You're Going To Miss Kevin Durant This Season, You Just Don't Realize It Yet

Today marks the beginning of one of the most anticipated NBA seasons in recent memory. For the first time in 12 years there is no clear cut front runner, at least in the general public's perception, to win the NBA title. This new era of teams creating 2 man tandems has generated a level of excitement and suspense the league hasn't seen since LeBron James' rookie season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. For all the excitement about the league's parity and the upcoming war for basketball supremacy, there will be a huge hole in the middle of the puzzle that leaves it incomplete -- Kevin Durant's absence.

Unless you've been living under a rock since last June, you know that Durant will miss the upcoming season while he recovers from a ruptured Achilles. 'KD' sustained the injury in game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals. In the aftermath many people, including former teammate Andre Iguodala, questioned whether the Golden State Warriors pressured him to come back from a calf injury he sustained earlier in the playoffs too soon. At the time of his return, the Warriors were down 3 games to 1 to the Toronto Raptors and needed some sort of spark to help ignite a comeback. They would win the contest but eventually, lose the series.

Before this injury, Durant was widely regarded as one of the most disliked players in the NBA by fans. This was somewhat hard to understand because he is also considered the best or second best player in the league depending on who you ask. When his career is done, he will likely go down as one of the top 10 players in NBA history.

For those who may not know, Durant is a highly skilled at what he does. You could say he’s like a basketball assassin with an unlimited skillset at his disposal. Standing at a legit 6'9, he can create his shot from anywhere on the floor, moves and dribbles like a point guard and is a elite level defender, a combination the NBA hadn't seen prior to his arrival. With all the physical tools and athletic talent he has, it was destined for him to rack up all the accomplishments he's achieved thus far: 2x time NBA Champion, 2x time Finals MVP, 10x NBA All-Star, 4x NBA scoring champion, made the All-NBA team 9 times (1st team 6 times), 2 time All-Star game MVP, 2008 Rookie of the Year, consensus National College Player of the Year (the first person to win the award as a freshman and the only player to win the award in consensus fashion) and last but certainly not least, a NBA MVP award, in which his acceptance speech would go down in history as one of the best ever and capturing the hearts of many around the world.

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One may ask why a player so talented and accomplished was so disliked...

Well in the summer of 2016 Kevin made the decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team that drafted him and he spent his first nine seasons with, to join the Warriors. Many criticized the move because they felt the Warriors were already stacked and adding a player of Durant's caliber would unfairly tilt the competitive balance in Golden State's favor. The same critics also felt Durant was taking the 'easy' way out by joining the team that just prevented him to going to the Finals as opposed to wanting to dethrone them after being so 'close' to doing so.

To further complicate the situation, many felt as though he left one of his perceived best friends and former teammate Russell Westbrook lying high and dry. Durant and Westbrook played together for 8 seasons, developing a on court chemistry between 2 elite players on the same team that the league hadn't seen since Karl Malone and John Stockton played together with the Utah Jazz. Off the court, while they weren't best friends, they formed a friendship that clearly extended past the playing court. Many people will never forget how Durant called outspoken Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban "an idiot" after he paid Durant a compliment but slighted Westbrook at the same time.

Durant's decision to leave a championship ready OKC team definitely left a sting with many, including Westbrook. Shortly after the decision, Westbrook posted a picture of cupcakes on his Instagram account. While on the surface it was an ode to Independence Day, it was later revealed that this was a diss to the former by the latter. They have also had on court spats and traded jabs in the media, but have since reconciled. They may not be as close as they once were, but they are on speaking/friendly terms again and are presumably working to rebuild their friendship.

Many people felt as though while Durant was extremely talented, his inability to win a championship is what held him below 'King James' as the league's best player. Durant put that argument to bed when he won his first championship, capped off with a Finals MVP and one of the most iconic moments of his illustrious career thus far and signified a 'changing of the guard' in the NBA's pecking order for the league's best player -- a game clinching 3-pointer that swam through the net like a  shark in the ocean over the outreached hand of LeBron James.

Durant is a somewhat misunderstood person. He wants to give off the impression that he doesn't care what people think of him, but at the same time he spends time on social media defending what he does and says. No one can forget the infamous "burner account" saga. He also wants people to not care about the whole ordeal about the fashion in which he left OKC but in all honesty, as one of the biggest Kevin Durant fans, even I had a hard time trying to justify let alone defend that decision. It was almost as if he were leaving a bullied friend to join the bullies beating them both up.

His decision may have seemed that way, but the truth is, Durant was a free agent and THE WARRIORS PURSUED HIS SERVICES, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. Just as much as people say he needed the Warriors to win (more) championships, they needed him just as much if not more. Does anyone remember the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history that the Cleveland Cavs pulled off in 2016? That Warriors team did beat the Cavs the year before, but Cleveland were missing their 2nd and 3rd best players that year. In the rematch the next year, Cleveland won. Golden State knew they couldn't beat that Cavs team with their current roster and needed to do something to get the upper edge. And they did.Any team in the league was free to sign him. The Warriors just made the best pitch and presented the best opportunity for him. And he accepted it.

What person wouldn't want to have the best chance at winning a championship while also rubbing networking and building relationships with some of the most brilliant and intelligent people in Silicon  Valley (San Francisco/Oakland/Bay Area) who shaping the future of our world and putting himself in position for investment opportunities that would potentially make him more money than he would make during his playing career? Simply put, that’s just too good of an opportunity to pass up in exchange to remain ‘loyal’ to a sports franchise that can decide to release or trade you at any given moment for any reason.

Furthermore, as much as people like Russell Westbrook (myself included), people have to come to the realization that his style of play is NOT conducive to winning a championship. Kevin Durant just realized that before everyone else did. In the years since he and Westbrook have split, Durant has won 2 titles. Westbrook has won a league MVP and cemented his place amongst the current batch of elite in the league, but has also not been out of the 1st round of the playoffs.

Fast forward to the summer of 2019, after the Achilles injury in the Finals. Durant had a decision to make: Does he stay with the team that some feel he 'rode their wave' to championships and continue to be teammates with Draymond Green (whom he had a very nasty on court exchange with earlier in the season that some speculate made Durant feel alienated -- which Durant later confirmed) and also potentially threatened his career by rushing him back from a injury? Or does he go somewhere else to prove that the championships with the Warriors wasn't a 'fluke'? We now know that KD chose the second option, teaming with two of his better friends among NBA players Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan in Brooklyn to play for the Nets.

The decision has made many come back around and regain a considerable amount of respect they previously lost. Some was already gained back the night he was injured when he decided to play in that fateful game 5 of the NBA Finals. As mentioned earlier, the Warriors were down 3 games to 1 and needed a serious spark. Durant provided that. Before going down with the Achilles injury, Durant scored 11 points in 12 minutes of playing time. Who knows what could've happened if he didn't get hurt. Maybe the Warriors win that series and Durant might still be a Warrior. But things didn't play out that way so we'll never truly know.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Steph Curry, De'Angelo Russell, Draymond Green (and potentially Klay Thompson if he heals from his injury sooner than expected). Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic. Russell Westbrook and James Harden. Kemba Walker and Jason Tatum. Those are just some of the new pairs of teammates on various teams that will all scratch & claw for the NBA championship. It should make for some very compelling basketball and storylines throughout the season. It's a shame that Kevin Durant won't have a say in the conversation. Not this year at least. He would've made this season 100 times better than it is already going to be. But don’t worry. When he does come back in the 2020-2021 season, you’ll appreciate his greatness and what he brings to the basketball world a whole lot more.

Itchy's NFL Week 7 Picks Against The Spread 🏈💵💰🤑

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Last week, I didn't release any NFL picks. I really got caught up in some other things which prevented me from giving my best at making picks and I didn't want to send y'all out there head first on some dumb ish. That being said, I'm back this week with some winners! Let's get it in.

Jaguars (-4) @ Bengals

Cincinnati has the worst rushing defense in the league and that's bad new for them as Leonard Fournette (the AFC's leading rusher) and the Jags come into town. Gardner Minshew finally looked like a rookie last week against the Saints but I fully expect him to return to himself against a Bengals defense that is also banged up in the secondary and can't get a consistent pass rush to pressure Minshew. The Jags might win this one by 2 TDs or more.

Dolphins (+17) @ Bills

Everybody & their maw knows that Miami isn't good. But this is a terribly huge number to swallow, all things considered. For starters, the total score sits at 39. If you're going to have one team as a 17 point favorite, the total should be somewhere in the mid-to-upper 40s (if not somewhere in the 50s). Furthermore, the Bills' calling card ISN'T offense, as they rank 25th in scoring. Miami is also starting Ryan Fitzpatrick (aka "Fitzmagic") so that should give the Dolphins' offense a spark to keep it within 2.5 TDs. Don't buy into the "bet against Miami every week" hype. At least not this week.

Ravens (+3.5) @ Seahawks

Seattle is 5-1 and are playing at home. When you take a closer look, the only team they’ve played with a winning record, they lost to (Saints).... at home. Additionally, of all of the average to bad teams they beat, the Cardinals (who are horrible) was the only convincing win. Russell Wilson might be the best QB in the league not named Tom Brady or Drew Brees, but he doesn’t have a ton of help and it will show today. The Seahawks’ defense is ranked 25th against the run and Ravens RB Mark Ingram and QB Lamar Jackson will have a field day. The Ravens go into Seattle and win outright.

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If I had my way, this week's picks would be sponsored by Colgate so that I could get the nasty taste of last week's picks out of my mouth. I went 2-3, which isn't the worst, but the games I got wrong, I bombed tremendously. So with that in mind, I started to research a little earlier. My goal for this week is to go at least 4-1 (if not 5-0).

South Carolina vs. Florida (-5.5).11:00 am CST
Both these teams come off very emotional games last week: South Carolina pulling off what might be the upset of the year vs. Georgia (thanks in large part to 4 turnovers) and Florida pushing LSU to the limit before finally fading late. When this type of scenario occurs, I typically like to take the more talented team. Florida also wants to get the nasty taste of la As mentioned earlier, USC beat Georgia because they got 4 gift-wrapped turnovers. Without that, that game would not have been close. UF quarterback Kyle Trask also showed me a lot by going into a hostile environment last week and passing for over 300 yards. He faces a group of South Carolina DBs that aren't great. They allow 260 yards per game and have given up 11 TDs through the air. USC QB Ryan Hilinski is also doubtful to play after suffering a concussion last week. Florida rolls on the road.

Costal Carolina/Georgia Southern Total Score: Over 45.5. 2:00 CST
This is a pretty low total and both defenses have struggled this season, both giving up over 25 points per game. Georgia Southern has only scored under 20 points once this season and that was against LSU (go figure). Both teams rank in the top 25 in rushing yards, so that is cause for concern for the clock being chewed up, but Coastal Carolina has shown that they can bust games open with long touchdown runs, which I expect at least 2 of vs. a Georgia Southern defense that gives up over 200 yards per game on the ground. As long as these teams don't figure out a way to not score once they get into the red zone, this total should easily go over. Light rain is in the forecast, but both teams are run oriented so the weather should NOT play much of a factor.

LSU (-18.5) @ Mississippi State. 2:30 pm CST
Usually Miss. State gets up for this game and plays LSU pretty tough and close. People may feel like this is a 'trap' game for LSU because they have Auburn and then Alabama on the horizon. That simply won't be the case. Mississippi State's defense is a shell of its former self and that's bad news with the nation's top offense coming to Starkville. MSU's offense is a hot mess, QB situation is in disarray and they simply don't have the firepower to keep up pace with LSU. Miss. State also likes to give the ball away so that will create more opportunities for LSU to put up more points. Joe Burrow and the wide receivers are going to eat like they're at a Golden Corral buffet.

Kentucky (+24) vs. Georgia. 5:00 pm CST
Everyone expects Georgia to be 'big mad' after losing to South Carolina last week and respond with a dominating win vs. what everyone perceives as a inferior Kentucky team. I'm here to tell you that won't happen. While I don't expect Kentucky to win, they're good enough to keep this game from getting out of hand. Georgia is a one dimensional team. All they can do is run the ball. Kentucky hasn't lost any game by 20 or more points all season. Saturday shouldn't be any different. All the Wildcats have to do is load the box to at least contain the run and not fall victim to the playaction pass and they should be fine for the cover.

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This week’s crop of games will be fun to watch, but Vegas didn’t do any favors setting these lines. They have shown me why they are professionals and I’m an amateur. Trying to pick winning bets this week feels like I’m trying to slip past a bunch of Fortier students in front McDonald’s on Canal Street by myself wearing a John F. Kennedy school uniform without being noticed (if you went to high school in New Orleans, you’ll get that reference), I’m walking on THIN ICE 🤦🏾‍♂️. With that being said, let’s get into what I like this weekend.

Temple (+4) vs. Memphis
Memphis goes on the road to face one of the best defenses in the country. Memphis’ offense hasn’t looked like its usual ‘go up & down the field on opponents at will’ self as of late. They’ve even struggled at times against some of the worst teams in college football. Temple is exceptional at not allowing the one thing Memphis excels at - creating explosive, game changing plays. Those elements combined with the fact that Memphis might be looking ahead to a showdown with Tulane next week and I think the Owls pull this one off. If not, they at least cover the spread.

Toledo (-27) vs. Bowling Green
I know this is a huge number to swallow and I would generally advise against giving up this many points, but Bowling Green has not only lost every game this season vs. FBS competition, they’ve failed to cover each week as well, including being a 45 point underdog and losing by 52. Toledo shouldn’t have any problems controlling the pace of this game and scoring whenever they want to.

Duke (-17.5) vs. Georgia Tech
Duke played about as badly as a team could and constantly shot itself in the foot with turnovers last week, and still almost won their game. That shows a lot of character. Georgia Tech on the other hand isn’t very good at stopping the run, allowing over 200 yards on the ground. If you can’t stop the run, you’re pretty much asking the other team to beat the brakes off of you. Especially on the road. Look for the Blue Devils to roll.

Marshall (-15) vs. Old Dominion
The Thundering Herd rank 36th in the country in rushing with 205 yards per game. Additionally, ODU can’t generate anything on offense through the ground or the air and also have a knack for turning the ball over. QB Stone Smart has thrown 5 interceptions on the year and only one touchdown. That’s not a good stat to bring on the road to face a stout Marshall defense.

Wisconsin/Michigan State: over 40
We have a battle of two defensive heavyweights at Camp Randle. Wisconsin comes in with the nation’s number one total defense, giving up a little bit under 180 yards per game and 5.80 points per contest. Michigan State isn’t too far behind them, allowing 18 ppg and and 299 yards. This has all the makings of a low scoring game, until you do a little deeper digging. Jonathan Taylor is the only running back in the Heisman conversation at this point, rushing for 149 yards per game and 12 touchdowns through 6 games. Badgers QB Jack Coan is connecting on nearly 75% of his pass attemps and takes care of the ball as well. He has thrown for 9 TDs and only 1 INT so far this season. Add in the fact that this is Michigan State’s 3 road game in 4 weeks, and I see their defense eventually being worn down and allowing quite a few points. I think the Spartan offense is capable of scoring 14-17 points to easily push the total over 40. Shout out to Johnny for the assist on this one. I don’t know how I missed this total.

Firing of St. Aug football coach Shows we live in a society ruled by double standards

In a not so surprising development, St. Augustine High School announced that Nathaniel Jones is no longer coaching at the 7th ward school after a video of a ‘racist’ chant the team performed before a game vs. Brother Martin on October 4 surfaced via social media and went viral locally.

The decision to remove Jones from his duties further illustrates how ‘soft’ and ‘politically correct’ society has become as a whole, especially in the Black-American community. The fact that the chant was labeled as ‘racist’ is laughable and scary at the same time. It shows how out of touch certain people are towards the black American culture and proves how others are willing to throw their values and what they believe in to the waist side in order to appease the masses.

That chant was nothing more than players getting themselves hyped and motivated to perform to the best of their abilities. It is no different than what happens in most other locker rooms on a weekly basis at all levels of football: from ‘park ball’ (term used in New Orleans for Pop Warner or recreational league football), middle/Jr. High, high school, college all the way to the NFL.

Was the chant candid and full of colorful language? Absolutely. Was it somewhat inappropriate? Maybe. But to say it was racist is completely senseless. According to several sources, the chant has been used for several weeks (if not longer). That would mean it was performed since the beginning of the current season. During that time, St. Aug has played Booker T. Washington HS, McDonogh 35 HS, Landry-Walker HS and John F. Kennedy HS. All of the schools mentioned have at least a 90% black student population. Would the same chant still be considered ‘racist’ if video surfaced before any of those games? Probably not.

While we’re talking about what is racist and what is not, what is so racist about a black person using the word ‘nigga?’ Yes, the word (or another variation of it - ‘nigger’) has a very ugly history in this country. So does a lot of other words, slangs and common practices that are still used to this day by people from all walks of life. The great thing about America is that we don’t let these these things define us and we have a knack for turning negatives into something that doesn’t affect us one way or another.

Ten years ago, Brother Martin (yes, the same school St. Aug played this past weekend) came under fire for a skit where students wore blackface to imitate St. Aug’s players during a skit in the school’s gym. While their intent may not have been to come off as racist, the undertones of the skit were clearly racial. When the skit became public news, Brother Martin issued an apology and life moved on. No one lost their job(s) over the incident.

St. Aug feeling the need to fire their coach when other institutions refused to do so in the face of more serious circumstances/situation is a prime example of the double standard society has placed on the African-American community. As a Catholic School that is supposed to he the shining light of the New Orleans community, yes St. Aug had a responsibility to protect its reputation, its brand, and and to make this incident a ‘teachable’ moment for its students, faculty, staff, and everyone else. That being said, the lesson wasn’t well received and the punishment does NOT fit the crime. A suspension would’ve sufficed and gotten the same point across.

We live in a world where Donald Trump was elected President of the United States less than two weeks after an audio recording surfaced of him telling someone else to grab a female ‘by the pussy.’, In the very same country, a football coach can lose his job for his BLACK players using the ‘n word’ in a chant that wasn’t even directed towards any individual or any specific group? Please make St. Aug firing their coach over that chant/video make sense.

As long as people give power to certain words to be able bring out negative reactions and emotions, those words will continue to enslave those same people and there will always be an easy way to get the better of those same people. Additionally, as long as people make decisions to satisfy others and to ‘save face’ instead of doing what is best for themselves, it’ll always be more difficult for them to stay ahead of the proverbial curve.

Itchy’s NFL Week 5 Picks Against The Spread 🏈💵💰🤑

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This week’s NFL games look pretty enticing on the surface. That being said, you dont want to get too ahead of yourself and overreact to how these lines look. Let’s get to winning some money

Bears (-6) vs. Raiders (in London, England)
Is it just me or do the Bears look a lot better without Mitch Tribisky? 🤔... when Chase Daniel took over in relief duty, Chicago’s offense was a lot more potent. Add in the fact that it is a shorter trip to London from Chicago than from the west coast and I feel comfortable laying the points.

Falcons @ Texans (-4)
Dont look now but things are about to get a lot worse for the Falcons before they get better. After losing two straight games, they now have to try to find a way to contain DeShaun Watson. Atlanta also has one of the league’s worst pass defense and they have to go up against one of the best WR groups in the NFL. This game might get ugly.

Cowboys (-3) vs. Packers
Despite losing to the Saints (one of the best teams in the NFL) last week, Dallas’ defense didnt allow a touchdown. They now get to play at home against a Green Bay team coming off their first loss of the season. I expect the Cowboys defense to play lights out again this afternoon. Aaron Rogers will also miss his best receiver who is out with an injury.

Chiefs vs. Colts (+11)
I think the Colts are a lot better than their performance last week and this big number is an overreaction to last week’s surprising loss to the Raiders (at home). Indy is still a playoff caliber team and Jacoby Brissett is a very underrated QB who doesn’t get the credit he deserves for having this team 2-2 at this point. The Chiefs will look to blow this game open at home in primetime, but with a somewhat leaky defense. the Colts will be able to keep pace and cover the double digit spread.

Cardinals (+3) @ Bengals
Both these teams are winless and somebody has to come up with a victory today. Cincinnati doesn’t look like a good team at all right now and are struggling without their best player (AJ Green). The Cardinals aren’t a good team either but I have more confidence in their ability to move the ball down the field and put points on the board when they need to.

Itchy’s NCAAF Week 6 Picks Against The Spread 💵🤑🏈

FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY! PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT IF YOU FOLLOW ANY OF THIS ADVICE AND DECIDE TO WAGER MONEY BASED ON ANYTHING IN THIS ARTICLE, YOU DO SO SOLEY AT YOUR OWN RISK. The author of this post is not responsible for any potential incurred losses.

Last week, I went 2-2 in my college picks. Not bad, but also not what I expected. I want to make up for that this week and then some. So without further ado, here are my best bets for week 6’s slate of games.

West Virginia vs. Texas (-10.5)

For those thinking that this might be a close game, I’ve got news for you: This isn’t the same West Virginia team you’ve grown accustomed to over the past decade or so. They currently have the worst offense in the Big 12 (even worse than Kansas and Iowa State) and they haven't been able to establish a running game. Sam Ehlinger & co. should be able to carve their defense up and the Mountaineer offense won't have enough firepower to keep pace.

Auburn (-3) @ Florida

Auburn is averaging 251 rushing yards per game, led by RB JaTarvious Whitlow who is averaging more than 5 yards per carry. True freshman QB Bo Nix has had some growing pains as the starter but has been gradually improving every week so far. With that being said, Nix he has yet to face a defense as talented as Florida . This is also Nix’s first true road game in a SEC environment so that may play a factor into his performance. Auburn’s defense has also been playing lights out. Their defensive line has been as good as advertised, allowing less than 3 yards per carry. Florida’s defense is the real deal as well, but two of their best players (DE Jabari Zuniga and corner CJ Henderson) are easing their way back into the lineup after injuries. This will also be Florida backup QB Kyle Trask’s first true test against an elite defense. I don't expect him to pass it.

UCONN vs. South Florida (-10.5)

I know last week I said that Charlie Strong wasn’t a good coach and that South Florida wasn’t really a good team, and I still believe that. But this week, they play one of the worst teams in all of college football. South Florida QB Blake Barnett hasn’t played great but lining up against the Huskies’ defense should be a stat padding game to build his confidence. The Bulls should be able to do whatever they want at will against a UCONN defense that struggles to stop anybody, giving up 36 points per game. For at least one week, South Florida will look the part of one the Group of 5’s best teams.

Oklahoma State (-9.5) vs. Texas Tech

Oklahoma State brings it's offense on the road to face Texas Tech in Lubbock. As quiet as it's kept, the Cowboys have one of the best RBs in the country that no one knows about in Chuba Hubbard. He’s averaging 187 yards per game on the ground and is going up against a defense that has allowed over 500 yards of rushing in the past 2 weeks alone. That is NOT good for the Red Raiders. Barring some type of injury, I don't see Tech being able to stop OK State in any facet.

Maryland (-13) @ Rutgers

The Terps got off to a really fast start this season before getting slowed down the past 2 weeks. I look for their offense to com out and ’go for the gusto’ early against a Rutgers team that just gave up 59 points last week and then fired their head coach. The Scarlet Knights also have one of the worst defenses in the B10 (Big Ten Conference). This should be an easy cover for Maryland.