When the wet and hot Houston rainy season quietly passes and the countdown to September begins, you know the end of summer has arrived.

The long journey and the slaughter are about to begin again.

The bearded man sat on his large balcony and looked out into the distance. It's been more than a month since he was secretly photographed by a woman in front of a nightclub, and he threw the woman's phone into the bushes. Clubtime should be over. Play, no big deal. Rich young people, who do not play. James Harden knows that when it's time for your full attention, you have to give it your full attention.

Yang Yiming doesn't have any holidays. Before the Chinese men's basketball team regained the men's basketball gold medal in the Asian Games after a long absence, he single-handedly fought against the United States team, which did not have a full main team, and killed Griffin, Thompson, Oladipo and Popovich in the fourth quarter in a cold sweat. Before that, he had been training in Germany for two weeks under the tutelage of Dirk Nowitzki. He wants to be the next big man like Nowitzki, and that will only be the first of several tough summers for him.

Ross? No one knows where Ross is. He still sweats and bleeds on the basketball court, wearing out his almost non-existent meniscus, but his life off the basketball court has taken on a semi-retired state of recuperation. "Rose" doesn't appear in the news, and the news doesn't track him anymore. Where he might ride, swim. If you tell me that he will be a great triathlete in the future, I will believe it. But now all I know is that Rose won't give up basketball for a day before he retires.

That's how life is. You're good enough, but people expect you to be better, and you have to expect that from yourself. Every year, the world presents a new, huge question mark, waiting for you to crack in front of challengers like you.

For Harden, two years ago, it was with D'Antoni, the master of the "7 seconds or less" and fast whirlwind system, can scorer Harden really become the top core guard in the league?

Last year, was it Harden and Paul, two supercore defenders in the league, who could coexist and complement each other on the same team?

For Yang Yiming, his rookie season is amazing enough. was born out of thin air, won the championship with the team, and almost won the best rookie award. Where is Dr. Yang's ceiling, whether this is a question sentence or an exclamation sentence, may not be known until the new season.

For Rose, his question seems a little simpler. Those who care about him have long given up asking "whether the rose in the wind can return to the top", and instead silently thought in their hearts, "Let him play for a few more years".

All three of them will face unknowns at the same time.

Melon Anthony, the Rockets' biggest and perhaps only growth point this summer, the toughest in the league in 10 years, but also the most singular scorer, as a leader and core guard, as a contender for a similar position, as a former teammate in New York City, can you mobilize Anthony?

When teaming up with another super-core defender, Master Wei, Anthony's career took a jump. He had his worst season ever, he was miserable, confused, and discouraged. So what about standing next to Harden, who has better pacing control and more ways to dominate the ball? What about the younger and more humble Chinese juniors, but with a direct overlap of positions? What about Rose, who had high hopes in the past but did not bring glory to New York City, and was reduced to a roster addition in Houston? Harden and Westbrook, Anthony and Yang Yiming, Anthony and Rose with their past selves. Is this a revalidation of their ability to mobilize? Look, the competition is coming. If you're a competitor, competition is everywhere at every level.

When the Rockets signed Anthony, Harden said this about Anthony's role in the team switching and adapting. He used a word, called breeze. The art of translating this word can be called "like a spring breeze" or "easy". If you are bathing in the spring breeze, it is attitude, and easy is difficult. Harden, the team's big brother, is ready to hug Anthony, which is of course equivalent to speaking for Yang Yiming and Rose; But objectively, the transfer of Anthony is completely different from the transfer of strikers like Ariza in the past.

First, Ariza has an excellent ability to run and transition, and can quickly move in front of Harden in the transition offense, spreading his wings like a wing. But Anthony doesn't have that speed and running ability; Second, a forward like Ariza is used to the role player's style of play. His regular offensive method is to receive Harden's burst shots. But Anthony, a superstar who is used to having more than 50 touches per game, needs a touch of rhythm, and his most threatening position is in mid-range singles. Making the ball for him is completely different from making the ball for the Ariza. But like we said, if you want the Rockets to be better than last season, the only growth point is in Anthony, and you have to move him out.

Third, and actually the most important, is how Harden can help Yang Yiming grow while maximizing the mobilization of Carmelo Anthony. Anthony is an instant force, a mercenary, and a temporary plan to deal with the Golden State Warriors with the unprecedented "Big Five" formed by DeMarcus Cousins. But Yang Yiming is the future of the rocket. His growth is the rocket's plan. Rose, who has a young rise to fame, will give a point, but it is Harden, the real commander on the court and the dominant player of the ball, who has the decision.

That's the perspective of people, and that's Harden's mission. The mission is not just about whether or not Anthony can be mobilized and re-established as Anthony, but whether it can keep the Rockets competitive and take care of all aspects of the team. That sounds too hard. They've won regular season championships and championships, set team all-time win records, Harden is the MVP, his younger brother Yang Yiming narrowly missed the best rookie from Ben Simmons, who is actually a sophomore, isn't his Rockets good enough? He won everything an athlete could win as an individual. Barkley said that he is the most difficult person in the world to defend against right now. But when you get to this level, this level, it's a stage that only a very small number of elites can enter - you're already here, and people measure you from a different perspective. People compare you differently.

Not only do you have to be consistent — Harden is consistent enough, his whole physical level, his opposing power, the way he plays, his basketball IQ, all on the top platform. He can keep his level, but he has to think about it more. Start with training camp and study and learn the habits and characteristics of new teammates like Anthony. Not just hug them emotionally, but embrace them in the way they play and let them be the new wings.

At this level, people will ultimately measure and judge you, not just whether you are averaging 30 points and 10 assists per game, but by your key role, whether you are a leader, whether you are really leading the team forward. D'Antoni and Anthony didn't have a good time working together last time. Will it all be easier when Harden becomes the bridge between them?

For Yang Yiming, his second season. He doesn't have the immunity that "if a non-draft player does something wrong, nothing is wrong, and if he does it right, he earns it." In the eyes of fans, his second season was standing on the stage of the best rookie. At least the steps of the "near" best rookie. In the eyes of Chinese fans, he should not be a substitute for Carmelo Anthony, at least not willingly conceding defeat. Competition is more like a dialogue between the new generation and the old era, even if the dialogue takes place in the same team, even if the competition and dialogue are at the same time, they still need to be consistent with the outside world.

For Rose, the challenge has been with him for so many years since the moment he was seriously injured for the first time, and it must have been as familiar as a shadow. This season, there aren't more challenges, right?

A few months ago, when Harden came to Shanghai, I went to host one of his events. Speaking of the advantage of beating the Warriors to advance to the Finals last season, Harden pouted his beard, gritted his teeth, pinched a small circle with his right thumb and forefinger, and said, just a little bit, a little bit, a little bit. He just said it with a tooth, just a loss, a loss, a loss.

Danger after risk.

But this season, I still have to fight for this loss! The opponent is a warrior! There's another Cousins over there!

The nature of competition is like that. The rivers and lakes are out of my generation, and the years of entering the rivers and lakes are urging.

When you reach this level, it is fate that pushes you forward and pushes you forward.

The 2018-19 season was the 10th season of Harden's career. But really hitting this level, the elite of the elite, the star of the stars, is his third season.

From 2016 to 17, D'Antoni arrived, reversed positions, spread his wings, and lost to a triple-double in the huge controversy of the MVP race.

From 2017 to 18, he teamed up with Paul, unbeatable, surrendered, and won the MVP with an undisputed attitude.

Without the 16-17 season of passing by the MVP, there would be no comeback in the 17-18 season, the determination to reclaim the trophy, and without winning the MVP, you would not be at the level you are at today and be judged by the highest standards in the world.

The same standard, the youngest MVP Ross of the year, has experienced, and now it will be put on Yang Yiming and do it again.

Déjà vu.

The so-called one life is two, two is three, and three is everything.

Three Lives, Derrick Rose, James Harden, Yang Yiming. When the old, middle and young trio joined forces in the camp of the rockets, there was also the hope of Adidas behind them.

This summer, Yang Yiming and Adidas reached a personal sponsorship agreement to officially join the old German sports brand.

Three begets and all things.

Adidas through the new generation of Yang Yiming, didas is about to launch a personal signature sneaker for Yang Yiming, and it is reported that there will also be a limited edition souvenir of the first collaboration between the three stars, which will be launched.

The basketball journey of these three Adidas stars, the test of whether the three lives and all things can be fulfilled will also be launched.