Month: December 2020

It is never a good idea to come at Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter, yet Republicans seem hell-bent on learning that lesson the hard way. This time around, AOC found herself facing criticism for her online store selling “Tax the Rich” sweatshirts for $58. And while that price may seem steep to a lot of people, it’s an example of AOC practicing what she preaches. In a tweet responding to the GOP attacks, AOC pulled off a mic drop defense that shows why her social media skills are the best in the game.

“Republicans are freaking out bc we don’t use slave-wage labor for merch that funds grassroots organizing,” AOC tweeted. “But what’s the difference between Trump’s merch and ours? Ours is made in the US. (& for GOP who joke that we shld give T-shirt for free, we actually do – just volunteer.)”

That’s how you scorch you enemies. You can see AOC’s full tweet below, which also quotes Stephen Punwasi, who offers some interesting insights into the world of manufacturing apparel.

Punwasi expanded on his tweet with some figures on what the sweater would cost if it used sweatshop manufacturing. According to Punwasi, AOC’s price point is evidence of paying fair, union wages, which is just one of the many progressive positions she’s fought for over the years.

AOC’s defense of her “Tax the Rich” sweatshirts arrives on the heels of her firing back at Barack Obama for his criticisms of “Defund the Police.” Twitter is her battleground, and you best come prepared — even if you’re Obama.

(Via AOC on Twitter)

Dave Chappelle’s been enjoying time in Texas lately, including a three-night comedy engagement, along with appearing on an episode of Joe Rogan’s (newly) Austin-based Spotify podcast. They must have enjoyed the mutual vibes (and perhaps mutual questionable judgment regarding live shows?) because they are again joining forces for a December 2020 residency in Austin. The duo’s team-up will last for five engagements, and Chappelle will hold separate “Dave Chappelle and Friends” dates for a total of ten dates.

In doing so, Chappelle will return to Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater, an outdoor venue connected to Stubb’s BBQ restaurant. The press release specifies a number of Covid-19 related precautions, including socially distanced tables that must be reserved by groups of only 4,6, or 8 tickets. Masks will be required (unless people are eating or drinking), and hand-sanitizer stations, along with staggered entry to the venue, will be monitored. “Safety is a top priority” is being quoted in the residency announcement, but of course, any group event (even with declared social distancing) amid skyrocketing cases is probably not the wisest move. Here are those dates:

Dave Chappelle and Joe Rogan
Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Wednesday, December 9, 2020
Friday, December 11, 2020
Tuesday, December 15, 2020
Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Dave Chappelle and Friends
Saturday, December 12, 2020
Sunday, December 13, 2020
Friday December 18, 2020
Saturday December 19, 2020
Sunday December 20, 2020

Tickets will go on sale beginning on Friday, December 4.

For over a decade, Derrick Rose has partnered with adidas on signature shoes, and the new D Rose 11 takes things back to Rose’s roots with four new colorways inspired by the 2011 NBA MVP’s hometown of Chicago.

The new colorways — called Sweet Home Chicago, Fast Don’t Lie, Brenda, and Family First — maintain the light handle of Rose’s past adidas sneakers but tell different parts of Rose’s story from Chicago on through the NBA.

The Fast Don’t Lie colorway is fully neon, harking back to his first 50-point game and the explosiveness with which he’s always played. Rose wants to show that his shine hasn’t faded, which is why these shoes are so bright.

The Family First colorway is a more subdued black and white with a multicolor outsole, signifying Rose’s commitment to his mother, his brothers and sisters, and his children.

The four initial colorways go on sale this Saturday, Dec. 5, and more colorways of the D Rose 11 are expected to be announced in the future.

Rose will return to the Detroit Pistons this season and plug in as one of the main scorers on a team that will look a lot different in 2021, though he could be a trade candidate before the deadline as he continues to perform well on the court even late in his NBA career.

About a year ago, “Golden” opened Harry Styles’ latest album, Fine Line. Many months later, the track is his latest single, as he dropped a video for it in October. Now he has given fans who want more just that by releasing a behind-the-scenes clip about the making of the video.

It shows typical on-set sort of things, like Styles talking with crew members, getting ready to shoot, alternate angles of scenes that appear in the finish product, and Styles just enjoying the process of making the picturesque visual.

Around a year ago, Styles gave Apple Music’s Zane Lowe a behind-the-scenes look at how the song was written, saying of that day:

“We were all sat in the kitchen at [Rick Rubin’s recording studio] Shangri-La, having dinner, and we played it on one guitar while everyone sang around the table. It just felt really good. Part of the thing with the mushrooms for me is that I never do anything when I’m working. I don’t even drink when I’m working. I don’t drink really at all. And when I was in the band, to me it felt like it was so much bigger than any of us. I felt like, I’m not going to be the one who messes it up. So I thought, now is the time in my life when you go out and experiment. You take this and you do that. Making this record just felt… joyous. I was with my friends and we were in Malibu and I felt so safe. Now’s the time to have fun — we’re 24, and I’m in music. I’m not a politician. We wrote it on day two of being at Shangri-La, and immediately, as soon as we’d done it, it was like, ‘Oh, this is track one.’ I used to drive to the studio, and it’s the perfect PCH [Pacific Coast Highway] song. It’s like driving down the coast is what the song is for. It feels so Malibu to me.”

Check out the behind-the-scenes video above.

The best Christmas movie is, obviously, The Muppet Christmas Carol, followed by Gremlins. (Gremlins is a better movie overall, but it’s a year-round masterpiece; Michael Caine-as-Scrooge dancing with the Ghost of Christmas Present hits differently in December, y’know?) But “Marley and Marley” was nowhere to be found during a practice vote among House Democrats on Thursday. If you want to use this as an example of everything wrong with the Democratic Party, I will not disagree.

“House Democrats voted today on their favorite Christmas movie, as a practice vote before virtual leadership elections, per a person familiar,” Natalie Andrews, the Wall Street Journal‘s Congress reporter, tweeted. “Choices: Love Actually, Polar Express, Home Alone, Die Hard, and Miracle on 34th Street.” And what did they pick? Miracle on 34th Street, presumably the black-and-white version from 1947, not the 1994 version that’s one of only two movies I have ever walked out of. (Seven-year-old was having none of John Hammond as Santa.) Miracle is the safe choice of the five options — it’s the most “real meaning of Christmas” movie, maybe ever, and it doesn’t have stalkers, or Tom Hanks’ uncanny valley eyes, or terrorist takeovers, and it didn’t lead to a sequel with Donald Trump. But just because it’s safe, that doesn’t mean it’s the right choice.

“Typical safe mainstream choice by pols. At least they included the best Christmas movie in the candidates tho,” CNN’s Jake Tapper wrote, along with a GIF of Die Hard‘s John McClane saying, “Got invited to the Christmas party by mistake. Who knew?” At least that’s one debate settled. Other reactions poured in about the vote:

At least include Bad Santa, jeez.

(Via Twitter/Natalie Andrews)

In an unprecedented move, Warner Bros. Pictures Group has announced that its entire 2021 theatrical slate will have a simultaneous HBO Max release. The approach will mimic the studio’s current release strategy for Wonder Woman 1984, which will premiere in theaters and on HBO Max (on December 25) where it will be available for streaming for one month. What makes this current move notable is that Warner Bros. is now the first major studio to pivot a full year’s worth of theatrical releases to streaming instead of taking a film-by-film approach as the pandemic continues to disrupt the exhibition model. This new strategy is expected to include major blockbuster releases like Dune, The Suicide Squad, and The Matrix 4.

“We’re living in unprecedented times which call for creative solutions, including this new initiative for the Warner Bros. Pictures Group,” said WarnerMedia Chair and CEO Ann Sarnoff said in a statement. “No one wants films back on the big screen more than we do. We know new content is the lifeblood of theatrical exhibition, but we have to balance this with the reality that most theaters in the U.S. will likely operate at reduced capacity throughout 2021. With this unique one-year plan, we can support our partners in exhibition with a steady pipeline of world-class films, while also giving moviegoers who may not have access to theaters or aren’t quite ready to go back to the movies the chance to see our amazing 2021 films. We see it as a win-win for film lovers and exhibitors, and we’re extremely grateful to our filmmaking partners for working with us on this innovative response to these circumstances.”

Here is Warner Bros.’ expected slate of 2021 films, which are subject to change: The Little Things, Judas and the Black Messiah, Tom & Jerry, Godzilla vs. Kong, Mortal Kombat, Those Who Wish Me Dead, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, In The Heights, Space Jam: A New Legacy, The Suicide Squad, Reminiscence, Malignant, Dune, The Many Saints of Newark, King Richard, Cry Macho, and Matrix 4.

After his response to a crude internet poll led to a flurry of headlines yesterday, Atlanta rapper Trouble posted a video explanation of his comments to Instagram. Clarifying that he doesn’t even have a wife, Trouble insisted that the hypothetical answer he gave referred less to a life partner and more to a companion. He said that the trade would be well worth the monetary value a song with Drake would bring in, and says that if his relationship were more serious, he’d have a different response in real life.

“Y’all honestly got it f*cked up,” he argued. “Y’all been living through social media, living through these social sites. Y’all ain’t in the real world ’cause if you was in the real world, any snack, any female, lady — whatever you wanna call it — I ain’t never dealt with that. Any n**** in the street will tell you you can’t even look at my female brazy. You know you gone get f*cked up. I ain’t Superman or none of that sh*t but you gotta have nuts to still keep honking or looking at my snack without it being a problem.”

After clearing up his relationship status, he continued, “I’m talking about a little snack you just be f*cking around on or something. You don’t think I’m finna let her bust down on Drizzy for a verse? When I’m a make millions off that verse? And if he slide in her DMs anyways, she gon’ go? Hell yeah, we finna get them M&Ms.”

So, basically, he doubled down on what he already said, while clarifying the point that if he wasn’t serious about the woman he was seeing, he’d trade her away because he doesn’t trust women anyway. Also, he believes that the Drake Stimulus is more powerful than it actually is. There are a lot of things wrong with his line of thinking but hey, everybody’s got a different experience. While this level of objectification of women is really, really gross (like, he literally just thinks of women as a commodity for trade. That’s… horrifying), the real culprit who has to be stopped is Lil Duval, whose inane Twitter poll started this whole thing.

Watch Trouble’s explanatory video above.

It’s no secret that I’m a big advocate of the bold bourbons coming out of the Lone Star State. I’m a Texan, after all. But I also leap at the chance to try unique whiskeys from other regions of the country. And you know which state has consistently exceeded my expectations when it comes to the art of whiskey-making?

Colorado. The Switzerland of America. John Denver’s stomping grounds.

Much like the distinctive Texas terroir and its wide range of climates, Colorado features a variety of factors within its boundaries that set its whiskey expressions apart from anywhere else in the U.S. From endless springwater to rich soil to expansive farmland to variable weather – the state has everything necessary to distill some of the most diverse, complex, and flat-out tasty juice in the country. And it all starts with the H2O.

Generally speaking, water is whiskey’s most unsung key ingredient and that’s a place where Colorado thrives. The state is crisscrossed by rivers and springs, and fed by snowmelt from the Rocky Mountains. It’s a feature beer has keyed in on for decades, and distillers are wisely catching on. TINCUP Whiskey, founded in 2014, buys their juice from Midwest Grain Products (MGP) in Indiana, but they cut their whiskey to proof with fresh Rocky Mountain spring water.

“I started distilling back in 1972, with the conviction that Colorado’s water – and its tradition of distilling – had the makings of great whiskey,” says TINCUP founder Jess Graber. “The Platte River, the Arkansas River, the Rio Grande River, and the Colorado River all have their headwaters and begin their journeys in the high peaks here. In my opinion, we have the best water in the world.”

Colorado’s altitude plays an integral role in the overall character of the state’s whiskeys, too. Virtually all of the whiskey distilleries in the state are situated at least over one mile above sea level. Breckenridge Distillery lies at 9,600 feet, while Deerhammer Distilling Company is based at approximately 8,000 feet.

“We find our whiskey to be impacted by the extremely dry climate and radical swings in both temperature and barometric pressure,” says Lenny Eckstein, Founder and Head Distiller of Deerhammer. “That’s unique to our state, in comparison to the more traditional whiskey producing regions in the U.S.”

“Our high altitude in Colorado leads to a unique angel’s share loss,” adds Owen Martin, Head Distiller at Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey. “That’s the amount of alcohol and water that evaporates out of the barrel. Due to the dry climate at this altitude, we lose more water out of our casks than we would if we were maturing our whiskey at sea level – creating a higher-proof product with a potent and complex flavor profile.”

With all of the Centennial State’s unique elements in the mix, it’s no wonder that the local distilleries are creating some of the most exciting whiskey expressions in the county right now. To help you get started tasting them, we’ve listed our favorite Colorado single malts, bourbons, and ryes below, complete with tasting notes.

Leopold Bros. Bottled in Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Distillery: Leopold Bros., Denver, CO
Average Price: $66.99

The Whiskey:

Founded by brothers Scott and Todd Leopold in 1999, this distillery is among the handful of craft whiskey pioneers in the country. The bottle is one of the newest in the Leopold Bros. portfolio — aged five years in new American white oak charred barrels, in what the distillery describes as an “unheated dunnage-style bonded warehouse.”

Tasting Notes:

Your nose is welcomed with a strong-yet-enticing tri-blend of oak, rye, and subtle cocoa. On the palate, rich toffee is met with a hint of spicy cinnamon, creating an ethereal experience that crescendos with black pepper mid-sip. The creamy mouthfeel fades into a finish that’s warm and drizzled with dark chocolate notes.

Bottom Line:

Most people love chocolate; I don’t. Still, this finish made me fall in love with dark chocolate; I’m completely here for it.

Breckinridge Rum Cask Finish Bourbon

ABV: 45%
Distillery: Breckenridge Distillery, Breckenridge, CO
Average Price: $52.99

The Whiskey:

The Breckenridge Distillery — situated at 9,600 feet above sea level — has dubbed itself the “World’s Highest Distillery.” The Rum Cask Finish Bourbon was initially a distillery exclusive, but its’ popularity compelled the company to expand its distribution to 22 select states.

According to the distillery, the process for this expression begins after making basic spice rum, barrelled with macerated dried fruit peels, roots, barks, herbs, and spices. After recognizing that some of those components paired well with their high-rye bourbon, they began experimenting with rum cask-finished recipes. After several years of development, we now have the opportunity to enjoy the distillery’s beloved bourbon, finished in rum casks.

Tasting Notes:

This bourbon had me hooked right away, with its fragrant swirl of fruit, caramel, and vanilla. The first sip is like biting into a Honeycrisp apple — delicate, yet bursting with flavor. The velvety mouthfeel is made complete with a hint of ripe banana that shines through in a surprising way. No heat on the finish, but dark chocolate amplifies the finale of this delightful tasting experience.

Bottom Line:

I let out an audibly loud, “Oooh!” when drinking this. Yeah, it’s just that good. This bourbon is delicious in a spirit-forward cocktail (e.g. Whiskey Tiki Sour), but better enjoyed neat.

291 Small Batch Colorado Bourbon

ABV: 50%
Distillery: Distillery 291, Colorado Springs, CO
Average Price: $73.99

The Whiskey:

Owner and founding distiller, Michael Myers, states, “The 291 Colorado Bourbon is our very first recipe, ([the] very first grain put in water and distilled) with one slight change. The original recipe was 80% corn [and] 20% rye malt. It is now 80% corn, 19% rye malt, and 1% malt barley.”

This whiskey is distilled from a bourbon sour mash, triple distilled in copper pot stills (the finishing still is made from photogravure plates from Myers’ past life as a photographer), aged in American white oak deep char barrels, and finished with toasted Aspen staves.

Tasting Notes:

An appealing honey aroma is fused with the scent of oak with a bit of smoke (thanks to the staves). Subtle spice and smoke balance out the primarily sweet flavor profile, which is heavy on vanilla and maple. Slight heat at the back of the tongue at the finish, but without a harsh bite — surprising, considering this comes in at 100 proof.

Bottom Line:

This would make a great gift for your bourbon-loving relative (or yourself). Unlock even more flavor by adding a couple of drops of water, but no ice.

Stranahan’s Mountain Angel

ABV: 47.3%
Distillery: Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey Distillery, Denver, CO
Average Price: $129.99

The Whiskey:

Mountain Angel is Stranahan’s oldest, rarest release to date and their first 10-year-old American single malt. Like all of Stranahan’s single malts, Mountain Angel is comprised of 100% Rocky Mountain barley and Colorado spring water, made in small batches before aging for 10 years in new American oak barrels with a #3 char. According to the Stranahan’s Head Distiller, Owen Martin, “After a decade of maturation in Denver’s high, dry climate, Mountain Angel saw a unique angel’s share loss (several barrels experienced a loss of up to 80%) that is par with Scotches over twice its age, resulting in a liquid with a stunning concentration of flavor.”

Tasting Notes:

The scent transports you to your childhood when you’d eat caramelized apples by the truckload. Rich molasses and dark chocolate swings open the gate for a peppery nibble midway through the tasting experience. Long and sweet finish with notes of caramel and oak.

Bottom Line:

I was fortunate enough to try this extremely limited release (less than 500 bottles hit the market). It’s worth every dime and important to savor each drop. So if you get your hands on a bottle, enjoy it slowly, neat, and only with the friends you *really* like.

Deerhammer American Single Malt

ABV: 46%
Distillery: Deerhammer Distilling Company, Buena Vista, CO
Average Price: $35.99

The Whiskey:

Founder and Head Distiller of Deerhammer, Lenny Eckstein, says, “Deerhammer’s American Single Malt recipe was adapted from an imperial porter that I had brewed in the past. Of the various malt barley grain bills that were trialed along the way to our current recipe (now in its ninth year of production), this particular recipe relies heavily on a significant portion of dark roasted and kilned malts to bring forward a flavor profile that is unique to Deerhammer.”

Tasting Notes:

Imagine cacao and caramel that’s been set aflame. That’s the toasty, tantalizing aroma you’ll pick up from this whiskey. The sip itself marries together bittersweet coffee and dark chocolate for a flavor takeover that’s alluring and just a notch below running the risk of being too sweet. The dram is made complete with a pop of spice amid a wave of hazelnut and more chocolate at the finish.

Bottom Line:

This stunning sipper is the best introduction to the world of US-based single malts.

Laws Four Grain Straight Bourbon Bonded

ABV: 50%
Distillery: Laws Whiskey House, Denver, CO
Average Price: $67.99

The Whiskey:

Laws Whiskey House is the grain-to-glass distillery behind Colorado’s first bottled in bond bourbon in the state’s history. In line with the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897, this bourbon is a minimum of four years old, a product of a single season and a single distiller, and has been aged wholly in a federally bonded rickhouse.

Tasting Notes:

Come for the honey and orange peel aroma, stay for the complex and divine palate. Bold black tea and dark chocolate work their magic on the tastebuds, while a hint of cinnamon completes the job, adding a potent punch of spice. The lingering, spicy finish doesn’t disappoint before you go in for round two.

Bottom Line:

You can easily drink this either on the rocks or as the base of a classic Old Fashioned.

Woody Creek Colorado Straight 100% Rye Whiskey

ABV: 45%
Distillery: Woody Creek Distillers, Basalt, CO
Average Price: $49.99

The Whiskey:

Woody Creek’s Rye Whiskey is made with 100% Colorado rye sourced from local farms. They use custom 40-foot CARL stills to create a spirit that’s as distinctive as it is delicious. The rye whiskey is aged for a minimum of four years in new American oak barrels.

Tasting Notes:

Black pepper steals the show with the aroma only allowing a subtle scent of vanilla to peek through. That’s okay, because the palate follows through with the vanilla and added crisp apple notes next to oaky spice. The sip comes to an abrupt end with a dry, spicy-sweet finish.

Bottom Line:

Not a bad price for one of the tastiest ryes I’ve ever experienced. I tried this whiskey in a Rye Manhattan and it was exceptional. You should do the same.

TINCUP Straight Rye

ABV: 45%
Distillery: MGP, Lawrenceburg, IN; Bottled at TINCUP Whiskey in Denver, CO
Average Price: $32

The Whiskey:

Before you jump all over my case: Yes, this rye is distilled and aged for three years in Indiana. However, it is cut to proof with pure Rocky Mountain water and bottled in Denver, Colorado. TINCUP Whiskey Founder, Jess Graber, states, “The town of Tin Cup, Colorado was established in 1879, and takes its name from the nearby gulch where local prospector Jim Taylor first found gold — carrying it back to town in a tin cup. In a similar fashion, the local miners there would drink their whiskey from tin cups, sharing stories at the end of a long day.”

Thus, the name TINCUP and the cap on the bottle are both nods to Colorado’s history.

Tasting Notes:

Vanilla and baking spices tickle your senses from nose to palate. While most ryes have a bold spicy flavoring, this rye has a lightness that’s refreshing and leads to an exciting apex. The peppery sweet finish is like a quick kiss goodbye, leaving you with eager anticipation for more.

Bottom Line:

I’m not one to drink rye neat, but this one is a suitable sipper. Besides, who can resist drinking out of the literal tin cup cap when you’re out camping?! It’s apropos to the setting and my new (second) favorite whiskey producing state.

Jim-E Stack debuted his Bon Iver, Empress Of, and Octavian-featuring project Ephemera last month. Though the LP has only been out for a few weeks, Stack has already been hard at work on new music. The musician released a re-imagined version of Perfume Genius’ Set My Heart On Fire Immediately track “Without You,” and it perfectly encompasses both of the musicians’ reflective sound.

Stack’s remix infuses warmer tones into the song through resonating synths and a dynamic, shuffling beat. Stack also extends the song by nearly a minute, stretching out its outro with a hip-swinging bass guitar sample.

Speaking about his decision to remix the song, Stack praised Perfume Genius’ songwriting:

“To my ears a Perfume Genius album always embodies excellence, from the song-writing to the production to the mixing. Every word, note, and sound feels so purposeful while playing its role in each song and in the greater context of the album. I chose to remix ‘Without You,’ because something about it felt timeless and familiar but also grounded and confident. That gave me room to make a completely new instrumental around the vocal. Even though Mike and I are friends and we’ve worked together in the past, I was admittedly intimidated by the task of remixing ‘Without You.’ Once I found a way to bring the song into my world, I started listening to the remix outside the studio and I knew I had done my thing. I just hoped Mike would want to listen to it too.”

Listen to Stack’s “Without You” remix above and find our recent interview with Stack here. Also check out where Set Me Heart On Fire Immediately landed on Uproxx’s Best Albums Of 2020 list.

The NBA season is, somehow, right around the corner, and with it come a bounty of future odds at your local sportsbook. There are team win totals — if you plan on betting these, please remember it’s a 72-game season, not an 82-game season, and adjust your math accordingly — as well as player props on everything from points to rebounds, but the odds that get the most attention on the player side are the MVP odds.

This season will be a difficult one to handicap for both team and player future bets simply because it’s happening under such unique circumstances and there is the ever-present possibility of someone missing considerable time should they come down with COVID-19. However, beyond just that looming risk, the swift turnaround from the Bubble to this season also means you have to factor in things like player rest and how teams will treat this season with an eye towards the playoffs with guys having an abbreviated offseason and training camp.

It is with that in mind, along with how MVP voting tends to work, that we look ahead to the NBA MVP odds (courtesy of BetOnline) and present our five best and five worst bets you can make going into this season.

BEST

Luka Doncic (+350): The Mavs star is the betting favorite for a reason, but if you shop around, you can get his odds above 4-1, which I’d highly recommend seeking out. Dallas should be a playoff team once again this season, although it remains to be seen if they improve on their standing from seventh in the West with such a stacked conference and the lingering question of Kristaps Porzingis’ health. However, Kristaps’ absence early and the caution they’ll likely use in bringing him back means Doncic is going to put up a ton of points, to go along with his eye-popping assist and rebounding numbers. If Dallas is simply a decent playoff team, that means Doncic will have been unbelievable this season and he will have near triple-double averages with huge scoring, and we know that’s a recipe for an MVP win.

Anthony Davis (+900): LeBron James shares this 9-1 mark. Under most circumstances, it would be reason to jump on James’ odds, particularly given the push last year to tout his efforts at 35 years old. However, the quick turnaround presumably puts James on the shelf more than we usually see as he’ll probably rest a good bit early on after playing a Finals just a couple months ago. That means Davis will have the spotlight, and if the Lakers still manage to pull out the top seed in the West, it will be Davis who likely has the most production (coupled with DPOY caliber defense) in the most games for L.A., all while the “pass the torch” narrative that, early in the Finals, led some to think he’d win the Finals MVP award in the Bubble swirls. As such, I believe his value is pretty strong.

Jayson Tatum (+2500): We now turn to further down the odds board to seek out some value for high ceiling players. First up is Tatum, who has a chance this season to continue taking the leap into superstar status. It would take something truly sensational from him, but with Kemba Walker likely being brought along slowly with his lingering knee issues, Tatum could see even more of the ball and be asked to take on an even bigger scoring and creation load in Boston. Given they’ll be in the hunt to be a top-4 team in the East again this season, it stands to reason that he could have huge numbers for a good team, along with being a young guy who is likely to play almost all of the Celtics’ games if healthy and that will matter this season.

Kyrie Irving (+3300): The Nets are expected to make a huge leap this season as they get their two new superstar teammates on the floor together in Irving and Kevin Durant, both of whom return from injuries. Irving got off to a scorching hot start last year, and while Durant will certainly get his, he’s also not going to be playing back-to-backs for much of the season coming off of the Achilles injury. As such, Irving is likely going to have nights where it’s his show. We know he will happily produce huge numbers when that is the case and, similarly to the Davis reasoning, if the Nets pop as a team as some believe they can, Irving will likely have played more than KD at similar production and it could vault him firmly into the conversation.

Trae Young (+6600): The Hawks have gotten much better this offseason. While that may mean Young doesn’t score quite as much, his assist numbers and efficiency should benefit greatly, and it’s possible he still averages near 30 points a night. As such, his odds being as long as they are makes him, for my money, the best value on the board overall. That’s not because I think he’s some kind of lock to win, but he should probably be in the 33-1 range just by virtue of the numbers he’s capable of producing and the fact that Atlanta is likely a playoff team this season. If they overachieve as a team and Young continues to put up big stats, he’ll get buzz and is worth a flyer at this longshot number.

WORST

Kevin Durant (+1200): As mentioned above, I just can’t see Durant playing enough to warrant being this high on the odds sheet. He’s not the absolute worst bet — we’ll get to that in a bit — but I simply think there’s not much value here. He’s coming off of an injury that has, historically, been extremely difficult for guys to return to their absolute best form from, especially in the first year back. On top of that, I’d be pretty surprised if he plays more than 60 games this season, and to be clear, the Nets absolutely should be cautious with him and try to have him at his best come playoff time.

Kawhi Leonard (+1400): I mean, he’s the king of load management in what might end up being a season defined by it. On top of that, he doesn’t produce the eye-popping numbers you see from other superstars around the league. Kawhi’s a sensational player, but it’s hard to envision him having the regular season production to earn himself MVP favorite status and at this number, the value’s just not there.

Nikola Jokic (+1600): Jokic is one of the league’s absolute best players and I’m thrilled to see him getting the kind of respect as a player that’s indicated by this position on the MVP odds board, but also, no. Don’t bet on him. Denver didn’t do anything this offseason that makes me believe they’re going to take a leap this season, and if anything, the rest of the West likely started reeling them back into the middle of the playoff picture. On top of that, with Michael Porter Jr. likely taking on a bigger role and Jamal Murray emerging in the Bubble as an apparent No. 1 (now, if that’s for the better of the Nuggets is a legitimate debate), I don’t see Jokic’s role expanding in anyway and he would need that to happen to have a shot at MVP. He’ll be All-NBA, but I don’t see him being seriously in the MVP conversation.

Jimmy Butler (+2000): We have arrived at the worst bet on the MVP board and maybe for any NBA future. I want to preface this by saying Jimmy Butler is an awesome player and what he did last postseason is, truly, the thing of legends. But the MVP is a regular season award and Butler, for all his talents, is not a guy who puts up the production that will have him in the MVP discussion. Like, he averaged 19.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 6.0 assists last year, which is terrific and will get you in the conversation for All-NBA when you combine it with his defense on a good team, but it’s not what you’re going to see out of the MVP. Again, this isn’t a slight against Butler, it’s just the simple fact that what he does is all the little things that help you win, and, whether you like it or not, that’s not what MVP voters are voting for when there are the eye-popping stats we see from other top stars.

Donovan Mitchell (+2500): I do not believe Mitchell is about to reproduce his production from the Nuggets series over the course of the NBA season and that is really the only reason anyone would put money on him at 25-1. Mitchell, like Butler, is a very good player and while he’s more of an offensive focal point than Jimmy, he’s just not going to go out and put up what you need to win MVP and this number is just not providing you any value for a guy like Mitchell. If he were in the range you find Trae Young? Sure, you can talk me into that as a flyer. But he can’t be 13th in MVP value right now. His primary value is scoring and he doesn’t score enough to be among the league’s best in that category and he doesn’t do enough as a facilitator to make up for that. Again, a terrific player who could be an All-NBA candidate, but there’s just so far to go to be in the MVP-caliber tier.