Lebron James has a new home with the 76ers

Summary

Payne & Pendergast (Audacy)
Episode: LeBron James Has a New Home with the 76ers
Date: July 27, 2026
Hosts: Seth Payne & Brandon Scott (in for Sean Pendergast)

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Overview

This episode dives deep into LeBron James’ seismic decision to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers — a move that has upended NBA free agency and set off ripples across the league, especially for Houston Rockets fans. Seth Payne and Brandon Scott break down the drama behind LeBron’s decision, the insider machinations, and the what-ifs for the Rockets. They also debate the larger NBA shifts, reflect on the implications for Houston, discuss sports media reactions, and veer into local sports culture with their trademark lively banter.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. LeBron James’ Free Agency Saga

• Constant Shifting Favorites: The Sixers were once the frontrunners but had dropped as low as third in the odds before swinging back into LeBron’s camp. Cleveland and Miami were also close contenders at different points.
• Extreme Secrecy:
  • "LeBron did a pretty good job of keeping this whole thing under wraps." (Seth, 03:25)
  • Even the most connected NBA insiders (Windhorst, Shams) were left flustered.
• Rich Paul’s Role:
  • Paul’s direct quote: "None of these people know anything. Nobody knows nothing ... He has a business choice to make... We're not going to sit here and decide or allow someone else to decide when he makes that decision." (Rich Paul via audio, 02:26)
  • Both hosts agree: No one outside LeBron’s inner circle had the real story.

2. The Rockets’ Missed Opportunities and Impact

• Playoff Impact: A key playoff series against the Rockets influenced LeBron to return for another run. Rich Paul reveals LeBron's performance against Houston's undermanned team ("no average starters") convinced him not to retire.
  • "That series, in my opinion, convinced him to keep playing." (Rich Paul, 04:21)
• Houston’s Young Core Under the Microscope
  • Despite being the favorite, the Rockets couldn’t outperform a makeshift Lakers team.
  • The inability to capitalize (especially after Kevin Durant’s injury) signals the Houston rebuild isn’t as far along as hoped.
  • "It turns out, and this was before we even got to this LeBron piece of the narrative... this young core... might not be quite as talented as you once thought..." (Brandon, 09:26)
• LeBron to Houston?
  • Had the Rockets "molly-whopped" LeBron in the playoffs, he may not have returned or chosen Philly.
  • The franchise’s instability made Houston a non-factor in LeBron’s actual decision.

3. Chain Reactions and NBA Offseason Chess

• The Garland-Harden Trade:
  • If Cleveland had kept Darius Garland (a Rich Paul client), LeBron might have returned there. The trade for Harden, while successful in its limited aims, removed a clutch connection, likely deterring LeBron’s interest.
  • "If the Cavs just didn't make the Garland for Harden trade, there's a decent chance he might have gone to Cleveland." (Seth, 07:12)
• Jaylen Brown Domino:
  • The Sixers trading for Jaylen Brown was a “tipping point” (per Windhorst).
  • "No, Jaylen Brown going there, according to Windhorst, was a definite tipping point." (Seth, 12:48)
• Salary Cap Realities:
  • Free agency is now rare — teams are deep into the cap, radical signings are nearly impossible.
  • "Free agency almost doesn't exist in the NBA anymore..." (Seth, 08:00)
  • LeBron’s deal is two years, $8 million — stunningly low by superstar standards.

4. LeBron and Jaylen Brown: Past Friction, Now Teammates

• Summer League Incident:
  • Jaylen Brown was caught on camera purportedly disrespecting Bronny James during summer league. LeBron appeared unfazed, and both have since moved on.
  • "You know, we've been all right... Besides, he said about Bronny at summer league." (LeBron, 16:07)
• On-Court Synergy:
  • Both hosts expect any residue is squashed in favor of title ambitions.
  • "He and Jaylen Brown have squashed everything and that he's looking forward to having Jaylen as a teammate. I'm assuming." (Seth, 16:48)

5. The NBA Power Structure

• Philly's Stacked Roster:
  • "It's the most talented starting five when healthy in the NBA. More talented than the defending champion Knicks. More talented than the two juggernauts in the West..." (Seth, 18:38)
  • Vegas odds quickly elevate the Sixers to co-favorites with the Knicks.
• LeBron’s Motivations:
  • Preference for winning situations over hometown or nostalgia picks.
  • The Sixers offer both roster strength and an appealing market.

6. NBA Twitter & Media Reaction Roundup (19:56)

• Segment: “Acknowledge Me”
  • Hosts highlight and dissect witty/sardonic tweets about LeBron’s move:
    • Jalen Brown as “Alfred” not Robin: “Now he'll be Alfred in Philly.” — @Davor Vikovic (21:13)
    • "Analytically, we actually landed LeBron." — referencing Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson’s infamous quote (23:22)
    • LeBron: "first person to move from Bel Air to West Philadelphia." — @Elon Altman (24:04)
• All delivered in the show's playful, meme-savvy tone.

7. Astros Hall of Fame Inductions and Houston Sports Legacy (24:53)

• Carlos Beltran & Jeff Kent entered the Hall of Fame, raising questions about true Houston sports lore — both were short-tenured but impactful.
  • Reflection on Beltran’s polarizing status in Houston due to how he left and his role in the sign-stealing scandal.
  • "He got booed any time he'd come here to Minute Maid..." (Seth, 26:49)
• Altuve’s Cooperstown Prospects Enhanced:
  • Beltran's election suggests Astros stars won’t be blackballed for off-the-field controversies.

8. Dylan Brooks’ ‘All-Whiner NBA Teams’ Segment (28:22)

• Brooks’ leaderboard: Luka Doncic, Steph Curry, LeBron, Jaren Jackson, Giannis.
  • Hosts hilariously assemble an all-time Rockets “whiners” list: Alperen Sengun, Eric Gordon, PJ Tucker, Chris Paul, and even Hakeem Olajuwon gets a tongue-in-cheek mention.
  • Discussion on the fine line between fierce competitor and serial complainer.

9. Houston Local Flavor: Crab Cake Benedict Shout-Out (33:00)

• Seth raves about the “Crab Cake Benedict” at the Post Oak Hotel, with classic food banter.
  • Pure slice-of-life, connecting the show’s sports chatter to everyday pleasures in Houston.

10. Emerging NFL Contract Market Impact (37:32)

• Shift to Texans/NFL:
  • Discussion about the contract market for top cornerbacks — leverage of players like Christian Gonzalez, Devin Witherspoon, and how that sets the bar for Houston’s own Kamari Lassiter.
  • Lassiter’s performance and future value: “He is a top five cornerback in football... There's no more willing cornerback in football to play the run than Kamari Lassiter.” (Seth, 42:49)
  • What the salary cap puzzle means for the Texans' defense, and the inevitable difficult decisions ahead.

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Notable Quotes & Segments (with Timestamps)

• On the secrecy of LeBron’s free agency:

  • "LeBron did a pretty good job of keeping this whole thing under wraps." — Seth Payne (03:25)
  • "None of these people know anything. Nobody knows nothing." — Rich Paul (02:26)

• How the Rockets failed to affect LeBron’s decision:

  • "Had they been better or if Kevin Durant has simply been healthy ... things could have turned out a lot differently." — Brandon Scott (05:42)

• On the Harden-Garland Trade and its ramifications:

  • "If the Cavs just didn't make the Garland for Harden trade, there's a decent chance he might have gone to Cleveland." — Seth Payne (07:12)

• NBA salary cap and free agency realities:

  • "Free agency almost doesn't exist in the NBA anymore because team’s salary caps are so clogged up." — Seth Payne (08:00)

• On the personal dynamic between LeBron and Jaylen Brown (over the Bronny incident):

  • "We've been all right... besides, he said about Bronny at summer league." — LeBron James (16:07)

• NBA Twitter reacts to LeBron to Philly (“Acknowledge Me”):

  • "Jalen Brown didn't want to be Robin in Boston. Now he'll be Alfred in Philly." — Davor Vikovic (21:13)
  • "Analytically, we actually landed LeBron." — McNeil (23:22)
  • "LeBron is the first person to move from Bel Air to West Philadelphia." — Elon Altman (24:05)

• On the “All-Whiner NBA” and its Rockets edition:

  • "There was never a call made on Eric Gordon that he agreed with. Ever." — Seth Payne (30:54)

• On Kamari Lassiter as a rising star:

  • "There's no more willing cornerback in football to play the run than Kamari Lassiter." — Seth Payne (42:49)

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Notable Moments

• [04:06] — Revelations from Rich Paul and Max Kellerman’s podcast on LeBron’s playoff motivations.
• [12:53] — Hosts discuss Jaylen Brown as the pivotal trade factor in LeBron’s decision.
• [19:56] — Twitter “Acknowledge Me” segment brings in national sports memes and adds levity.
• [28:22] — Dylan Brooks’ NBA whiner list and hosts’ Rockets-specific riff.
• [33:00] — Local flavor with a celebratory crab cake Benedict anecdote.
• [37:32] — Cornerback contract market and its impact on the Texans roster.

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Tone & Style

The episode is peppered with sharp analysis, insider details, and irreverent humor. Seth Payne and Brandon Scott balance serious critique of Houston sports culture with playful jabs at NBA drama, making the discussion accessible yet insightful for hardcore and casual fans alike.

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For Listeners

• Rockets Fans: Deep dive on organizational challenges, how close (or far) Houston was to luring a superstar, and candid discussion of local sports heroes and villains.
• NBA Watchers: Illuminates the high-stakes game of roster construction, trade dominoes, and the behind-the-curtain uncertainty of even the biggest free agency moves.
• General Sports Fans: Wide-ranging perspectives on local sports, league-wide economics, media narratives, and a vivid sense of Houston’s sports community.
• Anyone Interested in Sports Media or Meme Culture: The “Acknowledge Me” segment is especially entertaining, showcasing how sports narratives are shaped and punctuated in real-time by social media.

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This summary captures the energy, hot takes, humor, and critical insights of a jam-packed Payne & Pendergast episode — perfect for anyone wanting the real story behind LeBron’s latest shockwave and what it all means for Houston and the NBA at large.

Transcript

[Seth Payne]

Latte for Keenan.

[Brandon Scott]

That's me.

[Seth Payne]

Hey, you're.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Buying a car online on Autotrader.

[Brandon Scott]

Really? But unlike other sites, you can start online, test drive with a local dealer, then finish online or at the dealership.

[Seth Payne]

Really? Wait, are you.

[Brandon Scott]

Yep. It's Keaton. Able to finish in person without starting the process over. Really? Your info stays with you every step of the way. Cool.

[Seth Payne]

Enjoy.

[Brandon Scott]

It's Keenan Thompson. Buy your car online on Autotrader. Really?

[Seth Payne]

As the U.S. men's National Team takes center stage at a home World Cup. Make sure you're listening to Call it what yout Want, part of the CBS Sports Podcast Network where you can join me. I'm Jimmy Conrad alongside Charlie Davies, Tony Miola, Marcelo Balboa, and Benny Fieldhaber throughout this tournament for previews, instant reactions, and

[Brandon Scott]

analysis of every US Match.

[Seth Payne]

Then all summer, we're back every Tuesday and Thursday covering all things U.S. men's National Team. Download and follow call what yout Want on app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. Here, sports radio 610 presents Payne and Pendergast. I Payne and Pendergast. Brandon Scott in for Seth Payne. Today and tomorrow. LeBron James made his decision over the weekend. On Friday, he will be a Philadelphia 76er. So that was the news that kind of rocked the NBA. We played this audio from Rich Paul last week, but I like looking back at it now because at one point, the Sixers were the favorite. There were like six or seven different points along the way where different odds came out on LeBron and where he was going to go. And it was always shifting. Now some, you know, Cleveland was the favorite at three different points. Cleveland was never out of the top two on the odds boards. And I think that's why if you were to listen in on any cities today outside of here that were involved with the LeBron James sweepstakes. And as it turns out, the Rockets were somewhat involved. We'll get to that in just a second.

[Brandon Scott]

Not the. Not the way we wanted them to be, but involved nonetheless.

[Seth Payne]

The Sixers were the favorite at one point, like a month ago, but since then, like, the highest they were was third. Maybe. Miami was the most recent favorite even before that link on YouTube leaked of a hypothetical LeBron James introductory press conference. Right.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

So Philly ends up winning the. Winning the services of LeBron James. It turns out Rich Paul was accurate when he was saying last week, nobody knows anything.

[Brandon Scott]

I'll say it again. None of these people know anything. Nobody knows nothing. And I say that. Respectfully. Because we haven't made it to where anybody knows anything. But let me take your temperature on something. Sure. But no, let me finish, Let me finish. So I think it's important for people to understand we're not making this about attention and a spectacle. It's not about a decision or anything like that. He has a choice to make. He has a business choice to make. We're not going to sit here and decide or allow someone else to decide when he makes that decision. Right.

[Seth Payne]

So that was. That was Rich Paul. And as it turns out, I. I think we even knew during the whole process of him making that decision that nobody knew anything. You could sense the frustration of guys like Brian Windhorst.

[Brandon Scott]

Shams.

[Seth Payne]

Shams.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

You could sense the frustration anytime they were brought on a show to talk about LeBron James.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

LeBron did a pretty good job of keeping this whole thing under wraps.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah. Sean. Just like there's nothing else.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Brandon Scott]

The decision needs to be made.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Brandon Scott]

This is like toward the end of last week.

[Seth Payne]

Windy too, man. Windhorst was like.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

And especially for Windhorst, who goes back to high school with LeBron.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Covering him in high school.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah. I mean, he's.

[Seth Payne]

He was spent not playing with him in high school. That would be a sight to be.

[Brandon Scott]

But. But did go to the same high school. He's just a few years older than LeBron. Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. And covered him. Covered. You know, he's covered every game practically that LeBron's played.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

In the. In the state of Ohio. So this was Rich Paul over the weekend. Once the decision got made. Sitting down with Max Kellerman is the second voice you're hearing on this. The two of them sitting down on their podcast.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

For the ringer. And said the. You know what made a big difference in LeBron's decision to even come back at all was the way he played in that six game series win over the Houston Rockets.

[Brandon Scott]

That series, in my opinion, that series convinced him to keep playing. Yeah. Yeah. I can see why.

[Seth Payne]

I can see why.

[Brandon Scott]

And it really is a perfect puzzle piece for the Sixers because if Embiid's in and out of the lineup, it's the playoffs.

[Seth Payne]

You just need to win this series and worry about the next one.

[Brandon Scott]

If he can come back, LeBron can get that done. Yeah. I think if they somehow get swept or lose 4:1 in that series, he's like, what am I doing? Yeah, it could be different. I think that gave us. And I'm so glad because I think it gave us another Luke Kennard and Marcus Spark are your two best players. LeBron won a playoff series without a single average starter in the lineup. So what you're telling me is, is if the Rockets quote unquote young core is just a little bit better, they could have sent LeBron James packing or at the very least not sent him to Philly.

[Seth Payne]

Well, how about the fact that Kevin Durant only played one game in that series? Yeah, any combination of that Kevin Durant, I think you can connect the dots to say Kevin Durant's ankle may have spawned the Philadelphia 76ers era of the LeBron James saga. Yeah, chapter I should say.

[Brandon Scott]

I think it's a combination of the Kevin Durant injury slash. Because here's the thing that was frustrating about that. Right. If you're a Rockets fan, even with Kevin Durant's injury, the Rockets ideally with this young core, these talented guys, Albert Shingun, a two time all Star, you got guys that are coming up and, and supposed to be developing here. They should have been good enough. As Max Kellerman is laying out for you there. There was not even an average starter playing alongside LeBron James. And despite that, Marcus Smart and Luke Canard and Rui Hachimura and the DeAndre Aiden Jackson Hayes center combination cook the Rockets young core. Had they been better or if Kevin Durant has simply been healthy. Oh, but by the way, you would have still needed them to be better than then things could have turned out a lot differently.

[Seth Payne]

Not a Rocket tangent, but a tangent that involves one of the more polarizing former Rockets in this whole thing. Because Brian Windhorst of ESPN had a long article once the decision was made. He had a long article about. Okay, now here's all the things I'm hearing as to how he arrived at Philly. You know what the decision process was, evidently, at least according to Windhorst, is that if Darius Garland. We're still with the Cavs. Darius Garland, a Rich Paul client.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Rich Paul's LeBron's agent for the. There may. There may actually be people wondering who's this Rich Paul guy that you're playing this audio from? He's LeBron's agent.

[Brandon Scott]

Very important agent and friend.

[Seth Payne]

Eight longtime friend.

[Brandon Scott]

Yes.

[Seth Payne]

The three of them. Rich Paul, LeBron James, Maverick Carter, perhaps

[Brandon Scott]

his agent because he's his friend.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Brandon Scott]

Here nor there.

[Seth Payne]

But he's built a big empire. Very successful clutch sports, has a lot of NBA guys, including Darius Garland. So that's one of the things Windhorst had said was if the Cavs just Didn't make the Garland for Harden trade, there's a decent chance he might have gone to Cleveland. Yeah, but there's no other clutch sports guys on that roster right now.

[Brandon Scott]

But see that's, that's chess, not checkers. Right. Because they, they only made that move in the immediacy because they were trying to make a run right then and there. Like I don't know if they were necessarily already looking ahead or, or even factoring in how that move could impact what's going to be ahead as opposed to, hey, right now we're the most expensive team that there is. We've got like this, this, this chance, this run. And Darius Garland doesn't play. James Harden does.

[Seth Payne]

James Harden does. And it got them out from under the second apron. All that other stuff like they like in a vacuum. They won that trade, the James Harden trade. And I know they got swept by the Knicks, et cetera, et cetera. I don't think they make it to the Eastern Conference finals without James Harden on their team. So there's that. But so, so James Harden in a weird way has a role in this whole thing. It's just the NBA off season. We haven't had it like this in a while. Free agency almost doesn't exist in the NBA anymore because team salary caps are so clogged up. You know, pretty much any team that matters operates way over the cap because you can pay your own guys to go over the cap. So there's. Whereas you know, a decade, decade and a half ago, it was easier to clear out cap space and go make a run for Kevin Durant or LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony or whatever it may be. Yeah. It just doesn't happen anymore. So for there to be a free agent and keep in mind LeBron signing for two years, 8 million bucks. And do you, do you feel any kind of way about this as a Rocket fan? Like hey, if you were to do like did the Rockets, it's almost like a double edged sword because if the Rockets, according to that Rich Paul audio, if the Rockets had had molly whop LeBron, then LeBron doesn't even, maybe even come back.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

But I feel like the Rockets have a talented enough roster where if A they had shown that they are capable of at least winning a playoff series and B didn't have all this extra going on all the time.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

That this would have been a good spot for him to sign for two years. Eight million bucks.

[Brandon Scott]

Well, it is the, it is the big part of the frustration and disappointment of the season is that it turns out, and this was before we even got to this LeBron piece of the narrative. But just getting bumped out by the Lakers or knocked out of the playoffs by the Lakers, exposed or revealed to you that this quote unquote young core, this talented young core might not be quite as talented as you once thought and certainly not quite as ready to win a playoff series on its own with no Kevin Durant out there like you thought that they would have been. And I don't think we've mentioned this enough, they were going up against a Lakers squad that did not have Luca. LeBron's out there, but Luca's not out there. Austin Reeves is not even himself by the time he gets back and they still could not do anything. So to your question, as a Rockets fan, it was already disappointing that they could not beat a ragtag Lakers squad to begin with. But then on top of that, the implication is that, you know what? That's not, that's not the young core that maybe Kevin Durant thought was right, that he, that he thought he was joining the year before. I'm not going to make that same mistake if I'm LeBron.

[Seth Payne]

Well, I don't think when Durant made his decision, and I know it was a trade, but Durant had saying where he was going to go, it was as much a decision by Durant as it was the Rockets trading Jalen Green and Dylan Brooks, etc. But if like, I don't think anybody thought that the spurs were going to get in the HOV lane like they did this year either.

[Brandon Scott]

No.

[Seth Payne]

Then all of a sudden there's going to be two 60 win teams with young cores, with young MVP candidates that you've got to deal with in the West. So that's what would have made it interesting. If the Rockets had been able to win that Lakers series and then in the second round they'd have gone up against okc. I think the way the brackets would have laid out.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

If they'd gotten into like just even like a seven game brawl with OKC and lost, then I think this would have been a really interesting place for LeBron to, to go for two years, 8 million bucks.

[Brandon Scott]

Well, it's not even just that he didn't come here. It said he didn't even. I don't even think he gave it a look.

[Seth Payne]

No.

[Brandon Scott]

Or a thought.

[Seth Payne]

No.

[Brandon Scott]

Or a consideration when Rich Paul puts out that list of teams. And maybe if you're a Rockets fan, you don't want LeBron. I know there are a Lot of Sixers fans who talk about LeBron taking up all the oxygen in the room and they don't want him coming over there and. And taken over their entire franchise. I get it. Maybe you're a Rockets fan who is similar, like, like minded in that way, but you can't deny that it would say a lot about your franchise if the best player of his generation and arguably a top three to five player of all time wanted to come here in his twilight years. That would have been a major, A major pool for the Rockets had they been able to do that.

[Seth Payne]

Yep. Text messages on these. Didn't Kevin o' Connor and a few others have a pretty detailed explanation of what LeBron was waiting on? And he went with Philly because he couldn't get the warriors or Cavs to do what he wanted. They, Rich Paul denied that. Brian windhorse said that LeBron's camp denied that they were asking teams to go get guys. I'm not saying that they're telling the

[Brandon Scott]

truth necessarily or that they're not being lied to. Yeah, potentially.

[Seth Payne]

Right. But yes. I mean, there's all sorts of discussion now this. We know he ended up going to the team that traded for Jaylen Brown. This is a great question on the, on the text pages. What if the Rockets had traded for Jalen Brown? Does LeBron still go to Philadelphia? Maybe not. I don't think it means he would come to Houston or that the Rockets were in the market for LeBron.

[Brandon Scott]

But it's a good point.

[Seth Payne]

It's a great point. It's a great point. No, Jaylen Brown going there, according to Windhorse, was a definite tipping point.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah. It was the domino effect. And then you were mentioning this earlier, like the different era of basketball and salaries. Like, we gotta go back to the original point of the Jaylen Brown trade. There was a lot to be discussed about how unhappy or happy was or discord with him in the franchise. But. But it did come down to an accounting thing. They've been getting rid of their. Like at one point they had six guys making over $20 million a year a couple of years ago. Now all of those guys are gone except for Jason Tatum.

[Seth Payne]

That's it.

[Brandon Scott]

So there was a.

[Seth Payne]

They've got Paul George on there and

[Brandon Scott]

they weren't in another 50. They did add Paul George to the team were part of that trade. But the point is, like, there was an accounting issue there. Yeah. That is collectively bar. That is part of the collecting bargain agreement that forced them to make some business decisions about their team. And they decide to send Jaylen Brown to one of their arch rivals in the Philadelphia 76ers and which subsequently brings in LeBron James.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. No, it's. It's almost like LeBron James was part of the Jaylen Brown trade.

[Brandon Scott]

It is very much like, if you

[Seth Payne]

hate it, if you're a Celtics fan who hated the Jalen Brown trade, and most of them did, what the hell is this? He's sixth in the mvp. And we're bringing back Paul George, who hasn't played good basketball in however many years and is not a good postseason player. Jaylen Brown is a Finals mvp. Paul George is someone who named himself playoff P. And everybody laughs at.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah. Quite ironically.

[Seth Payne]

Ironically. So. So they already hated that trade. But if Jaylen Brown is a big reason LeBron went to Philly, it's almost like LeBron was part of the trade. He may as well have been. I mean, there's hardly any salary cap implications for it. He signed a two year, $8 million deal.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

It's a cheapo deal that he signed. Now, as far as the Jaylen Brown angle goes, it was just about a year or was last year. Last summer was Bronnie's first summer in the summer league. Right.

[Brandon Scott]

This is what last summer would have been going into a second year. So it would have been two summers.

[Seth Payne]

Two summers ago.

[Brandon Scott]

Okay.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. So.

[Brandon Scott]

Which is wild to think that Bronny is about to go into his third NBA season.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Brandon Scott]

But that's where we are now.

[Seth Payne]

Well, he's, you know, he's played, like 200 minutes, so it doesn't feel like that much, but. Yeah.

[Brandon Scott]

Hey, look, I don't feel like it. I'm in a position, man. He kind of cooked the Rockets a little bit, too.

[Seth Payne]

He did.

[Brandon Scott]

I felt. I was like, man, the Rockets are getting beat by Sanford and Son.

[Seth Payne]

Like, Bronnie, you big dummy.

[Brandon Scott]

You big dummy.

[Seth Payne]

You big dummy.

[Brandon Scott]

This is the big one. Coming to join you, Elizabeth.

[Seth Payne]

Coming to join you.

[Brandon Scott]

What's happening here?

[Seth Payne]

I gotta watch me some Sanford and Son today.

[Brandon Scott]

That's what it felt like, man, getting beat by Sanford and Son. You. You gotta be kidding me.

[Seth Payne]

TV Land. It's gotta have Sanford and Son on there. But. So anyways, Jalen Brown, like a lot of guys do, they use the summer league, even if not playing it, as a reason to go to Vegas and sit courtside. So Jaylen Brown sitting courtside with a nice young lady, and you could read his lips. And he was saying some. Some. Some pretty, like. Like, derogative things about Bronnie's Game.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

You know, just. You could read his lips. The Internet read his lips. Clearly, LeBron did. So LeBron. This was actually from this past or the season after that happened. Like, this is from, you know, like, over a year ago. But this is LeBron being asked about his relationship with Jaylen Brown. You know, our relationship has been, you know, pretty respectful.

[Brandon Scott]

You know, besides, he said about Bronnie at summer league. I was wondering if you guys were

[Seth Payne]

able to get past that.

[Brandon Scott]

But other than that. Other than that, you know, know, we've been. We've been all right.

[Seth Payne]

You know?

[Brandon Scott]

You guys able to get past that? You know, we'll be all right. We'd be all right. Yeah, we'd be all right. I think he went on. He went on social media and said something about it was all good, but

[Seth Payne]

Ronnie got a long way to go.

[Brandon Scott]

But that's another story.

[Seth Payne]

Okay, so that was LeBron. That was. That was. That. That's a while back. That's not audio from over the weekend or anything like that. I'm guessing as meticulous as LeBron and his camp are about picking where he goes.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Executing plans, things like that. I'm guessing that they've. He and Jalen Brown have squashed everything and that he's looking forward to having Jalen as a teammate. I'm assuming.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah. Cause that is. I mean, that's not, like, just a couple of days ago, but that is fairly recently. Cause that's this past season. Yeah. Cause part of the. So part of that media scrum is them asking LeBron about Jaylen Brown's MVP year or MVP caliber year and what he's doing in the absence of Jason Tatum. So that clearly that. That timeline gives you this past year when Jayson Tatum was hurt, and most of that is LeBron given Jaylen Brown his flowers. I don't know what led them into actually getting into, like, the relationship between the two. A little bit of.

[Seth Payne]

I think. I think the two. I think they're about to play each other. I think maybe. I think it was right before Celtics, Lakers, upcoming game, that kind of thing.

[Brandon Scott]

Even then, like, are you. Were you guys able to get past the run? I was like, okay, okay. I mean, it's very much relevant now.

[Seth Payne]

If anything, you would want him not to have gotten past it because you're talking about an opponent that's coming up.

[Brandon Scott]

Right, right, right. Which is why all those, you know, oldies but goodies are always kind of cool to go back and look at. But, yeah, man, you got to figure that. That they can Obviously, like coexist think.

[Seth Payne]

Right? Yeah.

[Brandon Scott]

I mean, and. And let's just be real about it. It's not like Jalen Brown was saying anything about Bronnie, that other folks. I mean, LeBron James had to go check Stephen A. Smith courtside at a game for some stuff that he was talking about about Bronnie and the family. So it's not like this is the first time he's had to deal with that and. Or from LeBron side. And let's just be real about it. This was. This. At least this was my perspective last week before he even made this decision. This was the best group for him to join. I thought that once the Jaylen Brown trade happened and part of the reason why it made sense for them to be favorites, that was the. The clear and most logical place for him to go. The place with the highest upside. If you just plop him onto the team.

[Seth Payne]

The most talented starting five in the NBA.

[Brandon Scott]

And if I could recognize that, certainly LeBron James could. That was the way I looked at it.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. Like, it's the most talented starting five when healthy in the NBA. More talented than the defending champion Knicks. More talented than the two juggernauts in the West. Like just. Just one through five. Pure talent. I'm not saying they're going to be the best team. And if you're wondering what the effect has been on the odds board with. With LeBron going to Philly, they and the Knicks are right there neck and neck with each other to win the Eastern Conference. It almost depends on which outlet you go to as to who's the favorite to win the Eastern Conference.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah. And also more talented than the other three possibilities or popular destinations out there. Going back home to Cleveland, going back to Miami where he once won before, or going to go join his friends in Golden State or in Francisco and play for the warriors. Like this makes more sense than all three of those options.

[Seth Payne]

All right, let's do Acknowledge Me. We. We do it each and every. We do it each and every Monday right about this time. We acknowledge tweets, performances, news items, anything worth giving. That extra lanyap of acknowledgment, that extra layer of acknowledgement elevate them. I will say a name. Byron, who's producing with us today. Play the Roman Reigns cut right there, Byron. You know we've got several different ones in there, right?

[Brandon Scott]

Yes.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. They all say acknowledge me, but they say it's sometimes a little different inflection. We like to mix it up, keep the people on their Toes. I actually want to acknowledge a few of the tweets about this LeBron James signing in Philly. Let's acknowledge me. Gotta say the name first. Byron, we've done this. This is second Monday.

[Brandon Scott]

Hey, baby. Trigger happy, man.

[Seth Payne]

He's just excited. He's ready. Are you a. Are you a fan of the tribal chief also, Byron? Yeah, but I'm a bigger Seth guy. You're a bigger Seth guy. Okay. Yeah. SummerSlam coming up, right?

[Brandon Scott]

Yes, sir.

[Seth Payne]

This weekend. All right. All right. Ready? Byron, Latte for Keenan.

[Brandon Scott]

That's me.

[Seth Payne]

Hey, you're.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Buying a car online on autotrader.

[Brandon Scott]

Really? But unlike other sites, you can start online, test drive with a local dealer, then finish online or at the dealership.

[Seth Payne]

Really? Wait, are you.

[Brandon Scott]

Yep.

[Seth Payne]

It's Keaton.

[Brandon Scott]

Able to finish in person without starting the process over. Really? Your info stays with you every step of the way. Cool.

[Seth Payne]

Enjoy.

[Brandon Scott]

It's Kenan Thompson. Buy your car online on autotrader. Really?

[Seth Payne]

Football is fun. Why shouldn't your football podcast be the same? Follow and listen to Heed the Call. NFL podcast with Dan Hanzas and Mark Sesler, wherever you get your podcasts. Devor Vikovich.

[Brandon Scott]

Acknowledge me.

[Seth Payne]

Who is that? I don't know, but he tweeted this. So Jalen Brown wanted Or back up. So Jalen Brown didn't want to be Robin in Boston. Now he'll be Alfred in Philly.

[Brandon Scott]

It's a funny tweet.

[Seth Payne]

It's hilarious.

[Brandon Scott]

And I love the name. What is his name? Vikovic.

[Seth Payne]

Davor Vikovic.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah. Good for him. That's an interesting name.

[Seth Payne]

And that's. That's not only his. His name on the Twitter account, but he's at Davor Vovic, too. So.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah. So I.

[Seth Payne]

That's got to be his real name.

[Brandon Scott]

Dude, I respect this. Whatever his real name is, this is a funny tweet. Now, don't let the truth of the matter get in the way of a. Of a funny joke. Right? Because I. I think Jaylen Brown actually, on any given night, could be the Batman on this team. I think he could be the best player on the team on any given night or perhaps even throughout NBA player.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Brandon Scott]

He finished top six in MVP voting. All NBA player, finals mvp. He's at least as good as anybody else on this team, especially at this stage. But I still like the joke. I still find it to be a funny joke because he's now with a cast of. If he didn't like playing in Jason Tatum's shadow, now he's in a cast of Shadows with the other guys around him. Yep.

[Seth Payne]

Jot that down as a topic for later. B. Scott, we're looking up at the screen in the studio here, and they're talking about C.J. stroud. Yeah, jot that down. Yeah, take a picture of that. We'll use that as a topic later. Okay. Another tweet about the LeBron signing with Philly. This is from McNeil, who's a big. I. I don't know who exactly he is, but he's a really funny follow. His name is just McNeil on Twitter, and he's a Cleveland guy, so he's obviously got Cleveland views on this. But McNeil, acknowledge me, he's got a picture of Kenny Atkinson, the coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who's pro, who probably most famously or infamously said that while they were down three to one or whatever it was to the Knicks in the conference. Or three. Oh, yeah. In the conference finals because they got swept.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

He's like, we've really won two of these three games. If you look at it through analytics,

[Brandon Scott]

one of those games was like an epic collapse.

[Seth Payne]

They blew a 29 point.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah. But analytically, it's got a picture, right?

[Seth Payne]

It's got a picture of Kenny Atkinson with a goofy look on his face, and it says, quote, analytically, we actually landed LeBron.

[Brandon Scott]

This is hilarious. This is. I like this one even better. I think that it's a shame for Kenny Atkinson. He should have never said this, obviously, but for a dude that's such a decent coach, he's been an accomplished head coach, NBA. I think he's going to be known for this comment for the rest of his career.

[Seth Payne]

Yep.

[Brandon Scott]

A solid coach. Really gonna be known for this. This gaff.

[Seth Payne]

When you Google his name, it's gonna be a bunch of articles about being up 2 to 1 analytically.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

In the Eastern Conference finals. All right, last one that we last tweet that we'll acknowledge. And we got some other. Elon Altman.

[Brandon Scott]

Acknowledge.

[Seth Payne]

It was also Elon Altman on Twitter. Now, I wonder if he's in a relation to Kobe Altman, the GM of the Cavaliers. But he points out LeBron is the first person to move from Bel Air to West Philadelphia.

[Brandon Scott]

It is a Fresh Prince kind of spoof.

[Seth Payne]

Bizarro Fresh Prince.

[Brandon Scott]

Bizarro Fresh spins. Fresh Prince. Exactly. That's exactly what it is. It's normally not how the story goes, but it's not. Leave it to LeBron to buck the trend.

[Seth Payne]

Absolutely. All right, so we acknowledge those tweets. Hey, let's acknowledge Carlos Beltran and Jeff Kent. Acknowledge me. Two guys with Astro ties. Yeah. Who went into the hall of Fame this weekend. I don't know. I was trying to kind of dip my toe in the water. This didn't get a lot of attention on my timeline. It's. It was a three person class. It was Kent Beltran and Andrew Jones.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Who obviously all great players.

[Brandon Scott]

Yes.

[Seth Payne]

And Beltron. Beltran, the more polarizing figure than Jeff Kent. I think among Astro fans. I think most Astro fans are. Think positively about Jeff Kent because he was so good for the. The few years that he was here. Yes. Beltran, much more polar. Beltron was great. His first stint as an Astro. I mean, postseason goat great.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

That level. Eight home runs in the postseason that year out of 20 hits.

[Brandon Scott]

Well, between the two of them. Yeah. Did they spend more like. Between the two of them, did they spend more than three seasons with the Astros? Beltron, forget the 2016 season for a second.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think he was just 2017.

[Brandon Scott]

That's what I mean to say. 2017 for Beltron. Yeah, for Beltron. Yeah. But like the. The real prime of their careers. Beltron just had half a season. Had the half a season. And Kent was here for like two seasons.

[Seth Payne]

Two years. Yeah, I think so.

[Brandon Scott]

I don't think they had three. I think that's part of the reason why there wasn't a lot of buzz, at least for Astros fans. For two guys that were great players and former Astros, they just didn't spend enough time. Even though Beltron's half a season was one of the. Some of the best Astros performance that we've ever seen, they just. Neither one was here for long enough to even fully be thought of as an Astro.

[Seth Payne]

No, but Beltran. But Beltran there. I mean, there's. There's a lot there with Beltran.

[Brandon Scott]

Oh, for sure.

[Seth Payne]

The way he left. He was booed incessantly for the next decade in whatever uniform he was in because he played for the Mets for a bunch of years, played for the Yankees. He was a Ranger there. And for a little bit, he got boo anytime he'd come here to Minute Maid. He got booed because of what happened after the 04 season. The way that Astro fans felt led on by him. And then his role in the sign stealing scandal complicated things again, because it almost felt like 2017 when he re signed back here.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

The fact that he was a veteran leader of that team and we didn't know anything about the sign stealing at that point.

[Brandon Scott]

It kind of felt redemptive at the time.

[Seth Payne]

It cleansed it. It did. It did. It did. Like, we forgive you. We won a World Series. It's all good. And then it, you know, come to find out he's the brains of the operation. At least that's what he was portrayed as by Major League Baseball.

[Brandon Scott]

So it's almost like you're dead to us again.

[Seth Payne]

Again. Yeah. Yeah. So now he's going into the hall of Fame. To me, my biggest Astro takeaway in this whole thing is that Beltran going into the hall of Fame. It tells me that I don't think we have much to worry about with Altuve.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Nor should we. I mean, he's. He's the one guy that didn't use it at all, but he's still portrayed as. As a user of the sign. Stealing.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah, still portrayed, but I think even around that. And I don't think it helps Altuve that his MVP season was that year as well, but we're still talking about a dude with three batting titles, and they won a World Series. That. So I think that's a couple of things that help the sign stealing era Astros, especially if they were still around on that 2022 team, which Altuve obviously was. It still is here. If you were a part of the team that. That won later, you know, and you've got more to your resume beyond that, I think that there's gonna be some. I think there's gonna be some forgiveness there.

[Seth Payne]

Was that a stray that we just caught right there? No, my bad. What happened, dude?

[Brandon Scott]

I. I just blanked out my fingers. Fingers.

[Seth Payne]

My finger's always on the mouse whenever. Oh, okay. You got Twitchy.

[Brandon Scott]

He's got to get a safety on that thing. My bad, y'.

[Seth Payne]

All. You got Twitchy. That's okay. All right.

[Brandon Scott]

Gotta get a safety on that radio. Glock.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. Dylan Brooks. I want to acknowledge Dylan Brooks for answering the question, acknowledging in his mind this is from a podcast of some sort. He's doing this, like, standing up at a court somewhere, probably at summer league.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Not the Dylan Brooks is playing in it, but as we pointed out earlier, a lot of the guys go to Vegas just to chill during summer league. Watch guys play. So Dylan Brooks was doing an interview where they asked him to power rank his. The five biggest complainers, the five biggest whiners. Five guys. So it's almost like you're all whiner team in the NBA.

[Brandon Scott]

This is really good. Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Here's who he has.

[Brandon Scott]

First one that come to mind for me, obviously, Luca. Luca's obviously A big ass component. Complainer when we go down the line. Curry 1. I actually gave him a shot. You seen that play? I gave him a shot right in his chest contest. Damn. Yeah, yeah.

[Seth Payne]

You just, you, you just.

[Brandon Scott]

You fed up. I just, I just. I lost.

[Seth Payne]

That's two.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah, two people. Who else complains the most? LeBron for sure. That's three. He knew LeBron was gonna be on that list. Hey, Jaren Jackson, old teammate and damn, he don't spare nobody. Let me see. Last but no name. His old teammate. You ain't seen nobody from my team,

[Seth Payne]

so I ain't honest.

[Brandon Scott]

Yanis.

[Seth Payne]

So we. We're good. So we acknowledge all five of the them collectively. Lucas, Steph, LeBron, Jaren Jackson, Giannis five headed Mount Rushmore of Whiners, according to Dylan Brooks. Here's my question for you, B. Scott. If you had to put that list together for the Rockets, the biggest whiners in Rockets history.

[Brandon Scott]

Ooh, Rockets history.

[Seth Payne]

In Rockets history. And with mine, a lot of recency bias for me, you.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah, I mean, the recency bias. I can't get past Albert Shingoon.

[Seth Payne]

Shingoon's on it.

[Brandon Scott]

Like Shingoon is.

[Seth Payne]

Acknowledge him for being a whiner. Yeah, acknowledge me.

[Brandon Scott]

I mean, Shingoon is at the top of the list.

[Seth Payne]

Elite whiner now.

[Brandon Scott]

It doesn't help that Shingoon plays in the era of reviews. And like, this is an ongoing joke at Toyota Center. Like, you should see us on press row every time something happens.

[Seth Payne]

We kind of twirly free.

[Brandon Scott]

We kind of do like this to see is he going to, Is he going to do it because he does it so much.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, yeah.

[Brandon Scott]

I mean, he's clearly leading the. Leading the clash right now. By, by, like, by a lot.

[Seth Payne]

Okay, can I throw some other names at you?

[Brandon Scott]

Please do.

[Seth Payne]

There was never a call made on Eric Gordon that he agreed with. Oh, yes. Ever, ever. The face Eric Gordon and P.J. tucker of that era of Rockets basketball. Keep in mind they're on a team with Chris Paul, who I think is also on this list. Yeah, they like. I actually had to think about Chris Paul a little bit because PJ Tucker and Eric Gordon are such whiners.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Every call. Eric Gordon never thought he committed a foul, ever. Yeah, it's annoying.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah. I mean, he's a. He's even got a. At least among Rockets fans, like a meme or, or, or a gif of his face. Like. Yeah, this is perplexed face. He's number one because he's never committed a Foul.

[Seth Payne]

He's number one on my list. But I would say Alpi is a good one. I would say Alpi, Chris Paul, Eric Gordon, P.J. tucker. Boy. So that 2018 team had a lot of whining.

[Brandon Scott]

It's basically Alpi on the 2018.

[Seth Payne]

Alpi in the 2018 team. Although, ironically, Dylan Brooks probably belongs on there, too. Yeah, we're putting Rockets on there. Ironically, the man who spawned this very topic, Dylan Brooks, who had been acknowledged, and I'll acknowledge again, acknowledge me, should also be acknowledged for being a whiner as well. Hopefully he's not listening.

[Brandon Scott]

Can established tough guys be whiners, though? Like, is a. Or is this compl. Is it complaining and whining? Like, is whining, complaining and vice versa?

[Seth Payne]

It's just. If I.

[Brandon Scott]

If.

[Seth Payne]

If you just. It. Whining and complaining are almost in the same neighborhood.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah. You know, but because, you know who also used to kind of get on the rest a little bit, and it's. It's basket. Houston royalty. Hakeem.

[Seth Payne]

Hakeem did. Yeah.

[Brandon Scott]

Hakeem would give the refs the business here. Now. It's hard to see him as a whiner.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Brandon Scott]

Because he's such a proud man.

[Seth Payne]

Yes.

[Brandon Scott]

But at the same time, he'd give it to him. Right.

[Seth Payne]

Because Hakeem is the opposite of a live wire off of the court.

[Brandon Scott]

Right. And not a whiner like.

[Seth Payne]

No.

[Brandon Scott]

But a complainer, though.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. Okay, we'll get. We'll get Hakeem. You're in the mix here. We'll acknowledge him for that.

[Brandon Scott]

Acknowledge me.

[Seth Payne]

All right, so where I acknowledge food. The crab cake Benedict at Bloomin Be okay at the Post Oak Hotel.

[Brandon Scott]

You have my attention. Acknowledge me.

[Seth Payne]

Do you like crab cakes? Yes, I love crab cakes.

[Brandon Scott]

Yes, I do.

[Seth Payne]

So we had breakfast, Amy and I, as I mentioned earlier, we did a little. Nice little staycation. Let me acknowledge the Post Oak Hotel, too. Especially. Especially Kenneth, the front office director there, who left us a nice note on the. We got it to our room, and there was a note there waiting for us with some charcuterie bottle and the note. Handwritten note. And he was congratulating us on the move to 95. 7 the fan, dude. So they're. They're excited for it there as well. Yeah. The Post Oak. The.

[Brandon Scott]

The FM life is going to be amazing. But what's a better combination when you get to your room than a bottle of wine, charcuterie board, Dude. And a personalized handwritten note and some

[Seth Payne]

of those nice ball caps that they have. Yeah. That's post oak. They gave us a couple nice. Like, you know, the little ball caps you wear at the pool. So shout out to them. We had a great stay there. Was awesome. Dude. This crab cake Benedict. So the. The Bloomin Bee, which is where we ate our breakfast there on Saturday, they've got a sort of customize your own Benedict thing. I love eggs Benedict. It's one of my favorite breakfast hollandaise sauce and everything else. But you had your choice between, you know, the Canadian bacon, which is sort of the staple, or a crab cake.

[Brandon Scott]

Oh, come on.

[Seth Payne]

And I'm like, I gotta go crab cake here or salmon. Salmon was the other one. There were three choices.

[Brandon Scott]

I'm a salmon guy, too.

[Seth Payne]

I am too. I like this. The salmon Benedict at first watch is really good.

[Brandon Scott]

Okay, so this. I gotta check that out. I go to first watch all the time.

[Seth Payne]

Salmon Benedict. Really good. This crab cake Benedict. I'm eating this thing, and I'm saying to Amy, I'm like, I might come here and just valet and come here and eat breakfast sometimes and not have to stay here to eat the breakfast. Like, not a bad idea for this dish. And it's not, you know, and it's not cheap or anything like that, but it was so good. The crab cake benefit, crab cake bench, it was just simple, man. It was English muffin crab cake. The poached egg right there, and the hollandaise sauce drizzled all over it there.

[Brandon Scott]

Oh, I'm in.

[Seth Payne]

Acknowledge it again. Byron. Byron.

[Brandon Scott]

I want to go get one now.

[Seth Payne]

I know. Dude. Dude, I'm hungry.

[Brandon Scott]

Hours left in the show.

[Seth Payne]

You're a young guy, Byron. I feel like eggs Benedict is one of those things you eat as you get older, as your palate gets more sophisticated. Are you a fan of the eggs Benedict? I've never had it. Never had it. Okay. See, that kind of proves my theory.

[Brandon Scott]

I think that makes sense.

[Seth Payne]

I didn't eat sushi for the first time till I was, like, 25 years old.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah, same here. And my kids are only in the sushi now because somebody older has put them onto it.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Brandon Scott]

And so, like, they're a little bit more sushi savvy than even.

[Seth Payne]

I never ate it in our house growing up.

[Brandon Scott]

Not at all.

[Seth Payne]

I don't even know if the town I grew up in had a sushi restaurant.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah, it was not a thing for me, but it is now. Same thing, though, too. If I would have it last night in my mid-20s, like. Like Byron, I don't think I would have been eating no. Ick. No. Crab cake Benedict. Crab cake Benedict. I'm. I'm here for it now. Yeah, yeah, for sure.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. Yeah, it's. Boy, it is. Thumbs up on that, man. It was really good.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah, man. Good time shout out to you, man. Yeah. That sounds like a heck of a weekend for you and the lady. For you and Amy.

[Seth Payne]

We had a blast.

[Brandon Scott]

Well deserved for both of you.

[Seth Payne]

Sat by the pool on Saturday. It was good. Thank you. Yeah, it was. It was good. But one night in an auction at the Texans season premiere. There was an auction for one night at the Post Oak. And so we tacked on a second night so we wouldn't have to like, check in and check out in the same 24 hours. Like, you know what? If I'm Rush, this is the nicest hotel in town. If I'm going to do this, I want a full day to just look around, man. Yeah.

[Brandon Scott]

When you're supposed to be doing. Nobody wants to be rushed, period. But especially in the midst of luxury or some type of luxurious experience.

[Seth Payne]

And it's the weekend before training camp, too. You know this as well as anybody. The work amps up in two days. 100% in two days. To that end, we enjoyed. Acknowledge me as always. That was a good one. I want to talk a little Texans here. We are going to have to start pocket watching at a certain position on the field, and we got a gauge for exactly what the market looks like over the weekend. We'll let you know what that is. Sports Radio 610 presents live from the West Point Lincoln and West Point Lincoln of Sugarland Studios. Here's Pain and Pendergast. I never thought I'd be playing Robert Kraft Audio to lead into a take on the Houston Texans, but we'll. We will do that in. In. In just a second here. Before we do that real quick, there is at least one texter that's incredulous that Draymond Green didn't make Dylan Brooks's all whiner list. 5.

[Brandon Scott]

It had to be the non Draymond Green.

[Seth Payne]

There had to be some sort of prelude we didn't hear.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Before that cut.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah. It's like, you know, if you're one of the people that just believes LeBron that. That Michael Jordan's the best player to ever play.

[Seth Payne]

Right.

[Brandon Scott]

It's like, okay, well, who's your Mount Rushmore of basketball players not named Michael Jordan or not named Bill Russell or Kareem from so and so, Whoever is your already favorite guy.

[Seth Payne]

Right.

[Brandon Scott]

Clearly, Draymond Green deserves to Be at the very top of that list.

[Seth Payne]

Absolutely. Absolutely. All right, so I mentioned Robert Kraft, owner of the Patriots. Patriots training camp is underway. We'll hear from Mike Vrabel here in just a minute as well. But Robert Kraft was asked about Christian Gonzalez, who is their star cornerback who's eligible for a contract extension. He's just finished up his third year. He's a great player, and they really like him there. Here's Robert Kraft talking about that situation.

[Brandon Scott]

We love Christian.

[Seth Payne]

We love him as a player, as a person. You know, that's why we've made an

[Brandon Scott]

offer to him that makes him the

[Seth Payne]

highest paid player ever to play that

[Brandon Scott]

position in the NFL.

[Seth Payne]

Okay, so they have. I know the audio was a little rough. The clicking of the cameras was louder than his voice in that 1995. Right, right. No, but I think. But I think he could hear what he said, which is, we made an op. We made Christian Gonzalez an offer that would make him the highest paid cornerback in football. We know at one point Derek Stingley Jr. Was the highest paid. If you're just counting the new money. You know, Stingley signed an extension a couple years ago, or might have been last year. Three.

[Brandon Scott]

I think it was last year.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. Three years. 30 million a year, almost fully guaranteed.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah, it was like 90 million with 89 million guaranteed or something like that.

[Seth Payne]

Exactly what it was. So we know that's what the market was, and we know since then, Sauce Gardner signed his deal, which is for like 100,000 more per year. It was like 30.1. That he signed and then got traded.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Got traded to the Colts and then he got hurt. I don't know what. Trent McDuffie's deal that he signed.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah, that's right. Was after he got traded to the.

[Seth Payne]

To the Rams. Yeah. Get traded to the Rams. The Rams gave him a big deal. I'm assuming it's in that neighborhood. Reportedly, it sounds like Christian Gonzalez and Devin Witherspoon are kind of waiting for the other guy. There's kind of a staring contest going on right now. Like, whoever signs next. Yeah. Will be the highest paid for, like,

[Brandon Scott]

five minutes, and then the other one will sign.

[Seth Payne]

The next guy will sign for, you know, like, 32 million plus a bag of balls or something like that.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

So. But why is this relevant to the Texans? Because if Kamari Lasseter has another season in 2026 like he did in 2025, and I'm factoring improvement into this as well. I'm not saying that Kamari Lasseter is the best cornerback in football. But I think undeniably he improved year over year year and he was good in year one. He was really good as a rookie.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

But he definitely improved year one to year two. If he has that similar level of improvement, he is a top five cornerback in football. I think there's if you really wanted to get latte for Keenan, that's me. Hey, you're yeah, Buying a car online on Autotrader.

[Brandon Scott]

Really? But unlike other sites, you can start online, test drive with a local dealer, then finish online or at the dealership.

[Seth Payne]

Really? Wait, are you?

[Brandon Scott]

Yep, it's Keaton. Able to finish in person without starting the process over. Really? Your info stays with you every step of the way. Cool.

[Seth Payne]

Enjoy.

[Brandon Scott]

It's Kenan Thompson. Buy your car online on Autotrader. Really?

[Seth Payne]

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[Brandon Scott]

Yeah, I like the point that you make about the all around game because I think there are other guys who are bigger and perhaps flashier. Maybe they make more plays on the ball and I Think that, like, when you look at the. The top end of this position, the Christian Gonzalez is of the world, the Patrican, even Derek Stingley Jr. Himself. These are like sort of bigger body, more prototypical. Hey, that's how I would draw my corner up. Oh, yeah. But then like, like. So ideally they're. They're better corners, but like, in practice, like, what about practically, what do you want your corner to be about? You want them to cover. You don't want them to be afraid to hit. In fact, you'd like for him to lay the wood when it. When it comes down to it or when it comes time for it. And Kamari Lasseter is all of those things. I don't know if he's. I don't know how close he can get to that top five, but I definitely think that he's going to be, you know, firmly planted in the top 10, perhaps top eight. There. There's a lot of good corners. Once you get kind of to the top end of it, there's a handful of good ones that I think he's probably going to be behind. But to the point of it all, it's still going to be a very serious, like, business decision because I don't think that there is a reasonable Kamari Lasseter discount, if that makes sense. Like Kamari Lasseter is going to be. I think we'll have earned enough, especially being a day one starter and contributor to a day good defense.

[Seth Payne]

Day one in OTAs starter like he. They. They had him pegged from about the day they drafted him.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah. For that matter, that's like day zero.

[Seth Payne]

Day zero.

[Brandon Scott]

We're talking about OTAs.

[Seth Payne]

Good way to put it. Yeah.

[Brandon Scott]

He's a day zero starter and has been productive since the very beginning. I don't think that he's necessarily top five, but I'm not sure he's going to have to be to command a really respectable salary and making an interesting business decision for Nick Azaria.

[Seth Payne]

He's going to live in that neighborhood, man. He's just going to. And, and I don't think I. They're not letting him walk out of that building. I've said this before. I think that this is just me saying this. Just me kind of just. Just reading the room about how they feel about Kamari Lasseter. And this is not to denigrate what they think of other guys in that building, but if it came down to a choice of them having to pay Kamari Lasseter a market deal. But you got to move on from Derek Stingley. Junior and Trey, I think that would be if you had to. In a perfect world, you keep them both. Stingley is one of the. Is currently one of the top five corner. He's one of the top two cornerbacks in football. But when you're a good team that drafts as well as the Texans have, especially on the defensive side of the ball, especially in the secondary. I mean, think about it, you know, you know, Jalen Petrie, you know, he, he's. Thankfully, he's under contract for a couple more years, as are all these guys. But. But Bullock and Lassiter are going to be in line for big raises.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

And that's, that's why just watching the market at safety, watching the market at corner and then trying to. And then there's still CJ Stroud sitting off to the side.

[Brandon Scott]

This is where I was going to go.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. Like, it's, it's going to be a puzzle, man. And they're going to have to make hard decisions like that. And I know it sounds blasphemous for me to say if you had to move on from Derek Stingley because he is at the peak of his game at a premium position. I just don't think. I just think. I think Kamari Lasseter, Derek Stingley might be a cornerback that was made in a lab. Kamari Lasseter is a cornerback made in a lab owned by d' Amico Ryan's. Yeah, if there's. If that makes sense. No, the whole ethos of Lassiter on and off the field.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah. I think he perfectly fits the brand. And again, like you mentioned, the ethos of what the Texans are and certainly what they want to be, what they aspire to be like. He is. He is the Texans dream realized. Kamari. I think Kamari Lasseter and Will Anderson Jr. Between the two of them right now, where am I at still like, on which cornerback would I rather keep once that business decision comes, as I sit right here today, still. Give me Derek Stingley Jr. If we're making that business decision. But it's a really good problem to have. And you mentioned the, the CJ Stroud point. I keep bringing this up every time we talk about the quarterback. I'm really curious if the Texans view themselves as, hey, instead of making business decisions, on which corner do we want to keep? Do we feel like, hey, we can just go super expensive on the defensive side of the ball and let's just find another rookie quarterback or a quarterback on a rookie deal or a 25 to 30 million dollars quarterback. Seattle to the 5060 million plus.

[Seth Payne]

That's what Seattle did.

[Brandon Scott]

I get it.

[Seth Payne]

Yep. All right. Payne and Pendergast. Brandon Scott in for Seth Payne today and tomorrow. All right. Would you have ever envisioned this former Houston Texan as a coach? Because apparently he's looking at it. We will. We'll have that for you coming up next. But first, we, you know, latte for Keenan.

[Brandon Scott]

That's me.

[Seth Payne]

Hey, you're.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Buying a car online on Auto Trader.

[Brandon Scott]

Really? But unlike other sites, you can start online, test drive, drive with a local dealer, then finish online or at the dealership.

[Seth Payne]

Cool.

[Brandon Scott]

Enjoy. Buy your car online on Autotrader. Really? Gone south has been a podcast about crime in the American South. But for our new season, we're widening the lens. Follow and listen to gone South Season 5, wherever you get your shows.