Shaw and Gray were cut yesterday. Rogers has a relatively low salary, but he didn't play too much last year, so who knows where his game is? Cato can play. He's a keeper. Augmon is a great defensive player, but at $3.6 mil per season, that's a bit too steep for a defensive stopper. Williams is a great shooter and Houston loves their shooters at the three spot. Look for him to start. I guess Houston thought that with the addition of Steve Francis and Shandon Anderson, they had a solid backcourt and good athleticism and good youth and could trade Pippen. It's also a case of addition by subtraction. Pippen wasn't happy on the Rockets. He would have poisoned the team, like Francis with the Grizzlies, so it was best to get rid of him. Talent for talent, it's not even close. The only real keepers are Williams and Cato. Pippen is an all-star.

As for the Blazers, Pippen will start at the three. He'll play a good 30 minutes and then have time to rest. Not the marathon, 40.2 minutes he played in Houston. He should put up similar numbers in Portland that he did in Houston, but with 10 less minutes.

Bottom line, end of story, Blazers fleeced the Rockets.