Jason Quick of the Oregonian looks at the friendly rivalry between the Trail Blazers' Nicolas Batum and the Nuggets' Danilo Gallinari that has stemmed from their days as young Euroleague stars hoping to make it into the NBA. Most notably, Quick mentions that Batum's salary negotiations this past summer were influenced by the type of deals that Gallinari, Marvin Williams, and Arron Afflalo had received with their respective teams. With that aside, here are a few more rumblings from around the Association tonight:

• Derrick Rose took part in the non-contact portion of Bulls practice today, although coach Tom Thibodeau has not yet placed a timetable on the superstar's return (Seth Gruen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports).  
• Despite a strong start to the season, the Warriors' upcoming stretch against teams that have a notable inside presence will help determine if their interior defensive struggles against the Kings were either minor or a sign of a major problem, writes Marcus Thompson II of MercuryNews.com.
• Rookie Royce White is "hopeful" that he'll play for the Rockets again sometime this season (Mark Berman of Fox 26 tweets).
• 1500 ESPN's Darren Wolfson confirms earlier speculation via a team source that Timberwolves guard  Malcolm Lee will be sidelined for the rest of the year (Twitter link). 
• Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune tweeted that Chris Douglas-Roberts is another top option available for the Timberwolves in addition to Michael Redd. 
• In his Nuggets Mailbag, Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post discusses why he thinks Gallinari has shown the capability of being a clutch All-Star type of player, why Carmelo Anthony isn't necessarily the clear-cut MVP right now, and the Nuggets' decision to commit to a long-term deal with Ty Lawson.

• Once touted a possible NBA first-round pick, University of Texas sophomore guard Myck Kabongo has been suspended by the NCAA for providing inaccurate information about receiving improper benefits during an investigation (Pat Forde and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports report).  
• In another unfortunate setback for the Timberwolves, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune reports that guard Malcolm Lee could require season-ending surgery.   
• Celtics Talk on CSNNE.com wonders if Jason Terry's shot attempts will substantially decrease once Avery Bradley returns from injury. 

• Lamar Odom is starting to get in shape and is displaying flashes of his old Sixth Man of the Year form, as Elliott Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News observes.
• The Lakers' decision not to amnesty Metta World Peace before last season is paying off, writes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, who adds that this summer's discovery and treatment of a nerve issue that had been bothering World Peace for four years has reinvigorated his play.
• Nuggets guard Ty Lawson admits he can do better than his slumping performance this season, and Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post outlines what the point guard must do to return to the form that netted him a four-year, $48MM extension in October.
• Despite GM David Kahn's denial of Pau Gasol trade rumors, the Timberwolves "would love" to acquire the big man and play him at center, according to Bob Finnan of The News-Herald.
• Finnan also hears from sources within the ranks of media, agents, assistant coaches, GMs and scouts who tell him they are convinced LeBron James will opt out of his contract in 2014. 
• Center Solomon Alabi is close to a deal with a Chinese club, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The 7'1" Alabi was let go by the Hornets at the end of training camp. He spent the last two seasons with the Raptors, but saw little playing time, averaging 1.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 7.0 minutes a game over 26 total contests.

Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld touches on several topics in his NBA AM piece today, talking to a handful of players and weighing in on the new face in the Grizzlies' front office. Let's dive in and round up the highlights....

• Coming off a summer during which they overhauled their roster, the Suns are off to a slow start as the team's new additions work to develop chemistry. "You got to find each other’s games out," said returning Sun Jared Dudley. "Coaches got to find what players work good with each other, what plays for which players. We’ve shown spurts and glimpses of what we can do, we haven’t put it together for a whole 48 (minutes)."
• Goran Dragic tells Kyler that, while it's nice to be playing with Luis Scola, who was his teammate in Houston, there's still plenty of work to be done in Phoenix: "Two don’t make a team. Everybody needs to know each other and what we do. We’re struggling a little bit in the process, but we still have to find a way to win basketball games."
• A week after signing a four-year contract extension to remain with the Nuggets long-term, Ty Lawson says the only thing that's changed is that he's more sure of the confidence and trust the team has in him.
• Maurice Harkless, who underwent hernia surgery in the offseason, is being brought back slowly, and understands why he has yet to make his NBA debut with the Magic. "I think it’s good to just learn as much as I can because being that I missed the whole training camp," Harkless said. "Learning is important. Naturally, I’d rather just be out there playing, but I think coach is doing a good job."
• Kyler notes that Jason Levien, who was hired as the Grizzlies' new CEO and managing partner, negotiated big deals for Luol Deng and Kevin Martin back when he was an agent, and also spent over a year in the Kings' front office, where he had a hand in "several cap-clearing trades."

7:56pm: The team announced via press release that Lawson has signed the extension, making it official.

2:18pm: Lawson's extension will be worth $48MM over four years, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).

2:07pm: The Nuggets and Ty Lawson appear to have come to an agreement on a four-year extension for the Denver point guard. While we don't have any details yet on the exact terms, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports confirms (via Twitter) that the two sides have agreed to a new deal. Lawson broke the news today on his own Twitter feed.

"It Looks like im going to be a nugget for another 4 yrs," Lawson tweeted. "Thanks to the Kronke family, Masai, nuggets fans and everybody 4 believing In me."

Lawson had long been considered one of the top candidates from this year's class of extension-eligible fourth-year players to sign a contract extension, with ESPN.com's Marc Stein reporting earlier this month that it seemed like more a question of "when" than "if." Negotiations between the two sides seemed to stall earlier this week, but it appears that was just a temporary setback.

TNT's David Aldridge reported overnight that Lawson had turned down the Nuggets' offer of four years and $45MM, so the amount the 24-year-old agreed to is likely a little higher. When I examined Lawson as an extension candidate earlier this summer, I estimated that an annual salary in the neighborhood of $10MM could be about right, suggesting that perhaps it could go a little higher if Lawson was extended for four years rather than five.

Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld shared a few updates on extension-eligible players in his NBA AM column this morning, and also tweeted a few notes about the Rockets' options in free agency next summer. Let's dive right in and round up the highlights....

• James Harden and the Rockets will almost certainly reach an agreement on a five-year extension today or tomorrow. It's just a matter of whether it will be for the true max or slightly below that.
• If Tyreke Evans, who won't be extended this week, struggles early in the season, he could become a trade candidate for the Kings.
• According to Kyler, Brandon Jennings' camp is seeking an extension worth $9-10MM annually, which the Bucks aren't interested in. Those numbers are a little surprising to me -- I'd think the Bucks wouldn't mind a deal in that neighborhood, while Jennings would be seeking something closer to the max.
• The Sixers and Jrue Holiday don't appear headed for an extension this week. Kyler says Philadelphia's offer was worth about $8-9MM annually.
• The "broad strokes" are there for an agreement between Ty Lawson and the Nuggets. Now it's just a matter of working out the final value of the contract.
• The odds of Taj Gibson and the Bulls reaching an extension agreement today or tomorrow are about 50/50 at best.
• The Hawks have told Jeff Teague that he's still part of their long-term plans, but the team wants to maintain flexibility next summer, so he won't be extended now. The Bobcats have a similar stance with Gerald Henderson and Byron Mullens.
• In a series of tweets, Kyler says the Rockets are unlikely to be serious players for Josh Smith in free agency next summer, unless they trade for him. The fifth year that the team holding Smith's Bird Rights will be able to offer could be a dealbreaker, according to Kyler, who adds that the forward appears happy with the Hawks for now.
• Kyler expects the Rockets to take a similar approach to what they did this past offseason, pursuing restricted free agents and perhaps making a poison pill offer or two. Paul Millsap could also be a potential target, says Kyler (Twitter links).

The Nuggets are moving closer to finalizing a contract extension with Ty Lawson in advance of tomorrow's deadline, reports TNT's David Aldridge at NBA.com. There's no deal in place yet, but Aldridge says hopes are increasing that something can be worked out by tomorrow.

We heard over the weekend that talks between the two sides had stalled, with Lawson expressing some pessimism yesterday about the chances of an agreement being reached. However, Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post anticipates talks going down to the wire, noting that the "intense, fourth-quarter-like moment" will be fitting for Lawson.

According to Aldridge, Lawson turned down a four-year, $45MM offer from the Nuggets earlier this month. I wouldn't be surprised if an offer a little closer to $50MM for four years got it done tomorrow. If the two sides don't reach an agreement, Lawson will become a restricted free agent next summer.

MONDAY, 2:33pm: While there's still time for the two sides to reach an agreement, Lawson sounds pessimistic about working out an extension, writes Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post.

"I don’t think we’re at the point where we want to be at right now," Lawson said today. "We’ll see, we have two days left. “Today it weighed on me (at practice) more than most days. I talked to my agent right before I came here. I was kind of disappointed. But we’ll see what happens."

SUNDAY, 11:39am: Discussions about an extension for Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson have stalled with three days to go before the deadline, HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy reports via Twitter. Lawson has been one of the few players from the 2009 draft class thought to be likely to get an extension, and earlier this month Marc Stein of ESPN.com heard that it seemed a matter of "when," not "if" a deal would get done. 

The Nuggets could give Lawson a five-year extension to make him the team's designated player, and Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post wrote that such a deal for around $65MM could be in play. Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors believes it might not take that much to get it done, having speculated in July that a $10MM annual salary could work for both sides. Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld recently wrote that the team has been looking for creative ways to structure the deal, and could be exploring incentives.

If Lawson fails to sign an extension by Wednesday, he'll hit the market as a restricted free agent next summer, when several other top-flight point guards could also be available, including Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, Brandon Jennings and Jrue Holiday,

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Sunday night:

• Rockets coach Kevin McHale talked to the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen about the addition of James Harden. McHale doesn't believe Harden will have trouble transitioning from the sixth-man role he played in Oklahoma City to a starting job in Houston.
• George Karl calls Ty Lawson's extension negotiations with the Nuggets a "distraction," according to Adrian Dater of the Denver Post.
• Bill Oram of the Salt Lake tribune writes that the Jazz have already developed chemistry, which the team believes will work to its benefit.
• Yahoo's Marc Spears writes that Michael Beasley is hoping to rehabilitate his public image in Phoenix this season.

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.

Earlier this week, TNT's David Aldridge shared the latest rumors and rumblings he'd heard about this year's fourth-year extension candidates. ESPN.com's Marc Stein follows suit today, and while much of what he's hearing is along the same lines as Aldridge's updates, there's still enough new info that it's worth rounding up the highlights....

• Despite chairman Jerry Reinsdorf's apparent aversion to early extensions, it's still likely that the Bulls and Taj Gibson work something out this month, and that the team will eventually release Carlos Boozer using the amensty clause.
• An extension for Ty Lawson remains more a question of "when" than "if," sources tells Stein.
• The Raptors seem to "want to be wowed" by DeMar DeRozan in the 2012/13 season before committing to him long-term.
• The Bobcats aren't expected to lock Gerald Henderson up to an extension unless the terms are very team-friendly.
• Although the Hawks like Jeff Teague, they'll likely hold off on committing future cap space to a point guard until they're 100% sure they can't lure Chris Paul to Atlanta.
• Extensions for Darren Collison and Rodrigue Beaubois can safely be ruled out as the Mavericks attempt to preserve next summer's cap room.
• Stein also believes Stephen Curry and James Harden are likely to be extended, and that a new deal for Jrue Holiday is possible. However, he classifies the rest of this offseason's extension candidates as unlikely to receive long-term contracts by Halloween.