NERDS AROUND TOWN
The nerd report: Comics, sports betting, Nerd radio and more
Apr 26, 2019, 5:56 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, Sports and Wrestling. Check out the podcast replay of the FM radio show at www.nerdthugradio.com!
Hey Nerds!
Hey guys it's been another great week, and now we've made it to one of the biggest nerd weekends in recent memory. This Sunday the battle between the living and the dead happens on HBO, Avengers Endgame debuts this weekend, Houston Outlaws actually play in Texas this weekend in Dallas on Saturday and the NFL Draft is this whole weekend. Pick your poison.
GOOD DEED OF THE DAY
This weekend have a good weekend, volunteer a little time this weekend helping out the elderly or hanging out with some sick kids or helping an animal shelter. I don't know, just find a way to actually add something back to this great thing we call life. Next week I'll make it easy for all of us again and point people in the direction of a cause. Also, I started using a new hashtag to try and rally people to causes, #NerdsUnite.
WHILE YOU'RE OUT
Check out your local comic shop, there's all sorts of cool stuff to get into and check out. Avengers #18 is part of Marvel's line wide War of the Realms, and is a cool reintroduction of The Squadron Supreme. They are essentially a team of Justice League knock offs for the Marvel Universe, each publisher has their own version, but here as of late they've tried to expand and include The Squadron Supreme in the Marvel universe and this is just the latest attempt. Punk Mambo #1 is a new series from Valiant and it looks really cool, it's a punk rock female version of Constantine kind of, is the vibe it gives off. The Valiant universe has been making a comeback as of late and this is just the latest step, check it out. Wonder Woman #69 continues Wonder Woman's promise to help Aphrodite find her son, the writer on this is one of my favorites and if you aren't reading Wonder Woman, why not?
THIS IS LEGAL RIGHT?
While I was watching the draft, a buddy of mine mentioned that the Raiders are moving to Vegas, and that got me thinking the NHL is already in Vegas and the NBA has an official sponsorship with a casino. The NFL has a business relationship with either Draftkings or one of those fantasy football gambling apps, so literally is this allowed now? Betting on sports is a billion dollar industry and the best sportsbooks make crazy money from this thing. Somehow we went from Pete Rose being banned from baseball to now you can actually bet anytime you want even during the games. This is starting to get a little surreal to me. Some states have totally allowed sports betting and some states are still making it illegal, it all comes back to me like, if all of this is going on, when are we getting a casino?
WHO ME?
This weekend I actually will be pretty busy, Nerd Thug Radio is booked to be out at Sportify. So for sure I'll be out there Saturday, Saturday is also the last part of the draft and there's an Outlaw's match so I mean, I'm going to find some things to get up to all day no matter what. Based on how it goes we'll either hang out Sunday as well or we won't. If we don't we'll find something fun to get into Sunday and maybe hangout at The Adventure Begins out in Conroe, we keep saying we're going to get out there more and we just haven't had time. Maybe this is the weekend.
NOT THAT YOU ASKED
So I LOVE the draft. I just do, it's fantastic to see how organizations show their thinking by the moves they make. You can kind of see if they're "desperate" or "happy" right now with their roster if they trade up or trade back, New England somehow trades back every year it seems and still takes great guys and obviously builds a top level roster so it was a little odd to actually see them make a pick but it might have been because Atlanta traded into the Rams spot right in front of them so they had trouble finding someone looking for their spot. I don't understand The Cardinals move yet of drafting Kyler Murray but I'm trying to wait and see what they do with the quarterback they already have. We will see, but this is why I love the draft.
I'm going to jump out and wish you guys a great Friday and remind everyone to be kind to each other and try a little harder to have a great day! I'm coming back Monday and we'll be bringing more good times your way. Feel free to check out my digital short story The Wilson House or buy a shirt from Side Hustle Ts where $.50 from every shirt is donated to a good cause or listen to Nerd Thug Radio or support our Patreon Page. 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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