DRESDEN, Ohio — Dale Blaney won his second Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 feature in eight days on night three of Cometic Gasket Ohio Sprint Speedweek presented by Indy Metal Finishing at Muskingum County Speedway.

Forced to withstand challenges from a pair of California hotshots, Gio Scelzi and Kyle Larson, Blaney’s Speedweek triumph ultimately bumped his career win total to 136 with the series. Blaney nearly swept the Speedweek program at Muskingum County, winning his respective heat race and dash before leading all 30 circuits of main event competition.

“We just needed to get racing a little bit. We changed some stuff around on the car last week and it made it better, then we changed some more stuff around on the car after the dash [at Attica Raceway Park] and that it better, as well,” said the driver of the Sam McGhee Motorsports No. 11 sprint car. “I’m starting to feel like my old self again and the car is making me feel like my old self. We’ll head to the next round and try and do this again.”

Although a clean first half for Blaney, getting the opportunity to avoid traffic as a trio of cautions paved the way for clean air on lap two, eight and 11, it was the second 15 laps of the 30-lap program that brought people to their feet.

Traffic, appearing for the first time, officially, on lap 17, eventually slowed Blaney’s pace, and although the National Sprint Car Hall of Famer worked hard to maintain his distance over second place with one or two lap cars separating the two, the gap between the frontrunners eventually tightened.

By lap 19, the top five were nearly nose to tail with Blaney still setting the pace, followed closely by Gio Scelzi, Brock Zearfoss, Kyle Larson and Aaron Reutzel. Despite pressure beginning to build, a caution on lap 25 gave Blaney a breather, once again eradicating slower traffic and giving the six-time All Star champion clean air to utilize.

Seemingly in control the final six circuits, it was the final two laps that created a scare for Blaney as Scelzi closed the lead margin in a hurry, nearly capitalizing on a slip by the race leader. Despite the issue, Blaney held on, chased to the final checkers by Scelzi, Kyle Larson, Brock Zearfoss and Cap Henry.

“I’m not sure what happened there at the end. I thought maybe I had a right-rear tire going low,” Blaney said. “I was really glad I saw the white flag because I thought we were in some serious trouble. I knew the guys behind me were close. They are young, hungry kids who want to win races. I was running as hard as I could without killing my stuff.”

The finish:

Feature (30 laps): 1. 11-Dale Blaney [1]; 2. 71-Gio Scelzi [2]; 3. 57-Kyle Larson [3]; 4. 70-Brock Zearfoss [6]; 5. 4-Cap Henry [8]; 6. 70X-Spencer Bayston [11]; 7. 87-Aaron Reutzel [10]; 8. 26-Cory Eliason [12]; 9. 17-Josh Baughman [7]; 10. 49X-Tim Shaffer [17]; 11. 48-Danny Dietrich [15]; 12. 97-Max Stambaugh [4]; 13. A79-Brandon Wimmer [16]; 14. 13-Paul McMahan [19]; 15. 71P-Parker Price-Miller [13]; 16. 3C-Cale Conley [24]; 17. 99-Skylar Gee [23]; 18. 35-Tyler Esh [20]; 19. 16-DJ Foos [22]; 20. O7-Gerard McIntyre [26]; 21. W20-Greg Wilson [25]; 22. 3-Jac Haudenschild [21]; 23. 5T-Travis Philo [14]; 24. 14-Tony Stewart [5]; 25. 40-George Hobaugh [18]; 26. K4-Chad Kemenah [9] Lap Leaders: Dale Blaney (1-30)

Here is my final ranking of the top 100 players for the 2019 NHL draft, which begins with Round 1 on June 21 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Each ranked prospect includes a scouting report, with a more comprehensive look at the top 10 names on the board.

Note: Heights and weights are via Central Scouting and/or NHL combine testing, stats are from Elite Prospects and ages are representative of how old each player will be on draft day.

Jump to:
Round 1 prospects | Round 2 prospects
Midround prospects | Late-round prospects
Deeper sleepers | Top goalies | Best by skill

1. Jack Hughes, C, USA U18 (NTDP)

Age: 18 | Ht: 5-10 | Wt: 170 | Shot: L
50 GP | 34 G | 78 A

As much as Kaapo Kakko narrowed the gap, Hughes finishes as my wire-to-wire No. 1 prospect for the draft class. Hughes has such great burst and an effortless glide in his skating, and he uses his edges deceptively and to create separation. He sees the ice and processes play development at an elite level. He is a shot-pass threat, though he's more likely to choose the pass option, as his shot still needs improvement. Hughes is an expert in making plays in small areas, which is why his size is less of a bother. Although he definitely needs to continue tacking on muscle and weight to his below-average frame, Hughes is unafraid to go to the hard areas of the ice and protects himself well, thanks to his skating and anticipation skills. He takes care of his own end and uses those anticipation skills to cut down passing lanes, but his defensive and takeaway capabilities need improvement, which might come with time and strength.

Perhaps the single biggest reason Hughes is atop my list is that I have yet to watch a game in which he didn't drive play for his line, shift in and shift out, constantly keeping defenders on their heels and making the guys on his line better. He broke the National Team Development Program's career scoring record and averaged more than two points per game this season. Hughes should be an NHL all-star and a play-driving No. 1 center.

2. Kaapo Kakko, RW, TPS (Finland)

Age: 18 | Ht: 6-2 | Wt: 194 | Shot: L
45 GP | 22 G | 16 A

Your eyes did not deceive you at the World Championship. Kakko already plays at a high level with and against pro-level players. After he recorded the third-best scoring season by a U18 player in Liiga history, it was not a shock that he posted six goals and an assist for gold-medalist Finland. Only Patrik Laine had more points at a World Championship as a U18 player. There's so much to love about Kakko's game. He has a great frame and uses it well, as he's hard to take off the puck and uses that ability to create extra time for himself to find plays. He has the vision to spot those plays and make them quickly, and I think his hand skills have gotten to a fringe elite level. His shot is high-end and heavy; he can beat goalies from distance, but then he also has the skill to make plays in tight at the net front.

Although not Hughes-like in his skating, he is powerful and has enough speed to break away from the opposition. His edgework is strong, and his balance makes him so difficult to play against. He has power, but he does need more explosiveness in his skating. Kakko battles as well as any player, both in puck pursuit and with it on his stick. There's a definite fire in him to compete, and he will be a cornerstone NHL winger.

3. Alex Turcotte, C, USA U18 (NTDP)

Age: 18 | Ht: 5-11 | Wt: 186 | Shot: L
37 GP | 27 G | 35 A

It has been a winding season for Turcotte, who was on the shelf with a significant injury the first half of the season and had to deal with a bout of mono toward the end, but when he was healthy, he was exceptional. He is a smart, two-way forward with an unrelenting motor and an ability to make plays in the offensive end of the ice. Turcotte is dogged in puck pursuit and remarkably strong, despite being average-sized. He is a fierce competitor but does not step over the line very often. He is not always flashy and doesn't always make the eye-popping play, but he makes the right plays. Turcotte goes hard to the net and into the corners, and he has the touch and plus-level vision to make plays under duress and find better options in tougher situations with the puck on his stick. On top of that, Turcotte has good speed and can make plays in transition. He has deceptive feet, showcasing a good second gear that allows him to beat defenders wide or challenge them inside.

Although his season was abbreviated by injury, some of his rate stats stand out. He appeared in just 16 games against USHL competition but had 34 points, an average of 2.13 points per game -- higher than Hughes. His 1.68 points per game in all competitions for the U18 Team was second only to Hughes, albeit a distant second.

4. Kirby Dach, C, Saskatoon (WHL)

Age: 18 | Ht: 6-4 | Wt: 198 | Shot: R
62 GP | 25 G | 48 A

Dach has size, smarts and skill. It's not often that you get a play-driving center at 6-foot-4 who makes the game look as easy as Dach does. Although he lacks explosiveness, he skates smoothly and has a great sense of how to get to where he needs to be efficiently. Size and body positioning are two ways he can mitigate some of the concerns about footwork and lack of separation speed. When he does have the puck, Dach is a shot-pass threat who can score goals in a variety of ways. He's especially successful at driving the net.

While he has that size and solid middle drive, Dach can also pick teams apart from the outside, thanks to high-end vision and elite distribution skills. He has dealt with bouts of inconsistency that caused some concern and a general dip in projections, and he didn't necessarily dominate the WHL on a regular basis. But when he was on, he was unstoppable. It's something to take into account, but I still place a high value on Dach's best being so much better than that of a large swath of the top players in this class.

5. Trevor Zegras, C, USA U18 (NTDP)

The transfer window for the rest of Europe isn't even open yet (the Premier League opened on May 16), but ahead of July 1 there are a host of players whose names just won't disappear from the gossip columns.

Imagine being a young star and having every top club in Europe after you. Here are five who know what that feels like.

- QUIZ: Which top club should you join?
- Transfer grades: Hazard to Real Madrid (A)
- Ogden: Six craxy transfers to improve Prem top six

Matthijs de Ligt

Club: Ajax
Age: 19
Position: Centre-back
Reported transfer fee: €75m
Linked clubs: Real Madrid, PSG, Barcelona, Man United, Bayern Munich, Liverpool
Most likely: PSG

Barcelona might have already snapped up this 19-year-old superstar if it wasn't for the fact that his agent is the notorious Mino Raiola. Negotiations have hit a bump in the road, with the Spanish club not willing to go above their initial offer -- believed to be around €75m -- and he has a choice to make.

Barca have already signed De Ligt's Ajax and Netherlands teammate Frenkie de Jong for €75m, so one would have thought it would be just a formality. But PSG and Man United are doing all they can to persuade him he would be an automatic starter for them, with sources saying that PSG are now the frontrunners.

Of the others linked, Real have already spent €50m on Eder Militao, Bayern splashed €80m on Lucas Hernandez and Liverpool have £75m worth of Virgil van Dijk -- though would love to partner him with De Ligt if they could find a way to finance the deal.

Joao Felix

Club: Benfica
Age: 19
Position: Forward
Reported transfer fee: €120m
Linked clubs: Real Madrid, PSG, Barcelona, Man United, Man City, Atletico Madrid
Most likely: Stay at Benfica

When your nickname is "the new Cristiano Ronaldo" you know you have a lot to live up to. Felix exploded onto the scene this season and Benfica made the smart move of increasing his buyout clause to €120m before interested parties got wind of quite how good he is.

The Portugal forward seemingly has the world at his feet, but is fully aware that he needs to be playing and not sitting on the bench after making a move. Instinct says that he'll stay put for at least a year before moving to Man City to replace David Silva.

Gianluigi Donnarumma

Club: AC Milan
Age: 20
Position: Goalkeeper
Reported transfer fee: €60m
Linked clubs: Real Madrid, Arsenal, PSG, Juventus, Atletico Madrid
Most likely: Atletico Madrid

The Italy international has been tipped for greatness since he made his debut at the tender age of 16, and with Milan needing to sell in order to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations, he might be on the market this summer.

Lots of clubs are looking for a new goalkeeper, but with David De Gea and Jan Oblak also potentially moving on, Donnarumma could end up somewhere like Atletico as a replacement for Oblak. It might be too soon for him to join a top club like PSG or Man United, but he's certainly got the skills to make any No. 1 jersey his own for the next decade.

Having been talked about as Gianluigi Buffon's heir, it's odd that Juventus aren't more interested -- preferring to keep faith with Wojciech Szczesny and Mattia Perin instead. But in another year or two, expect them to come in for him.

Paulo Dybala

Club: Juventus
Age: 25
Position: Striker
Reported transfer fee: €100m
Linked clubs: Liverpool, Man United, PSG, Bayern, Atletico Madrid
Most likely: Stay at Juventus

Keen to step out from the shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo, Dybala could be on the way out of Juventus and his brother was talking up the chances of a summer move before such speculation was quashed. However, it's no secret that Juve would love to land Joao Felix and need some cash to play with, so will be open to offers.

The future of Paul Pogba could also play a part in Dybala's plans, as United would certainly take him in a part-exchange with the Frenchman, but that's probably the only way such a deal would happen given United need to strengthen their defence more than their attack. Meanwhile, at €100m, the transfer fee is probably too rich for Liverpool and Bayern tastes given the options they already have available.

Paul Pogba

Club: Manchester United
Age: 26
Position: Midfield
Reported transfer fee: €120m
Linked clubs: Real Madrid, Juventus, Barcelona
Most likely: Real Madrid

What summer of transfer gossip would be complete without Pogba being linked? Sources have told ESPN that the Frenchman will force a move from Manchester United in the coming months, as the club failed to reach the Champions League and he said on Sunday that he wants "a new challenge."

Barcelona were keen a year ago, but they are out of the running now so it comes down to two clubs: Real Madrid or Juventus. Sources said that United believe Juve can't afford a €120m deal, while Real could offer up a few players in part exchange to push through a deal, including Gareth Bale or Isco.

United maintain that the 26-year-old is not for sale, but Pogba seems to want to link up with Zinedine Zidane and when you consider the rebuilding job already underway at the Bernabeu, a move makes sense if they can work out the financial aspect.

Enjoy an in-depth coverage of Bangladesh v West Indies with ESPNcricinfo's Live Report through the day. (If the blog doesn't load straightaway, please refresh the page)

Jason Roy will miss England's next two World Cup matches, against Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, and will be assessed on an ongoing basis in the lead-up to their clash against Australia at Lord's next week, after it was confirmed that he had suffered a hamstring tear during the eight-wicket win over West Indies at Hampshire Bowl on Friday.

Roy may yet be joined on the sidelines for the Afghanistan game by England's captain, Eoin Morgan, who also left the field on Friday with a back spasm. Although Morgan's condition has since improved, the ECB medical team will monitor him over the next 24 hours before a decision is taken ahead of the toss at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

The double setback is a blow to England after their most convincing victory of the World Cup to date. Roy sustained his injury while sprinting after a ball in the covers during West Indies' innings, and underwent an MRI scan on Saturday in London, in which the tear to his left hamstring was confirmed.

It is the second time this season that Roy's progress has been disrupted by injury - he missed much of Surrey's Royal London campaign in April and early May after suffering a back spasm while batting against Essex.

Since his return to action, however, he has been England's outstanding performer with the bat, picking up the Player of the Series award against Pakistan after making two fifties and a hundred in three outings, before setting up victory over Bangladesh in Cardiff last week with a formidable innings of 153 from 121 balls.

In Roy's absence, as well as that of Alex Hales - his long-term understudy who was axed from England's World Cup plans prior to the tournament due to two failed drugs tests - James Vince is set to slot in alongside Jonny Bairstow at the top of England's batting order.

Given that England beat Afghanistan convincingly in a World Cup warm-up at The Oval last month, the management may well be tempted to give Morgan more time to regain full fitness as well, after he was forced to address the media standing up at Hampshire Bowl, due to his discomfort, on Friday.

In Morgan's absence, the captaincy would pass to Jos Buttler, while Moeen Ali - who missed out against West Indies - might be the likeliest replacement in the XI.

At this stage - with five group-stage fixtures still to be played ahead of the semi-finals and final - it is highly unlikely that England would be considering any replacements to their original squad, given that neither Roy nor Morgan would be permitted to return at a later date once their injuries had healed.

Joe Denly, who was replaced in the 15-man squad on the eve of the campaign, is one of the players on standby in the event of a long-term injury.

Tavengwa Mukuhlani has been re-elected as chairman of Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) for another term. But his election has put ZC in direct conflict with the Sports and Recreation Commission, a government parastatal that ostensibly oversees all sporting bodies in the country, which issued a directive that ZC's Elective Annual General Meeting - at which Mukuhlani's tenure was extended - be suspended.

In a letter sent to ZC's acting managing director Givemore Makoni - and seen by ESPNcricinfo - SRC director general Prince Mupazviriho ordered the suspension of ZC's electoral process "until further notice". But ZC went ahead with its elective AGM - a move that would meet with the backing of the ICC, whose constitution specifically prohibits such government interference in board affairs.

The SRC's letter gave several reasons for the suspension, alleging complaints about the nomination process and the violation of ZC's constitution. It also detailed a new forensic audit report commissioned by the SRC to:

• "Conduct objective and independent investigations of all matters brought to its attention involving financial misconduct, irregularities of a financial nature and the commission of economic offenses."

• "Determine the total revenue and examine the authenticity of all the expenditure incurred for the respective years of 2015, 2016 and 2017."

• "Ascertain receivable and/or payables related to the years in question for Zimbabwe Cricket.

• "Assess allegations of theft, fraud and corruption."

"In light of all these and various other controversies relating to Zimbabwe Cricket and its financial and governance structures, the SRC, as resolved by the board hereby directs that all or any electoral processes including any electoral AGM for a new Board of Directors forthwith be suspended until further notice," the letter reads.

Had ZC bowed to the pressure and stopped the meeting from going ahead, Zimbabwe may well have been in danger of suspension from the ICC. In 2016, the ICC suspended the Cricket Association of Nepal because of government interference in the running of the board. The ICC regarded the actions of the Nepalese National Sports Council to be in breach of Article 2.9 of the ICC's Articles of Association, which prohibits government interference and requires free and fair elections.

According to Section 2.4 (D) of the ICC constitution, every member must "manage its affairs autonomously and ensure that there is no government (or other public or quasi-public body) interference in its governance, regulation and/or administration of Cricket in its Cricket Playing Country."

Furthermore, according to Section 2.10 (A), the ICC board of directors "may suspend the membership of a Member with immediate effect where, in the opinion of the Board of Directors (in its absolute discretion), the Member is in serious breach of any of its obligations as a Member."

While ZC's actions may be in line with the ICC's constitution, they will undoubtedly cause further friction with the SRC. The SRC's letter warned that, should ZC disregard its directive to suspend the elective AGM, it would invoke Section 30 of the SRC Act, which gives the SRC power to suspend ZC members and employees from their positions, strike the board from the national register, and appoint its own committee to run the affairs of the concerned association.

The attempted suspension of ZC's elective AGM was one of the first actions of the new SRC board, which was reformed at the beginning of June, having been dissolved by sports minister Kirsty Coventry in September last year. The new SRC board is headed by Gerald Mlotshwa, a lawyer who represented former national coach Heath Streak in his defamation case against Mukuhlani - which has since been dropped - and who was also involved in the short-lived attempt by Zimbabwe's professional cricketers to set up a players' union last year.

It remains to be seen what move the SRC will make next, but as things stand Mukuhlani will be ZC's board chairman for another four years, his tenure being extended by a unanimous vote. Sylvester Matshaka was also retained as Mukuhlani's deputy, while former Zimbabwe cricketer Ed Rainsford is among the five new faces on the 13-member board.

HOUSTON ROCKETS CEO Tad Brown and general manager Daryl Morey flanked owner Tilman Fertitta in a hastily arranged news conference on the afternoon of May 30. Coach Mike D'Antoni was missing, more than 1,000 miles away at his offseason home in West Virginia -- yet still much closer than the Rockets and their coach were to committing to each other beyond the 2019-20 season.

Agent Warren LeGarie had officially ended discussions with the Rockets about a contract extension for D'Antoni earlier that day. Those talks had been more contentious than productive despite the franchise's success with D'Antoni, who is 100 games over .500 during his three-year Houston tenure.

"I think his agent did me a favor, OK," Fertitta said at the media availability, explaining that he now had an easy out if the Rockets had a disappointing year and decided to move on from D'Antoni.

That's typically not the kind of comment made out loud, much less to the media, by an owner who is attempting to defuse drama. Of course, it's also an unusual approach to point out a coach's age and publicly wonder whether he wanted to continue working beyond next season, as Fertitta did when asked by the Houston Chronicle weeks earlier about a potential extension. That prompted the 68-year-old D'Antoni to make it clear that he planned to coach "at a high level for at least another three years."

Nor is it normal NBA business practice to spill the specifics of an offer that wasn't accepted. Fertitta volunteered that the "great extension offer" he made D'Antoni included a $5 million base salary -- below market value for a coach of his stature -- and $1 million in incentives for each playoff round won.

Fertitta failed to mention the buyout language that guaranteed D'Antoni only half of his base salary if the Rockets fired him before the extension began. That was the primary sticking point for D'Antoni, who hoped for a commitment of two more seasons beyond this contract and never seriously considered a half-hearted offer of one more year.

Five days later, Fertitta boarded his private jet along with Morey and flew to West Virginia to smooth things over with D'Antoni. The Rockets' executives returned to Houston believing they had a handshake deal.

"I feel very good about it, and I've always felt good," Fertitta told ESPN the following week. "I'm disappointed that it got talked about in the press, and I'm disappointed I responded in the press."

As an olive branch, Fertitta offered $2 million in incentives tied to playoff advancement in 2019-20, the remaining season on D'Antoni's current contract, if they worked out an extension. He also agreed to remove the buyout language, claiming LeGarie hadn't made it clear it was considered so problematic. D'Antoni told them the reworked offer sounded good, but they needed to iron out the details with LeGarie.

"I have not heard from them since that trip to visit Mike," LeGarie says. "Mike is prepared to coach out his contract."

LeGarie insists that a second year and a higher base salary are musts to sign an extension with the Rockets. He was annoyed D'Antoni, a client for more than three decades, came across as agreeable to a lesser proposal without consulting him.

"We're still working out the details," D'Antoni says. "I'm looking forward to next year and looking forward to making a run at a title."

"There's been some messiness to our current offseason, but we're always going to be in a state of somewhat tension, because until we achieve our goals and get where we need to be, we're going to continue to challenge ourselves to get better. That sometimes creates tension. This is just a way for us to continue to get better."

Rockets CEO Tad Brown

D'Antoni, who acknowledges he's nonconfrontational to a fault, has told friends he's willing to deal with the indignity of lame-duck status because he believes the Rockets have a legitimate chance to win a championship. All parties involved admit the situation has played out much messier than necessary, but neither LeGarie nor Fertitta seem willing to budge.

"We're excited to have Mike back," Morey says. "He's been a fantastic coach. We're comfortable he's going to be our coach next year and many years into the future."

The fizzled, restarted and fizzled-again extension talks, however, further exposed the cracks that have formed in the foundation of a franchise that has been the only true Western Conference challenge for the Golden State dynasty since Kevin Durant left Oklahoma City to join the Warriors.

There is a disconnect between the front office and D'Antoni, who wasn't in favor of the Rockets parting ways with five members of his coaching staff but didn't fight Morey's recommendations for the changes. There is friction between James Harden and Chris Paul, the franchise's two maximum-salary centerpieces. (Morey has aggressively shopped the Rockets under contract, including Paul and center Clint Capela, in the trade market.) And doubts linger about Fertitta, the inexperienced owner steering the ship through choppy waters while creating waves of his own.

"There's too much damn turmoil," a high-ranking Rockets source tells ESPN. "There's some hard feelings right now everywhere."

THE NEWS CONFERENCE featuring Harden and Paul following the Rockets' playoff opener started like so many Houston possessions. Harden got all the action while Paul served as an increasingly frustrated bystander.

The first three questions were directed to Harden, who delivered 29 points and 10 assists in the blowout win despite the Utah Jazz drastically altering their defensive scheme to deal with his off-dribble brilliance. The fourth inquiry addressed both players, but Harden answered as Paul fidgeted with his beard and looked down at the box score in front of him, showing his 14 points and seven assists on fewer than half as many field goal attempts as his backcourt mate.

As the fifth question was being asked, focusing on Utah's unique approach to guarding Harden, Paul looked over at the Rockets' PR chief and then at his teammate. "I'm out of here," Paul muttered, prompting an awkward chuckle and quick palm raise from Harden. A second later, a little more than two minutes into the podium session, Paul got up, patted Harden on his left shoulder and exited stage right.

"Uh," Harden said as the reporter finished the question. Harden raised his eyebrows, shook his head and turned to watch uncomfortably as Paul left the room. Then he took a few moments to collect his thoughts and continued with the news conference.

It played as a humorous moment on social media. But some within the Rockets organization saw it differently -- a public glimpse at the difficult dynamic between the franchise's two stubborn stars, who are at drastically different points in their careers: one a perennial MVP candidate in his prime, the other showing signs of physical decline.

The friction between the two manifested again during the Rockets' playoff finale. Harden and Paul had tense exchanges regarding Harden's ball dominance and Paul's desire to run set plays as the Warriors pulled off a comeback during the fourth quarter of Houston's Game 6 elimination loss, team sources said. Paul made sure he didn't share the microphone with Harden that night, getting dressed faster than usual and taking his turn alone at the podium before Warriors coach Steve Kerr, breaking NBA protocol of coaches conducting their news conferences first.

When Harden took his turn at the podium, he declared, "I know exactly what we need to do. We'll figure it out this summer." He declined to elaborate.

The prevailing belief in Houston -- and hope, certainly -- is that the tension between the Rockets' stars isn't atypical for the NBA and can be managed. And that's a must, given the unlikelihood of getting equal basketball value for the 34-year-old Paul in a trade, considering he is owed $124 million over the final three years of his contract.

"What you have are two highly competitive guys who were very disappointed that we didn't beat Golden State," Morey says. "You've got two high-level competitors who want to figure out how to win at a higher level, as well. Naturally, people who want that so bad, something that's so tough, it's going to create sometimes things that need to be discussed. But it's all, to me, in bounds of any superstars."

The roots of the issues between Harden and Paul, according to team sources, are differences in preferred playing styles and personality.

"It's always a little contentious when you have two alpha dogs. Ask the Golden State Warriors if they've ever had problems between their stars. There is contention there, but they know they're tied at the hip."

Rockets team source, on the dynamic between James Harden and Chris Paul

Harden is arguably the best isolation player in league history, capable of carrying the Rockets to elite offensive efficiency by going one-on-one over and over again. That style also worked well for Paul during the Rockets' 65-win campaign in 2017-18, when Paul ranked behind only Harden in isolation efficiency among high-volume players.

But Paul noticeably lost a step last season, as evidenced by analytics and the eye test. Paul pushed for more plays and sets in the Houston offense, more screening and deception, despite Harden being in the process of putting together a historically dominant individual offensive season.

"Chris wants to coach James," says a source familiar with the stars' dynamic. "James looks at him like, 'You can't even beat your man. Just shut up and watch me.'"

According to sources, Paul was also frustrated by what he perceived as Harden's tendency to ignore unglamorous details that impact winning -- such as moving when he gives up the ball to help spacing -- and wasn't shy about expressing those concerns.

"It's always a little contentious when you have two alpha dogs," a team source says. "Ask the Golden State Warriors if they've ever had problems between their stars.

"There is contention there, but they know they're tied at the hip, and they want to win. They're smart. They won't let it affect the team. ... That is not the reason Golden State beat us."

It has reached a point, team sources say, where Paul cherishes the chance to play without Harden on the floor. On several occasions, according to team sources, Paul barked at D'Antoni to keep Harden on the bench while he was running the second unit. Harden simultaneously would lobby -- or demand -- to check back into the game.

The Rockets, who had the league's best record after the All-Star break despite any differences between their stars, were statistically better during the regular season with Paul on the court without Harden (plus-9.2 points per 100 possessions) than with them together (plus-5.7) or Harden without Paul (plus-5.8). However, those numbers are skewed by the fact that solo-CP3 minutes almost always come against the opponent's bench unit.

That trend didn't hold up in the playoffs, when starters' minutes typically get extended. The Rockets were at their best when Harden and Paul played together during the playoffs, posting a plus-6.4 net rating compared to minus-1.5 with only Harden and minus-4.6 with only Paul.

Harden, by nature, tends to avoid conflict but was pushed hard enough to snap back at Paul from time to time. That's what happened during the Rockets' elimination loss, when, team sources said, Harden told Paul he didn't always know best and had talked too much.

"Chris has a personality where he just doesn't let anything go," a team source says. "He just keeps pestering and pestering and pestering and pestering. Sometimes James has had enough -- and not just him. That's what makes [Paul] a winner and also what keeps him from being a big-time winner. He's got to temper that."

None of that concerns Morey, a GM who has always been much more focused on results than relationships. "I feel like we have one of the best duos in the league," Morey says. "They're both first-ballot Hall of Famers. Both years, we were very close to knocking off what I consider to be the best team in the league, and we feel great about them going forward."

FERTITTA, SEATED AT around table in his posh office in the high rise attached to his luxurious Post Oak Hotel, scowls and balls up his fists when the subject turns to questions about whether he's fully committed to fund an NBA contender. Or, put much less politely, whether the self-made billionaire is cheap when it comes to running the Rockets.

He's incensed by a rumor that he suggested the Rockets consolidate to one bus for road games to cut costs. NBA teams employ an early bus and a late bus, as well as an equipment truck, and Fertitta is adamant that he never considered having the Rockets stray from that custom. His employees also seated at the table -- son Patrick Fertitta, a director of Fertitta Entertainment; Rockets senior director of media relations Tracey Hughes; Brown and Morey -- also shoot down the rumor and categorize it as laughable.

But Fertitta sure doesn't find it funny.

"When I even hear a mention of trying to save money on a bus or something else stupid, I'm just f---ing furious, because it's so far from the truth. OK?" Fertitta says, his voice rising.

"Did I say I don't want to be in the f---ing tax one out of three years, I don't want to get in the repeater tax? Absolutely. OK, but I would have spent whatever this past year if [Morey] would have said, 'I can get this player, and this guy's going to help us win a championship.'"

Earlier in the meeting, Fertitta proudly pointed toward a model of the practice facility that's in the planning stages. It will be "yuge," as he says in his South Texan drawl, with a price tag in the area of $100 million.

Fertitta also thumbed through drawings for the plans to customize the 767 jet he recently purchased for the Rockets. It will have an athletic training area, lie-flat seating and everything else Rockets executives could think of to make it "the best plane in the NBA," as Morey says. ("And look at that woodwork!" Fertitta adds.)

Brown mentions that the Rockets have made $10 million in upgrades to the Toyota Center since Fertitta, who made his fortune in the restaurant, casino and hotel industries, bought the franchise for an NBA-record $2.2 billion in September 2017.

Fertitta understands, though, that fans and critics really care only about expenses directly related to the Rockets' roster. The Rockets made a series of financially motivated moves to dip under the luxury tax this season, including giving up their 2019 first-round pick and dumping early-season starter James Ennis III at the deadline, raising eyebrows around the NBA.

Fertitta regrets referring to avoiding the tax as a "fluke" but maintains it was surprising that it happened this season. He had given Morey the guideline of avoiding the extremely harsh repeater tax, meaning the Rockets needed to get under the luxury tax once in the three-year span beginning with the 2019-20 season. Morey planned to get under the tax in 2020-21, the third season, but adjusted when he had the opportunity on the day of the trade deadline.

Houston was pushed close to the tax limit last summer by re-signing Paul to a four-year, $160 million max deal and Capela to a relative bargain contract worth $80 million plus incentives over five years. (Fertitta has grumbled about Paul's contract, expressing regrets to Rockets staffers and even in front of rival executives, according to league sources.)

The Rockets opted not to use their midlevel exception last summer despite starting forward Trevor Ariza's departure in free agency, filling out their bench with minimum-salary flyers such as Carmelo Anthony, Michael Carter-Williams and Ennis, all of whom were gone within months.

"Tilman's fully authorized me to do whatever we can to make the team better."

Rockets GM Daryl Morey

According to Morey, it wasn't until he pulled off a three-team deal unloading Brandon Knight (at the cost of a first-round pick due to the $15.6 million owed to him in 2019-20) and Marquese Chriss on the day of the deadline that ducking under the tax was even a consideration this season. The final step was a salary-dump trade of Ennis to the Philadelphia 76ers, a move Morey felt comfortable with because Ennis had fallen out of the Rockets' rotation due to his struggles in their defensive scheme.

Ennis ended up being a playoff contributor for the Philadelphia 76ers. In hindsight, Morey acknowledges that Ennis would have been a nice option to have on the Rockets' bench in the postseason, when Danuel House Jr. looked like a deer in headlights.

But Morey insists it was his decision to dip under the tax this season, not a demand from Fertitta, and it was a call made with the belief at the time that it didn't weaken the Rockets' roster.

"I think the focus on the tax is sort of a strange focus," Morey says. "People should focus on: How do you make the best possible team? When that requires us to go in the tax, we're going to do it. Tilman's fully authorized me to do whatever we can to make the team better."

"If we're competing for a championship, I can promise you I don't see how we're not in the tax the next two years," Fertitta says.

Fertitta adds later, "The only reason we weren't in it last year is because people said no." He's referring to the Rockets' unsuccessful attempts to trade for Jimmy Butler and give the pro-rated midlevel exception to buyout market target Wesley Matthews, who prioritized a starting job when he signed with the Indiana Pacers.

Morey is confident the Rockets will sign a "high-quality, rotation player" with their $5.7 million midlevel exception this summer. While he wishes it hadn't become headline fodder, Morey acknowledges that he is aggressively exploring the trade market, considering it business as usual.

And Morey is resolute the Rockets can upgrade their coaching staff this summer regardless of the uncertainty of D'Antoni's contract situation.

That will be particularly challenging in the case of finding a replacement for former associate head coach Jeff Bzdelik, a defensive guru who opted to retire right before training camp last fall in part because he felt he wasn't receiving enough respect from the Rockets' front office, according to league sources. After Houston played turnstile defense during an 11-14 start, Fertitta personally recruited Bzdelik out of retirement with a six-figure raise, and the Rockets ranked second in the league in defensive efficiency after the All-Star break.

The tepid commitment to D'Antoni, the gutting of his coaching staff and the shopping of the starting five, among other factors, have created what could at best be described as an unsettling vibe for a franchise that has won more games over the past few years than any team other than the Warriors.

"There's been some messiness to our current offseason, but we're always going to be in a state of somewhat tension because until we achieve our goals and get where we need to be, we're going to continue to challenge ourselves to get better," Brown says. "That sometimes creates tension. This is just a way for us to continue to get better."

Fertitta stresses the Rockets "are not changing to change" but will continue to seek any competitive edge. He expresses exasperation with the idea that Houston is a franchise in turmoil.

"All I want is to win," Fertitta says, his hands raised.

"I just want to win."

LOS ANGELES -- Andrew Friedman had high hopes for his Tampa Bay Rays bullpen in 2014, but it struggled. He worried about the group of Los Angeles Dodgers relievers he took into 2017, but they were a revelation.

In five years as the Dodgers' president of baseball operations, Friedman has experienced a fair share of both hits and misses acquiring relievers. Joe Blanton, Brandon Morrow and Tony Watson worked out, for the most part. Joel Peralta, Sergio Romo and Jim Johnson did not. For years, fans clamored for him to spend money on established middle relievers, and so he did, giving Joe Kelly at least $25 million over the course of three seasons. Now Kelly is statistically one of the worst pitchers in the sport.

In about a month -- if not sooner, if not already -- Friedman will shift his focus to other teams for outside help. Yes, the Dodgers will be -- are -- in the market for relief pitchers. So is practically every other team with aspirations of playing into October, because nobody has this department figured out.

Reliever volatility has transcended the information age.

"Every year, going into the year, the bullpen performance is what keeps me up at night," Friedman said. "And it's funny because the years that I've had the most confidence is probably the years where we've struggled the most, and the years where I've been the most afraid are the years where we've been the best."

This season, so far, it's the former.

The Dodgers, two-time defending champions of the National League, are a juggernaut everywhere except in their bullpen. Their lineup boasts the sport's third-highest OPS and includes the MVP favorite. Their rotation ranks second in ERA and includes the Cy Young favorite. In the field, they have accumulated 83 defensive runs saved -- 46 percent more than the runner-up.

And then there's the bullpen, with that suboptimal 4.25 ERA. The Dodgers have lost only 24 of their 72 games this season, and 17 of those losses are on the ledgers of their current relievers.

Before the trade deadline comes and goes at the end of July, the Dodgers will join a dizzying list of teams hoping to upgrade their bullpens. The Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves will probably be aggressive here. The Rays, Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers could stand to add, as well. The New York Yankees and Houston Astros have outstanding bullpens, but they'll probably look for reinforcements, too. The Chicago Cubs would also be on this list, but they beat the crowd by signing Craig Kimbrel.

Most relievers are failed starters, their volatility largely a product of their simply not being as good. There's also that whole thing about small sample sizes and how they skew numbers, most notably for those who pitch only an inning at a time. And perhaps there's something to be said about executives falling in love with raw stuff and not putting enough emphasis on the ability to pitch from their relievers. Friedman pointed to another reason for the sheer unpredictability of bullpens.

"We as an industry have learned a lot about managing starters' workloads and appreciating various increases and what it means, and we have no idea on relievers," Friedman said. "And part of that is not just the total number of times that they throw in a year -- it's the frequency in which they throw in a week, or in two weeks, or the number of times they get up and get hot."

To "get hot" means to warm up at full intensity, or close to it. Relievers hate nothing more than to throw off a bullpen mound with the intention of getting into a game and be told to sit back down only to oftentimes stand up, stretch and start throwing again, ramping up the intensity in earnest. Many equate the act to an appearance, but it isn't accounted for in any meaningful way.

The Dodgers know how often their own pitchers warm up, but they're clueless about the rest of the league. The 29 other teams face the same predicament.

"The hardest part that people always forget about a bullpen is stuff versus rest," retired former closer Huston Street said. "There's a direct correlation."

These days, reliever volatility has reached a new high. League-wide, relief pitchers are allowing 4.75 runs per game, the highest mark in 12 years. The reason, many will say, is that they're exhausted. Starters aren't allowed to pitch deep enough into games, so bullpens are accounting for more innings. And even when relievers are not making official appearances, the tendency to let situations dictate usage -- as opposed to assigning specific roles -- is probably leading to their warming up more often than they used to.

"More is being asked out of bullpens," Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said. "You start accumulating seasons of the starter getting pulled the second time through and more burden placed on the pen, it's going to take a toll."

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he "feels good" about his bullpen within the grand scheme of a season. He pointed to the recent surge of Kenley Jansen -- 10⅓ scoreless innings, with 16 strikeouts and one walk from May 12 to June 14 -- and the steady reliability of Pedro Baez and Dylan Floro. He brought up the importance of getting lefty specialist Scott Alexander healthy, and then he brought up the obvious -- getting Kelly right again.

"We're going to need him," Roberts said. "That's just plain and simple."

When Kelly pitched low leverage against the San Francisco Giants on June 8 and struck out the side, Friedman claimed it might have been the most impressive combination of raw stuff and pitch execution he had seen in his half-decade with the Dodgers.

Three nights later, Kelly pitched against the Los Angeles Angels and couldn't do anything right. His inning included an errant pickoff and two pitches to the backstop. He absorbed his third loss and saw his ERA increase to 7.59, and Roberts agreed that part of his struggles might have been mental.

Kelly claimed he was "not that far off" and that it "probably looks worse than what it really is," and he would know.

Kelly encapsulated the volatility of relief pitching in one season last year. His month-to-month ERAs with the Red Sox went from 3.09 to 0.63 to 8.31, 8.38, 1.42 and 8.31. The 31-year-old right-hander just so happened to be right during the postseason, which culminated in six scoreless innings -- with 10 strikeouts and zero walks -- during the World Series. His current teammates lived it up close.

"He's just going through a rough time right now," Jansen said. "People can doubt him and say all the stuff they can say, but we believe in him. I believe him. I'm sure Doc and Andrew and everybody believes in him. He's a champion. A true champion. What he did last year against us -- he's a true champion. It's a long season, man. All we need him to do is figure it out at the right time. And that right time is closer to the end of the season."

Last year, the Colorado Rockies spent $106 million on their bullpen only to see their three new arms -- Wade Davis, Bryan Shaw, Jake McGee -- underperform. Edwin Diaz, Cody Allen, Kelvin Herrera, David Robertson, Andrew Miller, Joakim Soria and Trevor Rosenthal all switched teams over the offseason, and none has pitched particularly well.

The Dodgers will eventually get some help, whether it's Brad Hand or Will Smith or Greg Holland or someone else. Relievers are usually the most available commodity in the summer, but they're also the trickiest to trade for -- because their value is suspect, because so many other teams need them and because they're so darn unpredictable.

"We're comfortable being aggressive," Friedman said of his approach to acquiring bullpen help. "We're not comfortable being stupid."

WEST ALLIS, Wis. — Stock car racing returned to the historic Milwaukee Mile at Wisconsin State Fair Park Sunday afternoon, with Austin Nason capturing the ARCA Midwest Tour Father’s Day 100.

With auto racing dating back to 1903 at the Milwaukee area oval, the event marked the return of stock car competition to the one-mile paved speed plant after a five-year hiatus.

Nason, the 24-year-old speedster from Roscoe, Ill., wheeled his Montgomery Ward/Haase Builders/Kar Korner/JRS Shocks-sponsored Ford No. 14 to the win, taking the checkered flag with a 2.237-second advantage over four-time ARCA Midwest Tour champion and the event’s fastest qualifier Ty Majeski, who was among several leaders of the 100-lap chase.

Minnesota’s Dan Fredrickson, another leader during the race, finished third with Colorado standout Preston Peltier taking fourth. Casey Roderick, Casey Johnson, who started the afternoon on top of the Midwest Tour standings, Ryan Farrell, last chance race winner Josh Brock, Eddie MacDonald and Gabe Sommers rounded out the top 10.

“I hope this becomes a tradition,” said Nason after his victory.  “This is awesome just to come back to this place.  I think if we make this a tradition every year, you’ll keep getting more and more fans.”

Frederickson had changed tires during the first caution period with 40 laps complete with Nason, along with Majeski, putting on new tires when the second caution flag waved with 79 laps in the books. Nason lined up fifth on the restart and charged by Fredrickson for the top spot on lap 94, leading the rest of the way.

In other feature action during an overcast, rather cold – temperatures in the 50s, afternoon, Ron Weyer was the winner of the 20-lap Mid American Stock Car Series contest.  Inheriting the lead after front runners Aaron Shelton and Mark Pluer tangled while battling for the lead, the 49-year-old Weyer bested Rick Corso, Scott Ascher, Rick Tackman Jr., Steve Blair and Luke Baldwin.

Fifteen-year-old Levon Van Der Geest held off the challenges of Joe Valento to win the 20-lap Midwest Truck Tour feature. Ready to be a high school sophomore in a few months, Van Der Geest is the son of Wisconsin late model car owner, Jay Van Der Gest.  Veteran Wisconsin racer James Swan took third, followed by John Ovadal Jr. and Kevin Knuese.

The ageless Woody Pool, still competing at the age of 75, drove his 1970 Ford Torino to victory in Upper Midwest Vintage Series 15-lap feature race.

The finish:

Austin Nason, Ty Majeski, Dan Frederickson, Preston Peltier, Casey Roderick, Casey Johnson, Ryan Farrell, Josh Brock, Eddie MacDonald, Gabe Sommers, John DeAngelis Jr., Luke Fenhaus, Austin Kunert, Paul Shafer Jr., John Beale, Carson Kvapil, Jason Weinkauf, Jeff Van Oudenhoven, Rich Bickle Jr., Maxwell Schultz, Travis Braden, Chad Butz, Alex Stumpf, Dalton Zehr, Matthew Craig, Justin Mondeik, Derek Doerr, Albert Francis, Andrew Morrisey, Brent Kirchner, Dillion Hammond, Tim Lampman.