The NBA has approved the Los Angeles Lakers' request for an injury exception following the season-ending surgery undergone by Jordan Hill.

The Lakers will have $1.78 million to use to sign a player or in a trade.

Pau Gasol remains dissatisfied with his bench role, but is committed to remaining with the Los Angeles Lakers for the remainder of the season.

"Not right now," Gasol said when asked about if a trade request may come from his camp. "I don't think now is the time for that step to happen. Right now I'm very focused and committed to our team."

Gasol admitted that he has not enjoyed coming off the bench.

"Whether I like it or not or whether I agree with it or not, I still try to go out there and do my job.

"It's hard for anybody who considers himself one of the top players in the world to say, 'OK, I'm OK with coming off the bench,'" Gasol said. "It's a difficult situation that we've been dealing with here. The last few games have been great, and we're staying positive and we look forward to that to continue. But at the same time, we don't need any other distractions, any more negativity. We need positive embracing, we need focus, we need to support each other. That's where we're at and that's where I'm at, too."

Gasol said he would find it difficult to be a bench player beyond the remainder of the current season.

"I've been on this team, in this city, for six years," Gasol said. "It's very hard to stick around on this team, and I take pride in that. I think I'm a valuable asset and I want my role to be as big as it can be, within the well being of the team. But I don't know if being a player that comes off the bench will be something that I'll be able to accept long term.

"Right now I want this team to work. I feel we have a very privileged team with great athletes. It's been a crazy year for everyone, and I understand that. And the last thing I'll be here is selfish right now. So I'm willing to work with what we have right now for the rest of the year and have no problems, because I want it to work. And I'm not a guy that just quits on himself or on his team."

Dwight Howard believes he will not need surgery on his injured right shoulder, even in the offseason.

Howard would likely need six months to rehabilitate his shoulder if he were to undergo surgery.

“As of right now, no,” Howard said. “Hopefully it doesn’t get bad enough to where I have to have surgery. I don’t want to think about that right now.”

Howard has treated the shoulder with around-the-clock icing and electronic stimulation.

Kobe Bryant has made it clear that the culture of the Los Angeles Lakers and his personal leadership style will not change despite the presence of Dwight Howard.

"It's a matter of learning (for Howard)," Bryant said. "What I try to tell him is that it's not necessarily about what you (want), how you are as a person, or what's comfortable for you. It's really about what's going to help elevate us.

"So for us to have a team that's confrontational and on edge brings out the competitive spirit of everybody else, you know what I'm saying? If everybody is just relaxed and happy go lucky and this that and the other, then that's the personality we'll have as a team. And then you run into a team that's a confrontational team, and it's like a bus."

Bryant was asked if he still believes he can win a title with Howard.

"Yeah, for sure." 

"It's a process for him," Bryant said. "He wants to be one of the greats of all time, and to do that you have to learn from the greats of all time – be it Bill Russell, be it Shaq. I mean Shaq was a moody, temperamental dude. So if you watch all the big men who have come before, you start to see a common denominator.

"Wilt (Chamberlain), God bless him, was phenomenal, but he didn't have (the same edge). Russell and (those) guys win repetitive – (Michael) Jordan, Magic (Johnson), myself. You've got a little (expletive) in you. I want (Howard) to be great, so I'm trying to push him."

Bryant insists Howard remains part of the Lakers' future.

"I don' t know what the future holds," Bryant said. "I don't know if (Howard will be traded)…But I know that as long as he's here, I'm going to continue to help him, mentor him, help him be great. That's all I can do. I'm a problem solver. I try to figure things out, come hell or high water."

The Boston Celtics have held exploratory trade talks with the Memphis Grizzlies on Rudy Gay.

More than one team has speculated that a three-way trade that would send Pau Gasol to the Celtics, Paul Pierce to the Grizzlies and Rudy Gay to the Lakers makes "some sense".

Pierce's $15.3 million salary for next season is guaranteed for only $5 million, which would make his contract tradable.

Steve Nash cited a lack of commitment by players to the system as one of the reasons for the Los Angeles Lakers’ struggles this season.

"We're not all committing to what they want us to do," Nash said. "We're half stuck in our own, old ways. We have to stop thinking about our pasts and ourselves.”

Nash has searched for ways to turn things around.

"I just go home at night and lie awake trying to figure it out," he said. "I keep asking myself, 'What am I not doing?'"

Asked if the Lakers can reverse course, Nash said: "That's yet to be seen, I guess. I think we have a chance. Maybe not this year. Maybe it's next year. But we have a ton of talent and an organization with great history. If Dwight stays [after this season], we have the pieces. We just have to figure out how to put it all together."

Dwight Howard was examined on Thursday in Los Angeles by shoulder specialist Dr. James Tibone.

Howard aggravated his shoulder on Wednesday in the Lakers' loss at Memphis.

Tibone confirmed that there is no further damage, and that Howard has been cleared to continue to play.

The Los Angeles Lakers are not considering a coaching change with Mike D'Antoni leading the team in a free fall, according to a source.

The Lakers have a 12-20 record under D'Antoni.

D'Antoni replaced Mike Brown, who was fired on Nov. 9.

The NBA has announced the reserves for the 2013 All-Star Game in Houston.

Western Conference Reserves
Tony Parker
James Harden
LaMarcus Aldridge 
David Lee
Zach Randolph
Tim Duncan 
Russell Westbrook 

Eastern Conference Reserves
Paul George
Jrue Holiday 
Tyson Chandler 
Chris Bosh 
Joakim Noah 
Luol Deng
Kyrie Irving 

Fifteen teams have at least one All-Star (Knicks, Heat, Celtics, Bulls, Pacers, 76ers, Blazers, Spurs, Rockets, Warriors and Grizzlies), while 15 teams do not have a representative (Hawks, Nets, Bobcats, Mavericks, Nuggets, Pistons, Bucks, Wolves, Hornets, Magic, Suns, Kings, Raptors, Jazz and Wizards).

The 76ers and Cavaliers each sent a Coaches Vote All-Star despite a losing record, while the Lakers and Celtics have two starters despite a sub-.500 record.

The Nets, Hawks, Bucks, Nuggets and Jazz all have a record over .500 and no All-Stars. 

The All-Star starters are LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Garnett, Dwyane Wade, Rajon Rondo, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, Dwight Howard and Chris Paul.

Pau Gasol is privately expecting to be traded by the Los Angeles Lakers before the February deadline.

Gasol has been largely marginalized under Mike D'Antoni and is currently coming off the bench, though he is still averaging 30 minutes per game in January.

The Lakers agreed to trade Gasol in a deal for Chris Paul in December of 2011.