Jerry Zgoda's short takes: Jan. 1

By JERRY ZGODA, Star Tribune

Last update: October 31, 2009 - 8:26 PM

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The NBA extended the deadline for teams to sign fourth-year players -- Boston's Rajon Rondo, Washington's Randy Foye, Memphis' Rudy Gay and Chicago's Tyrus Thomas among them -- until Monday because the usual Oct. 31 deadline fell on a Saturday.

Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy and Toronto's Andrea Bargnani already have signed extensions.

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Boston not only held Charlotte to a franchise-low 59 points in a Wednesday thumping, Kevin Garnett also fell on Bobcat Raymond Felton so hard that paint chips from the parquet floor were impaled into his lower lip.

"They were taking parts of the floor right out of my mouth," Felton said after receiving 15 stitches.

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Orlando center Dwight Howard hosted his 1 millionth Twitter follower -- a Sacramento woman and her son -- at Wednesday's season opener. She won free game tickets, roundtrip airfare to Orlando and hotel accommodations.

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Trade rumors surrounding unhappy Golden State guard Stephen Jackson won't go away until, well, he's traded. Cleveland, Denver, New Orleans, San Antonio and the Clippers supposedly are interested.

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The Rockets took a ferry from San Francisco to Oakland before beating the Warriors on Wednesday because a cable snapped and temporarily closed the Bay Bridge.

"I was a little nervous," said Chuck Hayes, the Rockets' only Northern California native. "You see so many movies where boats sink."

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