Pau Gasol injury: Lakers forward will miss 5th straight game

Pau Gasol will miss yet another game with his lingering knee issue, the Los Angeles Daily News' Mark Medina reports. It will be the fifth consecutive game Gasol has been on the sideline for the Lakers with knee tendinitis. The absence comes after another round of criticism for Gasol's poor play this year.

Gasol's now-prolonged absence has come as trade rumors swirl around the All Star power forward who has apparently struggled to adapt to new coach Mike D'Antoni's offensive system. Medina also reported Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak denied that the Lakers are shopping Gasol and plan on keeping him around this season.

While Gasol has been injured, the Lakers have gone 1-3 with losses at Houston and Oklahoma City and, most recently, a loss at home to the Utah Jazz, who have four big men and used them against a shallow Lakers front line. Tuesday night, the Lakers travel to Cleveland, who mmay have Kyrie Irving back.