The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Straight Fire - Aaron Rodgers Takes a Pay Cut + Professional Sports Bettor Preston Johnson

Episode Date: July 27, 2023

Jason kick things off with a few quick thoughts on Aaron Rodgers taking a $35 million pay cut with the New York Jets. Later, professional sports bettor Preston Johnson swings by to discuss his time on the professional poker circuit, the trials and tribulations of owning a professional soccer team, the Saudis influence on the professional sports landscape, his early lean on futures bets for the upcoming NBA and NFL seasons and much more! Follow Jason on Twitter and Instagram. Click here to subscribe, rate and review all of the latest Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre podcasts! #Volume #herdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games.

This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes.

Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of Tontons and Wampas on the ice planet, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The volume is Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre. What is up, Straight Fire, fam? It's me, Jason McIntyre. Straight Fire for Thursday, July 27th.

Got a massive. I'm talking a huge interview today. with the great Preston Johnson. We cover everything what it's like being a soccer owner. He's entered some big high-stakes poker tournaments. We'll do NFL, a lot of NBA. He gives some NFL liens. No actionable college football stuff.

He just hasn't done the homework yet. And listen, it's late July. Who has? But before we get to Preston, I'm loath to bring this up because I talk a lot about the New York Jets and Aaron Rogers. And I openly was not keen on Rogers going to New York. for a litany of reasons we don't need to rehash.

And I stood by all of it. And Rogers gets on board and I'm like, okay, hey, I'm going to support him. He's a Jets quarterback. I root for the Jets. And Aaron Rogers has been a totally different dude since joining the Jets. That's undeniable. Look at the interviews, the way he talks to the media, the way he's hanging with his teammates,

the way he's embraced New York. This is a brand new person. And then something happens Wednesday that just takes it to the next level that you didn't even think was possible. Aaron Rogers took a $35 million pay cut, essentially, to sign a new two-year deal with the Jets. When he arrived from Green Bay, he had 110 left, $110 million left on his old contract.

He has a new two-year $75 million deal, and his salary cap hit in 2024 is only $9 million, giving the Jets a lot of flexibility next year, which leads to, holy cow, they're going to try to make this work next year or this year obviously and then next year with a smaller cap hit Rogers is like yo if we see something we need to go out and get let's go get it and win a Super Bowl folks any way you slice it this is absolutely stunning I don't know what's got into Rogers maybe it's the ayahuasca maybe it was the uh the darkness retreat maybe I need to go on a darkness

retreat before the football season just hang out in the cave have a come to Jesus moment and I'll come out of it person, podcaster, husband, father. Maybe I need something like that. You know? If it can work for Aaron Rogers, who was ornery in Green Bay, not happy at all, maybe it can work for me.

Maybe we all need a darkness retreat. I have heard one of my buddies, who's a regular listener, has talked about he knows guys who did ayahuasca, and they said it was literally transformative, like significantly in a good way. I am a little reluctant to dabble in some of that stuff

given, well, we're not going to get into my history, although I have talked about that stuff on the Saturday radio show. No, I'm not asking. Don't DM me asking. At any rate, without further ado, let's get to today's great guest, Preston Johnson. Jason likes to think he knows everything when it comes to sports. I know what sports fans want.

But for everything he doesn't, he knows a guy who does. Let's just say, I know a guy, who knows a guy, who knows another guy. All right, let's welcome in to Straightfire, a one of the favorite guests that we've had on the pod over the last few years. And now, thanks to the advent of video on the podcast, you can see Skinny Preston Johnson. He looks like he's down at least 30 pounds. Preston. How are you, man? I am doing well, man. Thanks for having me back on. As usual. I love it. Yeah, I think the last time we talked to you, two times ago, there was that great book review that you gave. I instantly read the book or listened to it on

Audible. It was amazing. And I got so many people. Actually, several women, like female friends or friends of the family who were like, that book was so good. I already forgot the name of it. The midnight library. Midlight Library. Yes, so good. Great summary. And then you talked about betting on losing weight, right?

With Jeff Ma. Yeah, I mean, I'm always doing like prop bets and stuff. Like, I eat vegan for a while as a prop bet. Like, I'll do anything just to have some action and some thrill in my life, you know? But it's part of, it's like when you grew up being a poker player, like that was like where my OG gambling days was poker before sports. Like, you bet on anything. just why not? I don't know.

So that's just part of like the routine. It's funny that you bring up poker because I had texted Preston a couple weeks ago when I saw he crushed a poker tournament. And then I saw the World Series of poker stuff that was going on. And I'm like, wait a minute, hold on, hold on. These guys are playing no limit for like 12, 14 hours a day. Like Preston, tell me about your recent tournament where you made some money, some good money. And then, you know, your thoughts on the World Series of Poker, which I didn't realize.

It's like basically the tour to France when he's talking about fatigue and stuff. It's intense, man. I used to play more back in the day. And a lot of these guys that are pro grinders all the time, they dedicate just about every day for a summer to the World Series. So they go out to Vegas. You have people from all over the world traveling in. But there's two main tournaments, like the main event itself. It's a 10K buy-in. And then there's the millionaire maker, which is only 1,500 to enter. I had a family reunion thing. I couldn't actually play the main event. I played the millionaire maker. That's the one you were referencing a few weeks ago. And it was a record for the amount of entrance in a poker tournament. It was over 10,400. And so when you're playing, there's like people that are somewhat familiar with poker. You have like, you know, you're small blind, your big blind. They increase with time every hour, every level. And you play like all day. There's breaks.

Occasionally you get one dinner break. But we have like 14 hour days. And they're like five to 10 day tournaments, depending on how long it lasts and, you know, how everything goes. And so I made it to day four. And one of the, I ended up getting 95th. And, you know, it gave you a shot. Like if you're there on day four and it's a five day.

tournament, you know, first place for a $1,500 buy-in. Top two spots paid over a million dollars. So, you know, I was right there. Had a chance. Didn't work out in the end. But I got it in good, you know, three-way all in that I hold like 76% of the time. And that's the best you can ask for at the end of the day. It's such a random game.

So just talk me through these 14-hour days. So essentially you're playing and then are you able to take like a timeout? There's no time-outs, right? Can you just walk away from the table and take a break? Or? In theory, you could, but you're going to miss hands. So it's like you're kind of quantifying your, you're, you're, is my break worth more than maybe missing a hand for five to ten minutes or a couple of hands?

But there are people that are locked and take a break for sure. They also give you every couple hours like a 20 minute break to use the bathroom and that type of thing. And you've got to be standing up and stretching, right? You can't just literally sit in a chair for the whole time. Yeah, yeah, especially the back half of the days, man, the nights are really rough. And then by the time you get home to get out of the casino where there's thousands of people, you're taking an Uber back to your hotel. And I was staying in Summerland, which is west of the street.

A little more family-friendly area where I used to live when I lived in Vegas. And I would get home at like 1 a.m. and like, well, I got to go do that again tomorrow morning. And so it's a real mental battle for the guys that are doing that every day playing for high stakes. It's part of it's fun because you're just problem-solving and going through probabilities in your head over and over and over. But it's super draining when you're doing it every day. It's funny you say that. So people probably don't think of it as that draining, but my son entered a chess tournament over the weekend. Yeah.

And my wife and I kind of divide it up and conquer. And it's like, you know, first matches at 10 a.m. And his last match was at 5. And we went out to lunch, middle of the day. And on the way back, like 20-minute drive, he falls asleep. I mean, he was just fatigued, like three chess matches. And listen, I know it's chess and you're like, oh, that's not that hard. The mental drain on playing chess and going through all the moves, do you play it all by any chance?

I know how to play. I'm not that good. Like, I'm probably better than the average player. But, like, your kid's probably better than me. I've seen you talk about how he beats you now pretty much. match like with a year of point like yeah yeah he at the point where i'm at the point where i'm like oh let's play he's like only for money and i'm like come on smart smart fight find one dollar you know and and sometimes i got to play he's got to play without a rook or something but he's gotten good and he had this

marathon match that was two hours uh with this like 60 year old guy and Preston you know the 60 year old guy's like sitting there looking over the moves and my son's like okay i know what i'm doing and go and your turn again and so he ends up getting up and walking around the room and looking at other matches because he can't just sit there for 20 minutes waiting for a guy to make a move. I imagine poker is similar, except the hands go fast. It is so many hands. It is somewhat. So there's something that more has been implemented more often in the last few years.

It's called clock. Like you can call clock on someone if they're ticking too long to make a decision. It's kind of an ethical debate. Like, it's three to five to ten minutes, depending on how big the spot or hand is or how much money is at play. Like, do you call clock or not? But once you call clock, they have a four person come over. matter what if someone calls it and you have 30 to 60 seconds to make a decision. How many times can you call clock?

As many as you want. It's kind of, it's a judgment call ultimately. And you want to be nice about it. You don't want to be calling clock all the time. But like there are some people that instead I'll go take a walk just to try to kill a few minutes. Yeah. It's interesting. Poker's like as a game, it's perfect because of like the mental, the probabilities, the odds, the problem solving the game theory, the psychology. And then you're doing it for money to win money. Like it's a beautiful game, but there are still are some, like, judgment calls and debates that, like, don't make it a perfect, perfect game. We'll get to football. I know people are thrilled.

You've been in high demand for your college football picks. I don't even know if you've done the research yet. But I wanted to talk soccer first. I'm a big soccer guy. I do want to ask you, own a soccer team. How was the offseason gone? And then we'll get into the macro issues of the Saudis and money and Ronaldo and all those guys. Real quick, do you think there are issues?

You use the word issues. So I'm intrigued to see if it's... I do. If you think they're negatives. Yeah. We'll get to them in a second. I'm just curious more how your team's doing. We, uh, I mean, we've been trying all summer to improve the team.

At the end of the day, you got to win more games than we did last year. And so we've been trying to get better, younger, faster, working with Scott Lindsay, the head coach or the manager. They call them over there, uh, to put together a squad or a roster that is going to compete at a at a higher level. And so, you know, we like where we're at. And when there's still some moves, we're trying to finish, you know, the transfer window goes through about another month or so.

So you still have some time, but our first games in about a week and a half. So we're getting close to the regular season. Have you had any decisions about selling players? We had one at Naccaza with our goalie, who we loved, a great player. But ultimately, the offer was just too big to turn down. And sometimes, you know, like,

I don't know if that's been an issue for you guys, but that's like a decision you got to make. Like, geez, I mean, we had one of our defenders. I'm not going to say his name, but multiple teams were interested in. We're like, we can't give this guy up. He's too valuable. but the goalie the offer was just simply too good.

How have you guys handled that? Definitely. I mean, the hardest part about handling it is the fan side because the fans become connected with some of these players that have been there for a few years and they believe in. And so when they're going somewhere else, they feel like something's been ripped from their soul or something. Like we ended up selling someone in that similar sentiment middle of the season last year to another club in our league.

But it was one of those where like we thought we could improve what our squad needed as a whole around different areas. different positions on the pitch with the money that we were offered. And then this summer we moved someone else on that wasn't necessarily a fan favorite decision. But we think we replaced that position in a really good spot with another player that came in. And so it's one of those things where it's a juggling act. And you're trying to make the best business and football decisions at the end of the day while hoping the fans can see the realistic upside. But most of the time they don't. So it's just part of the process, I guess. Would you consider yourself more of a hand?

off owner or more a minor meddling like a Mark Cuban, Michael Jordan before he sold the Hornets. You know, which style did you prefer? I mean, it's early in your career, obviously. We're more hands on in general, or we at least were earlier on. In this process, it's only been one season anyways. We're going into our second season. Relative to most owners, I think, who have a lot of their people in place that are helping make decisions. Because part of our strategy was from a, you know, build, like, we brought in, like, a crypto and NFT audience to, like, what we were doing and trying to bring international eyes to a club that's near London to try to, like, have a team to root for it, to build up the ranks there in the EFL up to maybe

at the Premier League or Championship League one day. So that's, that's, like, part of our strategy where we were more hands on there, whereas, you know, Scott Lindsay, the manager has a lot to say about, you know, the players coming in and going out and what he thinks gives him the best chance to score goals and win games. And that's ultimately, like, from a football perspective or soccer perspective. We have other people that are calling the final shots on that. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away,

such as the biology of ton-tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to bowl your mind on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim?

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack.

I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for. sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, let's go to the big picture in Europe. I said issues with Saudi Arabia.

So they go and get Cristiano Ronaldo. They pay him a ton of money. They go get Benzima. They go make a massive offer for Messi. He turns it down for MLS and we can't just say MLS. It's like Apple and ownership of a team and all that. And now the latest this week is

they're throwing 750 mil at Mbapé who you know it looks like he's going to play in at least two more World Cups, possibly three. We're talking about a guy who is probably going to

maybe pass Messi is the greatest of all time down the road. But he's only 24. So Preston if this offer is to the 24-year-old Mbabe, who I think made 36-mill last year just in soccer. Hey, man, do you want to go from 36-mill to 750 mil for one season? Like, how do you say no to that? It's similar with the live golf stuff, when everyone was flabbergasted, why these guys were

going over there. They were just getting overpaid by such a number. And within a year, right, I haven't followed golf entirely, but they're like partners now with the PGA. Like, they did it right. Like, so I guess, I mean, when you say issues, there's worry that they're like taking over the world of sports or. potentially to some extent or having more of a say. This could be that. I mean, you saw LeBron

tweeting after the news came out. They offer me a one-year deal. He Forrest Gump mimed his way on a tweet to like, it's going to happen. Like it's a, yeah, it's probably just a matter of time. At the end of the day, you hope that they can find ways to work with what we're already doing to improve the product in the game and, you know, so that everyone's making more money at the end of the day. That's their goal. So similar to what the PGA had to do, I think that could be in store for for more support. I don't know. I saw a 60 minutes piece about how they're calling it sport washing to kind of clean up the image.

But at the same time, they've got to diversify off oil, which America is basically saying, you know, we're going away from that stuff. And they're trying to diversify their portfolio. So they take over golf. It sounds like they are like one of the top sponsors for F1. They start to do some host some boxing and some MMA. And now they're doing soccer. I mean, Preston, are we getting close to the stage where they're like, hey, we're not going to we can't start a football league but why don't we just go buy an NFL team or we can't

I mean we have a fledgling basketball league we can either pay Janus 500 million dollars to come over or we just go buy an NBA team and say to hell with the salary cap in the second apron we're just going to spend spend spend like where do you think this goes I'm pretty confident without saying much more that there are definitely people in groups from over there looking to buy NBA teams right now the question is are there NBA teams that are really for sale. I mean, obviously, if the price is right. But like, right now all you have are these franchise assets, especially in a league like the NBA where the values of them just keep going up and up and up, you have maybe some people willing to share part stake. But then, like, the money over there is so massive. They don't want a part,

they don't want 10% of an NBA team. They want majority control and share. And you don't really have anyone in the NBA. Again, this is people I just talked to her here about here and there. I'm not like a spokesperson for anybody at all. But they don't want to sell majority share in this franchise in the NBA that like with the NBA league of the new media deal coming and all this money coming to the like so it's really hard for them to get in unless they really overpay like so much that like no one can say no to it and we might see that eventually but you're talking like four or five billion for teams that you don't even think are worth that apparently um isn't getting deals done or even discussions going which is kind of crazy so what if they what if they came to

the indiana Pacers uh some hometown i mean heartland Midwest stuff and they said hey pacer's whoever the owner is uh 10 bill We'll take it. So that's where I think that's the number where it's like, okay, you have to pretty much say yes to that, right? Yeah. How do you turn down?

Yeah. I'm with you. I'm with you. But does Adam Silver let that happen? Or does he say, whoa, we're getting into some uncharted territory. Like, Balmer has the most, I think he's the richest owner in the NBA, his Microsoft dividends every year and insane. You might know more about that than me.

Can Silver actually step in and say no to an acquisition of an asset? That's a great question. I'm not 100 to sure. NBA might be tougher, but remember, apparently they're starting two new franchises, one in Vegas, allegedly, and then one back in Seattle. I think the NFL would probably be more strict, a little more old school. My guess is the NFL would say thank you, but no, thank you. That would just be my guess.

Honestly, the Saudis should just get in on the Vegas move. Like whatever, LeBron plus Fenway, I think,'s in like the rumors, and they should just be a part of that. And Vegas is going to be like one of the biggest NBA teams in NBA cities in the world. I think that's probably their play. How soon do you think that could happen? I'm not sure the timetable on the league actually allowing for the expansion itself. It's probably still two or three years away. But the longer they wait, the less money they bring in.

Does that make sense? So like the incentive is to go quickly. They'd be buying at the top probably. I mean, I can't imagine valuations are going to keep going up. But then again, Preston, we just saw Jalen Brown. Jalen Brown signed the highest contract in NBA history. He's going to be making 69. million dollars in the final year's deal. Dude couldn't dribble in isolation in the playoffs of the

Eastern Conference finals. And he just got the biggest contract in history. It's wild. So I'm telling you, prices, inflation, whatever macro economy, it's the assets of owning a team or owning real estate over any sort of extended period of time, they just go up in value. Yeah, but there's got to be a ceiling for the NBA, right? This cannot keep going up in perpetuity. We're not going to see Wembenyama sign a, get a $100 million a year deal in like 10 years. are we? Why not? I mean, that's why I referenced the media deal, but like, he's probably worth a billion now. The Spurs just, their value, their value just went up like a billion alone. Yeah, winning the ping pong lottery. Yeah, right. Yeah, that was insane. But like, that's why

I referenced the media deal and how much money, like the salary cap. But you have guys like Dame already set to make nearly 70 million in their final years. Jalen Brown's probably near his final year. Like that 70 number. It's just a matter of time before. This is the crazy one. When it gets, I think there'll be, everyone's going to let it ride. You have all this media money coming in. wrap with this. When that number gets to so-and-so is making $82 million a year and people, where do they reference $82 if it's how many you play? If in that day, they don't play that many anymore. If you're making over a million a game, that might cause some like hold up like, this is too much money. But until then, I think it's just going to keep going with where all the

markets are headed or at least the media deal. Did you see the Austin Rivers comments? I think it was on the ringer. The ringer. But he essentially was saying that the new CBA is so messed up that you've got like the Phoenix Sun's paying four guys $31 million or more a year, Aiton, Beale, Booker, and Durant. And then they have no middle class on their team, and it's all minimum salary guys. And then you're starting to see Boston now has three guys over 30 mil with Porzingis. And now they do have some middle class guys. But Austin Rivers made it sound like they're weeding out the middle class.

I guess the mid-level exception is usually a big deal in the summer, and only one team has used theirs this year. And it's getting to a weird moment. I don't know, is the top end too high? And like, you know, there's really no middle ground in the NBA. It's either you're a have or a have not. And I did hear one of these philosophers say that's where we're headed in like media and companies. As it all thins out, there's going to be a couple big ones at the top and then just a like a long trail of small ones and there's really not going to be like a middle ground.

It's basically you have your couple front facing whatever massive names and then from there. you just get people that can do the rest of the jobs for the cheapest amount possible. I mean, it's possible. And this new CBA agreement, which has been bargaining agreement with the players in the league and the NBA, there are so many details that still aren't even public. I haven't read through it myself, to be honest. So I can't speak for it exactly. But that's the reason for some of these deals that it's why Austin Rivers was referencing

it is teams are setting up to where they need to, in order to compete to win a championship, at least two, if not three of those max-level guys. But then if you're going to be over or under that second April, and how much you're paying in luxury tax. Like you're either filling it with a bunch of vet mins or if you do have one other guy that's mid-tier, like you're just paying so much like 200 million. You referenced Balmer and the Clippers like just in luxury tax, which then is it worth it to have a guy at like trying to think like how much does Robert Covington or Marcus Morris

make for the Clippers right now or Norman Powell? Norman Powell. Is he really worth going that like a 60 million in the luxury tax for one year of Norman Powell? Like he's probably worth like 15 to 20 a year or something. but like when your actual dollar value as an owner is, that's what's going to create this gap is just the way it's kind of set up and dictated.

Which isn't fair to guys. You're right. Austin River's unemployed at 30. He doesn't even have a team. I know he did punch out Mo Bamba or whatever last year. But the other thing with the NBA that's weird, like this Damien Lillard saga, he's trying to make everybody happy, Preston.

And when you do that, you make nobody happy. And like, he doesn't want to be the bad guy, but then his agent says, I only want to go to Miami. and it's like, well, are you going to report if you go to Philly? Are you just not going to show up? Like, should these guys be able to do that? Because we know how Jalen Brown's contract work, right?

He gets as much money as he can now. And then we'll see how it goes after a year or two. And then if it's not going your way, guys, I need a trade. I need out of here. You know? Yeah, man. I'm all for player empowerment, but like, there's a detriment to it as well.

So I totally hear you on the other side. It's interesting. I can totally relate to trying to make everyone happy actually a lead still, almost making nobody happy. Like, I feel like I've handled certain things that way myself in my life. And you have to kind of put your foot down sometimes. So for Dame, I respect that he tried to stay in Portland and give it a shot. They weren't good enough.

And he only has X amount of years left where he can be a contributing impactful, significant player for a championship team. And so it's kind of as now or never for him, I think. So I think it's fine. I think the hard part is when you come out and say you're only going to go to the Miami Heat, really. At the end of the day, it's really not giving your franchise any leeway or, you know, advantage or traction.

And now Miami can just hold out and get like basically the cheapest deal possible for Damian Lillard, who had like his best efficiency season ever last year. And seemingly is just as good of an offensive player. It's just about anybody else in the league, you know. Any early thoughts on the NBA next season? I'm sure the sons, obviously, are up there with Beale, the Beal edition. Lakers, kind of up there. I don't know about that.

I'm curious your thoughts on the Warriors adding Chris Paul and dumping Jordan Poole. I don't understand the people that don't like it. I'm not sure where you were on that table. I'm trying to remember. You know I listen to your show,

but like Chris Paul is such a good basketball player still to all you might get hurt in the playoffs. Like, okay, but Jordan Poole is unplayable anyways. Like there was, and it was like ruining the relationship anyways with, you know, Dremont and other things. Like, so to get Jordan Poole out off of a contract that honestly was probably bad. I don't think he's as good as that contract is worth.

Anyway, you get the, like, toxicity out of there. And you bring in a vet and a player that if he's healthy, like Chris Paul is going to add, especially, you know, for a bench unit that can play differently, whether he works well with Stefan Clay and Draymond or not at them, they'll probably solve it. You know, it's easy for Chris Paul to say, but I've heard him in a few interviews, but look, people, I've run basketball offenses one way my whole life because that's what I was asked to do, but I'm adaptable. Like, I can play a different way, too, and you guys will see that.

And I don't have any reason not to believe him, and he's still a player that makes his teammates better. He feels like that guy who he's your favorite basketball players, favorite basketball players, Chris Paul. Everybody loves him and the analytics love him. I don't know, man, like gets in fights with people on his team, gets in arguments all the time, tough to deal with. What's he been on, like four teams in five years? Let me ask you this.

Do you think their chances went up to win a championship or down, swapping Jordan Poole for Chris Paul? I think down for sure. You think they have less of a chance. I think Jordan Poole will contribute. He literally, they couldn't play him when they wanted against the Celtics. In Jordan Pool's good season, he couldn't even stay on the court when they won. Right.

Two years ago, he was good. He struggled against the Celtics, but he was good otherwise. And the key for me is, Stefan Clay are like, what, 34, 35, something like that. And I think they had to miss a ton of games the last two years. You could plug in Jordan Pool and he could give you 20 and you might win, you might lose, whatever. You can't expect Chris Paul, I don't think, to start 20 or 30 games and then be healthy for the playoff run. Can you? Like, is that something you could, you think you could reliably lean on a 38-year-old?

20 or 30 games, yes. Chris, well, go back and look, he's not like he's only playing 15 games a year. He can play 40. But that's the problem. And every postseason, he breaks down. It was a hamstring. And then if, I know you like the nuggets a lot. I got to give you credit.

You were early on Luca. You were early on the nuggets. But in that Nugget series, they were down 1-0, and then Paul gets hurt in the third quarter, they get run off the floor. But in games three and four, they were a different team playing with pace as opposed to the slow-down methodical stuff, and they won two games. Dude, dude, don't look too far into that. Booker and KD dropped like 80 plus in each of those games

and just didn't miss a shot. And both games still went down to the final like three minutes. Like the Nuggets almost won both anyway. I wouldn't be anti-Christ Paul because of those two games. But there's something to be said where maybe that's why Chris Paul doesn't work with Steph and Clay. Like we'll see. But I think it's worth the shot if I'm going to state.

End of the, so you think it's a big win for them. So where do you have them currently in the West? Dame obviously pending and Harden Pending. You think they're top four? Overall, the suns and the nuggets obviously are ahead of the pack. And the nuggets are probably still a tear ahead of the sun slightly, just because no one can stop Yokic at the end of the day. But yeah, yeah, Warriors will be top four.

I'm not necessarily thrilled with where the Lakers are at. I think they probably are similarly good to where they were last year. They're not going to make a move mid-season to put up. So they were struggling last year, and at the break they dumped Westbrook, and then all of a sudden they get incredible. I think they were the number one defense after the trade deadline or the all-star break, something like that.

And they go to the conference finals and they smoke the Warriors. How were they not better? And by the way, I don't mind the Gabe Vincent add. Who else did they add? Jackson Hayes is okay. And then there was the third guy. Oh, Cam Reddish is a good by-low,

like talents there, but he's a bit scatterbrained. I don't know. Do you really think the Warriors got better? Dude, I think Chris Paul can be an addition to a team that gives them a shot. And I think you're going to need jumps from. too. Yeah, that's fair.

They can try to replace him with some mid-level guy or an acquisition or something mid-season, but, you know, Kaminga and Moody maybe take leaps finally. Who knows? But I'm not going to bank on that. But as far as the Lakers go, and I'm a Lakers fan, as people probably know or can see, like, maybe I'm being a little bit like careful and on purpose or cautious. But I'll say this, they got swept by the nuggets, but it was by a total of like 20 points or 22 points.

It's like five points a game and any of them could have really gone either direction. So there's that. I think Austin Reeves played a. where he probably is in a vacuum. And by that, I mean, like, on average, long term. I think he had a better postseason than he will probably have on average the next couple of seasons. That's my guess.

I think Rui Hachamura also played a punch a little above his weight. And then there's just a concern with LeBron, obviously, in health and ADD in health. Like, I just don't think you can bank on the Lakers? But, like, can they be in the mix again with a similar run in a West that's still, like, it's deep, but, like, there's no real standout other than the Nuggets. It's possible, for sure. I think I saw a staff. or heard it, maybe it was Zach Lowe,

that said the Lakers played more Austin, A.D., and LeBron in the playoffs than they did in the regular season. That was the injuries. Westbrook, really is the subtraction of Westbrook. And Westbrook, yeah. And so why can't they do better next year? Now, again, LeBron's not going to play 82, and AD's not going to sniff 82.

But my issue, like the Warriors could not handle Anthony Davis at all in the playoffs. AD had a great series. And it's like, well, what are they going to do against Yokic? They don't have anyone on the roster taller than Kevin Loonie. You know, they barely get by the Kings in game seven. Curry has like a 50 burger. I don't know. And Curry's my guy.

It's been my favorite player probably in all the sports history since I've been around. Like, I love the guy. And I just, I don't know, man. I think we just talked ourselves into, like, the nuggets are probably just going to win the West again. It's like, the sons didn't have anyone that could stop him either. Aiton got played out of that series. And I know Aiton and the coach for whatever. But, like, I don't know.

Frank Vogel maybe changes their defensive identity. some, but you can't play Duran at the five and stop Nicolioch at the end of the day. Like that series against the heat, the Nuggets didn't even shoot well from three, Porter didn't hit a single shot the whole series. Like there's room for the Nuggets to actually perform better. Granted, it was just the heat.

The heat really weren't the best team in the East. The Bruce Brown loss is kind of big, but you know Peyton Watson from UCLA. Apparently he's been dominant in practice. Let me try to tell you on two teams real quick. Atlanta Hawks to make a massive leap into the top four, full year with Quinn Snyder. Great, great coach.

And honestly, if you look at their top nine players, I love their roster. I think they're super tough, and I think they'll sneak into the top four in the east. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions,

my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand-new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be.

Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes.

Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of ton-tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people.

I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett and I'm Alex English Each episode we pick it here unpack what went down and try to make sense of how we survived it Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill

Waxing all about crack in the 80s To be clear, 84 is big to me Not just because of crack I'm down to talk about crack on day But yeah yeah literally But just so y'all know I mean at this point Mark this is the second episode where we've discussed crack

So I'm starting to see that there's a through line We also have AIDS on the table right now So Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. In the West, this is a long shot. I haven't bet it yet. I haven't been to Vegas. But Houston Rock gets over, and it's solely because of Udocha being an awesome coach and on like a redemption tour from getting fired in Boston. And also, that's another roster, man. You look at them like one through eight.

And I know there's some like, Jason, you're getting excited about like 23-year-old guys. Dude, there's some guys on that team, man. I think they're a definite over. I think they're like a 35-win team. Shane Goon season for Jason McIntyre. Look, they're fun. What's it, Jabari Smith? Is that his name?

He dropped like 30 plus games in Summer League. Yeah, yeah. They're not going to win 35 games, though, in that Western Conference. But they're over-underers not where close to that, right? right? What is it? 20? 28, is it? Really? That's higher than I would have it. Maybe that's lower than that.

I haven't even looked to be fair. But they're not going to win 35 just because they're to the spurs. Everyone else is actually trying. Sacramento Kings went up 18 games. You called that one too, I believe, right? I did, but I think other people had that. But like, they went up 18 games with like Sabonis and Fox making leaps. Like, I don't see why Fred Van Vleet's a huge upgrade.

Dylan Brooks is hopefully clean up his act. And the Udoca factor. I don't know. I'm big on coaches, man. And Hawks, anything or no? Top four in the east, like it's possible, but they're not a championship contender in my eyes with Trey Young as a starting point guard.

The only interesting thing I heard, and I'll bounce it off you, were buried it deep in the podcast for people who check out. Mowgli and the Cavs, keep an eye on Mowgli if the calves don't sign his brother. I think his brother was on a two-way last year. and wait,

he's really pissed about it? Well, we'll see if he gets, we'll see if his brother gets a contract. I think he, hold on a second. Because Evan Mobley has like real,

real like superstar potential upside. You're saying that he would like potentially ask out of Cleveland or demand a trade or something if they don't sign his brother. I don't know that I'm ready to go there. But we see him signing his extension in Cleveland.

And I know very few don't sign the rookie extension if Cleveland doesn't commit to his brother. We'll see. I don't know. That's crazy. There's a reason, though, that everyone was signing Janice's brothers over and over, and they were obviously not in the level of guys. You know, Mowgli is from L.A., as you know,

and by that time, I think Anthony Davis will be long gone. Lakers are definitely. This is a Lakers play. I like it. You're already on board. You don't have to say anything else. Just file it away. Okay, quickly to the NFL, Preston.

I don't know. We're training camps open. Any teams or players or coaches or any bets or anything that you're looking at that jump out at you? I will tell you, as someone that obviously hasn't been betting on sports and paying as much attention in the last two years, and especially this season. I'm not going to give you anything directly to bet or look at, but I will say this general philosophically, like things that probably work a little bit better than half the time and then do some more research and make you decide. There's two. One, there's obviously all of the Aaron Rogers hype.

Everyone's high on the Jets. I think technically you're a Jets fan, if I recall correctly. I'm not sure if you've gone out and said your piece yet on everything. I'm not sure it's necessarily fade the Jets, but it might be buying on the Packers who have a pretty good roster from what I understand. Really? And Jordan loves pretty high variants.

We don't have a lot of information on them, but who in that division really? The Bears, the Vikings who won way too many games last year. Everyone knows that story. It's like the Lions are supposed to be better. The Packers could absolutely be a real team. So maybe there's something there with the Aaron Rogers noise. And I wouldn't necessarily fade the jets,

but maybe it's like buying on the dolphins, another high variance bet. It wasn't Tua like last year before he got injured, the best EPA at quarterback in the whole league, or it was at least top five. And then they're pretty stacked elsewhere. So maybe it's betting on the dolphins and, you know, fading the bills, fading the jets that way. And I'll say this, the last thing, my favorite bets I've made in my life are the ones the year after a team, or maybe for a few years, a team got or a player got super hyped. And then they failed to meet expectations.

Sometimes it's really hard for a player that gets hyped to win the Heisman trophy or to win a Super Bowl or whatever it may be. Like, it's actually really unlikely to do that. So when they don't, and then everyone forgets about them, it doesn't mean it was untrue the prior seasons, right? So what I'm getting at is the Cleveland Browns, everyone talked about the last few years, as being stacked. They've been stacking in the draft. They're super deep.

And now they have, like, maybe a stable year of Deshaun. Why are the Cleveland Browns? I looked at the futures odds this morning before we went on this thing. They're the bottom half of the league in chance to win the Super Bowl. Everyone was just talking about them being like this sexy team that could win the Super Bowl. Now nobody's talking about them. So if there's value, like, in those types of instances, it's generally like, it's like buying low, selling high, that type of philosophy.

I saw their win total was nine and a half. I'm like, wow, that is wildly different that I would expect, because that division's brutal. Ravens and Lamar are going to be good. Bengals, I think, are Super Bowl worthy again. And I kind of like Pittsburgh, you know, T.J. Watt, healthy, picket, good skill position players, offensive line improved. They got the big kid from Georgia.

We know Georgia offensive linemen have crushed the NFL. like as soon as they get in, I don't know. That's probably why the price is, that's probably why the price is what it is without me doing a bunch of like simulations or anything. But I'm just, the Browns, I don't think people were wrong for two or three years saying they stack talent.

Now the talent's a little bit older. And now you have like a real quarterback that doesn't, isn't dealing with the off the field stuff. Like if the Browns click this year and win 12 or 13 games and make a playoff run, it wouldn't surprise me. Wow.

Definitely out of the box ones. Love it. And then finally, I know you are a big college football guy. I haven't really dug into too much college football. I know it's a good year for quarterbacks, like very good year. But you were in Vegas recently for the poker. Did you lay any futures bets?

Zero. I've listened to more NFL stuff than college football. It's one of those things, to be honest. I'm just going to be straightforward. If I started listening to people talk about or reading college, it would probably hook me back in. And I just can't afford to put that time in. And so I haven't even attempted it.

I can listen to NBA and NFL stuff and it's like, whatever. It's for fun. The college football, I'm afraid I would end up like, staying up all night running stuff again and betting. It wouldn't be good. It's very granular, yeah. Because I remember, I think it was last year you came on and you were like Georgia Bulldogs.

And I was like, dude, they just won the title. Stetson Bennett. Come on, no shot. And a couple of listeners were like, dude, I took it as soon as he said Georgia. And it was awesome. I mean, I was like, this is what Preston does, man. He delivers winners. Anything else you want to get off your chest there, big guy?

You played any hoops? Dude, we got to play still. Let's get that off our chest. I got to drive up to L.A. area, and we got to play. I've, I'm, like, in shape, ready to go. Like, we should make it happen just because. Are you doing any cardio or what are you lifting? Dude, I, yeah, both.

I'm, like, running a mile and a half, two and a half miles a day, depending on if I cycle that day, too, and then I'm lifting every day. Yeah. You're cycling in this heat out here in the West Coast? Not outdoors, no, just at the gym. Oh, oh, oh, oh. I mean, it's not that hot here. It's like our hot days, it's like 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Yeah, you got to go back to posting your shooting videos in the gym.

I'm on a cold street, dude. Last summer, Preston, when I was trying to get you up here, I think was at the height of my adult basketball powers. I'll fix your shot. I'll fix your shot. I need a shot, Doc. Coach Preston, yeah, yeah. Because Preston, listen, it's tough, man.

You know, you got the kids and, like, we're doing multiple sports, and, you know, my kids now doing chess. It's like, when am I? I used to be playing two or three times a week. And so it comes to game time, I'm ready. And now it's like I'm playing once a week. And like that, you can't do that. Do we have two minutes?

I got to explain the cool. coolest shooting game I've learned in a long time. I was at the gym. It was just the one that's closest to my house here. It was a 24-hour fitness going to run to play pickup. And we're not quite at 10 guys. And there's this kid there, probably younger 20s, who's just taking threes over and over from like Steph Curry range

way beyond the three-point line. And he's making almost all of them. And I was like, who is this guy? He doesn't really look like he'd be a great player, but he's just hitting everything. And he shoots it almost like a jump shot, which is even harder to do. It's not like a set shot.

Anyway, I was watching him go, watching him go. watching him go. I finally, no game gets played because we didn't get to 10 guys. And I decided, before I leave, I'm going to start rebounding for him. Just because, like, just to show him I have interest. So I start rebounding for him for him for him for him for him for 10 to 15 minutes. He misses occasionally. And he's like, hey, you can shoot. I'm like, no, no, my ride's coming. I'm just rebounding for him because I was intrigued by how good this random person no one's ever seen is at shooting a basketball from 30 feet. Next week, I go by and I get back to the gym. And the same kid is there with two friends and they're all standing around the three point line and they're taking turns shooting

threes. And I was like, he's going to remember me because I'm like the fat bearded guy that was rebounding for him last week. I'm going to go talk to him. And I was like, what are you guys doing? And he's like, oh, it's a game I made up when I was in high school with my buddies. And it's a team game. We shoot threes from our spots and we see how many we can make in a row. And depending on how many players are playing, like there was three of them, you can afford to miss one. But if you miss a second one, you have to go back to zero. And you get like one chance per round. And then you can also do like an end one where if the ball rebounds back to you, you can take a second shot. So basically you have these guys and you're shooting threes over and over and over and you're trying to as a team

see how many you can make in a row. He's like the three of us, you know, the record's like 101 three-pointers or with two people. It's like, it's like in the 90s, I believe. Well, wait a second. Is the third guy rebounding or is everybody's shooting? You just rebound for for yourselves. And so he was standing where he always shoots. He's like 30 feet away. He's like, jump in. I know you can shoot jump in. And so I went in the corner and there were four of us. And when there's four, you can actually afford to miss two before you have to go back to zero. And we just would shoot and shoot. But like it's fun because it's totally degenerate because you're trying to get to a number.

And the record with 40, he said it's like 143s. And we got to 70 a couple times. Wow. But so you start shooting a dunch. Like all of a sudden I was like addicted to this game. And for a few weeks stretch, I shot the basketball more than I had in a long time. So B&U started playing it. That's why I was getting at.

We're going to get your shot back. It's just a matter of getting reps up and just making it happen. Wow. So you're getting up a lot of shots, huh? Well, listen, you're not like employed. I have to go to a studio every day and go on the sit on the, on the show for three hours. I don't got chess tournaments either.

So yeah, it makes a little bit easier. Yeah, but your kids are a little younger, right? Yeah, eight, six, and then one. Yeah, they're not doing sports. Well, I'm sure they are, but not like intense yet. It's coming. Don't worry. Anyways, Preston, great stuff as always, continued success with soccer,

poker, gambling, everything. And thanks for taking the time, buddy. Yeah, thanks, Jason. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, Not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform?

We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not. not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to and learn the hard.

way with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals

to the world that you not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan,

so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith Rule of Two. Listen to Stuff to Blow Your Mind on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

guests. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.