All of these are Raheel approved!

5 Essential Gifts for the Modern Man

5 Essential Gifts for the Modern Man
Courtesy photo.


With the holiday season close to wrapping up (pun intended!), I wanted to help out our readers that are struggling to find gifts for the modern man. These are all tested and approved by me and I highly recommend them for the man or buddy in your life. I'm going to assume the reader is either A. a women or B. a guy looking for a gift for a buddy. Here we go:

Lululemon ABC Jogger Pants, $128 

ABC Joggers

Lululemon.com

If I could, I would wear my ABC Joggers every single day instead of every other day like I normally do. These pants are the perfect fit for the office or traveling. While a bit pricey at $128, just think about this as a gift that will never stop giving and will be used almost every week. Lululemon also makes an office pant in the ABC line so that's great for somebody that needs more business casual pants.

Onnit Kettlebell 6 Online Workout, $49.95

Kettlebell 6

Onnit.com

The best thing I did this year was taking the Onnit Kettlebell 6 online workout. All you need is a kettlebell and between 30-mins to an hour every day. The course is comprehensive six week schedule that accounts for every single day to help you become the best you. This makes for a great gift for somebody in your life or heck, even for you. After I finished my six weeks on the course, I added muscle and my body fat was down. I loved it because you can download the videos and complete workouts at the gym if need be. I also recommend this because it's great for beginners and advanced lifters.

LUSH Dirty Hair Cream, $17.95

Dirty Hair Cream

LUSH.com

Okay, I know you're probably thinking, "what the heck, Raheel?! Something from LUSH? That's where my wife shops!" Yes, LUSH. I've tried all sorts of pomades, gels, and creams, but this is by far the best one in terms of strong hold and not damaging your hair. I recommend this product to every guy I know because it's not harming your scalp with chemicals and other non-sense. Bonus: when you stop by a LUSH store, pickup some stuff for yourself! $17.95 for 3.5oz seems high, but this will last somebody an entire year or more.

Nike 3/4 Training Compression Pants, $32

3/4 Training Pants

Nike.com

I get destroyed by my co-workers about wearing compression pants to the gym, but with the new year approaching and fitness goals being top of everyone's list, you have to get compression pants for the man in your life. Your muscles will stay warm and feel great during any type of workout for 2019. You can also get some money back for buying these on Nike.com by using eBates where they usually offer a percentage back on your purchase.

LED TV Backlight, $11.88

LED TV Backlight

Amazon.com

More people ask me about my backlit TV than anything in my house. I found this little bad boy on Amazon for under $10 earlier this year and programmed it to burnt orange for Texas Football games. This makes for a great stocking stuffer or White Elephant gift for a holiday party as well. The setup is simple and all you have to do is plug it in to a USB port on your TV or outlet to power it up.

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Should the Rockets be active on the trade market? Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.

It’s been a slog on the treadmill of mediocrity for the Astros thus far in 2025. Their 18-18 record heading into a weekend series at Daikin Park vs. the Reds is appropriate. Plenty of good teams will have similar stretches this season. The Astros have to prove that this year’s edition is a good team. Plenty of time for that remains. Reminder that the breakout 2017 Astros had a 74-game stretch over which they went 37-37. 162 games allow for a lot of ebb and flow. Of course, the 2025 Astros’ roster is not close in quality to that of the 2017 squad. The point isn’t that this team could be a 101-game winner but that the 88 victories good enough for a playoff spot last year are still quite plausible this year.

The Rockets achieved mediocrity last season after three seasons as a laughingstock. This season they made the leap to good. While curling up and succumbing to Golden State in the decisive game seven of their first-round playoff series was a disappointment, the Rockets are in excellent position moving forward. Where they go from here should be quite interesting,

OF COURSE the Rockets are going to explore trading Jalen Green. He is obviously their most physically gifted player, but his consistent inconsistency is exasperating. Green’s series against the Warriors was basically an embarrassment with the exception of his 38-point game two outburst. The other six games, a meager nine-point-two points per game. That Green is still just 23 years old means it is not near obligatory they move on from him as Green starts a three-year 105 million dollar contract extension. However, the state of his game and comparison to a few specific players cast enough doubt about Green’s ceiling that declaring him “untouchable” would be ridiculous. During the Golden State series, an NBA play-by-play guy who I think is very good overall once referred to Green as the “Rockets’ superstar.” Anyone, including Green himself, who calls him a superstar either misspoke, was caught up in a moment, or is clueless.

Jalen Green just finished his fourth NBA season. Fairness requires noting that his first two seasons were compromised by being on atrocious Rockets’ squads. That said, Green was on 41-41 and 52-30 teams the past two seasons. In neither of him did he shoot a league average percentage either overall or from behind the three-point line. He did approach the three-point league average of 36 percentage made with his 35.4. That Green is an 80 percent career free throw shooter gives hope the three-point shooting can further develop. Better shot selection sure would help.

Green was the second overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, one year removed from high school. The player taken ahead of him was Cade Cunningham who also played just one year out of high school before going NBA. Cunningham joined a joke Detroit Pistons team. Cunningham is a much better player than Green at this point.

Other shooting guards who played one year after high school then jumped to the NBA, who were markedly ahead of Green after four NBA seasons include Anthony Edwards (first pick in his draft class), and Shae Gilgeous-Alexander (11th), and Devin Booker (13th). In comparison to each Green is a disappointment, though certainly not a bust.

What is head coach Ime Udoka’s bottom-line belief in Green fulfilling his potential? My guess is that cup is not overflowing. The Rockets’ half-court offense simply is not of championship caliber. Can it evolve there with Green, or is he better used as a piece in a trade offer with other players plus draft picks for a Booker or Kevin Duran? The Phoenix Suns are a near assets-less mess of a franchise in dire need of a reset. Durant will be 37 years old when next season starts, but is still a tremendous offensive player who would be a gargantuan half-court offense upgrade for the Rockets. The Rockets have so much draft capital that offering two or three first round picks plus Green, Cam Whitmore, and another player or two to make the salary cap math work would A: not empty out the Rockets’ flexibility going forward and B: have to get the Suns’ attention. If I’m Udoka and General Manager Rafael Stone, I’m making the call.

Courtesy of the Suns, the Rockets hold what is currently the ninth pick in the NBA Draft. The draft lottery is Monday night. The Rockets’ have a three-point-eight percent chance of winning it and the right to make Duke freshman superstar (and Final Four loser to UH) Cooper Flagg the number one pick. There is a 13.5 percent chance the Rockets move up to pick two, three, or four. Otherwise, it’s ninth, or lower if another team or teams vault up the lottery board.

For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!

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