Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.com took questions from his followers on his Twitter account on Saturday morning, covering the Raptors' acquisition of Rudy Gay along with other topics.

• Until they see how Rudy Gay and DeMar DeRozan play together, the Raptors plan to keep both on the roster.
• Bryan Colangelo's next move should be to get out of Andrea Bargnani's contract, Kyler writes.
• The Grizzlies offered Gay to the Magic for J.J. Redick, and were rejected.
• The Magic would be willing to trade any player on their roster for the right price, Kyler writes, although they value players like Maurice Harkless very highly.
• The Hawks would prefer to keep Josh Smith, but they are exploring their options before the trade deadline.
• Kyler thinks everybody on the Mavericks is available at the trade deadline, with the exception of Dirk Nowitzki.
• The Celtics are very active in trade talks, but don't have many assets to offer.
• Given the Kings' ownership situation, Kyler doubts they move Tyreke Evans or any other player before the deadline.
• Kyler doesn't think the Jazz will trade Paul Millsap or Al Jefferson unless they can preserve flexibility.

Let's round up a few of Monday's odds and ends from around the Association....

• Carmelo Anthony told reporters, including Marc Berman of the New York Post, that he's happy for Mike D'Antoni and that he and the former Knicks coach had a "good relationship."
• Brian Musburger, the agent for Phil Jackson, said he and his client were indeed "stunned" by the Lakers' hiring of D'Antoni: "Not so much with the decision the Lakers made, because Phil had no hold on the job. But we are stunned with the way Phil learned of it" (Sulia link via Kevin Ding of the O.C. Register).
• Following up on the Sixers' latest update on Andrew Bynum, Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal (Sulia link) points to Bynum's health as one reason why the Cavaliers didn't get far in trade negotiations for the big man this past summer.
• In his Morning Tip piece at NBA.com, TNT's David Aldridge discusses the Lakers' coaching hire, Keyon Dooling's decision to retire, and Mickey Loomis' role with the Hornets.
• DeMar DeRozan is hoping to help turn the Raptors into a team that will be attractive to players in free agency, as he tells Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld.
• NBA veteran Marcus Banks, who last played for the Raptors in 2010/11, has agreed to terms with Panathinaikos, according to a report passed along by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.

We've got a busy NBA slate lined up for tonight, with the Knicks, Timberwolves, and Hawks among the teams opening up their seasons at home. As we look forward to a 12-game evening, let's round up a few odds and ends from around the league:

• Despite receiving some criticism for giving Chris Paul too much power in the Clippers' decision-making, GM Gary Sacks tells Sam Amick of USA Today he has no problem with listening to "the guy with the highest IQ in the NBA, maybe."
• Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com examines whether Mark Cuban will be able to rebuild the Mavericks without bottoming out.
• We heard this morning that Eddy Curry will be waived by the Mavericks, and according to Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld, a number of teams have already reached out to Curry's camp. The big center figures to join another club soon, says Ingram.
• Grantland's Zach Lowe calls DeMar DeRozan's extension a bad contract, but not a catastrophic one. Lowe prefers the deals signed by Jrue Holiday and Taj Gibson to DeRozan's.
• Responding to the criticism DeRozan's extension has received, Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo defended the team's decision, as Eric Koreen of the National Post transcribes.
• Sam Smith's latest mailbag at Bulls.com features discussion on the James Harden trade, Quentin Richardson, and potential Bulls targets.
• A federal court judge has dismissed the claims that agency Priority Sports & Entertainment filed against NBA agent and former Priority employee Aaron Mintz, according to Liz Mullen of the SportsBusiness Journal.

Five players signed contract extensions on Wednesday's deadline day, and that doesn't even include Ty Lawson's new deal, which was completed on Tuesday. With this year's October 31st deadline behind us, let's round up some of the links relating to this year's class of extended players....

• Taj Gibson's deal with the Bulls is worth roughly $34MM in guaranteed salary, plus up to $38-39MM with incentives, which are both individual- and team-based, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com (Twitter links).
• Gibson probably could have earned a larger contract on the open market next summer, but wanted to stay with the Bulls because he's happy in Chicago, says Sam Smith of Bulls.com.
• Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group spoke to Stephen Curry about the process of negotiating a new deal with the Warriors. The piece also includes conversations with team owner Joe Lacob and GM Bob Myers.
• DeMar DeRozan was prepared to play out the season with or without a contract extension, but he's happy to have it out of the way, writes Stephen Brotherson of HoopsWorld.
• Doug Smith of the Toronto Star feels that the Raptors, in locking up DeRozan, bid against themselves when it wasn't necessary.
• Sean Deveney of The Sporting News examines the consequences of a wild week for the Rockets and James Harden, who finalized a five-year maximum-salary extension yesterday.
• Having not received an extension from the Kings, Tyreke Evans tells Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee that he's fine with just focusing on his play on the court for the rest of the season.

11:09pm: The Raptors confirmed the extension in a press release.

"DeMar has worked very hard and has been a significant part of the building process here in Toronto," team president Bryan Colangelo said. "We view DeMar as a young, athletic and talented basketball player whose character fits what we are putting together."

8:11pm: Michael Grange of Rogers Sportsnet confirms via Twitter that the base pay in the deal is $38MM (hat tip to John Hollinger of ESPN.com).

6:30pm: Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun hears the deal is actually for four years and $38MM (Twitter link). He's likely referring to the base pay and not the amount DeRozan could earn with the incentives, but that's just my speculation.

5:41pm: The Raptors and DeMar DeRozan have agreed to a four-year $40MM extension with incentives that could bring the value to as much as $42MM, reports Sam Amick of SI.com (Twitter link). Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported moments earlier that the two sides were close to a deal (Twitter link). After early indications today that a deal would not get done, there seemed to be a change of heart, presumably by the Raptors, who were reportedly already focused on what they wanted to see from DeRozan this season in advance of restricted free agency next summer. Instead, it appears they'll have the fourth-year swingman already locked up.

Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, who heard earlier today that an offer in the neighborhood of $34MM could get a deal done, quickly criticized the team's decision via Twitter, and Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times followed (Twitter link). Last year, DeRozan put up 16.7 PPG and 3.3 RPG on 42.2% shooting with a 12.8 PER, all numbers that declined from 2010/11.

The move means roughly $52MM in cap space is tied up for next season, assuming Linas Kleiza and Aaron Gray pick up their player options. That puts the Raptors out of the running for a max free agent they would have been able to afford if they passed on DeRozan. 

The reaction to the Raptors' decision to grant DeMar DeRozan an incentive-laden four-year extension worth at least $38MM met with immediate criticism this evening, as it seemed the Raptors had overpaid. Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, one of those initial critics, wonders about the timing of the commitment, but notes that the team made a similar move when they extended Andrea Bargnani, and he's turned out to be a bargain. Still, he believes both players are too inefficient to cover for their flaws (Twitter link). As we wait for more news as the extension deadline draws near, here's the latest from around the Atlantic Division.

• Nets GM Billy King admits he was making moves just to keep his job when he was GM of the Sixers, but he's been much more bold since taking over the Nets, writes Roderick Boone of Newsday.
• Despite a spate of injuries, Knicks coach Mike Woodson is confident his request that the team sign veteran players in the offseason will bear fruit, as Nate Taylor of The New York Times documents.
• Raymond Felton is anxious to vanquish the ghosts of Jeremy Lin, his predecessor as Knicks point guard, notes Newsday's Al Iannazzone. "Jeremy's gone," Felton said. "He's in Houston now. That's a lost cause. He's not coming back. It's my team. I'm the point guard. Me and (Jason)  Kidd, so Jeremy Lin is in Houston. Only time he comes back is when he plays against us."
• No player will ever burst on the scene quite like Lin did last year, but Chris Copeland is the Knicks best candidate for a breakout season in 2012/13, according to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
• Though Jeff Green struggled in his first game since his offseason signing with the Celtics, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com says Green's best is yet to come.

This year's deadline for extension-eligible fourth-year players to sign new deals is just hours away, arriving at 11:00pm CT today. Blake Griffin, Serge Ibaka, and Ty Lawson came into the day as the only players with new contracts, while Stephen Curry reached an unexpected agreement with the Warriors this morning and James Harden agreed to a maximum deal with the Rockets this afternoon. Will we see any other extensions signed before the night is out? We'll track today's extension-related rumors and rumblings right here:

• Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago reports Taj Gibson is seeking a four-year extension worth $40MM while the Bulls are offering $32MM. Sam notes a $36MM figure in the middle would be equal to what fellow forwards Ryan Anderson and Jeff Green got over the summer, and less than the $10MM or more Sam believes Gibson could command as a restricted free agent next summer (All Twitter links).

Earlier updates:

• The Cavs have passed on an extension for Omri Casspi, the Plain Dealer reports via Twitter.
• The Warriors had no intention of letting Stephen Curry go, regardless of whether they reached an extension, and the same is true for the Raptors and DeMar DeRozan, tweets Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.
• A league source told Kyler that Ty Lawson's extension "set some things in motion" regarding extensions for other players (Twitter link).
• In a piece discussing the team's decision to pick up Quincy Pondexter's option, Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal notes the Grizzlies never spoke with Arn Tellem, the agent for Wayne Ellington, about an extension for his client. 
• Jrue Holiday is content however his extension negotiations with the Sixers turn out, writes John Finger of CSNPhilly.com. “I’m happy and I want to be here and if we wait until the end of the season there are more options. I’m happy either way,” Holiday said. 
• The Bulls and Taj Gibson's camp are still talking, according to TNT's David Aldridge, and agent Mark Bartelstein told Shama Charania of RealGM.com, "Never say never" (Twitterlinks).
• Gibson told K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune he doesn't think he'll change his mind and accept the Bulls offer after the game tonight. "I doubt it," Gibson said. "Gotta move on."
• A source close to talks between the Raptors and DeMar DeRozan expressed a hint of optimism that a deal will be reached, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
• The Bulls' offer to Taj Gibson isn't changing, and the two sides are separated by roughly $8MM on a four-year proposal, reports K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).
• A deal between the Grizzlies and Wayne Ellington won't take place, tweets Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal, who adds Ellington was well aware he wouldn't get an extension. 
• Talks about extensions for Taj Gibson and Jrue Holiday are expected to go "down to the wire," Ken Berger of CBSSports.com hears (Twitter link).
• Jrue Holiday tells Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com that the Sixers have come back to him and his agent with a counter-offer regarding an extension. There's no indication of how close the team's offer is to getting something done, but Holiday says there's some reason for optimism, according to Moore (Twitterlinks).
• A source close to the talks between the Raptors and DeMar DeRozan is pessimistic about the chances of an extension agreement, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. However, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun hears that a deal, one in the neighborhood of four years and $34MM, is is still possible. Earlier this afternoon, we heard from Adrian Wojnarowski and Wolstat that the two sides were making progress (links below).
• Barring a late surge of momentum, an extension for Taj Gibson from the Bulls appears unlikely, says Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
• With an extension from the Bucks almost certainly not coming today, Brandon Jennings had mixed feelings, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
• Wayne Ellington was prepared not to receive a contract extension from the Grizzlies, telling Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (Twitter link): "It’s always something you think about. Now it’s something I’ve got to work for."
• While there's no deal in place yet, the Raptors and DeMar DeRozan have made progress in talks on a four-year extension, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun hears the same thing (Twitter link). After initially expressing skepticism that a deal would get done, Wolstat now thinks there's a 75% chance the two sides work something out, predicting an annual salary of $8MM+ (Twitterlinks).
• All signals continue to suggest the Raptors won't be extending DeMar DeRozan today, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
• Jrue Holiday still isn't ruling out an extension, telling Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com "you never know what will happen" (Twitter link). One league source places the odds of the Sixers extending Holiday at 50/50, tweets Ken Berger of CBS Sports, while Moore hears the point guard is seeking $12-13MM annually (Twitter link).
• The Bulls "remain hopeful" that Taj Gibson will accept their extension offer by tonight, says Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com.
• James Harden has yet to sign an extension with the Rockets, but it's still expected to happen before the end of the day, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
• Reports continue to suggest that Brandon Jennings will not be extended by the Bucks before tonight's deadline. Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is the latest to say that Jennings isn't expected to receive a new deal, citing multiple sources.
• Jrue Holiday hasn't heard anything from the 76ers or his agent about a possible extension, tweets Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News. Holiday added that Lawson's $48MM extension doesn't affect him, since "I want what I want" (Twitter link via Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com).
• It appears the Sixers are at least still exploring a new contract for Holiday. Head coach Doug Collins told the media that Tony DiLeo didn't come to the team's shootaround, likely because the GM was in his office talking about a potential Holiday extension (Twitter link via Cooney).

We're a few days removed from the Rockets' acquisition of James Harden, but that doesn't mean that reaction pieces or additional details have stopped rolling in. Today, Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel wonders if the Thunder got as much for Harden as the Magic did for Dwight Howard, and DeMar DeRozan talks to Eric Koreen of the National Post about how he, Harden, and other members of the 2009 draft class approach their contract situations. Meanwhile, Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game hears from one GM that Sam Presti didn't canvass the entire league for the best deal for Harden, presumably since Presti didn't want to create an avalanche of rumors (Twitter link). And finally, Bill Simmons of Grantland adds that Harden and his agent were seeking a 15% trade kicker as part of extension talks with the Thunder.

Now that we've rounded up today's Harden-related links, let's turn to the afternoon's non-Harden notes:

• Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld examines a few players who could be trade candidates between now and the deadline, including Rudy Gay, who Kennedy says would be open to a move.
• The Timberwolves have inquired on the recently-waived JaJuan Johnson, but don't figure to be a match, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
• Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star Telegram spoke to Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson about a number of topics, including the team's chemistry with so many new players on board.
• Extension talks between Taj Gibson and the Bulls are ongoing and are expected to push up against tomorrow's 11:00pm CT deadline, says Ken Berger of CBS Sports (Twitter links).
• Scottie Pippen is interesting in eventually becoming a head coach in the NBA, as he told The Waddle & Silvy Show on ESPN 1000 in Chicago (ESPNChicago.com has the details and quotes).
• Mark Deeks of ShamSports tweets the details on a pair of contract buyouts: Jordan Williams will receive $420K from Atlanta after being waived by the Hawks, while Keyon Dooling will receive $400K from the Celtics following his retirement.
• Dionte Christmas, who was released by the Celtics this month, appears headed for CSKA Moscow, according to Eurohoops.net (hat tip to Sportando).
• A Spurs' second-round pick in 2009, Jack McClinton is hoping to earn a spot in the D-League this year and eventually receive an NBA call-up, writes David Pick at Eurobasket.com.

Knicks power forward Amare Stoudemire will miss at least the first six weeks of the season with a previously diagnosed knee injury, tweets ESPN.com's Chris Broussard. 

On the eve of opening day, here are a few bits of other news from around the league. 

• Recently waived by the Bulls, center Kyrylo Fesenko will work out for the Hawks on Tuesday, according to a tweet from RealGM.com's Shams Charania. 
• DeMar DeRozan won't be receiving a contract extension before tomorrow's deadline, but that doesn't mean he doesn't want to continue his career with the Raptors, writes The Toronto Star's Doug Smith. 
• Celtics head coach Doc Rivers went on Boston's Sports Hub radio station to say that he did in fact reach out to current Heat guard Ray Allen when free agency started in July, but that the future Hall of Famer didn't return his calls. 

Last week, both TNT's David Aldridge and ESPN.com's Marc Stein passed along rumors and rumblings they'd heard about this offseason's extension candidates. With just six more days for Ty Lawson, Taj Gibson, and other extension-eligible players to work out new deals with their teams, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld throws his hat into the ring, rounding up a few of the latest updates:

• James Harden would like to end speculation about his contract situation, and that could mean he accepts an offer worth less than the max from the Thunder, says Kyler. A contract that includes incentives is a possibility.
• The Kings are unlikely to lock up Tyreke Evans this month, and could even explore trading him prior to this season's deadline. Kyler hears from sources close to Evans that he'd welcome free agency "if only to find a situation that believes in him as a player."
• The Warriors still like Stephen Curry and figure to retain him beyond this season, but an extension probably won't happen within the next week. Given Curry's ankle issues, it's simply too hard to value him fairly.
• DeMar DeRozan appears headed for restricted free agency, and the Raptors would like to see a "big leap" from him this season before committing too heavily next summer.
• Brandon Jennings is "far from secure" in Milwaukee, and the Bucks could consider trading him before the deadline, according to Kyler.
• Kyler hears that the 76ers have offered Jrue Holiday an extension in the neighborhood of $9MM annually, but that's Holiday's camp turned it down, expecting to see a bigger payday in free agency.
• Lawson still appears to be one of the players most likely to be extended, and Kyler says the Nuggets could include incentives in their offer.
• The Bulls are likely to extend Gibson, who wants to stay in Chicago, though that doesn't necessarily mean he'll accept a hometown discount.