Let's make some money to burn. Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
This has been an unbelievable week for so many people. I hope this post provides some type of relief from Hurricane Harvey. My heart hurts for our community and I pray you and your family are safe, and if needed, have a speedy recovery.
No promises this week as I am still high off the Tulsa/OK State over, and the ridiculous halftime line (-10) they put up in the Ohio State/Indiana game. We will win longterm. Stay the course and be disciplined.
This year we will be playing everything at $55 to win $50 unless otherwise noted.
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Originally appeared on houstonsportsandstuff.com.
YTD Record (0-0)
Wyoming +12 @ Iowa
I have no idea why Iowa pays Kirk Ferentz to coach. I think he is an idiot. Iowa typically does not perform well as a DD favorite at home, and they also have Iowa State next week. This is not a great spot for them. This is one of the biggest games Wyoming will play all year. They did lose some talent at key positions but they return QB Josh Allen- who will be a top 10 pick in next years draft. A lot of money is coming in on Iowa and the line is moving. I played it at 12- if it gets to 14 I might play it again. I’ll take my chances here with the Cowboys.
Florida State +7 @ Alabama (Neutral site game)
Florida State ML +225 ($25)
Listen, I love the SEC. I think Alabama could lose this game and win out the rest of the year. Much like Ohio State did a few years ago. If they lose this game I will make a future play on them next week to win the National Championship. I think Florida State wants this game. They know the committee favors the SEC and a win over Alabama would be a huge feather in their cap. Add a couple of wins over Florida and Clemson and you are looking at the #1 team in the Country. Alabama lost a lot of players on defense. These are two evenly matched teams. I’ll take my 7 points and also make a play on Florida State to win straight up.
Western Michigan/USC Over 58
USC can name their score here. Even if they pull their starters in the 2nd half, they can still score. If Western Michigan gets 2 or 3 scores this game should go over. A 50-20 final would get us there. As a side note, I also have a ticket on USC to win the National Championship at 9-1.
Good luck this week. Remember it is a long season- do not go crazy in Week 1.
I apologize for not having this up sooner. Thank you Harvey.
Any questions please hit me up on Twitter. @Jayoff288
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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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