Kevin Love: I don't need All-Star appearances to prove my worth

When LeBron James is running the show, it's not easy to stand out.

Kevin Love found that out as he spent the better part of two years getting comfortable in Cleveland alongside James and Kyrie Irving, receiving much less fanfare than during his tenure - including three All-Star appearances - with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Now, as cleveland.com's Chris Fedor writes, Love is making an All-Star case this season, even if he doesn't need the honor to validate himself.

"I think you come in every year hoping to play well, play your best and I believe in my heart every year - and it's not like I forgot how to play - I'm an All-Star caliber player. I don't necessarily need All-Star appearances to show that," Love said. "If we continue to win and we keep playing well I think there's a goal and it's within reach. But it's not something I'm going out every night saying I have to be an All-Star."

For his part, James noted that Love - who's averaging 21.7 points on 45.8 percent from the field with 10.8 rebounds - is playing like the "Kevin Love of old." Indeed, the 28-year-old is one of 13 players averaging a double-double this season.

"I also think the fact that us winning a championship and winning changes a lot of people's perspective on things and you don't really know what that means until you go through that," Love added. "I think that is different. You mentioned that being the end goal. You have individual goals, but it has to fit within the landscape of what we're doing."