappointing start to the season.
James' return and the acquisition of Love turned the Cavs into leading contenders in the Eastern Conference but the Cleveland franchise started the season 5-7.
The Cavs are hoping for a different start this time around.
James added: "I think just as far as a franchise and how we carry ourselves every day is a lot different. Last year at the start of the season, I don't think people saw the vision and didn't understand the process.
"I think guys do now. We know how important every practice, every day is for us to get better.
"And until we're whole, we still won't understand it as a full unit. But we'll approach the game as we should and our coaching staff is going to prepare us the best way every night to be ready for anything, both on and off the floor."