NERDS AROUND TOWN

Nerds Around Town: X-Men, Vince Carter and King's Hawaiian Rolls

Cory De La Guardia
Aug 6, 2019, 5:41 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!

Let's crush this week, it's Tuesday are you ready to succeed?

GOOD DEED OF THE DAY

How do you feel about saving lives and free ice cream? That sounds like an awesome combo right? Like who is turning that down? Head out to a Regional Gulf Coast Blood Center and make a blood donation if you're eligible. Help some people out, this weekend is a staunch reminder that there can never be enough good deeds and good will out in the universe because you never know when your mark is finally made on this world and you're out of time.

HAVE YOU TRIED IT?!

Arby's just announced they're putting King's Hawaiian rolls on their sliders. First of all this is some of the best news I've ever heard. I don't know if you know this but I have a hard obsession with King's Hawaiian bread, I will be forever a fan of it. There is no limit to the stuff I will do to get King's Hawaiian to be the bread of all my favorite fast food sandwiches. Also Arby's awhile back got rid of their Ham and Cheddar sandwiches so now the only form you can get the Ham and Cheddar combo is in a slider, so now that slider is even better in the Sandwich hierarchy. Someone check this stuff out!!

MARVEL COMICS COMMERCIALS

Marvel has heavily positioned themselves behind House of X and Powers of X, the new event from Jonathan Hickman, the architect of Secret War which was the ultimate story in the Doom vs Reed Richards rivalry. They are so bought in on this major event that for the first time in recent memory they are airing a television commercial in select markets. That's a big deal, they are moving all in on this relaunch of what was at one time the biggest and most important comic book in the Marvel Empire, The X Men. It was at one time selling over a million copies an issue, but now that's no longer the case as top selling comic books sell around 85,000 to 110,000 on a great month. Let's see what Hickman can do about that.

ONE MORE RUN

Vince Carter has announced he is coming back with the Atlanta Hawks for one more year. The one-time high-flying rookie of the year is scheduled to play in a record setting 22nd season. This feat will surpass Dirk, Garnett, Kevin Willis and Robert Parish and place him alone in the record books and will also make him the only player to play an NBA game in four separate decades if he makes a single appearance in the later part of the season in 2020. Vince has truly laid a groundwork for all true ballers to follow, the rare star who always knew when to defer and when to take the reins, his transformation from NBA Icon to mentor has been awesome to see and he's been a great calming asset on many young rosters over the last three seasons. Best of luck for one more run for the great Vince Carter, who played an astounding 76 games last year.

NOT THAT YOU ASKED

Times like these are when social media is at its worst. One thing for people to have opinions, that's fine. It's a whole other thing for people to just post weirdly false facts, I saw one that in the last two years there's only been four mass shootings? Are we that dumb? Have we truly moved into an era where facts don't mean anything at all? There were two this weekend, so are we saying these two and then two others since January 1st 2017? Does anyone think that's accurate? I'll stop you now, it's not. It's not even a little bit accurate, it's vastly inaccurate, now yes mass shootings can be defined a number of different ways and with a bunch of different settings but almost no way you define it, has there only been four. We need to do a better job of just looking something up before we get into the business of being this dumb.

Feel free to check out my brand new comic book Another Day at the Office 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.

nerds around town

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

Rocket Launch

Rockets get back on track with wins over Pistons and Mavericks

Rockets get another much-needed win. Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images.

The Houston Rockets went on a redemption tour by beating the Detroit Pistons and Dallas Mavericks. But the most pivotal win was against the Mavericks as the Rockets finally showed their true potential. John Wall finally made his return from his injury hiatus and played with a lot of energy. DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Gordon combined for 61 points. It was great to see Stephan Silas crack a smile as he was able to beat his former team.

The Rockets clearly missed Wall during his eight-game absense. This season, the Rockets are a .500 team with Wall on the court. Wall is the Rockets' floor general that leads, constructs, and also pushes his teammates to become better.

Wall only played 21 minutes in the 133-108 win over the Mavericks but still had eight assists. Even though Wall only had 7 points, his presence was still felt by finding his teammates for open looks beyond the perimeter. Wall made sure Cousins and Gordon got a plethora of touches. He called multiple actions, so they got open looks from three, which was mainly Gordon. Gordon and Cousins' struggles have been similar but with Wall on the court, they were successful against the Mavericks. According to NBA Stats, Wall posted a 111 offensive rating with the starters versus the Mavericks, which included Gordon and Cousins.

"He's the engine to this team. He gets everybody going. He makes the game easy," Cousins told a reporter after the game. "The pressure that he constantly puts on the defense is a tough thing to deal with."

Gordon has struggled all season long with three-point shooting and relied on his slashing abilities. Saturday night, Gordon made six three pointers against the Mavericks, which was 66 percent from beyond the perimeter. Gordon increased his three-point percentage from 31 percent to 34.5 percent after Saturday night's game. Gordon's 33 points came from being able to attack the entire Mavericks' defense. Willy Cauley-Stein didn't stand a chance against Gordon as he was burned multiple times. Gordon's been a lifesaver for the Rockets in the last two games, and hopefully he maintains his play.

Cousins played fantastic against the Mavericks scoring 28 points and grabbing 17 rebounds. This is Cousins' first double-double with the Rockets this season. Cousins became the vintage player from the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings. It was extremely fun watching Cousins push the ball up the court and aggressively snatch rebounds. Boogie shot 50 percent from behind the arc by making four three-pointers. He was dominant inside the paint as Cousins went 7/8 from the restricted area versus the Mavericks. This was the game Cousins needed after having a poor performance against the Pistons Friday night.

"It was really, really good. He did it all. He's a physical presence on both ends of the floor," as Silas said on Cousins' performance.

David Nwaba and Mason Jones were big factors off the Rockets' bench by having a combined total of 34 points together. Nwaba has been great in transition for the Rockets the entire season. Keep in mind that Nwaba is returning from an Achilles injury he suffered with his former team, the Brooklyn Nets. Nwaba has became a great defender, slasher, and is averaging a career-high nine points per game with the Rockets. He finished with 18 points on Saturday night versus the Mavericks.

Mason Jones has become a fan favorite of the Rockets because of his confidence. Silas is loving the usage of Jones off the bench but wants to find more minutes for him. Jones had a breakout performance versus the San Antonio Spurs with 24 points off 66 percent shooting from the field. He continues to get better with his reads from the point guard position. Jones' knowledge of running the offense has helped his efficiency on the court. He is never afraid to take clutch shots in pivotal moments of the game.

"To have a young kid who can come in and not be afraid of the moment, that's big. That's a tough position to be in as an undrafted rookie. I trust him. It's a good problem to have," Silas mentioned after the game. "He's showing me he's ready. He's a confident kid, and he should be. That's why he's good. He's not afraid of the moment, at all. He can get us organized, run plays, and score the basketball."

Hopefully, the Rockets can sustain their level of play when Victor Oladipo returns against the Washington Wizards, Tuesday. It will be interesting to watch Oladipo and Wall play in the same backcourt.

nba rockets

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome