NERDS AROUND TOWN
Nerds Around Town: DC Comics, bad movies and Rocket talk
Jun 24, 2019, 7:55 am
ART BY JESUS RODRIGUEZ
Born with a comic book in one hand and a remote control in the other, Cory DLG is the talent of Conroe's very own Nerd Thug Radio and Sports. Check out the podcast replay of the FM radio show at www.nerdthugradio.com!
Hey Nerds!
Monday is where all the magic happens, stay focused and get pumped, this is your week!
GOOD DEED OF THE DAY
This week we'll be honoring First Responders like my buddy Jon Stewart with The Branch Gives Back. A bike ride to benefit the first responders. #NerdsUnite
TROUBLE IN PARADISE?
DC Comics announced they were cancelling Vertigo, their creator friendly line where they got to take big risks with relatively unknown characters and also got some ownership with the characters they created for those stories. Overall it created a massive opportunity for award winning writers to spend time on characters they normally wouldn't be asked to write because honestly, it wouldn't be worth anyone's time or money. This line was responsible for some of the best comic books that DC had ever made and also several movies and TV shows such as Lucifer, Constantine and Doom Patrol. Combined with a recent announcement that DC comics wanted to publish fewer individual titles, suddenly DC Comics was making people nervous and some even thinking they were falling apart. This weekend they announced a massive expansion into the young adult graphic novel area. See Marvel basically owns comic sales monthly usually in both units and money in, and graphic novels too. But in the Young Adult market there is literally no one on the comic book side pushing content into that sector, there are book makers making comics which fans will tell you, aren't the same thing. This is a brilliant pivot for DC, to find an open area to grow revenue and develop more properties while avoiding Marvel. This is how you change a major company.
ROCKETS TALK
So if I'm Houston, I don't trade Chris Paul. Everyone is seeing all the stories and hearing the news about Harden and Paul not getting along and D'Antoni not wanting to re sign with the team potentially because of this issue. Here's the thing, Paul's contract first of all makes him essentially untradeable and honestly, he's an amazing asset to the team. I think Harden's offensive run over the last few years has been amazing, but the truth isn't that complicated, it's not enough. Just like Westbrook's run of triple double seasons wasn't enough to get OKC into a conference finals, Harden alone isn't enough. With this season opening up like it has, it seems like the smartest move is to take one more run at it, just go as hard as possible at it this year. Portland is probably the strongest team in the west this season that isn't named Houston and it's between us and them until either LA team makes a move of some kind. SO I say ride this out one more year and then see where you stand.
MOVIE STARS
So one time in an interview Tom Cruise said that he only has so many movies he can make before he's not capable of making movies anymore so he needed to be selective in the movies he makes. It's a wise way to evaluate films and it's an even smarter way to do business. That being said, how do so many good movie stars make awful movies? Liam Hemsworth is in a ton of bad movies, Chris Hemsworth keeps taking bad role after bad role and they aren't alone. I have no idea who looks these things over, or who tells them yes or no or if they have to do these movies for different reasons, BUT, lots of bad movies. Who gives these people advice?!
NOT THAT YOU ASKED
You know what I love about summer, getting in a pool. So seriously, invite me to your pool parties. All of them. If I'm available I will go to all of your pool parties at the drop of the hat, this is not a drill or a joke. Pool parties all day long.
Feel free to check out my digital short story The Wilson House or buy a shirt from Side Hustle Ts where some proceeds help people struggling with cancer or listen to Nerd Thug Radio. Thoughts, complaints, events and comments can be sent to corydlg@gmail.com.
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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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