Month: June 2022

Nicolas Batum looked like injuries had sapped much of what he had left in the tank during the end of his time with the Charlotte Hornets, which parted ways with him ahead of the 2020 NBA season. Once the dust settled, Batum signed a 1-year deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, turned into a reliable piece for them, and signed another 1-year deal at the conclusion of last season.

While Batum hit free agency once again this summer, the Clippers decided to make sure he doesn’t have to go through it again in 2023. According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, the three-and-D wing who has turned into an important part of the team’s rotation will return to Los Angles on a 2-year contract that will pay him $22 million.

Batum has carved out a role in the team’s starting line, and his ability to hit catch-and-shoot threes on one end while providing stingy defense on the other has made him a snug fit alongside Paul George and, when he’s been healthy, Kawhi Leonard. For a team with championship aspirations next year, keeping Batum around was assuredly a priority.

Batum averaged 8.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game on 46.3/40.0/65.8 shooting splits last season with the Clippers.

A wild transaction cycle is in the center of the frame in the NBA world as July arrives. From Kevin Durant’s trade request to a blockbuster deal between the Spurs and Hawks to send Dejounte Murray to Atlanta and myriad other moves, basketball observers are busy with the frenzy but, on Thursday evening, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported interesting and potentially concerning injury news with regard to the Memphis Grizzlies. Wojnarowski noted that standout big man Jaren Jackson Jr. will be sidelined for at least four months after undergoing foot surgery to address a stress fracture, with the Grizzlies then releasing an official statement confirming the details.

Given the timing of the announcement, a four-to-six month timeline would place the start of the 2022-23 season very much in question for Jackson. Even a four-month recovery would cause Jackson Jr. to miss opening night, and a six-month timetable would keep him out until January. Fortunately, the Grizzlies have considerable depth on their roster and big-picture aspirations that should not be curtailed by an early-season absence for Jackson Jr., but he also has a history of injury concerns.

Jackson Jr. enjoyed his best season as a professional in 2021-22, leading the league in blocking 2.3 shots per game and averaging 16.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest. The 22-year-old also began to realize the considerable defensive potential that made him a top-five pick in 2018, and he is a foundational piece alongside Ja Morant in what Memphis is building after a tremendous 2021-22 campaign. In his absence, the Grizzlies can lean on the likes of Brandon Clark, Xavier Tillman, and first-round picks David Roddy and Jake Laravia, but Memphis will not be at its best until Jackson can return at 100 percent.

For nearly a half-decade, Bradley Beal has served as the face of the franchise for the Washington Wizards. Though rumblings emerged on a few occasions in the last couple of seasons, Beal elected to decline a lucrative player option for the 2022-23 season, creating flexibility but also opening up a pathway to an enormous deal to keep the former No. 3 overall pick in the nation’s capital for a long time. Now, the widespread assumption that Beal would return to Washington is backed up by reporting that he will ink a 5-year, $251 million supermax extension to stay with the Wizards.

Beal and freshly acquired big man Kristaps Porzingis will serve as Washington’s one-two punch to begin the 2022-23 campaign, and Beal is a three-time NBA All-Star. He is also a former All-NBA selection who averaged more than 30 points per game during both the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. In 2021-22, Beal took a step back in averaging only 23.3 points per game, but he produced a career-best 6.6 assists per contest and there is little reason to believe Beal simply forgot how to shoot while posting a career-worst 30.0 percent three-point clip.

With Beal set to begin his new deal with his age-29 season, there is certainly risk on Washington’s side of a contract that looks ugly by the end. However, Beal is the team’s best player and, despite the potential to pivot into a clear rebuild direction in the last couple of seasons, all indications are that the Wizards preferred to keep Beal and attempt to build around him, rather than without him.

DDG fought the law and he won. The platinum-selling rapper was cleared today (June 30) of his charges for illegal gun possession, TMZ reports. His manager, Dimitri Hurt, stated that California’s new gun laws permitting concealed firearms were pivotal in the District Attorney ultimately deciding to throw the case out and not pursue further litigation. Needless to say, the 24-year-old was thrilled about this news and took to Instagram to express his excitement. He even cracked a joke about how vlogger Charleston White is his lawyer when, in fact, it is Hurt who doubles as his manager and lawyer.

https://www.instagram.com/akademiks/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=d6801d7f-273f-4dd7-8609-447d347b3e10

DDG was pulled over on June 7 after being caught speeding in his Lamborghini on the way to a video shoot, upon which he admitted to having a loaded gun in the vehicle. Now that the charges are dropped, the Pontiac, Michigan artist can look ahead to his upcoming tour taking him overseas to the U.K.’s 2022 Wireless Fest, Rolling Loud Portugal, and shows in Amsterdam, Denmark, Germany, and Poland before returning stateside. With the 2022 records “Stay In My Circle,” “Storyteller,” “Meat This” with Blueface, and the Gunna-assisted “Elon Musk,” the Die 4 Respect artist has a lot of momentum heading into his summer tour.

Check out the video of DDG celebrating his charges being dropped above.

When PJ Tucker declined to pick up his player option for next season, the initial expectation was that he’d simply renegotiate a deal with the Miami Heat, but it quickly became clear that the Philadelphia 76ers were the frontrunners for Tucker’s services, reuniting him with his old friends from Houston, James Harden and Daryl Morey.

For more than a week it’s been reported that Philadelphia would be finding a way to clear enough salary to offer Tucker a 3-year, $30 million deal to bring some much-needed toughness to their team. Right as free agency opened up on Thursday, we learned that to be the case, with Tucker getting a fully guaranteed deal for a little bit more money in the City of Brotherly Love.

Given how much Joel Embiid and others on the Sixers lamented their lack of competitors in their second round series loss to Tucker and the Heat, it’s not a surprise that they’d turn to the 37-year-old that already has the respect of their stars and entire team. Last year, Tucker averaged 7.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on 48.4/41.5/73.8 shooting splits in 71 games for Miami.

The question, of course, is whether giving Tucker such a substantial deal that takes him into his Year 40 season is going to produce diminishing returns sooner rather than later. But for as long as Tucker can continue to be an elite defensive pest and knock down corner threes as he has ever since his Rockets days, he figures to help this Philly team.

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You can watch the full video below:

Making an assumption that the current birth rate would stay the same (unlikely, but for the sake of discussion), that would mean the global population would increase by 125 million people each year. Combine that with the fact that the average collective life span of most mammal species before extinction is somewhere around 1-10 million years, and we can conservatively estimate that there is still a whopping 800,000 more years before a real apocalypse is upon us.

Yes, even under a cynical lens, we might be looking at a future of 1.2 quadrillion people yet to be born.

Of course, galactic catastrophes can happen. A supernova, gamma ray bursts … the things sci-fi movies like to scare us with. But even those must fall under very specific parameters in order to pose a real threat. And if they did happen, humanity is still “relatively safe from extinction, maybe even for billions of years.”

Things get even more complex if we consider we might eventually leave Earth.

“If future people can colonize, say, 100 billion stars and live there for 10 billion years, while each generating 100 million births per year, then we can expect something like a hundred octillion lives to be lived in the future. This is a 1 with 29 zeros, a hundred thousand trillion, trillion,” the video states.

The potential for added zeros grows and grows from there. In this futuristic scenario, we could see a blending of colonized galaxies. Yes, galaxies. Plural. Which, the video concludes, could give us a potential for a tredecillion lives. Never heard of a tredecillion? It means a million, trillion, trillion, trillion potential people.

“Every generation assumes they’re important enough to witness the apocalypse and then life just goes on,” which the video explains is a phenomenon called societal pessimism. However, because the potential size of the future could in fact be vastly greater than our present comprehension, it might behoove us all to think of civilization as being at the beginning of its story, rather than the end.

With this in mind, there might be an even more powerful moral imperative attached to our actions today, something explored in a school of thought referred to as longtermism. Longtermism doesn’t argue that human life most certainly will go on, but focuses on the possibility that it could. And because of that, we might want to examine what the long-term consequences of our choices could be for those future generations, ethically speaking.

After all, if there’s even a chance that billions of people could still be born despite our seemingly bleak current circumstances, then maybe we owe it to ourselves as a species to not throw the tredecillion babies out with the bathwater.

It’s a fascinating thought experiment, not to mention a pretty cool argument in the name of rational optimism. Plus, it’s made all the more palatable with fun graphics. Thank you, In a Nutshell!

The late Robin Williams could make picking out socks funny, so pairing him with the fuzzy red monster Elmo was bound to be pure wholesome gold. Honestly, how the puppeteer, Kevin Clash, didn’t completely break character and bust out laughing is a miracle. In this short outtake clip, you get to see Williams crack a few jokes in his signature style while Elmo tries desperately to keep it together.

Williams has been a household name since what seems like the beginning of time, and before his death in 2014, he would make frequent appearances on “Sesame Street.” The late actor played so many roles that if you were ask 10 different people what their favorite was, you’d likely get 10 different answers. But for the kids who spent their childhoods watching PBS, they got to see him being silly with his favorite monsters and a giant yellow canary. At least I think Big Bird is a canary.

When he stopped by “Sesame Street” for the special “Big Bird’s Birthday or Let Me Eat Cake” in 1991, he was there to show Elmo all of the wonderful things you could do with a stick. Williams turns the stick into a hockey stick and a baton before losing his composure and walking off camera. The entire time, Elmo looks enthralled … if puppets can look enthralled. He’s definitely paying attention before slumping over at the realization that Williams goofed a line. But the actor comes back to continue the scene before Elmo slinks down inside his box after getting Williams’ name wrong, which causes his human co-star to take his stick and leave.

The little blooper reel is so cute and pure that it makes you feel good for a few minutes. For an additional boost of serotonin, check out this other (perfectly executed) clip about conflict that Williams did with the two-headed monster. He certainly had a way of engaging his audience, so it makes sense that even after all of these years, he’s still greatly missed.

There was maybe no member of the Los Angeles Lakers who did better for themselves in the midst of an otherwise terrible season for the team than Malik Monk, who established himself as the most reliable shooting threat on a team desperate for them.

Monk averaged career bests last season, with 13.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game on 47.3/39.1/79.5 shooting splits in 76 games for the Lakers after taking a minimum with the team after the Hornets didn’t extend him a qualifying offer last summer. Now, Monk is ready to cash in on that season in L.A., and despite him saying publicly he’d consider the Lakers at a discounted price if the right opportunity elsewhere didn’t open up, he is headed up to northern California.

Monk has reportedly agreed to a two-year, $20 million contract with the Sacramento Kings that was widely rumored to be getting done prior to free agency opening officially.

The Kings, after trading Buddy Hield last year in the Domantas Sabonis trade, has a clear need for more shooting on the roster and Monk fits snugly into that role. Financially, Monk’s reported deal is for the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which is close to $4 million more than what L.A. could offer him with the taxpayer MLE. This figures to be the biggest free agent addition for the Kings, with other moves potentially coming on the trade market.

Jack in the Box, with its Munchie meals, Sriracha Curly Fry burgers, and weird-ass tacos, has always been the go-to fast food spot for hungry stoners and late-night partiers in need of a big greasy meal to cap off the night. I mean, the chain even has a section on its menu called “Late Night” — it knows its audience and it caters to them well. But Jack better watch the throne because someone is coming for his stoner crown and that someone is… an inanimate bell.

It’s Taco Bell. We’re talking about Taco Bell.

The Bell might not have anything on its menu as insane as Jack in the Box’s Chick-N-Tater Melt Munchie Meal, which features a croissant topped with bacon, hashbrowns, and fried chicken smothered in three kinds of cheese and ranch sauce (ranch on a croissant, let that set in) served alongside two tacos and curly fries, but they’ve come pretty close. Aside from the Mexican Pizza, which has stoner written all over it, Taco Bell has given us several different iterations of Nacho Fries, turned a chicken patty into a taco shell, and has given us two different Doritos-flavored tacos. So while few of those enjoy permanent menu status, Taco Bell is certainly pulling its weight with the stoner snack food-loving community.

I should know — I’m part of it!

This is why I’m so psyched that Taco Bell is finally dipping back into the snack pantry for inspiration with its new Cheez-It Tostada and Crunchwrap. Like the Doritos Locos Taco, the concept here is simple: two beloved Taco Bell classics rebuilt with a giant Cheez-it in place of a fried tortilla. The Cheez-It has been specially made for Taco Bell and, according to the press release, is approximately 16 times the standard size.

The experimental tostada and Crunchwrap will only be available at a single Taco Bell in Irvine, California and only for two weeks, so if you don’t live in SoCal you’re going to have to wait a bit. Luckily, we’ve picked up both for a full review. This way when the Cheez-It Tostada and Crunchwrap do eventually hit Taco Bells nationwide (and let’s face it, it will, the Doritos Locos Tacos are a best seller) you’ll know whether it’s worth the pickup.

Let’s eat, starting with the lesser of the two.

Taco Bell Cheez-It Tostada

The Taco Bell Cheez-It Tostada is big but it’s not big enough. I don’t expect fast food to look even half as good as the promotional photos, but there is something sadly underwhelming about imagining you’re going to eat something like the press photo at the top of this article, and then opening up a box and seeing… this thing.

The lack of a visual appeal is a minor gripe though because what it lacks in looks, it makes up for in toppings. This thing is fully loaded. The build features a layer of ground beef topped with sour cream, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and shredded cheddar cheese on top of a very big and very thick Cheez-It.

The Cheez-It itself tastes exactly like you’d expect, like a cheddar Cheez-It, sharp and toasty, it doesn’t taste like any corners were cut here, Taco Bell advertised a tostada on a Cheez-It and that’s exactly what they’ve given us. What’s surprising is how well the flavors of the Cheez-it pair with the familiar flavors of Taco Bell. That toasty sharp cheddar quality results in something that manages to taste familiar but new, which is rare for Taco Bell considering most of their menu is a shuffling of ingredients over or wrapped in corn or flour tortillas.

The biggest issue with this dish is that the Cheez-It isn’t as structurally sound as a fried tortilla, the weight of the ingredients is enough to crack the cracker, most of it I had to eat in small bites and I was never able to hold the entire tostada up to take a bite. Not a big issue, but it makes for a messy meal.

Taco Bell Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme

The Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme is very similar in build to the tostada, only you get more of everything and it’s better for it. The big Cheez-It is wrapped inside a giant grilled tortilla with ground beef, nacho cheese sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream and while the ingredients are almost all the same, the form factor and layering make the experience very different.

With the Crunchwrap you have that grilled tortilla wrapping, which makes each bite heartier and more substantial, with the cracker inside acting as a crunchy separator between the soft veggie and meat ingredients.

This causes the flavors to come in waves, first, you taste grilled tortilla, then salty and cheesy meat, followed by a toasted cheesy crunch, and then a fresh vegetal palate cleanser at the finish, prepping you for the next bite. Each bite follows that same experience: salty and savory, cheesy and toasty, with a salad-esque finish.

But our favorite part of the Crunchwrap is the way the salty cheese sauce absorbs into the Cheez-It, infusing it with even more flavor. That’s something the OG Crunchwrap, with its tortilla core, could never do and it serves the dish much better than the shredded cheese served the tostada. It also serves the crumbling problem of the tostada, because it’s housed in a tortilla, it doesn’t matter how many times the cracker crumbles.

The Bottom Line:

Toasty, cheesy, sharp, salty, both taste great, and exactly like you’d expect them to, and yet, refreshingly new compared to everything else Taco Bell has to offer. The one that truly feels essential and like it has the potential to be as big a hit as the Doritos Locos Taco is the Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme. But Taco Bell, think even bigger — give us a Cheez-It Mexican Pizza!

The Brooklyn Nets are, once again, the center of attention in the NBA after having approximately 24 hours out of the spotlight after Kyrie Irving picked up his player option, as Kevin Durant has requested a trade out of Brooklyn.

Durant is hoping to go to Phoenix or Miami, with the Suns at the very top of his preferred destinations. The biggest reason for KD’s desire to head to the desert is the presence of Devin Booker, who Durant has not been shy about noting is one of his favorite players in the NBA. It’s clear Durant believes he and Booker can make for one of the most formidable tandems in the league, and Booker has certainly proven to be a reliable performer — something Durant surely respects even more after his time in Brooklyn.

However, the Suns still have to hit the Nets’ demands in a trade for Durant, who has four full years left on a new extension and doesn’t have a no-trade clause, and as such, we have reached the public negotiations portion of the proceedings in record time. Shortly after the request, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report offered the Nets side of things, saying they don’t want Deandre Ayton, but instead want Booker himself as the centerpiece of a KD trade.

From Brooklyn’s perspective, sources said, there’s no deal to land Durant in Phoenix that doesn’t start with sending back Devin Booker to Barclays Center. The Suns, of course, would likely hold the line firm. But early indications are the Nets brass is not particularly inclined to take a sign-and-trade that brings back unrestricted free agent Deandre Ayton.

I too would want that, but that certainly isn’t going to happen — again, Durant’s biggest reason for choosing Phoenix as a landing spot is Booker himself. However, what this reads as to me is that the Suns are ensuring Phoenix puts its best non-Booker trade proposal on the table, which is Ayton, Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and draft picks. The Suns do not want to part ways with Bridges, given he would be the perfect small forward between Booker and Durant, but if the Nets are willing to play hardball just enough and threaten to look elsewhere and say publicly they want Booker, they can maybe force the Suns hands into putting that offer out there.

There are logistics to navigate, like finding a third team to facilitate the deal given the CBA obligations of working this deal in as a sign-and-trade involving Ayton, but all of that can be done provided the two teams can agree on the initial compensation. If Phoenix wants to hold the line on Bridges, Brooklyn should absolutely look elsewhere for a better deal, but they’d be the rare team, along with Indiana and San Antonio, to send a star player to a place that wasn’t his preferred destination in a trade request in recent years if they did so.