SBNation's Tom Ziller looks at Basketball-Reference statistics to examine players who've significantly outperformed their contracts this season. Not surprisingly, Chandler Parsons, in the middle of a four-year, $3.63MM contract that runs through 2015, rates highly. Many of the other players Ziller mentions are either minimum-salary signees or former first-round picks still on their rookie-scale deals. There's more on a few players who could be the next to sign rookie contracts and other news from around the Association, as we share here:

• Jordan Hill was expected to be out for the season with a hip injury, but doctors have told him there's a slim chance he could return in late April or early May, reports Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Either way, the Lakers will get to keep the $1.78MM disabled player exception the league granted them, even though they don't intend to use it.
• The Jazz haven't decided whether to re-sign Travis Leslie, whose 10-day contract expires Wednesday night, but coach Tyrone Corbin likes what he's seen so far from the swingman, notes Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune.
• Stephon Marbury, who played for the Chinese league's Beijing Ducks this season, will serve as an assistant coach for Beijing's entry in the China National Games this year, reports Jon Pastuszek of NiuBBall.com.
• HoopsWorld and Chris Mannix of SI.com examine key NBA draft prospects in the NCAA tournament. Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld checks in with a list of prospects on teams likely to make early tournament exits.
• Coach Lawrence Frank is back with the Pistons after missing the past six games to be with his wife, who's recovering from "major surgery," as MLive's David Mayo details.
• John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer believes the Sixers should go after Al Jefferson rather than Andrew Bynum in free agency this summer, though it might take an inflated contract to make it happen. Yesterday, I argued a max deal could be in play for Jefferson.

Back in January, the Lakers picked up a disabled player exception for power forward Jordan Hill, who underwent surgery on his left hip.  However, a team source tells Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times that the club plans to let their $1.78MM exception expire without being used.

The Lakers didn't use the exception prior to the February 21st trade deadline but they still had the option of using it to sign a free agent.  Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak has repeatedly suggested they will stay put with their current 14-player roster and their push to get an exception for Hill was believed to be a precautionary move from the get-go.  Los Angeles' payroll already stands at a hefty $100MM for 2012/13.

The league has granted the Lakers their request for a disabled player exception for power forward Jordan Hill, tweets Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. It will be worth $1.78MM, or half of Hill's salary for this season. The Lakers aren't likely to use the exception, as Medina notes via Twitter, but it does give them one more way to acquire help down the stretch in case they need it.

L.A. already had a prorated portion of their midlevel exception remaining, worth about $1.235MM at this point, so now they possess multiple tools other than the midlevel exception to bring someone aboard. They can add $100K to the disabled player exception to acquire a player via trade. The Lakers have 14 players on their roster, so a spot is open.

Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News says that Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak will likely know by tomorrow about whether or not the NBA will approve their Disabled Player Exception for the injured Jordan Hill (Twitter link). With the roster currently at 14, an exception worth $1.78MM would be a very valuable asset for a team that would have otherwise only have a veteran's minimum deal or a small, pro-rated portion of their mini mid-level exception to offer free agents at this point during the season. You'll find the rest of tonight's miscellaneous links from around the NBA here: 

• Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge says the team currently has no needs and will wait and see what transpires over the next few weeks to get a better feel if a move has to be made or not (Adi Joseph of USA Today reports). 
• Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman, who recently returned from an 11-game absence for family reasons, sounded like he wanted the team to keep Chris Johnson (LSU) and Mickael Gelabale for the rest of the season, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. 
• Grizzlies guard Chris Johnson, whose 10-day contract is set to expire on Friday night, is making a strong case to be brought back for another deal, writes Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. GM Chris Wallace described Johnson as a "seamless fit" so far.
• Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald doesn't think the Heat are the best fit for Greg Oden, citing that if healthy, the former number one overall pick could find more playing time and a better comfort level elsewhere. Even if the team uses its taxpayer mid-level exception to land Oden this summer, Goodman thinks that the luxury tax impact might not be worth the investment either. 
• When asked directly about the possibility of playing for the Cavaliers, Oden replied: "I'm worried about the knee. That's it," later saying that it was too early for him to be thinking of a destination. Oden added that he wants to take his rehab slow, and that while he could possibly play today if he wanted to, he wants to avoid the risk of having the same setbackthat he had in Portland (Doug Lesmerises and Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer report). 

• An earlier report from the Associated Press said that Cleveland has been doing their due diligence on the former Ohio State Buckeye in the meantime, also mentioning that Oden is currently aiming a return for next year after taking this one off. 
• Keith Schlosser of Knicks Journal ponders about how much longer the Knicks should wait for Rasheed Wallace to become healthy as opposed to finding someone who can make frequent contributions right away. 
• After hitting his head during practice on Monday, Chris Kaman was evaluated today and ruled out of tonight's game against the Trail Blazers due to concussion symptoms. The Mavericks center will be sidelined indefinitely until he passes the requisite tests, writes Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW. 
• Matt Moore of CBS Sports takes a comprehensive look into the defensive mindset of Nuggets swingman Andre Iguodala. 
• With the league's highest collection of former lottery picks continuing to develop on their roster, the Jazz appear headed for a bright future ahead of them, writes Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News. 

As the Lakers look to improve upon a 5-14 road record tonight against the Grizzlies in Memphis, we'll check in on a few of today's updates out of Lakerland....

• After complaining earlier this week about not getting enough touches, Dwight Howard apologized today, accepting responsibility for his struggles and saying he needs to work harder, according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. "I've just got to go out there and dominate defensively and make it tough for teams," Howard said. "I just have to get back to doing that and not worry about the offense."
• Howard, on the return of the trade rumors that followed him everywhere last season: "I understand why they're saying that because they feel like I have an opportunity to just walk away. That is my choice at the end of the season but right now my focus is tonight and us doing something real special in L.A. We have that opportunity and we can't close the door on the opportunity that we have in front of us. We can turn this thing around."
• Bresnahan also reports that the Lakers had a sort of "clear-the-air" team meeting before today's shootaround, and that the players "went at each other a little bit." The meeting included Steve Nash saying he was open to any style of play, as long as everyone was comfortable with the system, and Kobe Bryant directly asking Howard if the All-Star center dislikes playing with him.
• According to ESPN.com's Chris Broussard, the Clippers would offer Eric Bledsoe and DeAndre Jordan for Howard. However, even if the Lakers were considering moving D12, Broussard admits it's unlikely they'd send him to their L.A. rivals.
• Jordan Hill underwent successful surgery on his left hip today and is expected to be sidelined for six months, the team announced in a press release.
• Earlier today, we looked at a few of Mitch Kupchak's comments on the team, Mike D'Antoni, and trade options.

With Jordan Hill expected to miss the regular season, the Lakers may apply for a disabled player exception, GM Mitch Kupchak tells Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Such an exception would give the team approximately an extra $1.78MM to sign or trade for a player.

Mike Trudell of Lakers.com reported on Friday that Hill would undergo hip surgery and miss the rest of the season, a significant blow for a Lakers frontcourt that was already banged up. Having released Darius Johnson-Odom last week before his contract became guaranteed, the Lakers have an open roster spot, so the team could add a player without waiving Hill or anyone else.

As Hoops Rumors' glossary outlines, a disabled player exception is worth either half of the disabled player's salary or the amount of the mid-level exception, whichever is lesser. Since Hill is earning $3,563,600 this season, a DPE would be worth $1,781,800. The Lakers have had more than $1.5MM remaining on their mid-level exception all season, and haven't seemed eager to spend that money, so it seems unlikely that the team would need the DPE. However, as Kupchak points out, it could be worth having just in case.

"There's no downside into looking into it," Kupchak said. "But as far as doing it, I don't know."

Unlike the mid-level exception, a disabled player exception can be used to acquire a player via trade, which would give the Lakers some added flexibility. If L.A. obtains a DPE for Hill, the team could trade for a player earning a salary of $1,881,800 or less, without any outgoing salary involved.

The deadline to apply for a disabled player exception is January 15th, so the Lakers will have until tomorrow to make a decision.

Mike Trudell of Lakers.com reports (via Twitter) that Jordan Hill will need surgery on his hip and is expected to miss the rest of the regular season. This injury does not come at an ideal time for the Lakers, who are also without Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol due to injuries, and are lacking in frontcourt depth.

Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.com speculates that the injury to Hill could lead the Lakers to consider signing Kenyon Martin. Martin has not signed with a team in 2012/13 and last played last season for the Clippers.

Things aren't getting any easier in Lakerland, where Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, and Jordan Hill have all been sidelined with injuries. Howard suffered a torn labrum, Gasol has a concussion, and Hill is dealing with a hip issue, meaning the Lakers' frontcourt looks awfully thin in the short-term. While Robert Sacre looks forward to more playing time and we wait to see if the Lakers add another body, let's round up a few more notes out of the Western Conference....

• The Lakers haven't reached out to free agent big man Kenyon Martin, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
• Sam Smith of Bulls.com wonder if the Lakers should consider trading Howard.
• The Rockets are prepared to chalk up 2012/13 as a lost season for Royce White and attempt to reach some sort of agreement with the rookie forward in the offseason, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Zillgitt and TNT's David Aldridge have the latest details on White, including his desire for the NBA and the Rockets to sign a document detailing his wishes for the mental health protocol that the team believes would be in violation of the CBA.
• Despite recent comments by Dirk Nowitzki questioning the Mavericks' approach to building the roster, owner Mark Cuban tells Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com that Dallas won't be altering that approach. "If you only knew the things [Dirk] has said to me during recent seasons about our team," Cuban joked. "I'm glad I didn't listen."
• Nowitzki stressed to reporters today, including Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News, that he never said he wanted to be traded.
• The Timberwolves have kicked the tires on Sam Young, who was released by the Pacers this weekend, but he's unlikely to land in Minnesota, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. Young is currently out with an ankle injury.
• It would be a surprise if the Timberwolves don't move Derrick Williams at the trade deadline, says Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.

• On his blog for the Los Angeles Times, HoopsWorld's Eric Pincus discusses the challenge for Jordan Hill to learn his role within the Princeton offense after being out with a back injury. 
• Dwight Howard admitted on 98.7 ESPN radio that he initially had his sights set on joining the Nets but believes his trade to the Lakers was a "blessing in disguise," writes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. 
• Greg Breacham of the National Post draws insight from each starter about the opportunity to play together and their excitement for the upcoming season. 

Here are some rumblings out of the Western Conference tonight: 

• Grizzlies guard Wayne Ellington is in the final year of his rookie contract and aims to be more aggressive in order to earn consistent playing time in Memphis, writes Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal). 
• Brad Townsend of SportsDayDFW discusses the importance of Rick Carlisle's leadership skills as it relates to the Mavericks' ability to succeed this season (subscribers only). 
• Kevin McHale commented on some of the coaching challenges he's encountered with his inexperienced Rockets team (Jonathan Feigen of Ultimate Rockets notes). 
• According to this report from CSN Bay Area, Stephen Curry received no concerns from Dr. Richard Ferkel after the orthopedic surgeon evaluated his ankle today. Dr. Ferkel also checked out the progress of Andrew Bogut's left ankle and determined that his rehabilitation has been on schedule. Warriors GM Bob Myers says that while Bogut does not need clearance to participate in full-contact practice, the team wants to make sure that he is completely free of any pain or discomfort before they let him scrimmage.
• Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told reporters that the their final roster spot will come down to deciding between Derrick Brown and Eddy Curry (Jeff McDonald of Spurs Nation reports). 
• Dwight Howard fully participated in today's practice with the Lakers and is prepared to make his debut tomorrow under the approval of their training staff (says Ramona Shelbourne of ESPN Los Angeles). Also, forward Jordan Hill was cleared to practice with the team today after being diagnosed with a herniated disk less than two weeks ago, and told reporters that he could possibly return before the season opener on October 30. 
• According to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune, forwards Louis Amundson and Dante Cunningham have emerged as "energy guys" for Rick Adelman and the Timberwolves.