Keep an eye on Chase Elliott this weekend. Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images.
NASCAR heads for the high banks of Michigan
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to the desert this week for the Ruoff Mortgage 500 at Phoenix Raceway. This race is the final leg of the West Coast swing. This track will host the season finale in November, so the winner of this race will definitely be a championship favorite if he can get there. A lot of drivers will be trying a lot of things to prepare for the fall. This will also be the first time we see these new cars on a shorter track like Phoenix.
Last week Alex Bowman and his team rolled the dice by taking only two tires on the final pit stop, allowing him to fend off his teammate Kyle Larson to claim his first win of 2022 and his seventh career victory. It was another race that was dominated by many spins and crashes just as we have seen all season. It seems like a lot of these drivers are having an extremely tough time trying to figure out this car. The only team that seems to have it figured out is Hendrick Motorsports, and this week was no different. With the drama of Auto Club behind them, this team seems to be clicking on all cylinders.
The driver who’s had the toughest time this season is Brad Keselowski. In each race this season, he’s been involved in at least one accident. Overall, this hasn’t been because Brad and his new team haven’t had speed, they have been in the top ten in each race before they crashed. It would seem like Brad is trying to exceed the limits of his race car and these are the results. We all know what he can do and we have seen him be one of the best drivers on the circuit. If there is anyone who can bring Roush Fenway Racing back to the prominence, it’s him, but he’s making way too many mental mistakes. The biggest example of this was two weeks ago at Auto Club Speedway, he had just cracked the top five but then went into turn four too hot and spun. If Brad can get a clean race, he will be one of the contenders, he just needs to finish.
While Alex Bowman might have won the race, the driver that was the most impressive had to have been Kyle Busch. After crashing in practice, Busch and his team were able to scrape together some parts and an engine and use his teammate Denny Hamlin's backup car for Sunday's race. This was a race car that Kyle didn’t even get to qualify, thus forcing him to start from the back. The troubles didn’t stop there, as he would spin out early in the race. Kyle and his team would not give up though as he fought his way to the lead. It looked like he was on his way to victory until a late race caution set up an overtime finish which essentially cost him the victory. This amount of determination from Kyle is similar to what we always see from him and while it was a slow start, this kind of momentum from Kyle is going to be tough to beat. Look for Busch to be a threat on Sunday.
The driver that I have winning this weekend is Chase Elliott. The group they call the Hendrick Horsemen of Kyle Larson, Alex Bowman, William Byron, and Chase Elliott have been on fire since last season and that momentum has certainly carried over into 2022. As I said earlier, this team seems to have it figured out more than anyone. Last week, we saw Alex Bowman get his first win, and the week before we saw Kyle Larson get a win. This week, it’s Chase Elliott's turn. Phoenix has not always been a great track for the 2020 Champion, but it’s been great to him so far. In the past three races here he’s finished no worse than fifth and has led over 340 laps, He has a win here back in 2020 as well. I look for Elliott to clinch a spot in the playoffs and keep the momentum going for Hendrick Motorsports, barring any disaster. Look for Elliott to get Hendrick it’s third consecutive victory of 2022 come Sunday.
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Astros keep doing this, and it’s getting hard to ignore
Jun 25, 2025, 10:01 pm
While the rolling Astros have a week of possible World Series preview matchups against the Phillies and Cubs, it’s the Rockets who made the biggest local sports headline with their acquisition of Kevin Durant. What a move! Of course there is risk involved in trading for a guy soon to turn 37 years old and who carries an injury history, but balancing risk vs. reward is a part of the game. This is a fabulous move for the Rockets. It’s understood that there are dissenters to this view. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, including people with the wrong opinion! Let’s dig in.
The Rockets had a wonderful season in winning 52 games before their disappointing first-round playoff loss to the Warriors, but like everyone else in the Western Conference, they were nowhere close to Oklahoma City’s caliber. While they finished second in the West, the Rockets only finished four games ahead of the play-in. That letting the stew simmer with further growth among their young players would yield true championship contention was no given for 2025-26 or beyond.
Kevin Durant is one of the 10 greatest offensive players the NBA has ever seen. Among his current contemporaries only Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic make that list. For instance, Durant offensively has clearly been better than the late and legendary Kobe Bryant. To view it from a Houston perspective, Durant has been an indisputably greater offensive force than the amazing Hakeem Olajuwon. But this is not a nostalgia trip in which the Rockets are trading for a guy based on what he used to be. While Durant could hit the wall at any point, living in fear that it’s about to happen is no way to live because KD, approaching his 18th NBA season, is still an elite offensive player.
As to the durability concern, Durant played more games (62) this past season than did Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith, and Tari Eason. The season before he played more games (75) than did VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Alperen Sengun. In each of the last two seasons Durant averaged more minutes per game (36.9) than any Rocket. That was stupid and/or desperate of the Suns, the Rockets will be smarter. Not that the workload eroded Durant’s production or efficiency. Over the two seasons he averaged almost 27 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor, 42 percent from behind the three-point line, and 85 percent from the free throw line. Awesomeness. The Rockets made the leap to being a very good team despite a frankly crummy half-court offense. The Rockets ranked 21st among the 30 NBA teams in three-point percentage, and dead last in free throw percentage. Amen Thompson has an array of skills and looks poised to be a unique star. Alas, Thompson has no credible jump shot. VanVleet is not a creator, Smith has limited handle. Adding Durant directly addresses the Rockets’ most glaring weakness.
The price the Rockets paid was in the big picture, minimal, unless you think Jalen Green is going to become a bonafide star. Green is still just 23 years old and spectacular athletically, but nothing he has done over four pro seasons suggests he’s on the cusp of greatness. In no season has Green even shot the league average from the floor or from three. His defense has never been as good as it should be given his athleticism. Compared to some other two-guards who made the NBA move one year removed from high school, four seasons into his career Green is waaaaaay behind where Shae Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Devin Booker were four seasons in, and now well behind his draft classmate Cade Cunningham. Dillon Brooks was a solid pro in two seasons here and shot a career-best from three in 2024-2025, but he’s being replaced by Kevin Durant! In terms of the draft pick capital sent to Phoenix, five second round picks are essentially meaningless. The Rockets have multiple extra first round picks in the coming years. As for the sole first-rounder dealt away, whichever player the Rockets would have taken 10th Wednesday night would have been rather unlikely to crack the playing rotation.
VanVleet signs extension
Re-signing Fred VanVleet to a two-year, 50 million dollar guarantee is sensible. In a vacuum, VanVleet was substantially overpaid at the over 40 mil he made per season the last two. He’s a middle-of-the-pack starting point guard. But his professionalism and headiness brought major value to the Rockets’ kiddie corps while their payroll was otherwise very low. Ideally, Reed Sheppard makes a leap to look like an NBA lead guard in his second season, after a pretty much zippo of a rookie campaign. Sheppard is supposed to be a lights-out shooter. For the Rockets to max out, they need two sharpshooters on the court to balance Thompson’s presence.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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