"July has passed, August has also entered the second half of the year, the NBA's transfer market has gradually cooled down from July, and most teams have ended their transfer operations and entered the preparation period......

On the Rockets' side, Qiao Hai has confirmed that they will start their preseason training camp on September 20.

For now, the Rockets have confirmed a 16-man roster, as follows:

Point guards: Gary Payton, Ralph Alston, Carlos Arroyo;

Shooting guards: Dwayne Wade, Jamal Crawford, DeShaun Stevenson;

Small forwards: Ron Artest, Keller Korver, Devin Brown, Matt Barnes;

Power forwards: Chris Anderson, Boris Dior, Darius Sangueira;

Center: Yao Ming, Kevin Cato, Greg Ostertag.

Among them, Devin Brown and Matt Barnes' contracts are training camp contracts, and before the regular season kicks off, Devin Brown and Matt Barnes can only have one person left.

……

The Rockets' 16-man roster also means that their transfer operations have all ended, with ESPN, Hoop Sports and other media summarizing the Rockets' transfer operations in the offseason.

"Two drafts, the Frenchman Boris Dior, who was selected in the first round, is a three-and-four-player forward with excellent shooting and passing, and average defense."

"Keller Korver was a pure shooter in the second round, and it can be seen that the Rockets' two drafts focused on selecting a few high-quality role players, and Keller Korver has the characteristics to become a high-quality role player."

……

"Outside of the draft, in the first trade, the Rockets traded James Posey, who was signed and traded by Steve Frances, from the Pistons to Dwyane Wade."

"In this deal, the Rockets lost their outside core from last season and the only outside gate other than Ron Artest, and got a potential rookie."

"The success or failure of this deal depends entirely on how far Dwayne Wade can grow, if Dwayne Wade can grow to the point where he can surpass Steve Francis, then this deal for the Rockets is a big profit, if Dwyane Wade is not even as good as Steve Francis, it is a blood ......loss"

"It's still too difficult for Dwyane Wade to grow beyond Steve Francis if there is a wave of rational analysis."

"But considering that Dwayne Wade is Qiao Hai's choice, then, Wade's growth is still worth looking forward to."

For the time being, no one is optimistic that Dwyane Wade can surpass Steve Francis, but it is really because Steve Francis is so good, and Steve Francis is already an All-Star level player.

More than Steve Francis, it's hard to imagine what level of star it is.

"So, all in all, this deal is a loss for the time being."

……

"In the second trade, the Rockets sent away Carlos Boozer, who had a great performance last season, and Mustinoris, a backup point guard who fell out of the rotation midway through the season, and got Greg Ostertag, DeShaun Stevenson, and Carlos Arroyo, as well as a first-round pick.

"This deal is obviously not a loss, just that draft pick, the Rockets can recoup their investment, you know, Carlos Boozer is just a rookie with a 26th pick in the first round, and the Jazz's protected first-round pick is likely to be higher than this pick."

"It's a bit bizarre that the Rockets sent away potential forward Carlos Boozer, but considering Carlos Boozer's incompatibility with Yao Ming, this deal is understandable."

"As for Muchinolis, there is already a more outperforming Ralph Alston on the Rockets, and it is also appropriate to send away Muchinoris who is not a low salary."

"In the end, the three players that the Rockets got, Greg Ostertag is the perfect backup for Yao Ming, DeShawn Stevenson can make up for James Posey's departure to some extent, and Carlos Arroyo only has a base salary, just to fill the position of third point guard......"

"All in all, this deal, the Rockets are earning, they have earned the present, and they have earned the future."

……

"In terms of free agent signings, the Rockets only have one official signing, but this sign-in is already significant!"

"They signed Gary Payton, and this signing is huge, not only to make up for the absence of Steve Francis but also to hit the Lakers hard!"

"It's a well-known fact that the Lakers want to form the Big Four, but the Rockets grabbed meat and directly grabbed Gary Payton, who was already in the Lakers' mouth!"

"This robbery is of great significance, directly shattering the Lakers' dream of forming a Big Four, and it also affects the league situation next season."

"The Rockets grabbed Gary Payton, and if Dwayne Wade plays well, then next season, the Rockets will also join the race for the O'Brien Cup!"

……

……

In Los Angeles, Mitch Kupchak dropped the cup.

Qiao Hai got him, Gary Payton is gone, and there are no big fish like Gary Payton left free agents on the free market, the Big Four are destined to be gone, and the Lakers can only keep a Big Three, Kobe Bryant and Karlone Malone and O'Neal's Big Three.

The advantage of this Big Three combination is not as great as it seems, and at least, the Grizzlies still have a stronger roster on paper than the Lakers.

The Spurs have a small triumvirate combination, Duncan plus Manuginogie Billy plus Tony Parker.

The Rockets' lineup currently seems to be a small Big Three, Yao Ming plus Ron Artest plus Gary Payton, and this is not counting the list show Dwyane Wade.

And in fact, there are many similar combinations of the small triumvirate on the western side.

The Timberwolves traded Joe Smith for Sam Cassel, traded Trill Brandon for Trill Brandon in a four-way trade from the Knicks, and eventually formed a triumvirate of Kevin Garnett, Sam Cassel and Ratlis Prewell.

The Kings are also a trio, with Chris Webber, Mike Bibby and Pejastojakovic, and if you count Brad Miller, it's a foursome.

The Mavericks have always been a trio of Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Finley and Steve Nash, and this offseason, the Mavericks have also made big moves.

They packed center Lafrentz, shooting guard Vilsco, forward Chris Mills and a first-round pick from next year in exchange for Anthony Walker from the Celtics.

Anthony Walker averaged 20 points and seven rebounds per game last season, and the deal arguably helped the Mavericks get the Big Fourth.

Then he traded Rick Van Exel from the Mavericks for Antoine Jamison, who averaged 22 points and 7 rebounds per game last season, which is the fifth big man of the Mavericks.

On the Grizzlies side, Jerry West joined the Grizzlies and after the failed operation to sign James Posey, the Grizzlies chose not to make any adjustments, leaving the main roster from last season.

The outside line is still Chauncy Billups plus Maddy, small forward Sean Marion, and the inside line is still Wang Zhizhi plus Pau Gasol.

It's also an incredibly gorgeous lineup, with the starting five all All-Star capable.

……

To sum up, in the new season, the West will be a hell of difficulty.

Seven teams, including the Lakers, Rockets, Kings, Mavericks, Spurs, Grizzlies, and Timberwolves, all have the strength to compete for the O'Brien Cup!