18 or 21? Time for Florida to pick consistent gambling age ...

As the title mentions, I've gotten more and more humble about my draft projections as the misses keep adding up. Still, it's fun to do.
Note: these picks are based on whom I would select at the spot, NOT whom I think the team will select.
(1) Jacksonville: QB Trevor Lawrence, Clemson
Based on pure resume and physical profile, Trevor Lawrence is a generational QB prospect. To my eye, he doesn't look quite as sharp as all that; he's been missing some throws in big games. Still, we have to remind ourselves that he's only 21 and still has some polishing to do. When you have a kid with all the tools to be a franchise QB, you have to trust your coach to get the most out of him.
(2) New York Jets: QB Justin Fields, Ohio State
The Jets' selection of Sam Darnold is a good example of how not to develop a super-young QB. After 3 years, Darnold hasn't improved; if anything, he's regressed. I'm worried about his confidence and his contract going forward, so we're going to wipe the slate clean and start fresh with another young QB.
The idea of going for an Ohio State QB after Dwayne Haskins may be scary, but Fields shows more mobility and presumably more maturity. Again, Haskins is another example of a young QB who needed more time than he got, so a team like the Jets may be wise to grab a bridge QB (Ryan Fitzpatrick? Andy Dalton?) to make sure we don't see another kids' confidence shatter before our eyes.
(3) Miami (via HOU): OT Penei Sewell, Oregon
Based on "need," this isn't the way to go. The Dolphins have invested a ton of draft capital on the offensive line already. Still, I'm going with the most value on the board, and that's Penei Sewell to me. I'm taking a franchise LT over a top WR every day of the week and figuring out the rest (and the line reshuffling) later on.
Frankly, I don't know if I'd ever invest a top 3 pick in a wide receiver unless they were a physical freak (like a Calvin Johnson or Julio Jones). While I like these receivers, they don't clear that bar to me.
(4) Atlanta: DE Patrick Jones II, Pittsburgh
After three safe picks, we're going wildly off the board here with a prospect that some sites don't even consider a first rounder. But when I see those low projections for Patrick Jones, I feel like I'm missing something. Because every time I watch him, I see a top 10 talent with a good combination of power and explosiveness. Of the top d-linemen in the class, he'd be my personal pick to register 10 sacks a year. A pass rusher with legitimate juice off the edge would be exactly what the doctor ordered in Atlanta; hell, they've needed that for about 5 years now.
In theory, the idea of drafting a QB like Zach Wilson and letting him develop behind Matt Ryan is tempting, but it may be a year premature. If they can start Ryan in 2021 and 2022, then they can cut him with only $8.6M in dead money beyond that. I'd rather wait a year to find that heir apparent.
(5) Cincinnati: DE Kwity Paye, Michigan
The offensive line has been an obvious source of concern, but I'd also suggest the defensive line needs a lot of help as well. The team looked like they developed an allergy to sacks. Outside of Carl Lawson, no Bengal had more than 2.0 sacks or 11 QB hits. An athlete like Kwity Paye could help a lot in that regard; he can shift around the line and help shore up that unit. I like him for 4-3 teams a little more than more ballyhooed Greg Rousseau. As far as the OL goes, we'd have to trust Jonah Williams at LT and then load up on supporting help in rounds 2 and 3.
(6) Philadelphia: CB Patrick Surtain II, Alabama
The Eagles allowed opposing QBs to register a 68% completion percentage despite having a top corner in Darius Slay. Clearly, the guy needs some help (especially as he rounds 30). I know a lot of people on the sub aren't sold on Patrick Surtain as CB1 in the class, but I've always been impressed by him. He has enough size and skills to be a long-time starter.
I also considered a WR here, but we're going to have to hope that Jalen Reagor and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside develop into a serviceable tandem at some point. We're talking about kids with the talent to be R1 and R2 picks respectively (even if they may have been slight "reaches.")
(7) Detroit: WR Devonta Smith, Alabama
The Detroit Lions defense is obviously a major concern. They're big and slow and abused often. I wouldn't even rule out another CB despite taking one in the top 5 last year.
Meanwhile, the Lions' passing game doesn't appear to be a major need right now, but the emphasis may be on right now. I don't anticipate them being able re-sign both Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones, so adding another playmaker may be crucial. The common comp to Marvin Harrison makes a lot of sense to me; he reminds me of the Colts great with his quickness, his route running, and his hands.
(8) Carolina: QB Zach Wilson, BYU
QB Teddy Bridgewater is... fine. He's OK. He's accurate. He's likable. He's fine. And at age 28, he could potentially be a "fine" starter for the next 4-5 years. Still, when you have a coordinator like Joe Brady (for now, anyway), you'd want a dominant passing game and I'm not sure Bridgewater will ever give you that. In fact, his success dipped over the course of the season. In terms of 4-game splits, his completion percentage went from 73.1% to 69.8% to 67.0% to 65.9%.
I'm not 100% sold on Zach Wilson yet, but he certainly has some dynamic ability and some higher ceiling. So while a corner like Jaycee Horn may be the safe pick, we'll take a bigger swing here. And as an added bonus, the clean-cut blond kid looks like Christian McCaffrey, so maybe defenses will be confused by that.
(9) Denver: LB Micah Parsons, Penn State
If Zach Wilson had slipped to # 9, the Denver Broncos would be strongly considering him here. But without an obvious R1 option on the board (sorry Kyle Trask), we'll start to plug smaller holes instead.
As good as the Broncos defense may be, their run defense has always lagged behind their pass defense. Drafting a thumper like Micah Parsons may help that. I don't see Parsons as a top 3 talent like some others do, but he'd still be a sure starter and someone who could help their run defense (which allowed 4.8 yards per carry.) Their current ILBs aren't bad, but Parsons can be a Pro Bowler.
(10) Dallas: CB Jaycee Horn, South Carolina
Speaking of defense with some "holes," the Dallas Cowboys may as well be Swiss cheese. They allowed 34 passing touchdowns to quarterbacks and 5.0 yards per carry in the running game. Jaycee Horn isn't going to be able to solve all those problems on his own, but he'd be a nice start. Like the other top corners in the class, he has plus size at 6'1" and can hold up in both facets.
(11) N.Y. Giants: WR Ja'Marr Chase, LSU
2021 is going to be a make or break season for QB Daniel Jones and maybe his GM David Gettleman as well. They both need this passing game to take a major leap up. Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard are fine options, but this is a team that still lacks a true # 1 receiver. I don't view Ja'Marr Chase as a "special" talent like others do, but he should be able to fulfill that need as a traditional primary option. And besides, the combo of Giants and LSU WRs have never gone wrong in the past, right?
(12) San Francisco: CB Caleb Farley, Virginia Tech
Others have Caleb Farley as CB1, while I have him at # 3 right now. Still, his playmaking should be a major threat on a San Francisco team that's able to generate pressure up front.
(13) L.A. Chargers: OT Samuel Cosmi, Texas
The need for a tackle is obvious, but selecting Samuel Cosmi to fill it may be less popular. Still, I like the kid's height and movement ability. Having him mentored by Bryan Bulaga should be good for his development as well.
(14) Minnesota: DT Jay Tufele, USC
Mike Zimmer's defensive line used to be a strength of the team, but that's been deteriorated over time. Jay Tufele is my favorite DT in this class, with some underrated pass rushing juice on top of the sturdiness in the run game. In a vacuum, I may prefer a pure edge rusher, but this isn't the strongest DE class in my mind.
(15) New England: QB Trey Lance, North Dakota State
In the past, I've always been very critical of quarterbacks that I don't trust to win in the pocket. But nowadays, it seems like it's hard to win if you have a quarterback who can't evade pressure, get outside, and make plays with his legs.
Trey Lance may be a wild swing here, but we'd have to presume that Josh McDaniels and company would have the ability to tailor a scheme to fit his strengths.
(16) Arizona: DE Gregory Rousseau, Miami (Fla.)
Florida TE Kyle Pitts would be the clearest upgrade to the depth chart, but it doesn't appear that tight end is a top priority for Kliff Kingsbury's offense. In lieu of that, let's finally take Gregory Rousseau off the board.
Rousseau's one of the most difficult prospects to figure out to me. I didn't really like what I saw in that stellar 15 sack year (it felt like a lot of sloppy technique), but there's a good chance that he refined his game and became a legitimate top 5 prospect. Trouble is: we'd never know it because he didn't play. Still, we'll let the Cards take the gamble. They've been missing a big end like this since they let Calais Campbell go.
(17) Las Vegas: OG Wyatt Davis, Ohio State
Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock built this team to dominate with their running game, but it hasn't come into fruition yet; Josh Jacobs averaged less than 4.0 yards per carry. Beefing up that line should be a continued emphasis. There's some natural concern about Wyatt Davis in R1 after other Buckeye interior linemen have busted, but we have to trust the resume and tape here. This kid should a plug-in starter here, presuming his title game injury is only a minor setback.
(18) Miami: WR Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
Speaking of injury concerns, we have no clue what Jaylen Waddle will look like next season after his terrible injury and terrible decision to come back and get hurt again. Before all that, I would have considered him a top 10 pick. We're going to trust the medical staff here, with the hope that Waddle may be able to get Tua Tagovailoa to trust the deep ball again.

NEW INFO 5 Results from share redemption are posted. Less than .2% redeemed. Very bullish as investors are showing extreme confidence in the future of PLBY.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/playboy-mountain-crest-acquisition-corp-120000721.html
NEW INFO 4 Definitive Agreement to purchase 100% of Lovers brand stores announced 2/1.
https://www.streetinsider.com/Corporate+News/Playboy+%28MCAC%29+Confirms+Deal+to+Acquire+Lovers/17892359.html
NEW INFO 3 I bought more on the dip today. 5081 total. Price rose AH to $12.38 (2.15%)
NEW INFO 2 Here is the full webinar.
https://icrinc.zoom.us/rec/play/9GWKdmOYumjWfZuufW3QXpe_FW_g--qeNbg6PnTjTMbnNTgLmCbWjeRFpQga1iPc-elpGap8dnDv8Zww.yD7DjUwuPmapeEdP?continueMode=true&tk=lEYc4F_FkKlgsmCIs6w0gtGHT2kbgVGbUju3cIRBSjk.DQIAAAAV8NK49xZWdldRM2xNSFNQcTBmcE00UzM3bXh3AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA&uuid=WN_GKWqbHkeSyuWetJmLFkj4g&_x_zm_rtaid=kR45-uuqRE-L65AxLjpbQw.1611967079119.2c054e3d3f8d8e63339273d9175939ed&_x_zm_rhtaid=866
NEW INFO 1 Live merger webinar with PLBY and MCAC on Friday January 29, 2021 at 12:00 NOON EST link below
https://mcacquisition.com/investor-relations/press-release-details/2021/Playboy-Enterprises-Inc.-and-Mountain-Crest-Acquisition-Corp-Participate-in-SPACInsider-ICR-Webinar-on-January-29th-at-12pm-ET/default.aspx
Playboy going public: Porn, Gambling, and Cannabis
!!!WARNING READING AHEAD!!! TL;DR at the end. It will take some time to sort through all the links and read/watch everything, but you should.
In the next couple weeks, Mountain Crest Acquisition Corp is taking Playboy public. The existing ticker MCAC will become PLBY. Special purpose acquisition companies have taken private companies public in recent months with great success. I believe this will be no exception. Notably, Playboy is profitable and has skyrocketing revenue going into a transformational growth phase.
Porn - First and foremost, let's talk about porn. I know what you guys are thinking. “Porno mags are dead. Why would I want to invest in something like that? I can get porn for free online.” Guess what? You are absolutely right. And that’s exactly why Playboy doesn’t do that anymore. That’s right, they eliminated their print division. And yet they somehow STILL make money from porn that people (see: boomers) pay for on their website through PlayboyTV, Playboy Plus, and iPlayboy. Here’s the thing: Playboy has international, multi-generational name recognition from porn. They have content available in 180 countries. It will be the only publicly traded adult entertainment (porn) company. But that is not where this company is going. It will help support them along the way. You can see every Playboy magazine through iPlayboy if you’re interested. NSFW links below:
https://www.playboy.com/
https://www.playboytv.com/
https://www.playboyplus.com/
https://www.iplayboy.com/
Gambling - Some of you might recognize the Playboy brand from gambling trips to places like Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Cancun, London or Macau. They’ve been in the gambling biz for decades through their casinos, clubs, and licensed gaming products. They see the writing on the wall. COVID is accelerating the transition to digital, application based GAMBLING. That’s right. What we are doing on Robinhood with risky options is gambling, and the only reason regulators might give a shit anymore is because we are making too much money. There may be some restrictions put in place, but gambling from your phone on your couch is not going anywhere. More and more states are allowing things like Draftkings, poker, state ‘lottery” apps, hell - even political betting. Michigan and Virginia just ok’d gambling apps. They won’t be the last. This is all from your couch and any 18 year old with a cracked iphone can access it. Wouldn’t it be cool if Playboy was going to do something like that? They’re already working on it. As per CEO Ben Kohn who we will get to later, “...the company’s casino-style digital gaming products with Scientific Games and Microgaming continue to see significant global growth.” Honestly, I stopped researching Scientific Games' sports betting segment when I saw the word ‘omni-channel’. That told me all I needed to know about it’s success.
“Our SG Sports™ platform is an enhanced, omni-channel solution for online, self-service and retail fixed odds sports betting – from soccer to tennis, basketball, football, baseball, hockey, motor sports, racing and more.”
https://www.scientificgames.com/
https://www.microgaming.co.uk/
“This latter segment has become increasingly enticing for Playboy, and it said last week that it is considering new tie-ups that could include gaming operators like PointsBet and 888Holdings.”
https://calvinayre.com/2020/10/05/business/playboys-gaming-ops-could-get-a-boost-from-spac-purchase/
As per their SEC filing:
“Significant consumer engagement and spend with Playboy-branded gaming properties around the world, including with leading partners such as Microgaming, Scientific Games, and Caesar’s Entertainment, steers our investment in digital gaming, sports betting and other digital offerings to further support our commercial strategy to expand consumer spend with minimal marginal cost, and gain consumer data to inform go-to-market plans across categories.”
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgadata/1803914/000110465921005986/tm2034213-12_defm14a.htm#tMDAA1
They are expanding into more areas of gaming/gambling, working with international players in the digital gaming/gambling arena, and a Playboy sportsbook is on the horizon.
https://www.playboy.com/read/the-pleasure-of-playing-with-yourself-mobile-gaming-in-the-covid-era
Cannabis - If you’ve ever read through a Playboy magazine, you know they’ve had a positive relationship with cannabis for many years. As of September 2020, Playboy has made a major shift into the cannabis space. Too good to be true you say? Check their website. Playboy currently sells a range of CBD products. This is a good sign. Federal hemp products, which these most likely are, can be mailed across state lines and most importantly for a company like Playboy, can operate through a traditional banking institution. CBD products are usually the first step towards the cannabis space for large companies. Playboy didn’t make these products themselves meaning they are working with a processor in the cannabis industry. Another good sign for future expansion. What else do they have for sale? Pipes, grinders, ashtrays, rolling trays, joint holders. Hmm. Ok. So it looks like they want to sell some shit. They probably don’t have an active interest in cannabis right? Think again:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/javierhasse/2020/09/24/playboy-gets-serious-about-cannabis-law-reform-advocacy-with-new-partnership-grants/?sh=62f044a65cea
“Taking yet another step into the cannabis space, Playboy will be announcing later on Thursday (September, 2020) that it is launching a cannabis law reform and advocacy campaign in partnership with National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), Last Prisoner Project, Marijuana Policy Project, the Veterans Cannabis Project, and the Eaze Momentum Program.”
“According to information procured exclusively, the three-pronged campaign will focus on calling for federal legalization. The program also includes the creation of a mentorship plan, through which the Playboy Foundation will support entrepreneurs from groups that are underrepresented in the industry.” Remember that CEO Kohn from earlier? He wrote this recently:
https://medium.com/naked-open-letters-from-playboy/congress-must-pass-the-more-act-c867c35239ae
Seems like he really wants weed to be legal? Hmm wonder why? The writing's on the wall my friends. Playboy wants into the cannabis industry, they are making steps towards this end, and we have favorable conditions for legislative progress.
Don’t think branding your own cannabis line is profitable or worthwhile? Tell me why these 41 celebrity millionaires and billionaires are dummies. I’ll wait.
https://www.celebstoner.com/news/celebstoner-news/2019/07/12/top-celebrity-cannabis-brands/
Confirmation: I hear you. “This all seems pretty speculative. It would be wildly profitable if they pull this shift off. But how do we really know?” Watch this whole video:
https://finance.yahoo.com/video/playboy-ceo-telling-story-female-154907068.html
Man - this interview just gets my juices flowing. And highlights one of my favorite reasons for this play. They have so many different business avenues from which a catalyst could appear. I think paying attention, holding shares, and options on these staggered announcements over the next year is the way I am going to go about it. "There's definitely been a shift to direct-to-consumer," he (Kohn) said. "About 50 percent of our revenue today is direct-to-consumer, and that will continue to grow going forward.” “Kohn touted Playboy's portfolio of both digital and consumer products, with casino-style gaming, in particular, serving a crucial role under the company's new business model. Playboy also has its sights on the emerging cannabis market, from CBD products to marijuana products geared toward sexual health and pleasure.” "If THC does become legal in the United States, we have developed certain strains to enhance your sex life that we will launch," Kohn said. https://cheddar.com/media/playboy-goes-public-health-gaming-lifestyle-focus Oh? The CEO actually said it? Ok then. “We have developed certain strains…” They’re already working with growers on strains and genetics? Ok. There are several legal cannabis markets for those products right now, international and stateside. I expect Playboy licensed hemp and THC pre-rolls by EOY. Something like this: https://www.etsy.com/listing/842996758/10-playboy-pre-roll-tubes-limited?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=pre+roll+playboy&ref=sr_gallery-1-2&organic_search_click=1 Maintaining cannabis operations can be costly and a regulatory headache. Playboy’s licensing strategy allows them to pick successful, established partners and sidestep traditional barriers to entry. You know what I like about these new markets? They’re expanding. Worldwide. And they are going to be a bigger deal than they already are with or without Playboy. Who thinks weed and gambling are going away? Too many people like that stuff. These are easy markets. And Playboy is early enough to carve out their spot in each. Fuck it, read this too: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimosman/2020/10/20/playboy-could-be-the-king-of-spacs-here-are-three-picks/?sh=2e13dcaa3e05
Numbers: You want numbers? I got numbers. As per the company’s most recent SEC filing:
“For the year ended December 31, 2019, and the nine months ended September 30, 2020, Playboy’s historical consolidated revenue was $78.1 million and $101.3 million, respectively, historical consolidated net income (loss) was $(23.6) million and $(4.8) million, respectively, and Adjusted EBITDA was $13.1 million and $21.8 million, respectively.”
“In the nine months ended September 30, 2020, Playboy’s Licensing segment contributed $44.2 million in revenue and $31.1 million in net income.”
“In the ninth months ended September 30, 2020, Playboy’s Direct-to-Consumer segment contributed $40.2 million in revenue and net income of $0.1 million.”
“In the nine months ended September 30, 2020, Playboy’s Digital Subscriptions and Content segment contributed $15.4 million in revenue and net income of $7.4 million.”
They are profitable across all three of their current business segments.
“Playboy’s return to the public markets presents a transformed, streamlined and high-growth business. The Company has over $400 million in cash flows contracted through 2029, sexual wellness products available for sale online and in over 10,000 major retail stores in the US, and a growing variety of clothing and branded lifestyle and digital gaming products.”
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgadata/1803914/000110465921005986/tm2034213-12_defm14a.htm#tSHCF
Growth: Playboy has massive growth in China and massive growth potential in India. “In China, where Playboy has spent more than 25 years building its business, our licensees have an enormous footprint of nearly 2,500 brick and mortar stores and 1,000 ecommerce stores selling high quality, Playboy-branded men’s casual wear, shoes/footwear, sleepwear, swimwear, formal suits, leather & non-leather goods, sweaters, active wear, and accessories. We have achieved significant growth in China licensing revenues over the past several years in partnership with strong licensees and high-quality manufacturers, and we are planning for increased growth through updates to our men’s fashion lines and expansion into adjacent categories in men’s skincare and grooming, sexual wellness, and women’s fashion, a category where recent launches have been well received.” The men’s market in China is about the same size as the entire population of the United States and European Union combined. Playboy is a leading brand in this market. They are expanding into the women’s market too. Did you know CBD toothpaste is huge in China? China loves CBD products and has hemp fields that dwarf those in the US. If Playboy expands their CBD line China it will be huge. Did you know the gambling money in Macau absolutely puts Las Vegas to shame? Technically, it's illegal on the mainland, but in reality, there is a lot of gambling going on in China. https://www.forbes.com/sites/javierhasse/2020/10/19/magic-johnson-and-uncle-buds-cbd-brand-enter-china-via-tmall-partnership/?sh=271776ca411e “In India, Playboy today has a presence through select apparel licensees and hospitality establishments. Consumer research suggests significant growth opportunities in the territory with Playboy’s brand and categories of focus.” “Playboy Enterprises has announced the expansion of its global consumer products business into India as part of a partnership with Jay Jay Iconic Brands, a leading fashion and lifestyle Company in India.” “The Indian market today is dominated by consumers under the age of 35, who represent more than 65 percent of the country’s total population and are driving India’s significant online shopping growth. The Playboy brand’s core values of playfulness and exploration resonate strongly with the expressed desires of today’s younger millennial consumers. For us, Playboy was the perfect fit.” “The Playboy international portfolio has been flourishing for more than 25 years in several South Asian markets such as China and Japan. In particular, it has strategically targeted the millennial and gen-Z audiences across categories such as apparel, footwear, home textiles, eyewear and watches.” https://www.licenseglobal.com/industry-news/playboy-expands-global-footprint-india It looks like they gave COVID the heisman in terms of net damage sustained: “Although Playboy has not suffered any material adverse consequences to date from the COVID-19 pandemic, the business has been impacted both negatively and positively. The remote working and stay-at-home orders resulted in the closure of the London Playboy Club and retail stores of Playboy’s licensees, decreasing licensing revenues in the second quarter, as well as causing supply chain disruption and less efficient product development thereby slowing the launch of new products. However, these negative impacts were offset by an increase in Yandy’s direct-to-consumer sales, which have benefited in part from overall increases in online retail sales so far during the pandemic.” Looks like the positives are long term (Yandy acquisition) and the negatives are temporary (stay-at-home orders).
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgadata/1803914/000110465921006093/tm213766-1_defa14a.htm
This speaks to their ability to maintain a financially solvent company throughout the transition phase to the aforementioned areas. They’d say some fancy shit like “expanded business model to encompass four key revenue streams: Sexual Wellness, Style & Apparel, Gaming & Lifestyle, and Beauty & Grooming.” I hear “we’re just biding our time with these trinkets until those dollar dollar bill y’all markets are fully up and running.” But the truth is these existing revenue streams are profitable, scalable, and rapidly expanding Playboy’s e-commerce segment around the world.
"Even in the face of COVID this year, we've been able to grow EBITDA over 100 percent and revenue over 68 percent, and I expect that to accelerate going into 2021," he said. “Playboy is accelerating its growth in company-owned and branded consumer products in attractive and expanding markets in which it has a proven history of brand affinity and consumer spend.”
Also in the SEC filing, the Time Frame:
“As we detailed in the definitive proxy statement, the SPAC stockholder meeting to vote on the transaction has been set for February 9th, and, subject to stockholder approval and satisfaction of the other closing conditions, we expect to complete the merger and begin trading on NASDAQ under ticker PLBY shortly thereafter,” concluded Kohn.
The Players: Suhail “The Whale” Rizvi (HMFIC), Ben “The Bridge” Kohn (CEO), “lil” Suying Liu & “Big” Dong Liu (Young-gun China gang). I encourage you to look these folks up. The real OG here is Suhail Rizvi. He’s from India originally and Chairman of the Board for the new PLBY company. He was an early investor in Twitter, Square, Facebook and others. His firm, Rizvi Traverse, currently invests in Instacart, Pinterest, Snapchat, Playboy, and SpaceX. Maybe you’ve heard of them. “Rizvi, who owns a sprawling three-home compound in Greenwich, Connecticut, and a 1.65-acre estate in Palm Beach, Florida, near Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg, moved to Iowa Falls when he was five. His father was a professor of psychology at Iowa. Along with his older brother Ashraf, a hedge fund manager, Rizvi graduated from Wharton business school.” “Suhail Rizvi: the 47-year-old 'unsocial' social media baron: When Twitter goes public in the coming weeks (2013), one of the biggest winners will be a 47-year-old financier who guards his secrecy so zealously that he employs a person to take down his Wikipedia entry and scrub his photos from the internet. In IPO, Twitter seeks to be 'anti-FB'” “Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia looks like a big Twitter winner. So do the moneyed clients of Jamie Dimon. But as you’ve-got-to-be-joking wealth washed over Twitter on Thursday — a company that didn’t exist eight years ago was worth $31.7 billion after its first day on the stock market — the non-boldface name of the moment is Suhail R. Rizvi. Mr. Rizvi, 47, runs a private investment company that is the largest outside investor in Twitter with a 15.6 percent stake worth $3.8 billion at the end of trading on Thursday (November, 2013). Using a web of connections in the tech industry and in finance, as well as a hearty dose of good timing, he brought many prominent names in at the ground floor, including the Saudi prince and some of JPMorgan’s wealthiest clients.” https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/08/technology/at-twitter-working-behind-the-scenes-toward-a-billion-dollar-payday.html Y’all like that Arab money? How about a dude that can call up Saudi Princes and convince them to spend? Funniest shit about I read about him: “Rizvi was able to buy only $100 million in Facebook shortly before its IPO, thus limiting his returns, according to people with knowledge of the matter.” Poor guy :(
He should be fine with the 16 million PLBY shares he's going to have though :)
Shuhail also has experience in the entertainment industry. He’s invested in companies like SESAC, ICM, and Summit Entertainment. He’s got Hollywood connections to blast this stuff post-merger. And he’s at least partially responsible for that whole Twilight thing. I’m team Edward btw.
I really like what Suhail has done so far. He’s lurked in the shadows while Kohn is consolidating the company, trimming the fat, making Playboy profitable, and aiming the ship at modern growing markets.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-twitter-ipo-rizvi-insight/insight-little-known-hollywood-investor-poised-to-score-with-twitter-ipo-idUSBRE9920VW20131003
Ben “The Bridge” Kohn is an interesting guy. He’s the connection between Rizvi Traverse and Playboy. He’s both CEO of Playboy and was previously Managing Partner at Rizvi Traverse. Ben seems to be the voice of the Playboy-Rizvi partnership, which makes sense with Suhail’s privacy concerns. Kohn said this:
“Today is a very big day for all of us at Playboy and for all our partners globally. I stepped into the CEO role at Playboy in 2017 because I saw the biggest opportunity of my career. Playboy is a brand and platform that could not be replicated today. It has massive global reach, with more than $3B of global consumer spend and products sold in over 180 countries. Our mission – to create a culture where all people can pursue pleasure – is rooted in our 67-year history and creates a clear focus for our business and role we play in people’s lives, providing them with the products, services and experiences that create a lifestyle of pleasure. We are taking this step into the public markets because the committed capital will enable us to accelerate our product development and go-to-market strategies and to more rapidly build our direct to consumer capabilities,” said Ben Kohn, CEO of Playboy.
“Playboy today is a highly profitable commerce business with a total addressable market projected in the trillions of dollars,” Mr. Kohn continued, “We are actively selling into the Sexual Wellness consumer category, projected to be approximately $400 billion in size by 2024, where our recently launched intimacy products have rolled out to more than 10,000 stores at major US retailers in the United States. Combined with our owned & operated ecommerce Sexual Wellness initiatives, the category will contribute more than 40% of our revenue this year. In our Apparel and Beauty categories, our collaborations with high-end fashion brands including Missguided and PacSun are projected to achieve over $50M in retail sales across the US and UK this year, our leading men’s apparel lines in China expanded to nearly 2500 brick and mortar stores and almost 1000 digital stores, and our new men’s and women’s fragrance line recently launched in Europe. In Gaming, our casino-style digital gaming products with Scientific Games and Microgaming continue to see significant global growth. Our product strategy is informed by years of consumer data as we actively expand from a purely licensing model into owning and operating key high-growth product lines focused on driving profitability and consumer lifetime value. We are thrilled about the future of Playboy. Our foundation has been set to drive further growth and margin, and with the committed capital from this transaction and our more than $180M in NOLs, we will take advantage of the opportunity in front of us, building to our goal of $100M of adjusted EBITDA in 2025.”
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201001005404/en/Playboy-to-Become-a-Public-Company
Also, according to their Form 4s, “Big” Dong Liu and “lil” Suying Liu just loaded up with shares last week. These guys are brothers and seem like the Chinese market connection. They are only 32 & 35 years old. I don’t even know what that means, but it's provocative.
https://www.secform4.com/insider-trading/1832415.htm
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mountain-crest-acquisition-corp-ii-002600994.html
Y’all like that China money?
“Mr. Liu has been the Chief Financial Officer of Dongguan Zhishang Photoelectric Technology Co., Ltd., a regional designer, manufacturer and distributor of LED lights serving commercial customers throughout Southern China since November 2016, at which time he led a syndicate of investments into the firm. Mr. Liu has since overseen the financials of Dongguan Zhishang as well as provided strategic guidance to its board of directors, advising on operational efficiency and cash flow performance. From March 2010 to October 2016, Mr. Liu was the Head of Finance at Feidiao Electrical Group Co., Ltd., a leading Chinese manufacturer of electrical outlets headquartered in Shanghai and with businesses in the greater China region as well as Europe.”
Dr. Suying Liu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Mountain Crest Acquisition Corp., commented, “Playboy is a unique and compelling investment opportunity, with one of the world’s largest and most recognized brands, its proven consumer affinity and spend, and its enormous future growth potential in its four product segments and new and existing geographic regions. I am thrilled to be partnering with Ben and his exceptional team to bring his vision to fruition.”
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201001005404/en/Playboy-to-Become-a-Public-Company
These guys are good. They have a proven track record of success across multiple industries. Connections and money run deep with all of these guys. I don’t think they’re in the game to lose.
I was going to write a couple more paragraphs about why you should have a look at this but really the best thing you can do is read this SEC filing from a couple days ago. It explains the situation in far better detail. Specifically, look to page 137 and read through their strategy. Also, look at their ownership percentages and compensation plans including the stock options and their prices. The financials look great, revenue is up 90% Q3, and it looks like a bright future.
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgadata/1803914/000110465921005986/tm2034213-12_defm14a.htm#tSHCF
I’m hesitant to attach this because his position seems short term, but I’m going to with a warning because he does hit on some good points (two are below his link) and he’s got a sizable position in this thing (500k+ on margin, I think). I don’t know this guy but he did look at the same publicly available info and make roughly the same prediction, albeit without the in depth gambling or cannabis mention. You can also search reddit for ‘MCAC’ and very few relevant results come up and none of them even come close to really looking at this thing.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gOvAd6lebs452hFlWWbxVjQ3VMsjGBkbJeXRwDwIJfM/edit?usp=sharing
“Also, before you people start making claims that Playboy is a “boomer” company, STOP RIGHT THERE. This is not a good argument. Simply put. The only thing that matters is Playboy’s name recognition, not their archaic business model which doesn’t even exist anymore as they have completely repurposed their business.”
“Imagine not buying $MCAC at a 400M valuation lol. Streetwear department is worth 1B alone imo.”
Considering the ridiculous Chinese growth as a lifestyle brand, he’s not wrong.
Current Cultural Significance and Meme Value: A year ago I wouldn’t have included this section but the events from the last several weeks (even going back to tsla) have proven that a company’s ability to meme and/or gain social network popularity can have an effect. Tik-tok, Snapchat, Twitch, Reddit, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter. They all have Playboy stuff on them. Kids in middle and highschool know what Playboy is but will likely never see or touch one of the magazines in person. They’ll have a Playboy hoodie though. Crazy huh? A lot like GME, PLBY would hugely benefit from meme-value stock interest to drive engagement towards their new business model while also building strategic coffers. This interest may not directly and/or significantly move the stock price but can generate significant interest from larger players who will.
Bull Case: The year is 2025. Playboy is now the world leader pleasure brand. They began by offering Playboy licensed gaming products, including gambling products, direct to consumers through existing names. By 2022, demand has skyrocketed and Playboy has designed and released their own gambling platforms. In 2025, they are also a leading cannabis brand in the United States and Canada with proprietary strains and products geared towards sexual wellness. Cannabis was legalized in the US in 2023 when President Biden got glaucoma but had success with cannabis treatment. He personally pushes for cannabis legalization as he steps out of office after his first term. Playboy has also grown their brand in China and India to multi-billion per year markets. The stock goes up from 11ish to 100ish and everyone makes big gains buying somewhere along the way.
Bear Case: The United States does a complete 180 on marijuana and gambling. President Biden overdoses on marijuana in the Lincoln bedroom when his FDs go tits up and he loses a ton of money in his sports book app after the Fighting Blue Hens narrowly lose the National Championship to Bama. Playboy is unable to expand their cannabis and gambling brands but still does well with their worldwide lifestyle brand. They gain and lose some interest in China and India but the markets are too large to ignore them completely. The stock goes up from 11ish to 13ish and everyone makes 15-20% gains.
TL;DR: Successful technology/e-commerce investment firm took over Playboy to turn it into a porn, online gambling/gaming, sports book, cannabis company, worldwide lifestyle brand that promotes sexual wellness, vetern access, women-ownership, minority-ownership, and “pleasure for all”. Does a successful online team reinventing an antiquated physical copy giant sound familiar? No options yet, shares only for now. $11.38 per share at time of writing. My guess? $20 by the end of February. $50 by EOY. This is not financial advice. I am not qualified to give financial advice. I’m just sayin’ I would personally use a Playboy sports book app while smoking a Playboy strain specific joint and it would be cool if they did that. Do your own research. You’d probably want to start here:
WARNING - POTENTIALLY NSFW - SEXY MODELS AHEAD - no actual nudity though
https://s26.q4cdn.com/895475556/files/doc_presentations/Playboy-Craig-Hallum-Conference-Investor-Presentation-11_17_20-compressed.pdf
Or here:
https://www.mcacquisition.com/investor-relations/default.aspx
Jimmy Chill: “Get into any SPAC at $10 or $11 and you are going to make money.”
STL;DR: Buy MCAC. MCAC > PLBY couple weeks. Rocketship. Moon.
Position: 5000 shares. I will buy short, medium, and long-dated calls once available.

Note: I was technically supposed to post this earlier this week, but noticed that no one was signed up for today (plus I was super busy earlier), so I'm posting a bit late, under a throwaway account! Fair warning: I'm VERY verbose, so this will be long!
Section One: Assets and Debt
As I mentioned above, I make $56k per year as an administrator in higher education. My husband (K) just got a raise to making $155k per year. He works as a lawyer, has been in the workforce for about 12 years. I won't get into too many details but he works for a small boutique firm, not Biglaw. He also sometimes gets a yearly bonus of around $10k-20k but it's not guaranteed or anything like that. K and I have totally combined finances, so the below numbers are for both of us. I have a humanities PhD but I decided to leave academia and find an alt-ac job. My current position has good work-life balance (I never work past 5 pm), but pays terribly and my university is very badly run. I'm hoping to leave higher education all together in the future and am currently enrolled in a certificate program to try to make a career transition to instructional design.
The big elephant in the room is that my husband, K, makes a lot more money than me. When we first met, he was paying off massive amounts of student loans and making much less, and I was debt free with a lot of savings, so we both spent about the same amount. Now he makes 3x what I make and we are both debt-free, so the difference is much more noticeable. We do argue about money sometimes (more in the past), but the reality is that I have a humanities PhD and will likely never out earn him, and he knew that when I married him, lol. Because of all the labor I do around the house and in our lives to support him as he works a much more intense job, I was very clear that I believed we should split our finances equally as soon as we got married. We don't have separate accounts and we generally check in with one another whenever we are planning to spend more than $100. This system works for us for now.
I also want to address the question about parental or family support. Although I technically paid all of my own bills since I got my Bachelor's degree, my parents supported me a lot by paying for my flights home to visit at Christmas or in the summer as Xmas presents/birthday presents. My parents also paid for my undergraduate degree (and K's parents paid for his undergraduate degree as well). They also gave us about $15k to pay for our wedding.
Finally, my parents recently gave me $20k as an "early inheritance." They told me they plan to do this every year (depending on the stock market). We put this money into a brokerage. I don't consider my parents rich, as they both worked hourly jobs in health care my entire life (as a nurse and respiratory therapist - both with only associate's degrees). We never owned a new car, when we went on vacation we stayed in hostels , and shopped almost exclusively at Goodwill. But they scrimped and saved and now they have over $1 million in a retirement account. So I want to acknowledge my financial privilege in that I came from this kind of background. K's parents are similar.
Retirement Balance: $186k (combination of 401k, 403b, 457, 2 Roth IRAs, and taxable brokerage account).
Equity: None, we rent.
Savings account balance: Approximately $45k.
Checking account balance: Right now, around 8k.
Credit card debt: Right now, around $3k. But we pay it off each month with our checking account balance.
Student loan debt: $0. We finally paid off my husband’s law school loans (around $130k), last year. I didn’t have any student loans from undergrad (parents paid) and my MA & PhD were fully funded.
Section Two: Income
Income Progression: I’ve been working in my current field for 3 years. I started off making about $53k and got tiny 2% “merit increases” twice. Then in July my payroll title was changed, which triggered a required raise of about $2k. (I am dramatically underpaid).
Before my current position, I was in academia. I worked as a visiting assistant professor for one year at my alma mater (made $50k for 9 months of work) and before that I was a graduate student for 7 years. I was paid $18k-21k in stipends each year and my tuition & benefits were covered. Luckily, I lived in a very low cost of living area and this was enough for me to live on without going into debt. I got my PhD in 2017. Before I was a graduate student, I taught English in Japan for three years and made around $36k per year. In high school and college, I had random jobs that provided grocery/spending money, but I was lucky enough to have parents that paid my tuition and my rent in college.
I’m currently trying to make a career change (as you will see in my diary) and enrolled in a certificate program which runs from Autumn 2020 to Spring 2021 in order to help with that.
Main Job Monthly Take Home: $7,634. This probably seems low relative to our joint income, but we max out our 401k (K) and 403b (me). I work for the state government, which means I’m also eligible for something called a Deferred Compensation Plan (457b). This is basically the same as a 401k but you can withdraw contributions and gains from the account at any age without penalty (of course, you still have to pay taxes). I also max this out, and the limit is the same as a 401k/403b - $19.5k. Also this number is before K’s raise is accounted for. It won’t increase until his end of February paycheck.
Other deductions - I have health insurance taken out (about $80 a month for me, K’s firm covers his premiums) and taxes. WA has no state taxes, so it’s only federal taxes. I used to have to pay $50 / month for a bus pass (K's was free), but I don’t pay any longer because I’m working from home during COVID.
Final note - the sum I mentioned in the headline includes a variable bonus my husband gets. My base pay is $56k and his is $155k (as of February 1). This year he also got a bonus of $20k, which is set up a bit strangely. About $4k of this was structured as a 3% matching contribution to his 401k and the rest was taxable income. In small law firms, it’s unusual to get any 401k match so this was nice.
Side Gig Monthly Take Home: None.
Any Other Monthly Income Here: We get some interest from our savings account… like $25 a month.
Section Three: Expenses
Rent: Rent comes to approximately $2,050 total for a one-bedroom apartment. Rent itself is $1886, then we have pet rent ($25 per month), bicycle parking ($15 a month) and water / sewage / gas, which is usually $120-150 (variable cost).
Renters insurance: $157.76, paid annually. $13 a month.
Retirement contribution: In addition to the 401k, 403b, and 457, which all come out before taxes, we max out our Roth IRAs. That means $500 each per month per person (for a yearly total of $6k each). As I noted up top, we match out our 401k and 403b (19,500 each) and our 457. My employee also offers a 7.5% match. K's employee offers a 3% match but it is included in his yearly bonus so it's not guaranteed (confusing).
Savings contribution: We put $500 per month into our emergency fund. We also put about $860 a month into our “sinking fund,” which covers large and small annual or sporadic purchases such as vacations, gifts, Amazon Prime renewal, car insurance and renters insurance, etc.
Investment contribution: $875 per month into a taxable brokerage at Vanguard.
In total, we save about 47% of our gross income. We can do this because we keep our housing cost low relative to our high income, we don’t have any debt remaining, we don’t have any kids or parents who need financial support, and we’re very privileged in a lot of ways. We are hoping to FIRE within 10 years.
Debt payments: None.
Donations: We budget $100 per month for donations, which includes one-time donations as well as some reoccurring donations. My husband does pro bono work as well. I would like to increase this by quite a bit, but I still have a hard time budgeting for donations because I spent 7 years living on approximately $20k a year. To go from that to making more than 10x that amount within 3-4 years is obviously something that I am very privileged for, but it is still hard for me emotionally to comprehend at times.
Electric: ~$50-100 (billed every other month)
Wifi/Cable/Landline: An extortionate $87.12 for slow internet that only works for Zoom calls about half the time. Do I really live in one of the tech cities of the future?
Cellphone: $170 (This includes both service and paying off two new iPhones. We could have paid them off up front, but it was actually cheaper by like $50 to go on a payment plan.)
Subscriptions: BritBox ($7.70), Spotify ($16.50), HBOMax ($16.50), We Hate Movies Patreon (my favorite podcast - $8.81). My parents pay for Netflix and my sister pays for Hulu, and we all share.
Gym membership: None. K and I both run and do yoga with YouTube videos. Before the pandemic, we went to yoga classes pretty frequently in person. I’d like to do some online synchronous yoga classes but find it hard to make time.
Pet expenses: Varies, but I budget $50 per month and also include an emergency fund for my cat’s vet bills in our sinking fund. She’s 11 years old and probably asthmatic, so I know her vet bills are going to increase over time.
Car payment / insurance: We own our car outright. Insurance billed yearly is $2,097, about $174 per month.
Regular therapy: $0
Paid hobbies: Nothing regular, sporadic language classes and art supplies.
Other expenses: Right now I’m doing a certificate to hopefully help with a career change. The total cost for tuition is about $5k and we already saved it up (included in our 'sinking fund') basically through spending less during the pandemic. I’ve paid two quarters so far, and the last quarter (due in March) will be a bit more - about $2.3k.
__________
Day 1
Morning: I wake up at 5:30 am. Ever since the pandemic, my sleep schedule has been shot. At first, I was so happy not to have to leave the house at 7:15 for my 45 minute bus commute and I slept in a lot. But the stress (and maybe getting old?) has made me an early riser, no matter how much I try to sleep in. I do value my early mornings with just me, my cat, and my coffee, though.
I start work at 8 am and begin by triaging my emails. I have a bunch of deadlines this week, so it’s busier than usual. My job tends to be very seasonal, and sometimes I have a ton of work and sometimes I have none and can work on other longer-term projects. I have a piece of toast for breakfast and place a Whole Foods delivery order for the following day at 10:30 am. We made a meal plan and put everything in the cart the day before ($117.36, including tip).
Afternoon: I have my lunch break from noon to 1 pm. It doesn’t really matter when I take my lunch break, since I’m salaried, but the others in my office are hourly so in the before times we used to always close our office during the same time. I have a piece of leftover delivery pizza and some spinach risotto that I made a few days earlier. I also have half a brownie – the last one from a batch I made a few days ago (K gets the other half). He also has leftovers for lunch.
I should say at this point that both K and I are lucky enough to have been working almost entirely from home since early March. An area near Seattle was one of the first places to get hit by COVID-19, and my state and both of our employers have been taking it very seriously ever since. Working from home hasn’t always been easy since we live in a 600-square foot apartment. Also, there is a three-story townhouse being built directly next door to us and I can hear the pounding in my dreams at this point.
Around 2 pm, I go for a 2-mile run. I feel like some money diarists tend to toss off things like “oh, I went for an easy 7 mile run,” at the drop of a hat, so I want to be clear – running for 2 miles isn’t easy for me; it’s exhausting, annoying, sweaty, and generally gross. Also I am very slow. But it has kept me sane during quarantine.
Meanwhile, my husband goes to our local pet store to get an enzymatic cleaner (our cat peed in one of our suitcases… I think it’s probably a lost cause, but it was basically brand new, so worth a try) and special weight-loss cat food. Our cat is an 11-year-old rescue from the Humane Society and she is a chonky girl. We had to sign a waiver when we adopted her, saying that we understood that she was very overweight, lol. Our vet recommended a special diet food, rather than just restricting her intake as we have been doing, so we will give it a try ($78). My husband also stops buy our local wine store and picks up two bottles. We’ve been doing a dry January, so this will be our first drink for a while ($27.53).
I have a phone interview scheduled for 4 pm – just a preliminary interview with an internal recruiter. It’s the first ‘corporate’ job interview I’ve ever had, since I’ve been in academia my entire life. I’m trying to make a pivot into instructional design / training and development. I’m just excited to get an interview. It seems to go pretty well, but who knows. They tell me they will probably get back to me by the end of this week.
Evening: My husband whips up a random meal of fridge remnants – pesto pasta with sausage and a fridge salad with feta and bell peppers. It’s pretty tasty with a little Sauvignon Blanc. During dinner, we play a card game we call gin rummy, although it bears no resemblance to the actual game. After dinner, I make a chocolate cake with orange buttercream frosting and we watch Cobra Kai.
Daily total: $222.89
Day 2
Morning: Up early again, a piece of toast for breakfast (very exciting). We’re out of eggs until our Whole Foods order arrives. I’m working on creating some tedious but necessary spreadsheets this morning.
Noon: Our Whole Foods order arrives around noon. Excitement! They’ve given us a half-rotten bag of romaine lettuce and substituted pecans for hazelnuts. I should probably just double mask and go to Trader Joe’s myself (our regular spot, only a 5-minute walk from my apartment). I’m just getting anxious about these new variants.
I have leftover meatloaf and spinach risotto again for lunch. Lots of meetings and more organizing spreadsheets in the afternoon. Around 3 pm, I go for my daily ritual - a 20-minute walk around my neighborhood. It’s still raining slightly but I need to get out. Halfway through the walk, I get an email from my apartment manager telling me the apartment will no longer accept debit card payments, direct deposit, or credit card payments for paying rent. In other words, only checks or money orders (?!). Ugh. Our lease is up in 4 months and we will not be renewing our lease. Our last apartment manager was a gambling addict who may have been stealing people’s identities, but by God, he kept things working. Ever since they fired him, this place has been going downhill.
Evening: I check my bank statements to update my budget spreadsheet and realize that I have been billed the wrong amount of rent. They actually charged me less than they should have. I don’t trust my apartment manager not to start charging me a late fee or something for this, so I call them up. They are baffled by how to fix this, which you would think would be the one thing you would want to get right, if you’re renting out apartments.
K cooks dinner – steak with a Roquefort sauce and glazed brussels sprouts. It’s from a French cookbook we recently bought and it is delicious. I work on classwork for my certificate program while he cooks. After dinner, I do the dishes and buy the 13th season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. I watch the first episode – lots of shocking twists and turns! I’m planning to watch the rest of the episodes together with my younger sister, M ($22.01).
Daily total: $22.01
Day 3
Morning: K has an 8 am dentist appointment, so he takes off early. He already paid for the work last month, so there’s no charge. I have a piece of toast for breakfast and get to work checking my emails. It’s 8:20 am and the construction crew building a townhouse next door is blasting mariachi music. I’m glad someone is having fun. At least the sun is coming out.
Someone at work has made a critical error, but it wasn’t me, thank God. I was the one who found out about it, but it’s still going to cause a big old headache for me. I’m ready to be done with this job. K and I go for a run so that I can exhaust myself enough to no longer be furious about said careless error.
Noon: I have leftover spinach risotto and meatloaf again – exciting. I’m busy at work but frankly, not a lot going on other than that. Still no word about fixing my rent payments. I’m not really willing to pursue this any further at this point.
Evening: I start making chili (Turkey Chili from the NY Times) and cornbread (from my new cookbook, Jubilee). K is doing some work on our investments when he announces that, somehow, a transfer was scheduled from our checking account to our savings account of $55k (?!) We obviously don’t have $55k in our checking account, so we start frantically trying to figure out what’s going on. Numerous phone calls later, we still don’t know if that was a hack, if my husband somehow mistakenly scheduled the transfer himself, or if the bank messed it up. Either way, it doesn’t seem like any harm was done since the bank with our checking account just declined the transaction. But it seems really strange and worrisome. We get to work changing the passwords on all of our accounts, just in case it was some kind of hack.
After dinner (and chocolate cake), I have a Zoom happy hour with a local friend. We occasionally see each other outside but it’s nice to have a longer chat from the comfort of our living rooms. We both love murder mysteries, so we signed up for a service where a company sends us letters with clues and we try to solve the mystery together. It’s a fun way to stay connected and look forward to something during the pandemic. The service costs about $15 per month, but I paid for it in lump sum for 3 months, so it’s not included in my budget above. I drink some wine and we vent about work (we work at the same place) before getting started on the puzzle.
Daily total: $0
Day 4
Morning: I sleep in a bit, which is nice. Get up around 7 am. My parents are both getting their 2nd vaccine today – they’re both in their 70s and I am so relieved. I send my mom a “congratulations on being vaccinated!” text and we chat for a bit. I have leftover cornbread with honey and butter for breakfast – soooo good.
Work is not particularly exciting today, but someone sends me a last-minute request for something that does not need to be so urgent. I feel annoyed. Still no word from the interviewers on Monday, and I’m beginning to suspect I wasn’t selected to move forward. Too bad. K pays for a Wordpress website for the year (it’s a work-related website, but sadly his work doesn’t reimburse him). It costs $92.48.
Noon: The mariachi music is particularly loud today. I stand out on my balcony in the sun for a while and watch the workers. It’s been interesting seeing a house go up next door in real time, especially since I’m at home all the time. The workers are balancing on the top of the third story wall without, as far as I can see, anything like a safety line. It seems unsafe, but I presume they know what they’re doing.
We booked a cabin for the upcoming weekend in the Hood Canal region of Washington to do some hiking and birdwatching. I want to be as safe as possible and not go to any grocery stores or risk spreading COVID in any way while I’m there, so I place another grocery order with Whole Foods just for some special treats for the weekend. The cabin has a small kitchen and a grill, so we’re planning to make a fancy steak salad on Saturday. I order chips and hummus, some fancy cheese and meats, Tate’s cookies (I’ve heard a lot of good things about these), a baguette, and the ingredients for the steak salad. I also order a few staples I forgot in our last order, like sweet potatoes, more coffee, and half and half. It comes to $87.41, including tip, but that does include like $30 worth of steak. For some reason, I can’t order a small amount of steak online, so I’m planning to freeze half of it for later. (I include this purchase in our vacation fund budget, rather than under our regular grocery budget).
Around 2 pm, K makes a quick trip to our local wine store to buy an Oregon pinot noir and some port to enjoy at the cabin ($59.45). This store has an outdoor walk-up counter where you can tell the owner what you’re looking for, and he brings you some options (the store is way too small to allow customers to enter during Covid). It’s fun to chat with another human being, even briefly.
Evening: After work, we spend a little time rebalancing our investing and retirement accounts. We decide to put more money into bonds and a little bit into REIT’s as a hedge against a potential crash or recession in the future. Then I start making dinner – Broken Eggs (Huevas Rotas) from the NY Times cooking site. You basically cook the potatoes in a skillet in water, spices, and olive oil, and then sauté them to crisp them up once the water evaporates. Then you add onion, lots of garlic, and finally some eggs. It is delicious. I eat it with leftover cornbread while watching RuPaul’s Drag Race season 13 with my sister – we watch the first two episodes. It’s full of twists and turns. A note about this – we have an elaborate procedure for watching shows together developed during quarantine whereby we start the show at the same with an earbud in one ear, while FaceTiming. I also have chocolate cake, of course.
Later, I get an email that I’ve signed up for HBO on Amazon Prime. I definitely have not. I text my mom, who shares my account, and she tells me she signed up by mistake. I cancel right away and luckily they won’t charge us for it.
Meanwhile, K is doing an online Japanese language class over Zoom. He’s been interested in learning ever since we went to Japan last January. I lived in Japan for 3 years so I was able to take us around to a lot of more obscure places and he really enjoyed the trip – it was a blast.
K starts a YouTube yoga class (from Do Yoga With Me – my favorite channel) and I join him for part of it before bed around 10 pm.
Daily total: $239.34
Day 5
Morning: I get up around 7 am and we go for a run first thing. I prefer running early in the morning because there are fewer people to avoid during COVID. We do a different route today – it’s longer (3 miles) but has fewer hills. It’s a slog, as always, but I feel good when I get back right around 8 am. I jump straight onto my computer to start checking work emails and my husband makes us avocado and egg toast for breakfast - it is absolutely delicious.
We talk about how our bathroom smells distinctly mildewy (yay for being a grown-up because I guess this is what we talk about now) and we buy two big buckets of DampRid on Amazon ($26.60). I’ve found this to be a necessity in Seattle. Mid-morning, I take a break from work and start packing for our trip to the cabin.
Noon: I have leftover potatoes and cornbread for lunch, and my husband has the leftover chili. We finish getting ready to leave and head out right after lunch, taking a half day. The only problem is that I have attend a meeting at 3:30 pm, so we head out hoping to get there in time. Our cabin is near Quilcene in the Hood Canal region of Washington, about a 2 hour drive or a 2 hour ferry ride + drive. We are initially planning to take the ferry both ways, but realize that we mistimed the ferry departure, so we drive the whole way instead. Luckily, there’s little traffic mid-day, and we arrive at our Airbnb around 3:00 pm.
The Airbnb is beautiful! It’s a small cabin handmade by the owner, whose house is next door. It’s very rural, with a beautiful view. It’s tiny, but has a little kitchen and a waterfall-style shower with river rocks on the floor. It’s a great place to get away for a short time. Luckily, it also has good reception and I’m able to sit in on my meeting with no problems. My husband also does a little work, and then at 5 pm we’re free!
In our planning, we decided to get takeout on Friday night, since the little kitchen isn’t designed for any serious cooking. We call ahead to a local restaurant to order burgers (one of only 2 restaurants in the whole town). It’s around 5:30 pm and the place is deserted. It’s a microbrewery, but they tell us they haven’t been making beer since COVID-19 hit. None of the workers are wearing masks when I walk in, but they put them on when they see I’m wearing one. I pick up our order - a few bottled beers and burgers and fries ($49.52 including tip).
Back at our Airbnb, we watch Big Trouble in Little China and enjoy our very messy, but delicious, burgers (it costs $4.39 to rent). The movie is very campy but fun. I love silly action movies, as you will see with my other viewing choices. We wrap up the night in a very exciting fashion, eating chocolate cake and watching old episodes of the original Star Trek.
Daily total: $80.51
Day 6
Morning & noon: When we wake up around 8 am, the weather is looking thankfully clear and even sunny! We were expecting rain, so we’re really glad. We decide to go hiking today, and we head out before even having breakfast, with snacks and lunches packed. Our first destination is a hike called Mt. Zion, but unfortunately, we run into enough snow 2 miles before the trailhead that we decide to turn back. We don’t have any traction for our Subaru and don’t want to risk getting stuck on a very narrow mountain road. Instead, we drive another hour or so to the Lena Lake trailhead, a very popular and less strenuous trail. It’s about 7.5 miles roundtrip with 1200 feet of elevation gain.
By this time, it’s around 11:30, but luckily there is still parking. It’s a great hike up, and we run into relatively few people. We always mask up whenever we pass anyone, as does about 50% of the people we meet. The others… not so much. Around a mile from the lake, we start to run into snow. It’s turned into a beautiful sunny day, and I’m loving seeing all this snow! It’s a bit slippery, but not too bad. We make it to the lake mid-day, and it’s super jammed – there’s only a small viewpoint accessible, so everyone is crowded in there. I feel a bit uneasy with all the unmasked people, but we manage to find a spot away from the crowd and sit down to eat our lunch of apples, chips, and energy bars. There are a ton of robber jays there (Canada Jays) which try to eat our chips. It is fun watching them, but I’m annoyed to see some kids feeding them – it’ll just make them that much more aggressive. Bad trail manners.
On our way back down, we get stuck behind a group of 5 unmasked adults, who refuse to cede the narrow trail to faster hikers. I’m a slow hiker myself, so, to be clear, I’m not angry at slower walkers being on the trail but have some self-awareness and let people pass! especially if you’re going to go hiking in a big group during a pandemic! We finally get back down and head back to our Airbnb.
Evening: Back home, we explore some of the trails our Airbnb host has set up around his extensive property, and then relax on the deck. The sun is breaking through the clouds and it feels wonderful to sit out in nature and feel the sun on my back. We open up a bottle of wine and have a few pre-dinner snacks (more chips and hummus). For this night, we brought ingredients to make a steak salad. Our Airbnb host has kindly set up a charcoal grill for us, so we grilled the steak and toast some bread on the side.
We eat dinner while watching the truly terrible Jean Claude Van Damme movie Bloodsport and finish up the very last of my chocolate cake. It’s amazing that anyone ever let Van Damme act… or should I say ‘act.’ I also have a Tate’s chocolate chip cookie or two, accompanied by a little port. My husband and I are truly very old people at heart, so we finish up the night watching a few episodes of Columbo.
Daily total: $0
Day 7
Morning: Unfortunately, K had insomnia last night, so he sleeps in pretty late. I drink coffee in bed and enjoy looking at the view out our big windows. Once he’s up, we get packed up and write a thank you note for our host. It was a great stay.
One of my big hobbies is birding and K enjoys wildlife photography, so we go out to look for some lifers! (The first time you see a new species of bird). Did I mention we are very old people in (relatively) young bodies? We first go to Dosewallips State Park and see some bald eagles, great blue herons, lots of various ducks, and a flock of Canada Geese, which, strangely, includes a domesticated gray goose. He’s much larger than the Canada Geese and seems to be watching over them. It’s kind of cute. Unfortunately, a lot of the birds are too far from shore to be seen clearly.
Our next stop is Point No Point (I love all the sad & disappointed names that early Westerner explorers gave places in the Washington/Oregon coast), a popular birding spot. We see a ton of birds here, and I can understand why it’s so well-known - Red-Breasted Mergansers, Western Grebes, Common Goldeneyes, Pacific Loons, and a few others I can’t identify yet. Most excitingly though, we see a whole pile of otters! They’re lounging around together on a rock just offshore and a ton of people are watching. We watch as they all slip off the rock and go hunting in the shore. It’s my first otter sighting in the wild, and it’s so cool! We also see some seals and possibly a sea lion. It’s a great spot for wildlife. We eat some snacks (hummus, chips, some sliced meat & cheese) before we head out.
I really want to come back to this area another time and explore further, but K has decided that we need to get back home in time for the Big Game. We take the 3:00 pm ferry back to Seattle ($16.40) and get home around 3:45 pm. I veg out at home while my husband watches football. He’s a Patriots fan but he still loves Tom Brady (??) so he’s happy to see Florida win. I don’t understand sports team loyalties at all, but whatever, I’m glad he’s happy. We order from a new Indian place called Spice Box and get vindaloo, roganjosh, and vegetables pakora – so tasty ($53.96). Happily, there’s enough left over for lunch the next day, since I have no plans for what we will eat yet!
I’m really dreading work the next day, as I know that it will be obnoxious. I want to get out of my job so badly, but it doesn’t look like I’m going on to the next interview stage for the job I interviewed no back on Monday. I’m feeling kind of down about it. I try to stay positive and promise that I’ll apply for at least 2-3 new jobs next week. I bake up some frozen cookie dough I had in the freezer and feel sorry for myself. We end the night by watching another episode of Columbo.
Daily total: 70.36
Food + Drink: $395.23
Fun / Entertainment: $26.40
Home + Health: $26.60
Clothes + Beauty: $0
Transport: $16.40
Other: $170.48
Grand Total: $635.11
I think this week was pretty normal for us. Obviously we spent a bit more than usual due to the weekend cabin trip, but nothing outrageous. Our largest consumer spending category is definitely food and drink – we live in a very busy area of Seattle with tons of restaurants and bars so believe it or not, we actually used to spend even more on eating out. We still try to support our local places by getting takeout or delivery during the pandemic and even occasionally getting a few drinks outside. I spent more than usual on groceries due to stocking up for the weekend away.

As a basketball fan, it's always fun to speculate on the NBA Draft prospects. That said, I'd stress the speculate part of that statement. As an outsider with no real access to these players, it's hard to be arrogant and steadfast in our opinions. We're working with about 10% as much information as actual NBA teams. If you feel confident in your analysis based on some highlight tapes of James Wiseman dunking on South Carolina State or LaMelo Ball jacking up shots in the Australian League, god bless you. And if you want to read my amateur analysis, god bless you too. But before you do, remember to check your sodium levels and take these picks with a grain of salt.

BEST PROSPECTS in the 2019-20 NBA DRAFT

(1) SG Anthony Edwards, Georgia
Based on pure stats, Anthony Edwards would be one of the least impressive # 1 picks of all time. We're talking about a player who just averaged 19-5-3 on bad shooting splits (40-29-77) on a bad Georgia team. In fact, the Bulldogs didn't even crack .500 (finishing 16-16). All things considered, this isn't the resume of a top overall pick. It's like a kid with a 2.9 GPA applying to Harvard Law.
Still, the "eye test" helps Edwards' case in the same way it helped proud Harvard alum Elle Woods. Edwards has a powerful frame (strong and long with a 6'9" wingspan) and a scorer's mentality. He's going to be a handful for NBA wings to contend with, especially when he's going downhill. And while he hasn't shown to be a knockdown shooter, his form looks better than the results suggest. I'd project that he can become an average (35-36%) three-point shooter in time.
It may be unfair to label Edwards with the "best case scenario" comparison -- Dwyane Wade, for example -- but it may be just as unfair to liken him to "worst case scenario" comps like Dion Waiters as well. One of the reasons that Waiters is such an inefficient scorer in the NBA is that he's allergic to the free-throw line; he averages 3.1 FTA per 36 minutes. Edwards didn't live at the FT line, but he did get there 5.3 times per game. With more encouragement from an analytical front office or coaching staff, Edwards has the potential to get to the line 7-8 times a game and raise his ceiling in terms of efficiency.
The key for Edwards' career is going to be his work ethic and basketball character. As a prospect, he reminds me of Donovan Mitchell; in fact, he's ahead of where Mitchell was at the same age. That said, Mitchell is a natural leader who made a concerted effort to improve his body and his overall game. If Edwards can do the same, he has true All-Star potential. If he walks into the building thinking he's already a superstar, then he may never become one.
best fits
Anthony Edwards has some bust potential, but he also has true star potential. Given that, it'd be great to see him go to a team that's willing to feature him. Chances are he won't last this long, but he'd be a great fit for Charlotte (#3). The Hornets desperately need a signature star, and Edwards has the chance to be a 20 PPG scorer within a year or two.
worst fits
If Edwards falls in the draft, he may end up clashing with the talent on the teams in the 4-5 range. Chicago (#4) already has a scoring guard in Zach LaVine. Meanwhile, Cleveland (#5) has already doubled up on scoring guards with Collin Sexton and Darius Garland. Adding a third would be a potential headache, both offensively and defensively.
(2) C James Wiseman, Memphis
A true center? Gross! What is this, 1970?
Traditional big men tend to get treated that way these days. In some ways, they've become the "running backs" of the NBA. They once ruled the draft, but now they have to scrape and claw to climb into the top 5.
Still, let's no go overboard here. Even if centers aren't as valuable as they used to be, there's still some value here. Some of the best centers in the game (Nikola Jokic, Rudy Gobert, Joel Embiid, etc) have helped make their teams staples in the playoffs. Wiseman can potentially impact a team in the same way, especially on the defensive end. He can get beat on switches now and then, but he's about as agile as you can expect out of a kid who's 7'1" with a 7'6" wingspan. Offensively, he has an improving face-up game in addition to being a devastating lob threat.
Another reason that I'm comfortable with Wiseman in the top 3 is because he appears to be a smart kid with the will to improve his game. He intends to keep stretching out his range towards three point territory. Even if he can be a passable three-point shooter (in the 33% range), that should help make him a consistent 18-12 player and a fringe All-Star. And if not, then he'll still be a viable starting center.
best fits
We mentioned Charlotte (#3) as a great fit for Anthony Edwards, and I'd say the same for Wiseman here. His game complements the more dynamic P.J. Washington well; between the two of them, they'd have the 4-5 spot locked up for years. While Wiseman's best chance to be a star may come in Charlotte, we don't know if he truly has that type of aggressive upside. The more likely scenario is him being a pretty good starting center with an emphasis on defense. In that case, he makes some sense in Golden State (#2) and Atlanta (#6).
worst fits
Apparently James Wiseman doesn't want to go to Minnesota (#1), which makes sense given the presence of Karl-Anthony Towns. If he slips, Chicago (#4) may also be an odd fit. Wiseman is a better prospect than Wendell Carter Jr., but they're not terribly dissimilar. The new Bulls administration didn't select Carter, but it still feels too early to give up on a recent # 7 pick.
(3) PF/C Onyeka Okongwu, USC (HIGHER than most expert rankings)
Another big man? I may be showing my age here.
Still, I'm going to stick to my guns and suggest Onyeka Okongwu is a top 3 prospect in the class for some of the same reasons we ranked James Wiseman so highly. In fact, Okongwu is arguably an even better defensive prospect than Wiseman. While he doesn't have the same size (6'9" with a 7'1" wingspan), he's more switchable. He projects as a prowling, shot-blocking panther, not dissimilar to Bam Adebayo on Miami. Offensively, he flashes some solid skill here and there, although it's unlikely he'd get to Adebayo's level as a playmaker.
Another aspect that should help Okongwu is his selflessness. In high school, he played for Chino Hills alongside stars Lonzo and LaMelo Ball. While there, he blended in and did the dirty work for the LaVar Traveling Circus. It's likely that Okongwu will play a similar role in the NBA, complementing a star perimeter player.
While Okongwu may not have All-Star upside, I don't see much downside here. I'd be surprised if he's not a long-time starter at the center position (with the potential to play some PF if his shooting range improves.)
best fits
The most natural fits for Onyeka Okongwu mirror the best fits for James Wiseman. There’s a chance he may slip further than Wiseman too. Washington (#9) should be salivating if that’s the case.
worst fits
As a low-usage player, there aren't a lot of terrible fits for Okongwu on the board. However, Detroit (#7) already has Blake Griffin on a long-term deal and may re-sign Christian Wood as well. Given that, there wouldn't be much room for Okongwu barring a Griffin trade.
(4) PG LaMelo Ball, U.S./Australia. (LOWER than most expect rankings)
Every draft pick is an inherent gamble, but there's a difference between gambling in blackjack and gambling in Roulette. To me, LaMelo Ball is more of the latter.
No doubt, there's a chance that you may get lucky and "win big" with LaMelo Ball. He has great height for the position at 6'6"/6'7", and he makes some exceptional passes that illustrate a rare court vision. ESPN's Draft Express team ranks him as the # 1 prospect overall, and I take that seriously. Those guys were way ahead of the curve on calling Luka Doncic a transcendent talent at a time when most others were still skeptical.
At the same time, I'd say there is a sizable downside here as well. In fact, I'd estimate that there's a greater than 50/50 chance that Ball is a "bust" based on his current draft status.
LaMelo Ball put up good raw numbers this past season in the NBL -- 17.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists -- but he was in a situation specifically designed for him to put up good numbers. The efficiency tells a different story, as his shooting splits (38-25-72) look worrisome. Yes, height helps on defense, but it doesn't matter much if you're not locked in on that end. And yes, highlight-reel passes and super-deep threes are fun to watch, but they're not a path to consistency on offense. As Ball makes the jump to the NBA, he may smack hard into a wall and crash into the water like was on Wipeout. There's a chance he'll be among the worst players (from an advanced stats perspective) as a rookie.
So what? We expect most rookies to struggle, right? That's true, but I'd be nervous about how LaMelo Ball and his camp would respond to those initial struggles. Again, I've never met the kid and have no real basis for this, but media interviews make him seem a little immature. That's totally understandable for a 19 year old, but it's not ideal for a 19 year old who's about to get handed the keys to an NBA franchise. If he struggles out of the gates, will he start to lose confidence? Will LaVar Ball start to make waves? Will the media gleefully tear him to shreds? No clue. And if I'm picking in the top 3, I'd prefer to have more confidence than question marks.
best fits
If we treat LaMelo Ball as a developmental project, then I'd prefer he land with a team like Chicago (#4). New coach Billy Donovan is a former PG himself, and spent decades working with young kids at the college level. If they slow play Ball's development, we may see the best of him down the road. Detroit (#7) also makes sense. Coach Dwane Casey has a pretty good reputation in player development himself, and he has a solid bridge PG in Derrick Rose to help buy Ball some time.
worst fits
Cleveland (#5) is an obviously wonky fit based on the current roster. I'd also assert that Charlotte (#3) is a poor fit as well. While the team desperately needs a signature star, they don't have the type of supporting cast that would be conducive to him right now. And if he struggles as a rookie, then coach James Borrego and the whole front office may be cleaned out. If that happens, a new administration would be inheriting a franchise player that they didn't pick in the first place.
(5) SF/PF Deni Avdija, Israel
The NBA tends to be reactionary when it comes to the draft, which can be particularly impactful for international prospects. Their stock tends to swing up and down more violently than a ride at Action Park. There was a ton of skepticism about Euros when Dirk Nowitzki came along. When he hit, the NBA got so excited they drafted Darko Milicic at # 2. Eventually that excitement wore off as the busts started to pile up again. But when Latvian Kristaps Porzingis looked like the real deal, it helped reverse that narrative and helped Dragan Bender go # 4 the following year.
In terms of that up-and-down timing, Deni Avdija stands to benefit. He's coming into the NBA on the heels of an incredible sophomore campaign from Luka Doncic. No one thinks that Avdija can be a superstar like Doncic, but teams aren't as wary of international wings (specifically white wings) these days. Avdija should go somewhere in the top 10 if not the top 5.
In my mind, that's justified. He's 6'9", which should allow him to play either the SF or PF positions. He hasn't shown to be an excellent shooter yet, but he should eventually be solid there. He's better suited as a playmaker and passer, and he can also use his size and skill to convert on slashes around the rim. I've seen some comparisons to Lamar Odom before, although that may be optimistic. More likely, he'll be a 4th or 5th starter. His experience as a pro should help toward that end, as he's used to working hard and fitting in on a team of vets.
best fits
If you project Deni Avdija to just "fit in" and be a solid starter, then he'd make sense on a team like Golden State (#2). He could effectively play the role of Harrison Barnes or old Andre Iguodala for them. If the intention is to make him more of a featured player, then the Knicks (#8) would be interesting. In that market, he has real star potential.
worst fits
I don't love the fit for Avdija in Charlotte (#3), where he may duplicate some of P.J. Washington's talents. Atlanta (#6) and Phoenix (#10) have also invested in young SF-PFs recently, so Avdija may find himself scraping for time there.
(6) SG/SF Devin Vassell, Florida State (HIGHER than most expert rankings)
Every single NBA team needs 3+D wings. They thirst for them like a dying man in the desert. And then, when a legitimate 3+D wing comes along, they often ignore them in favor of splashier players at other positions.
Part of the issue is that low-usage 3+D wings aren't going to put up monster stats. That's certainly true of Devin Vassell, who averaged a modest 12.7 points this past year. Still, you have to go deeper than the pure numbers alone and consider the context. Florida State had a stacked and balanced team. In fact, Vassell's 12.7 PPG was the highest on the roster (and came in only 28.8 minutes.) There's more in the tank here than we've seen so far. He can hit the three (42% and 42% from deep in his two years), and he shows a good feel for the game (2:1 assist/turnover ratio.)
Vassell shows even more potential on the defensive end. He's currently listed at 6'7" with a 6'10" wingspan, but he looks even longer than that to my eye. He's tenacious and disruptive (1.4 steals, 1.0 blocks) without being out of control. Presumably, he should be a good defender at either the SG or SF spot.
In a sense, Vassell's the prototype for a 3+D wing. To be fair, I don't anticipate him being a great shooter at the next level. His FT% was iffy, and he's apparently been tweaking his shot during the draft process. Still, if he can be a viable shooting threat in the way that Josh Richardson is (an inconsistent shooter who averages around 36%), then he should be a solid starter for an NBA team. That may not sound like something worthy of a top 5 pick, but the high "floor" helps him in this case. He also appears to have a strong character and work ethic, making him feel like an even safer bet.
best fits
Devin Vassell's skill set would fit on virtually any NBA roster -- but his perceived lack of upside may keep him from going as high as my personal ranking. If he does, then Cleveland (#5) would be a nice fit given their lack of big wings and their lack of defense. Defensive-challenged Washington (#9) would also make sense; Vassell tends to be listed as a SG but he should have enough size to play the SF for them.
worst fits
You can never have too many 3+D wings, but it may be a duplication to put Devin Vassell on the same team with Mikal Bridges in Phoenix (#10).
(7) PG Tyrese Haliburton, Iowa State
One of the reasons I'd have to be specific about a fit with a player like LaMelo Ball is that he needs the ball in his hands to maximize his potential. That's true for most lead guards.
Given that, it's a nice change of pace to see a prospect like Tyrese Haliburton come along. He's listed as a PG and he can perform those duties. This past season, he averaged 15.2 points and 6.5 assists per game. But he ALSO can operate as an off-the-ball player. As a freshman, he did exactly that, effectively working as a wing player and a glue guy on offense. His three-point shot looks wonky, but he converted 43% as a freshman and 42% as a sophomore. If that translates, he can be an effective spacer as well.
Haliburton's versatility also extends to the defensive end. He's 6'5" with an incredible 7'0" wingspan, allowing him to guard either PG or SGs. Like Devin Vassell, he also puts those tools to good use. Either one is an incredible athlete, but they're disruptive and locked in on that end. I'd expect Haliburton to be one of the better guard defenders in the NBA.
All in all, you may ask: why isn't this guy ranked HIGHER? The skill set would justify that. At the end of the day I don't see elite upside here (maybe George Hill?) because he may have some trouble getting his shot off in a halfcourt offense. Still, he's one of the safer prospects overall and a kid that you'd feel good betting on.
best fits
The New York Knicks (#8) may bring in a big-name guard like Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook, but if they stick with the rebuild then Tyrese Haliburton makes loads of sense. He can share playmaking duties with R.J. Barrett, and he can help Tom Thibodeau establish a defensive culture. He'd also make sense for Detroit (#7) and even Atlanta (#6). While the Hawks have Trae Young locked in at PG, Haliburton can play enough SG to justify 30+ overall minutes.
worst fits
Obviously any team that doesn't have room for a PG OR SG would be a problem here. Cleveland (#5) and Washington (#9) are the clearest examples of that. While Haliburton could theoretically guard some SFs, it's not the best use of his talent.
(8) PG Killian Hayes, France
If NBA centers are like NFL running backs, then point guards / lead playmakers may be like quarterbacks. There's positive and negatives to that comparison. Obviously, a good lead guard can immediately boost your team. At the same time, you don't really need more than one. And if you're not "the guy," then your impact is going to be limited.
Given that, there's a high bar to being a starting PG in the NBA. You have to be really, really friggin' good. According to many experts, Killian Hayes is exactly that. Physically he's what you want in the position, with a 6'5" frame. He averaged 16.8 points and 7.8 assists per 36 playing in Germany this year for a team that had a few former pros like Zoran Dragic. The Ringer has him # 1 overall.
Personally, I haven't completely bought into that hype yet. I can't claim to have season tickets to Ratiopharm Ulm, but when I watch highlights I don't really see ELITE traits here. He's not incredibly explosive, he's not a great shooter, he's over-reliant on his left hand. I have no doubt that he has the upside to be a good starter, but I don't think we've seen enough (or at least, I haven't) to make me confident in that projection.
best fits
Chicago (#4) and Detroit (#7) appear to be the most obvious fits for a potential star guard like Killian Hayes. And while the Knicks may have been underwhelmed by a French PG before, he would make sense for them at #8 as well.
worst fits
Teams with lead guards locked in -- Golden State (#2), Cleveland (#5), for example -- would be obviously problematic fits for Hayes. While he has the size to play some shooting guard defensively, he has a ways to go before he's a sharpshooting spacer.
(9) SG/SF Aaron Nesmith, Vanderbilt (HIGHER than most expert rankings)
Back when I was single, I dated a girl who presumably viewed me as a "developmental prospect." She'd always tell me how cool I'd look if I got some new jeans. How hot I'd be if I lost some weight. After a while, reality set in. It ain't happening, honey. What you see is what you get. The whole transformation idea may have worked with Chris Pratt, but it's not going to work with schlubby ol' Zandrick Ellison.
Sometimes it feels like NBA teams view prospects in the same delusional way. Josh Jackson can be a superstar -- if he develops his shot! Isaac Okoro can be a great pick -- if he becomes a great shooter! IF IF IF. We tend to forget that it's not that easy for a leopard to change his spots or for a player to suddenly develop a shooting stroke. It may have worked with Kawhi Leonard, but it's not working with most players.
Given that, we should value players who already have developed that skill. Aaron Nesmith is one of the best shooters in the draft -- right here, right now. He shot 52% from three and 83% from the line this past season. There's a sample size issue there (he only played 14 games prior to injury), but his shooting form looks fluid and suggests that he should be a legitimate 38-40% shooter from deep. While Nesmith isn't a great athlete or defender, his 7'0" wingspan should help him hang at either the SG or SF spots. All in all, we're talking about a player who should be a starter, or at the very least a high-level rotational player.
best fits
Aaron Nesmith isn't going to put a team on his back, but he can help carry the load offensively given his shooting ability. That should make him a good fit for a team like New Orleans (#13) as they look to replace J.J. Redick down the road. He'd also be an excellent fit with Orlando (#16) as they eye more shooters/scorers.
worst fits
It's hard to find a bad fit for a good shooting wing, but there are a few teams that may not have starting positions available. Phoenix (#10) already has Devin Booker and a few solid young SFs. Sacramento (#12) already has Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic (presuming they retain them.)
(10) PG/SG R.J. Hampton, U.S/N.Z. (HIGHER than most expert rankings)
After that rant about delusions of grandeur with development prospects, let me try and talk you into a raw developmental prospect.
Like LaMelo Ball, R.J. Hampton went to play in the NBL during his gap year after high school. They were both top 10 prospects going in, but their stocks diverged from there. LaMelo Ball put up big numbers and locked himself into top 3 status. Hampton didn't showcase much (8.8 points per game on 41-30-68 shooting splits) and may drop out of the lottery altogether. But again, I'd caution us to consider context here. LaMelo Ball went to a bad team where he could jack up shots. Hampton played on a contending team that didn't spoon-feed him minutes.
Given that limited sample, I'm falling back on the "eye test" here. No doubt, Hampton's shot is a problem. He's a poor shooter now, and it may be 2-3 years before he straightens it out. At the same time, his size and explosion jumps out at you, particularly when he's attacking the basket. He also appears to be a mature and charismatic young man. That combo -- physical talent + basketball character -- tends to be a winning formula. There's some chance Hampton turns out to be a genuine star as a scoring lead guard. There's also a sizable chance he busts. Still, it's the type of gamble that teams in the late lottery should be considering.
best fits
In a PG-rich class, it'd be bold for Detroit (#8) to reach on R.J. Hampton. Still, he would fit there, as the team could groom him behind Derrick Rose for another year or two until he's ready to take over for major minutes. Any team that can afford him the luxury of patience would be a nice landing spot, even if it means going later in the draft to places like Boston (#14, #26) or Utah (#23.)
worst fits
I'd be less bullish on R.J. Hampton in situations where he may have to play early and take his lumps. The N.Y. Knicks (#8) have struggled to develop point guards Frank Ntilkina and Dennis Smith already, and a new coaching staff doesn't make those concerns go away. Hampton would also have lower upside on teams that already have scoring guards locked in, like Sacramento (#12) or Portland (#16).
(11) PF Obi Toppin, Dayton (LOWER than most expert rankings)
When Obi Toppin sees the list of names ahead of him, he should be stewing with rage. He's arguably the most productive player on the entire board. This past season at Dayton, he averaged 20.0 points on 63% shooting from the field. He's a good athlete and dunker, and he even hit 39% of his threes. At 6'9", he's a natural PF but he could theoretically play some SF or C too if need be. What else does a guy need to do to go in the top 5??
But while Toppin checks all the boxes on paper, I'm a little more skeptical. In fact, he reminds me a lot of Arizona PF Derrick Williams, who went # 2 in the 2011 draft. Many pundits thought Williams was the best player in the class, fresh on the heels of an awesome sophomore season that saw him average 19.5 points per game on 60% shooting and 57% (!) from three. The trouble is: Williams benefited from a small sample size from 3 that year (74 total). And while he was athletic in the dunking sense, he didn't have the hip movement to guard 3s or 4s effectively.
We see some of the same traits play out here with Toppin. He dominated this past season as a (22 year old) sophomore. Still, I'm doubtful that his three-point shooting is as good as the numbers suggest. I'm doubtful that his run-and-dunk athleticism translates to the defensive end, where he often looks stiff when changing direction. I can see a scenario where Toppin is a scoring big in the mold of a John Collins, but it's more likely to me that he'll be a scorer off the bench instead.
best fits
While I'm cool on Obi Toppin myself, I fully admit that I could be wrong and he may just end up being Rookie of the Year. That may happen if he plays on a team like Washington (#9) where his guards will be able to take a lot of pressure off and give him good opportunities to score. Cleveland (#5) would also make some sense if they trade Kevin Love.
worst fits
If Toppin's defense is going to be bad, then he'd be a poor fit with Atlanta (#6). I also don't see much of a fit with Sacramento (#12) given the presence of Marvin Bagley III. In the long run, both may end up being smallball 5s.
(12) SF Isaac Okoro, Auburn (LOWER than most expert rankings)
We've all had this experience before. You'll go see a movie that you hear everyone rave about and you come away... underwhelmed. It's fine. It's OK. But you just don't get all the fuss about it.
Right out of that Silver Linings Playbook comes Isaac Okoro. His stats don't jump off the page: 12.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 0.9 blocks. He's allegedly a great defensive player, but his dimensions (6'6" with a 6'8" wingspan) don't suggest "stopper." Worse yet, he's a poor shooter from distance (29% from three, 67% from the line.) The last time I got this sense of "meh-ness" was Jarrett Culver last year. I didn't understand how he went in the top 5, and I'm not going to understand how Okoro goes in the top 10 this year.
To be clear, I don't think Okoro (or Culver) is a BAD prospect, just that they're both overrated by the community. Okoro is definitely a strong kid who is active around the rim. He's a live body. He could theoretically improve his shooting and become a starter. Still, "potential starter" is not something that I want in a top 10 pick.
best fits
While I don't love Isaac Okoro myself, I can see some good fits on the board. Washington (#9) could use some thicker wings who can play solid defense. Portland (#16) is incredibly desperate for capable wings themselves.
worst fits
With Okoro, I don't necessarily think the worst fits are a matter of skill set as much as expectation. If he goes as high as Chicago (#4) or Cleveland (#5), I suspect he'll disappoint in terms of the returns and garner some resentment from the fan base.
(13) SG/SF Josh Green, Arizona
As oddly overrated as Isaac Okoro is (in my mind), Josh Green is oddly underrated. Okoro tends to go about 10 spots higher in mock drafts, but they seem nearly identical in terms of a head-to-head comparison. In fact, I had to go back and forth about which I'd rank higher. They're both good athletes for their position and should be backend starters at the next level. Okoro is thicker and better around the rim, while Green is further along as a shooter. Overall I leaned to Okoro because he had the size to match up with bigger SFs and has a little more of a bullying scorer gene in him, but it was a close race.
In fact, you can argue that Josh Green's selflessness will actually benefit him in the NBA. He's a "team guy," with an underrated passing ability and basketball IQ. The stats don't jump off the pages in that regard (2.6 assists, 1.6 turnovers), but he was also playing with a good college PG in Nico Mannion. As he moves to the NBA, he's unlikely to have the ball much either, but he projects to be an all-around glue guy who can help on both ends.
best fits
As with Isaac Okoro, Portland (#16) could be a nice landing spot for a solid wing player. And while New Orleans (#13) has a lot of athleticism already, it never hurts to have another viable wing. They tended to play small at the SG-SF spot, which hurt their defense overall. Playing Green could help them when they slide Brandon Ingram over to the 4 and Zion Williamson at the 5.
worst fits
I don't see many "bad" fits for Josh Green on the board, but you'd prefer that he went to a team that intended to make him a part of the future. Minnesota (#17) may not be able to do that if they already have Jarrett Culver and Josh Okogie. Brooklyn (#19) may not be looking for long-term projects since they're in a "win now" mode.
(14) PG Tyrell Terry, Stanford
Tyrell Terry is rocketing up draft boards on account of his stellar shooting ability (41% from 3, 89% from the line) and his better-than-expected measurement of 6'3". It's only natural that pundits would start comparing him to stud shooters like Steph Curry.
That said, not every stud shooter is Steph Curry. Some are Seth Curry. Some are Quinn Cook. There's a slight chance Terry breaks out as a good starter, but there's a better than average chance he peaks as a rotational player instead. Still, he should be an asset to a team as a spacer, particularly if they run their offense through a playmaking forward (like a LeBron James).
And in case you're wondering, no he is NOT related to Jason Terry, although some of their skill sets do overlap as scoring guards with deep range.
best fits
If we presume that Tyrell Terry can be a Seth (not Steph) type player, then adding him to Dallas (#18) makes sense. He can develop behind Seth for a year or two as he gains weight, and then help complement Luka Doncic as a spacer after that. Similarly, he makes sense for Philadelphia (#21) as well. We'd still lock Ben Simmons into the starting PG role, but Terry could play alongside him in lineups or be used as a sparkplug off the bench.
worst fits
Teams that may be eyeing Tyrell Terry as a surefire starter will have to be careful. For example, Phoenix (#10) needs an heir apparent for Ricky Rubio, but a Terry + Devin Booker combo may be problematic on the defensive end. Some other teams -- Brooklyn (#19) and Denver (#22) -- already have sharpshooter guards, so they don't have as strong of a need for this type of player.
(15) PF Aleksej Pokusevski, Serbia
We mentioned that LaMelo Ball may be the biggest boom/bust prospect in the class, likening him to gambling on Roulette. Enter Aleksej Pokusevski. "Gambling" may not even be doing it justice. This is like risking your family fortune on a bag of magic beans.
But hey, that worked for Jack, and it could work for an NBA team as well. I have a friend who works in coaching who raved about Pokusevski and considers him a top 10 prospect overall. After all, this is a legit 7'0" player with true perimeter skills. Playing for Olympiacos' development team, he averaged 16.7 points, 12.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.0 steals, and 2.8 blocks per 36 minutes. He hasn't even turned 19 years old yet, giving him an enormous amount of upside.
Still, he scares the hell out of me. He's listed at 7'0" and 200 pounds, with narrow shoulders that make you doubt how much weight he'll be able to carry in the long term. His body type doesn't remind you of any current NBA forwards; it reminds you of two kids wearing a trenchcoat.
All in all, Pokusevski seems like a great prospect to invest in, presuming you don't have to withdraw from the bank until 2023 or 2024. To that end, teams should only consider them if they feel confident in their long-term job security.
best fits
If the goal is to send Aleksej Pokusevski to a good, stable organization, then you can't do much better than San Antonio (#11). Even if Gregg Popovich retires from coaching, R.C. Buford should be around to help the next coach (Becky Hammon? Will Hardy? R.C.'s son Chase?). And if the goal is to find a good stable GM, Sam Presti and Oklahoma City (#25) would be a great home as they prepare for a long-term rebuild.
worst fits
Orlando (#15) always values length, but they have limited space left in the frontcourt and limited leg room left on that poor charter plane.
I wasn't kidding when I said this post was "overly" long. The rest of the top 20 got cut off because of a length limit. I'll try to include them in the comment section.

This research was offered for $2k guaranteeing that 2 of the 6 stocks would reach $10 in a year or it was free. I didn't pay for it, rather just tried to figure out the companies from the transcript below. MMED is one of the 6 for sure. See if you can figure them out. I believe this was offered in Sept so the current prices are obviously off. Have fun!
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What I’m about to tell you may sound like science fiction...
Yet what’s contained in this eyedropper...
Is so powerful...
The $8 TRILLION healthcare industry is on fire.
A single dose of what I’m holding... could change everything we know about the human brain.
Dr Robin Carhart-Harris, head of psychedelic research at Imperial College London, said...
What it was derived from... is truly miraculous.
Not quite plant...
Not quite living organism...
A rare hybrid species I’ll tell you more about later on.
But from this hybrid species, scientists have discovered a chemical compound... one that’s able to be grown in labs... 100% naturally, without interfering with nature.
The billionaires backing this research... like Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary... and PayPal’s Peter Thiel... are CONVINCED it’s going to be one of the greatest investments of their career.
To the doctors in the lab... it must seem like the next step of human evolution!
I call it “Living Medicine” because the atoms in this substance are truly ALIVE and could be capable of unimaginable regenerative properties.
And if the early findings are correct...
Living Medicine could be as transformative to our society as penicillin, which single-handedly fixed many serious health conditions.
That was making history THEN... What you’re looking at is making history NOW... It’s about to smash every record and scientific development we’ve seen.
Come with me now... inside the human brain.
All of our research shows... our brain loses its strength... its elasticity... That means memory... motor functions... they get worse as we age. You may have noticed this yourself with older friends or family.
Now watch... In time, it may be possible to stimulate growth for those brain cells and rebuild...
In time, it may be possible to stimulate growth for those brain cells and rebuild... perhaps even stronger than before.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg...
Imagine depression gone... forever.
Clinical trials conducted by NYU and Johns Hopkins found it helped cancer patients cure their depression within a single dose.
More research shows it could help completely reverse the battle-induced PTSD for our soldiers.
80% of smokers quit after one single dose! Now researchers testing it on alcoholism.
Another study by 60 Minutes found it’s nonaddictive.
I want to be clear, I’m NOT talking about marijuana or CBD right now. What is in this eyedropper is NOT marijuana or CBD.
Rather, it is a one-of-a-kind substance called “psilocybin.”
This is found ONLY in the unique hybrid species I’m going to show you.
And while this is still in trial research periods, I believe this Living Medicine is at the forefront of EVERYTHING that’s going to accelerate brain science in the next 10 years. I’m absolutely certain of it.
And I’m not the only one who thinks this!
Peter Thiel, founder of PayPal... Palantir... and Founders Fund. One of Forbes’ 1,000 RICHEST men on the planet.
He’s completely backing this industry and one of its leading companies.
And he knows people are going to call him crazy... He recently said...
This opportunity is the most hidden breakthrough I’ve ever seen.
With the track record Peter Thiel has... wouldn’t you want to get in alongside him in this new industry?
Then there’s Christian Angermayer... the hedge fund LEGEND with $365 million in assets. He’s getting in with his buddy Peter Thiel.
Same with hedge guru Michael Novogratz and his $250 MILLION fund!
He’s also a ground-floor investor.
You know who else is getting in? Kevin O’Leary from Shark Tank.
He’s betting big on Living Medicine as well – recently getting in on a $6 MILLION round of funding.
All of this activity among famous billionaires has alerted the attention of investigative reporters.
I’ve known about this alongside these billionaires for years.
I’ve been preparing for this EXACT moment.
When the companies finally see promise to emerge from the trial stage... and prepare for the moment that all of what I’m about to tell you goes mainstream.
Until now, they’ve seen explosive growth... but they’ve been too small for me to recommend to 150,000 Oxford Club Members.
But now, Living Medicine is like a giant awakening from slumber.
The market is projected to grow at an annual rate of 16.3% over the next eight years to reach $6.85 billion by 2027, according to Data Bridge Market Research.
We’re talking massive growth over time!
And while a lot of these stocks are still in their earliest and most volatile phase...
The gains can be absolutely breathtaking when you find the one.
As with any stocks in a new sector, there are those that won’t make it and will end up in the dustbin of history. But the stocks that DO MAKE it have massive upside potential.
Just look what’s been happening to the BEST Living Medicine Stocks we pulled to show you from the market.
Captiva Verde... this company was $0.20 coming out of the Corona Crash in April...
And still, even the WORST crash in financial history couldn’t keep this stock down...
Yet not a shred of media coverage. That’s how hidden from the outside this is, just like Peter Thiel said...
Imagine once it goes mainstream.
As the sector grows at that double-digit rate I mentioned to you before...
We could continue to see opportunities for incredible gains!
Sure, some of these stocks aren’t going to make it – this is a “swing for the fences”-type investment.
So I do NOT recommend you invest more than you can lose.
But when you get it right on Living Medicine stocks... the gains can be more than enough to make up for any setbacks.
Look at a stock like Revive Therapeutics.
This stock was a PENNY in December 2019.
A penny!
Meaning you don’t have to invest much and risk it – a little capital goes a LONG WAY with these.
On May 26, 2020, Revive opened at a high of $0.27. A 2,600% gain in six months.
📷
One more, just because I’m excited for you...
And I’m thrilled I finally get to put this in the hands of our Members...
This is going to be an extraordinary example... and I can’t promise these kind of results.
But this is the kind of grand slam I’m hoping to find for you!
And it also shows you the power of these stocks... and how a small investment can change your life forever...
For $1,500, you could have bought 100,000 shares of the stock.
And that $1,500 flyer...
Would have turned into a MASSIVE payday as the stock moved closer to $0.99.
Now, would you have to be lucky? You bet. And have exceptional timing? Of course.
Stocks like Ehave are rare.
And other penny stocks drop to zero.
BUT...
This is the power of investing in a brand-new market like Living Medicine.
And this is why I want everyone to know about it NOW, when it’s in the beginning stages and the profit potential is the BIGGEST.
When you can put in $500 or $1,000... and see life-changing results. And not risk a lot of capital if a stock doesn’t work out.
Up until now, I’ve been anxiously waiting because these Living Medicine stocks were too small for our hundreds of thousands of Members to get into.
When they were just a penny I couldn’t do it. These companies weren’t even off the ground yet. The risk would have been too great.
And while small caps can still be volatile... the upside potential here is too good to pass up.
Because make no mistake... we are now at a tipping point, which is why your timing couldn’t be better.
Living Medicine therapies could go completely mainstream as soon as 2021 according to two independent sources.
And the six stocks I’ve found... all of which specialize in this... sell for $2 a share on average.
Then again, it’s often been said that neuroscience is in its infancy.
We know more about the moons of Jupiter than our own brain!
That’s all about to change in the next few months... when these six tiny companies take the $8 TRILLION medical world by storm.
Only the true ground-floor guys know about this.
The REAL silicon valley power players like Peter Thiel.
The REAL shark tank investors like Kevin O’Leary.
I want you to get in now... when a small grubstake in Living Medicine... over time... could be one of the greatest investments you EVER make.
I’ve put together a special report on the BEST companies in the world creating this Living Medicine.
There are only six I would touch if I were you.
And they’re still at the absolute cheapest – they’re all $2 or less on average. Some are selling for just $0.20!
I predict these stocks will soon be trading for $10 or higher!
These six companies have the most sizable advantage from my analysis. And they have the lion’s share of this discovery and this market in their grasp.
Imagine the gains you could be sitting on all because you knew about this ONLY when the smart money billionaires knew about it.
I am going to show you how to claim the Living Medicine report that reveals ALL the companies DURING this presentation.
So if you click out and leave, you’ll get nothing.
Your profit opportunity will likely go to someone else.
But if we move quickly... I think we can play this situation just as we’ve done before with NEW and EXCITING investment trends.
My early recommendations from another service gave my readers the chance to TRIPLE their money in six months on Canopy Growth – one of the biggest names in the biz...
And DOUBLE their money on Aphria Growth in four months’ time.
Those successes were a big part of the lead-up to launching our research today... and having something at The Oxford Club completely dedicated to blazing new trails and investing in new trends.
But since 2017, as you may know, marijuana has gone into a steep bear market. The marijuana index as a whole is down almost 69%!
As a result, our track record is negative, and our average position is down 9.9%.
I hate losing money, but that is the nature of the markets sometimes. But in my view, when something goes against you, you don’t just keep following it downward.
Marijuana’s fall was a valuable lesson.
It reminded us not to risk more than you can afford to lose.
And when you have big gains on the table, like we did, take some of them!
Let the rest ride and play with house money if you want!
It also taught us that it always pays to get in at the beginning, not after everyone else is already talking about an opportunity.
BUT... something good also came out of these losses...
They’ve allowed me to build an even BETTER system for picking stocks than before.
I just closed out another MASSIVE 2,710% partial gain on Sea Ltd. in August of 2020! From a position we held for just four months!!
My system is BETTER than ever, and it’s led us straight to this new market.
Where the revenues are trending upward.
Where EVERYTHING is trending upward!
And this new market is one where the billionaires are more excited than ever!
And prices will never be cheaper. You can get in with a Shark Tank investor like Kevin O’Leary... for pennies!
That’s why I’m telling you about Living Medicine today.
It’s the next no-brainer trend...
And sources are predicting that by 2021 it could be in treatment and therapy centers, moving out of the clinical trials we’re in now.
And by 2027, it could be a $6.8 BILLION industry.
We’re talking billions...
Yet these companies barely measure in the millions!
This is why I feel that NOW is the time to get into these stocks – or you’ll regret it forever.
This is the breakthrough moment for investors, which is why the billionaires are going all-in.
For the past two years, I’ve been waiting for this trend to hit the mainstream.
Waiting to replicate these kinds of results yet again in order to lift our track record to FAR outperform anything we’ve done in the past!
I’m hot on the heels of Shark Tank investors and other famous investors... yet as far as I know, I’m the ONLY person who knows about these six stocks!
As for the profit potential...
You could be looking at the chance to turn a couple hundred bucks into major money!
For Starters, on Average ALL OF MY Stocks Are Still Under $2
For starters...
The stocks in my Living Medicine report...
Are selling for an average of LESS than two bucks.
· One is just $0.10.
· Another is $0.20.
· Another is $0.43.
Meaning they’re tiny, and the biggest gains are ahead of them!
Now, there is always risk to investing, and small stocks like this can often be even more volatile. We never recommend you bet the farm on these trades.
But when you get it right on these... you don’t have to. I showed you how $1,000 in a Living Medicine stock like Ehave turned into nearly six figures.
That’s why I actually recommend sprinkling just a little into each stock. That way you ensure yourself the best chance at success without putting down too much!
And a little bit goes a long way when my six stocks are priced between just a few cents and just a few bucks...
📷
With small stocks like these, we expect some losers along the way.
But here’s the thing...
If our best-case scenario plays out...
And we find that play that makes you 1,000% on your money...
It will NOT matter if you struck out once or twice along the way, or even if the losers are more frequent than the winners. All it takes is one big winner when you get in on these trends before everyone else.
The billionaires backing Living Medicine know it... That’s why they’ve gotten in now.
The FDA knows it... That’s why they gave this treatment a breakthrough therapy designation to expedite the development and review of this treatment..
NOW is the time to get in...
I’ve put together a package that shows you exactly what these six stocks are, and I’ve outlined their massive growth potential and profitability.
And I’ll reveal something extra to you, too...
I’ll show you how to become what’s called a "round lot" investor before these companies grow bigger and bigger.
Round lot investors are the highest status of investor.
And I’ll show you how you could accumulate hundreds or THOUSANDS of shares for just a few bucks and become one.
My report is going to walk you through everything. And you can open it on your phone, iPad, computer... whatever you want.
I will show you how to get my report on the six Living Medicine stocks and more in a moment, but first...
Let me finally tell you what this revolutionary discovery is made of.
Because Living Medicine treatment is like nothing else on Earth...
It’s funny how the world’s greatest medical breakthroughs can hide in plain sight!
But it’s truly phenomenal... no other species of plant has this chemical in it.
Literally NOTHING.
And what’s truly remarkable about this species... is that it’s not quite plant... not quite animal. It’s a rare combination hybrid.
Which may be why it’s been holding these secrets right under our noses!
The good news is... scientists have found a way to grow living medicine rapidly in a lab, so there’s no need to wait for nature to produce this miracle substance – that’s a benefit not even marijuana can boast!
And you can decide how to take it.
In a powder, packed into a small capsule, sometimes only 475 micrograms.
You can dissolve the powder into tea or liquid if you don’t prefer to swallow something – which plenty of people do.
Or you can just drop a little eyedropper under your tongue.
A cancer patient revealed to one Colorado news outlet that vials as small as this size contain more than a YEAR’S supply to medicate pain.
A small powder or liquid.
That’s it.
That’s all it takes for Living Medicine to go to work on your body and potentially help treat you within a single dose. And that’s confirmed by CNN as they interviewed doctors at NYU.
But here’s what’s TRULY revolutionary.
It could help rewire and stimulate growth in parts of your brain.
You probably know that, as we age, we become forgetful. We can’t possibly remember every nugget of information.
Basically our brains lose a couple of horsepower with each passing year.
Living Medicine could help reverse that.
Think of your brain like this... before and after Living Medicine...
One of these images looks like it has a few pathways...
The other looks like a neural superhighway.
Studies on this are still in their infancy... but neuroscience itself is in its infancy!
It is said we know more about our solar system... than what is inside our own skull.
But Living Medicine is the tip of the sword when it comes to neuroscience advancement.
This could be the ANSWER neuroscientists have been looking for. How to re-awaken those long-lost parts of the brain!
This potential of stimulating growth of brain cells is why everyone is simply astounded by Living Medicine.
Now let me tell you a little bit about the chemistry behind it.
According to the DPA, the Drug Policy Alliance...
The main active ingredient in Living Medicine.... psilocybin...
“Is not considered to be addictive, nor does it cause compulsive use.”
Johns Hopkins University determined the same thing, citing on its website...
“Research shows that the drug has low potential for abuse and dependence.”
Unlike narcotics...
Or pharmaceutical pills that become addictive...
Or even the folks who enjoy marijuana a little too much...
That’s NOT the case with this Living Medicine.
It really can offer the best possible treatment with the fewest possible side effects.
Think of those affected by Alzheimer’s, PTSD, depression and the countless brain disorders out there. The number is in the hundreds of millions according to the World Health Organization.
Hundreds of millions... that’s a lot of people this could help, right?
So let me give you a glimmer of the profit potential here...
Because I know I just explained a LOT of science and numbers here...
Let’s take a look at a marijuana pharmaceutical stock that made a similar treatment, but only for people suffering from two rare forms of seizures or epilepsy.
Only about 3 1/2 million folks have epilepsy here in the states. That is a fraction of the patient base that Living Medicine could help.
Now, this was also the FDA’s FIRST-EVER drug derived from cannabidiol.
So, even though it was a much smaller market, this treatment was a TRUE ground-floor opportunity, just like Living Medicine. It was a breakthrough! Just like Living Medicine.
This is not one I recommended. At its low, this stock went from $8 and change... to peaks of more than $124 over time.
A 1,450% gain.
14X gains!
And consider, this company’s claim to fame is making a product for just 3 1/2 million people...
Now consider...
If Living Medicine’s research continues to show positive results, someday it could treat 300 million people worldwide with depression.
And here in the States...
· 5.2 million Americans with PTSD
· 5 million people with dementia and Alzheimer’s.
· 38 million smokers.
· 8.1 million alcoholics.
I think 14x gains like GW Pharmaceuticals could be small potatoes.
Remember, that stock was $8.
And its treatment was for a FRACTION of that patient base.
The stocks I’m going to send you in my Living Medicine report are on average $2 per share.
If any one of these six companies follows the same trajectory as GW Pharmaceuticals... we could snag one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for ourselves!
And that rare and extraordinary chance is WORTH taking! That’s why the billionaires are plowing their money into it.
And it’s why Fortune magazine recently published an article begging the question, “Is this Silicon Valley’s next big bet?”
I’m telling you, it is!
This is an incredible time to get in on the ground floor.
When the billionaires like Peter Thiel and his buddies are moving in.
THE BILLIONAIRES ARE MOVING IN
Remember, Peter Thiel was in early on Facebook, SpaceX, Airbnb and Lyft.
He’s worth more than $2.3 billion because he knows how to spot a new market.
And he’s one of the first people moving in on Living Medicine.
Or how about this... do you ever watch Shark Tank or know about it?
Mr. Wonderful, millionaire Kevin O Leary, is moving in on this.
And you know how tough he is to get to invest on the show! One of the – if not THE – TOUGHEST people to convince.
And yet, he is going all-in according to the reports.
In fact, he’s behind one of the six companies I’m going to tell you about today.
So don’t get up from your chair or click out of this video – you’re literally going to get the details Mr. Wonderful invested $6.2 million to find out!
He’s not the only one...
Tim Ferriss, bestselling author and entrepreneur and worth a whopping $110 million, is also getting in on this trend.
Meanwhile, every scientist and doctor in the lab is utterly fascinated by it.
In fact, as researchers dug deeper and deeper into the origins of Living Medicine...
They actually found ancient medical texts referencing it...
They found it’s quietly been used by cultures for hundreds of years!
Throughout History Cultures Have Used This Living Medicine... in More Archaic Ways
Now... many of the world’s best medicines were actually used throughout history before they were fully understood by scientists.
Take aspirin...
It comes from the Willow plant.
And its first documented use dates back to the ancient Egyptians as an anti-inflammatory and pain reliever.
The Greeks used it too.
Hippocrates, of the Hippocractic oath fame, used Willow tea to ease the pain of childbirth.
But it wasn’t until 1897, when German chemist Felix Hoffmann discovered the actual compound for aspirin, that it took off as a modern medicine.
Today, 40,000 tons of aspirin are produced annually... generating hundreds of millions in profits every year.
Living Medicine is likely to have a similar story because it’s a natural and effective medicine.
And its use also dates back to ancient peoples.
Celtic Druids called it the “Flesh of the Gods” because of its mental-boosting attributes.
Egyptians reserved the source of the Living Medicine EXCLUSIVELY for royalty. Because they believed it increased longevity, even by their very archaic standards!
The ancient Chinese also knew about it...
Forms of Living Medicine were even documented as early as 29th century B.C. in The Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica.
They didn’t have the kind of technology or capabilities we have today.
But we’ve seen time and time again that old knowledge can have transformative modern applications.
Even as recently as 1928...
LESS than 100 years ago...
Nobody realized the mold from an old orange... would become instrumental in developing penicillin... until Alexander Fleming thought to put it under a microscope.
The SAME story is playing out with Living Medicine.
It’s untapped potential has sat for centuries...
Millennia...
Until now.
And that’s why the smart money and billionaires are so excited.
And why I am excited to get you the details on the stocks cornering the market for Living Medicine.
Remember, for less than $2 per share on these companies, we can get shoulder-to-shoulder with billionaires on the BIGGEST trend happening in medicine.
Living Medicine Is About to Go Mainstream
I wouldn’t even be wasting your time right now...
If I didn’t think this was going to go completely mainstream in the weeks and months ahead.
I mentioned before the FDA has given Living Medicine BREAKTHROUGH STATUS.
But that’s not all.
Across the country, on a state-by-state basis...
New bills are being written to start moving to allow folks to have Living Medicine.
From the West Coast and California... to the midlands like Colorado... to the southwest of New Mexico... it’s spreading everywhere like wildfire.
For instance...
A program called “Initiative 301” in Colorado was signed into effect late in 2019...
The proposal received more than 89,320 VOTES.
And with that historic vote... Initiative 301 was signed into law! These laws are paving the way for this new treatment as Living Medicine gets the necessary greenlights from the FDA and the government
But Colorado isn’t the only one!
Just a month later, California followed suit.
New Mexico has almost completely given the greenlight, and they’re ready to go.
The FDA has also allowed doctors in Texas to start researching...
Oregon is in the process of starting a program as well!
As are the researchers I told you about at Johns Hopkins in Maryland...
And Florida’s getting on board – with half a million people with Alzheimer’s in the Sunshine State, this could be huge for the state!
It’s spreading rapid-fire across the country and for good reason.
The mental health crisis... is estimated to cost the world $16 TRILLION in the next 10 years.
We are DESPERATE for something that can help treat chronic pain, pill addiction, depression, PTSD and these debilitating diseases of the mind.
To me, the writing is on the wall...
If these states can get their best scientists...
Their best schools...
Their best doctors...
Their best state legislators...
All working toward the SAME goal...
I think it’s obvious...
The main companies in this space are going to reward shareholders with once-in-a-lifetime gains.
Millions of folks are going to finally start catching on in 2020...
It’s about to hit that breakout moment. When folks start talking about it like they do their favorite show on Netflix.
That tipping-point moment... when regular folks in the mainstream start asking... how do I invest in this?
And I think these stocks are going to SKYROCKET over time.
Which is why I want you to know about them now.
And why I want to send you my report on Living Medicine which reveals the stocks.
Because this is the moment...
It could feel like watching the same movie twice.
You know how it’s going to end.
Just like when cryptocurrency got popular... just like when marijuana stocks got popular.
This is when a mega-trend emerges from the shadows.
My expertise is on finding new investment markets as they develop.
I’m quite literally the Chief Trends Strategist at The Oxford Club, with more than 100,000 Members counting on me to find it before everyone else.
And I think this Living Medicine is going to create the third new booming market of the past decade.
Think for a second...
Five years ago, people thought you were smoking pot if you told them about marijuana stocks.
Ten years ago, nobody knew what a cryptocurrency was.
People looked at you like you were insane.
Trading paper money... for digital money?
That’s how it always is.
Peter Thiel, Michael Novogratz and Christian Angermayer all jumped into crypto very early.
Now these same guys are doing it again with Living Medicine.
They’re pushing their chips back into the middle of the table...
Novogratz recently told Bloomberg reporters, “It just feels like a cultural shift is going on.”
And he’s absolutely right.
A shift is going on.
This is a HUGE moment in our culture when folks get introduced to Living Medicine.
When hundreds of millions of people worldwide have their lives changed.
It’s a before-and-after moment for all of humanity, just like penicillin or aspirin.
Kevin O’Leary, the famous Shark Tank investor, said this about Living Medicine:
“As an investor, I am attracted to [This Living Medicine Company] because they are solving health problems through federally authorized clinical trials.”
But here’s what I REALLY love about Living Medicine compared with cryptocurrencies or pot stocks or other trends I saw...
Living Medicine can actually SOLVE the problems we are facing eventually.
Sure, crypto might one day have a clear purpose. We’re still waiting for when that day will come.
And medical marijuana is helping a LOT of people.
But I told you those stories only to show you the power of early adoption...
And how it pays to get in early with the smart money.
Now here’s why Living Medicine is so much better than those short-lived trends...
The companies creating this Living Medicine are working to help thousands of people right now with chronic pain, depression, brain function and more.
This is a LONG-term trend that will only get bigger.
This is a $34 BILLION potential market... and the companies I’m sharing with you have market caps in the mere millions.
They could grow 10... 20... 50 times in size and still have room to go.
They could grow 1,000 TIMES in size... and still be worth only a billion.
And the most breathtaking part of it is...
You can get in for an average of $2 a share on these companies I’m going to show you.
More than that...
You get to be a part of history and helping people.
Veterans with PTSD...
Cancer patients with depression...
Alzheimer’s patients who have trouble remembering their friends and family.
This is a chance to actually do some good in the world by backing these companies as they explode in value.
Living Medicine can help countless people within a single dose.
Get this...
80% of smokers who took Living Medicine... were able to quit the habit cold turkey within three doses.
This stuff is UBER-powerful.
Which is why an eyedropper of this Living Medicine could rewrite history books and medical journals on treatment.
It’s kind of how medical marijuana played out for investors...
Remember when they started realizing marijuana could treat disorders? And it suddenly blew up?
From Parkinson’s...
To helping folks who abused prescriptions...
That’s why when you look back at history, you see how the companies that were FIRST to try this revolutionary idea... were rewarded handsomely...
Abattis Pharmaceuticals launched from $0.03 to $2.21.
That’s a peak gain of 7,226% in three months’ time!
If you had been lucky enough to time it perfectly, it could have turned $500 into more than $36,000!
Sure, plenty of marijuana stocks were busts.
But I can’t even count how many weed stocks blasted off back then, when it was still a brand-new industry.
That’s why I think it’s important to at least give yourself a chance here with a small investment.
Yes, you could lose it. But the potential reward is so big that in my opinion, it is well worth it.
Ask yourself...
Do you want to get in on an opportunity like those again?
An opportunity accepted by billionaires and the people pouring money into it?
The medical professionals testing it?
The FDA giving it breakthrough therapy status?
That’s what’s in front of you right now.
Living Medicine is the FUTURE!
Now, I said before that I love this development because it can actually HELP people.
More and More Research Is Coming Out... Living Medicine Is the Next Big Thing!
When something starts to become big, everyone acts like they have a hand in it.
Every company suddenly latches onto the trend, even if they aren’t in on it!
That’s why you can’t just pick a Living Medicine company all willy-nilly.
But I think these stocks...
All at an average under $2 a share...
Represent the best opportunity in this space.
And don’t worry, you do NOT need to be a private accredited investor like Peter Thiel and his buddies to get in on these Living Medicine companies.
I’ve identified the only publicly traded ones investors should be looking at.
Bloomberg reported on February 11, 2020, “Move over pot. [Living Medicine] companies are about to go public.”
MarketWatch expects the IPO market at large to “crank into high gear.”
And I can’t help but think it’s because of this MASSIVE new development...
Green Entrepreneur published a report saying...
“[Living Medicines] are following a similar trajectory to cannabis – and investors are taking notice.”
Remember the tech boom, when companies like this would IPO nonstop, and it lifted the well-established companies EVEN HIGHER?
You’re watching the same show twice... You should know what’s going to happen.
It’s a telltale sign this market is about to enter its next massive growth phase.
Let Me Detail the ONLY Publicly Traded Companies Worth Looking at... Trading Under $2 on Average
The first company sells for less than a quarter.
It just inked a $500,000 deal with another group that wants the right to grow Living Medicine here in the United States.
It actually has a proprietary extraction technology it first perfected in the hemp industry.
It’s a proven system, something I love to see. And now it’s applying its extraction technique to Living Medicine.
A few more bullet points that come from my own analysis include...
· Its majority-owned subsidiary just completed the design for a preclinical study for using Living Medicine for weight loss and food craving. Obesity is a global epidemic killing 2.8 million people each year.
· The company has more than 200 wellness formulas in various stages of commercialization with 14 patent applications filed.
· The company currently has retail operations in three countries but plans to expand to 12 more.
· The global wellness market is a $4.2 trillion opportunity.
· The company’s management team includes people who cut their teeth at Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble as well as Skechers and Aritzia. This, to me, legitimizes this company BIG-time.
My Second Living Medicine Company...
The second company is testing easy-to-use Living Medicine drops...
Now, I told you before you could get in with a Shark Tank investor...
Mr. Wonderful is an investor in this company. He was part of a $6 MILLION investing round.
And shares are just $0.44.
As if that wasn’t reason enough to get excited...
On the board of directors is none other than legendary Bruce Linton, who took Canopy Growth to the mainstream.
That stock launched to $50 at its peak!
Imagine what this Living Medicine stock could do with Bruce at the wheel again.
Even if this stock went to only HALF that – $25 a share – that would be a 5,581% increase!
Of course, we’re going to have to time it just right and nothing is guaranteed in investing... but we’re swinging for the fences, and we’ve already got Mr. Wonderful on third base!
My Third Living Medicine Company
The third company is just a buck and change.
Thirty percent of shares are held by insiders – a great sign!
Yet just 1.7% of institutions know about this.... It’s on only 1.7% of banks’ radars.
And here is what has me on the edge of my seat...
As I mentioned before, the billionaires and hedge fund guys are among the ONLY ones who know about Living Medicine...
And they’re certainly going to do whatever it takes to profit from it.
You better believe when this company gets discovered by the other institutions and ownership increases, it’s going to send the share price even higher!
This is what I mean when I say NOW is the time to get in... when the gains are set up to be the easiest... when the shares are this cheap!
And that brings me to the next breakout company I’ve identified...
My Fourth Living Medicine Stock Is Near and Dear to Me...
The cool thing is... this was one of the FIRST companies I ever found dabbling with Living Medicine. It kind of sent me down this journey.
It’s the $5 stock I told you about. But while this one might cost a little more, I think it’s well worth it.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, this company reported record revenue of $33 million, an increase of 152%. And this was its 10th consecutive quarter of record revenue.
So these guys are hanging in there while countless businesses are closing up shop forever.
That’s what you want, a company that can weather the storm!
It also has a partnership with the blue chip company 3M, further legitimizing this company’s product.
In my opinion, this is one of the most solid companies in the space.
This Fifth Living Medicine Company Is Off the Charts!
My fifth company is expanding globally and growing its operations. It’s based in Canada but now has operations in Australia and Malaysia.
This is pivotal because you want those companies that are capturing global markets, not just here in the States.
We forget that there are billions of people out there with the same problems as the 300 or so million Americans in our country. It’s a BIG global market, and these guys are chasing it down.
The CEO of this company has 15 years of pharmaceutical experience, including a division of Johnson & Johnson.
Best of all, shares are less than two bucks on this company.
My Sixth and Final Living Medicine Company
My sixth and final Living Medicine stock is also a sub-$2 opportunity.
But I’ve saved this one for last for a very important reason.
It just completed a massive acquisition of a fellow company.
And with this acquisition, it gets the RIGHT to three separate Phase 1 trials and a preclinical trial.
This is a HUGE advantage out of the gate – securing the right to try a medicine.
It also secures this company a partnership with InterVivo Solutions, Canada’s largest neuroscience-focused preclinical contract research organization.
As I’ve told you today, Living Medicine is considered a breakthrough therapy by the FDA – that’s a very high status designation.
And this company already has the right to trials for its medicine.
That’s like getting a 30-second head start in a foot race. You can’t beat that advantage.
The bottom line is...
I really think this company, along with the other five I just told you about, is the best of the best.
And Living Medicine is the single most powerful investment I’ve ever seen.
I’ve put together a report called “Living Medicine: The Next Big Thing” that will show you the ticker symbols, the growth potential and the massive industry at the fingertips of these six stocks.
I also mentioned I’ll show you how to buy “round lots.”
Showing you how to possibly get hundreds or thousands of shares for just a few hundred bucks.
Because that’s the beauty of this research package I’ll be sending you.
Even if you put, say, only $500 in these stocks... we’re talking just $3,000 total to get started.
And that $3,000 could hand you LIFE-CHANGING results.
Even if we’re ULTRA-realistic and we don’t think too greedily...
A fraction of gains like that could improve your life.
I want to send you this report on all six stocks right now.
No waiting!