Charles Barkley tells Barry Laminack (left) and Joel Blank (right) that he probably played two years too long. Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for American Express
Charles Barkley joins Joel Blank and Barry Laminack on The Usual Suspects on ESPN 97.5 and talks about the Rockets’ performance in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. Charles also goes on to say the Rockets have more depth and overall talent than the Warriors. He is very impressed with the offensive explosion the Rockets got out of their role players, and he believes Houston has played most of the year like they did in Game 2. He also gives James Harden some high praise when he mentions his name with Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
Later, Joel gets Charles to admit that his dogs take private flights a couple times of year, so they don’t have to deal with the commercial “riff-raff.” And finally, Chuck talks about some of his regrets and how he should have retired a couple years sooner because his body was breaking down. He wishes the fans of Houston would have experienced more of his prime seasons. Make sure you check out the full fantastic interview here.
You can hear Joel Blank and Barry Laminack on The Usual Suspects weekdays from 1-4pm on ESPN 97.5 radio. You can listen live or on demand with the ESPN 97.5 radio app.
Fresh info surfaces in comeback effort for Astros' Yordan Alvarez
Jul 3, 2025, 2:33 pm
Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez’s setback to his recovery from a fractured right hand is not as serious as first feared, general manager Dana Brown said Thursday.
Alvarez, who suffered the injury on May 2, was shut down after experiencing pain in his right hand. He had taken some swings at the team’s spring training complex in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday and when he arrived there on Tuesday the area was sore.
He was examined by a specialist, who determined inflammation was the issue and not a setback with the fracture.
“It had nothing to do with the fracture, or the fracture not being healed,” Brown said before Houston’s game at Colorado. “The fracture at this point is a non-factor, which we’re very glad about. And so during the process of him being examined by the specialist, we saw the inflammation, and Yordan did receive two shots in that area.”
Alvarez first experienced issues with his hand in late April but stayed in the lineup. He was initially diagnosed with a muscle strain but a small fracture was discovered at the end of May.
Brown said there has not been an update on the timetable for Alvarez’s return but said with the latest update it “could be in the near future.”
“Yordan is going to be in a position where he’s going to let rest and let the shot take effect, and then as long as he’s starting to feel better, we’ll put a bat in his hand before we start hitting, but we’ll just let him feel the bat feels like,” Brown said. “And then we’ll get into some swings in the near future, but I felt like it was encouraging news. Now, with this injection into the area that was inflamed, we feel a lot better.”
Alvarez, who averaged 34 home runs over the previous four seasons, has just three in 29 games this year and is batting .210. He was the 2021 ALCS MVP for the Astros and finished third in the AL MVP voting for 2022.
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