LeBron James has an easy explanation as to why the Cavaliers have only won half their games since their massive roster overhaul in February: Half the team is injured.
Cleveland lost 127-113 to the Lakers on Monday (AEDT), and when asked about the team's situation, James was blunt in why they were suffering.
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"Listen, at the end of the day you've got to want the most out of whoever you've got on the floor," James told reporters. "You want to get the most from whoever is playing, but sometimes you can't overcome this many injuries that we have.
"We have pretty much five guys out of our top nine or top 10 of our rotation not playing because of injuries. It's next man up, but sometimes you just fall short."
Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, Rodney Hood and Cedi Osman were all out with various injuries against Los Angeles, leaving James to pick up the slack, along with reserves Ante Zizic and John Holland.
"Can you judge what we have on the floor?" James asked. "I mean you don't know. You don't know."
Even though the team is trying to stay positive, Kyle Korver said it has been a mentally exhausting experience.
"I was talking with Bron. He sets a really great example for how to take care of yourself. I think physically we're OK; I think mentally it's easy to get tired right now," Korver said via ESPN.com.
"It's been a grind of a year. We've got to find ways to stay fresh. You've got to find ways to fill your cup. We're all different, and we all have to find our own way to do that."