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If it seems like just last week when I was trying my best to help readers sort through the nightmare of a potential NBA All-Star Game … oh, wait, it was! This week, more concern from readers about which players have spoken up for or against All-Star, but more specifically, why is it so many haven’t? Then, a question about snacking comforts for the relocated Toronto Raptors. But first, help for a reader’s “friend” “Brad” in D.C. who we’re told no matter how much he just wants to work hard and do his job, no one will leave alone, not to mention quit trying to acquire.

If you have NBA questions you want answered in the future, email them to [email protected].

Dear Ann Landry Fields, my friend Brad is working for a company that’s not doing well. They’ve made some bad acquisitions recently, they haven’t developed any young employees into difference makers, and they even gave this one Latvian guy a HUGE raise just because he had a productive quarter and now he’s totally slacking!

People keep telling him he should change his job, and headhunters are constantly harassing him. But he says he’s really happy there! It’s the only place he’s ever worked, he gets along great with the boss, and he got a very generous raise about a year ago. Plus, if his performance reviews are good — he’s honestly kicking butt this year — he’s looking at an even bigger raise!

Some people in his industry move around all the time, but he’s just not interested. When trade publications are constantly talking about his potential new jobs and publicly suggesting where he should go, it gets very stressful for him. How do we get people to leave Brad alone and believe him when he says he isn’t looking for a new job?

— Despondent in DC

Let me just say that Brad sounds like a stand up guy, Despondent, and I’ll bet he’s the kind of person who checks with everyone before he kills the coffee and then dumps the grinds from the coffee maker and rinses the basket out.

Now, you mention Brad’s constantly getting headhunted, so I’ll bet he has a LinkedIn. If he hasn’t tried it already, maybe he wants to start sharing some articles about job loyalty, or even just some vague stock images. Granted, he could pretty quickly be labeled a shill by his coworkers so that’s a risky move, even for someone as well-liked as Brad, so what I propose is this: Let the work speak for him.

In a lot of jobs, I would caution that this isn’t such a great strategy, if only because employers are rarely paying attention. In fact many would be sort of stoked if you did not self-advocate, or bring up benchmarks and achievements, because that way they don’t have to acknowledge the work in any way that might lead to a more equity: a raise, a promotion, etc.

But in Brad’s case, if his colleagues are slacking and there’s this much outside interest around the guy, his value to his employer is only going to go up. It’s going to go up even more if Brad continues to clock in, carry the team company, and clean up at the (coffee) basket. The nice advantage to this strategy for your buddy Brad, too, is that if in the end he decides he’d like to test the waters elsewhere, whoever he meets with is going to take a look at that loyalty and sustained effort and thing whoa, this guy’s something special.

People like to complain about crappy jobs so much that they’ll even complain about what they perceive to be other people’s crappy jobs. It would be kind of a nice, universal human experience if it didn’t underscore the larger and more problematic human experience of people being consistently taken advantage of by those in higher positions of perceived power! All to say, as long as Brad thinks it’s sustainable and the job isn’t taking a physical toll on him, then he’s in the best position to secure himself a raise, promotion, new position, whatever he’s after. He just has to keep being himself.

What’s your take on the crickets from the players re: NBA ASG/(ASW?) It feels like they want this to happen since they’re already playing anyways.

Lastly, should they just ask Chuck and Shaq to coach both teams instead of risking the coaches who don’t have much to gain for being part of this sideshow?

Regards,

JD

For transparency and to other readers I’ll add that when JD sent this question in, the only NBA player who had gone on record to call out the NBA’s plan to hold an All-Star Game was the Kings’ De’Aaron Fox, who said the following: “I mean, if I’m gonna be brutally honest, I think it’s stupid. If we have to wear masks and do all this for a regular game, then what’s the point of bringing the All-Star Game back? Money makes the world go ’round, so, it is what it is.”

Fox went on to acknowledge that if he were voted in he would play, because otherwise he would be fined. Aside from the All-Star Game being a reckless, bad idea, the reality that a player would get fined if they wanted to opt-out undermines completely the concept of player autonomy in a season we’re supposed to believe is showcasing it at an all time, collective high.

It appeared to be a third rail that no one wanted to touch, but then the loudest voice in the league somewhat sternly spoke up:

In his postgame Thursday, LeBron James said he had “zero energy and zero excitement about an All-Star Game this year” and that it was it was “pretty much a slap in the face.”

James went on to talk about how long the previous season had been for himself and his teammates, how short the break was between seasons, and how at the beginning of this season, one of the incentives had been the promise of no All-Star Game, only the week-long break that typically follows it. He talked about the reality of the ongoing pandemic and the dangers of playing in a city like Atlanta where things are currently open, hitting starkly on a glaring point that the NBA has been able to avoid as if by its refusal to acknowledge alone, a strange thing to think the league needs reminding of but here we are.

“Obviously the pandemic has absolutely nothing to do with it,” James said in a clarifying callout after all the cloying make-believe with public health the NBA has been engaged in.

The hope is that with James having said his piece, other players will follow. Some won’t, maybe because of internal team pressure, because they aren’t in contention for voting, because they aren’t asked, or because yes, like you said, some might figure they’re already playing anyway and a pay bump wouldn’t be the worst thing. Some might want to play! At the very least, I’m glad a couple of players are reminding the league about the current, not great state of affairs.

And sure, Chuck and Shaq can coach, if only for a 3-point-less game that goes on for a new kind of forever even longer than the All-Star Game already takes.

Dear Ann Landry,

The 2019 Raptors were famously lifted by a late-night trip to an Insomnia Cookies in Philadelphia. With Tampa getting not one but TWO Insomnia Cookies locations, can this turn things around for the Raptors, or will it be too late since nine of their next 10 are on the road? More importantly, what is the one meal or social excursion you would take your team on to improve the vibes if you were a team captain?

Signed,

Taking Back Sundiata Gaines

Unfortunately the state of the Raptors is still so tender and fraught to me that when I first read this through I thought, oh no, what if it reminds them of Kawhi? And from there, the departure of Serge Ibaka, and from there Marc Gasol, ’til none of it was about cookies anymore. Anyway, it’s a 7-minute drive on the freeway and 9-minute drive if Kyle Lowry doesn’t want to pay tolls (he wouldn’t) to get from Amalie Arena to the closest Insomnia location, but I think it’s safer to say that Yuta Watanabe or Malachai Flynn are getting sent to pick up some boxes for the plane.

For me, Taking Back Sundiata Gaines, if we’re talking vibes in and around Tampa, it might be hokey but I’m like, has anyone taken these guys on a fan boat tour yet? I had a friend do this for me the one time I was there, at a place down south of Naples where the fan boat operator looked to have had his fair share of run ins with the front end of a gator but talked with such love and care about the coastal and Everglades ecosystem, plus we saw some baby swamp raccoons. The guy also gunned it, and had a hard time not doing a donut every 10-15 seconds, which ended up being very bonding for the rag tag group of the six of us on that boat on account of all the screaming and fear of being launched into brackish, reptilian waters. That might be good for Toronto right now.

It’s been five years since we lost David Bowie, and while he’s best known for his many classic albums, he also found time to appear in a handful of sometimes excellent movies. Among his finest big screen turns — and one of the only ones in which he was a lead, not a scene-stealing supporting player — was 1976’s The Man Who Fell to Earth, a mind-blowing, deeply sad sci-fi, in which he played an alien who comes to Earth in a failed attempt to save his home planet.

Now that film has become the latest in the remake carousel. As per Entertainment Weekly, Paramount+ has greenlit a limited TV series version, which will star Chiwetel Ejiofor as the extraterrestrial loner. The showrunners are Alex Kurtzman — the big Hollywood player behind the Star Trek movie reboot — and Jenny Lumet, daughter of Dog Day Afternoon director Sidney and herself the writer of the Anne Hathaway drama Rachel Getting Married.

Mind you, this The Man Who Fell to Earth not necessarily a straight remake. It will simply be another adaptation of the novel by Walter Tevis, author of such novels as The Hustler (and its sequel The Color of Money) as well as The Queen’s Gambit, which was turned into a much-watched Netflix show. The book is a bit different from the 1976 movie, which is singular in its artiness and would be hard for anyone to redo. Still, good on Ejiofor, who gets to step into the same shoes as The Thin White Duke.

(Via EW)

HER did not drop an album in 2020, but the Cali-born singer remained very active, and it looks like the same will happen this year. Her official debut album is set to drop at some point this year. In the meantime, she brought her talents to The Late Show With Stephen Colbert to perform her latest single “Fight For You,” which can be found on the soundtrack for the upcoming film Judas And The Black Messiah.

Earlier this month, HER earned her first Golden Globe nomination, which she received for — that’s right — “Fight For You,” which was nominated for Best Original Song. This comes after HER delivered a number of singles in 2020, including “Comfortable,” “Damage,” and “Hold Us Together.” She also collaborated with the likes of Jazmine Sullivan, Jhene Aiko, and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie. And she appeared on Saturday Night Live, where she performed “Damage” and “Hold On.” Last year also saw HER become the first Black female artist to receive a signature Fender guitar.

HER will soon perform “America The Beautiful” at Super Bowl LV on Sunday. She will also join Miley Cyrus and others for Verizon’s Super Bowl after-party concert.

You can watch her performance in the video above

Any hopes that 2021 would at least be less weird than 2020 were quickly dashed. Exhibit A (of already too many): Armie Hammer, acclaimed actor of The Social Network and Call Me By Your Name, has been accused of sending messages to women that were…bizarre, to say the least. A career that seemed to be skyrocketing has suddenly crashed into the earth, with him dropping out of one project after another. Now he’s even been dropped by his agency.

This comes from The Hollywood Reporter, who says that WME has cut ties with the actor amidst the allegations. His publicist has also reportedly severed ties. Said messages were revealed by multiple women, and they include beyond kinky sexual fantasies involving abuse and even cannibalism. Other women have stepped forward with similar allegations. Hammer has denied the claims.

Since being accused, Hammer has stepped out of a number of projects. There was The Offer, Paramount+’s lavish behind-the-scenes look at the making of The Godfather, in which he was to star. He also resigned from an as-yet-untitled action rom-com opposite Jennifer Lopez. (He was replaced by Josh Duhamel.) Meanwhile, his Call Me By Your Name director and co-star, Luca Guadagnino and Timothée Chalamet, are reportedly considering making a movie about cannibalism, without Hammer, with whom they are (were?) supposed to reunite for a CMBYN sequel. In other words, we continue to live in interesting times.

(Via THR)

Internet Money spared no shortage of features on their 2020 album B4 The Storm, which saw verses from the likes of Roddy Ricch, Wiz Khalifa, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, and more. Juice WLRD‘s posthumous bars can also be heard alongside Trippie Redd on their sweltering collaboration “Blast Off.” Now, Internet Money follows the album’s release with an animated video to Juice WRLD and Trippie Redd’s track.

This past December marked one year since Juice WRLD’s tragic death, but Internet Money’s new visual honors the late rapper in their own way: by depicting him as a zombie hunter in a post-apocalyptic universe. In the animated clip, Juice WRLD and Trippie Redd team up to fight monsters and take down a giant demon.

The song is one of several posthumous tracks from Juice WRLD. Just a few weeks ago, DJ Scheme released his Juice WRLD-featuring track “Buck 50” and before that, Juice WRLD’s posthumous album Legends Never Die was released. The album was wildly successful and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Though lots of the rapper’s music has been released, there could be countless others on the way as it was revealed that he had recorded nearly 2,000 songs before his untimely passing.

Watch Internet Money’s “Blast Off” video above.

B4 The Storm is out now via Internet Money/10K Projects. Get it here.

Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the NBA season hasn’t gone as smoothly as hoped. Numerous games have been postponed and several players have missed time because of either testing positive for the virus or being in contact with someone who did. Even still, the league is attempting to push forward with plans to hold an All-Star in Atlanta next month, despite several players coming out against it.

Friday night gave us the latest pandemic-related ordeal, as Kevin Durant was ultimately forced to exit the Nets’ game against the Raptors due to the league’s health and safety protocols. Durant was initially held out for the start of the game, then later took the court, before once against being removed after officials determined that Durant had been in contact with an individual who recently tested positive.

He took to social media after the game to express his frustration in a series of incensed tweets, criticizing the NBA directly for what he sees as an inconsistent application of the league’s contact-tracing measures. After the game, James Harden told reporters that he and he rest of the team were likewise frustrated by the situation.

“It’s frustrating. … I don’t understand.”

James Harden was upset with the contact tracing situation involving Kevin Durant during tonight’s game.

(via @SNYNets)pic.twitter.com/ieF1K5h5Jt

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 6, 2021

The Nets ended up falling to the Raptors, 123-117, marking their fourth loss in the last 10 games after putting together a nice string of victories. Harden has a point about the toll the pandemic has taken on the league as a whole, with so many games postponed and so many players in and out of the lineup for teams across the league and the difficulty of maintaining any kind of consistency or momentum amid all of that turmoil.

Yet, it’s unclear what a reasonable solution might be to any of the myriad problems that have cropped up, given that the league has been reluctant to pause the season or revisit the idea of a Bubble scenario. For now, it appears it will be business as usual for the NBA during a time when the world is anything but normal.

Detroit rapper Tee Grizzley recently got the news that his brother, who adopts the moniker Baby Grizzley, has been indicted on federal gun charges after finishing a 5-year sentence behind bars. Now reflecting on hearing the news, Grizzley drops the track “Late Night Calls” alongside a poignant video.

True to his signature style, the rapper does not stray from honesty on “Late Night Calls.” The song deals with the anxiety around picking up a late-night call to find out that a loved one has been hurt or jailed. Grizzley details the time he answered his phone to the news that his brother had been arrested. He also recalls when he first found out his father had passed away through a frenzied phone call. “And I got some calls late nights / The next day I couldn’t even eat / And I got some calls late nights / The next day I couldn’t even think,” he raps.

Ahead of the visual’s release, Grizzley has been trading verses with some big names in rap, who also happen to be Detroit natives. Most recently, Grizzley exchanged bars with Kash Doll on the fiery single “Bossa Nova.” Just ahead of that, the rapper linked up with Big Sean to show a day in their lives on their joint “Trenches” video.

Watch Tee Grizzley’s “Late Night Calls” video above.

It’s a been a roller-coaster of a night for Kevin Durant. Prior to tip-off against the Raptors on Friday, a report from ESPN indicated that Durant would not be in the starting lineup, as part of the league’s health and safety protocols related to COVID. Durant had reportedly been in contact with an individual who may have been exposed to the virus and had returned an inconclusive test.

But just a few minutes into the opening quarter, Durant emerged from the locker room and entered the game. The details about the contact tracing in connection to Durant were unclear, but every indication was that he had been cleared to re-enter the game. However, Durant later left the game in the second half in connection to the same situation.

ESPN’s Malika Andrews offered some clarity after Durant exited the game, explaining that although Durant had tested negative on three occasions over the last 24 hours, the individual with whom he had been in contact had subsequently tested positive, meaning Durant would once again being under contact-tracing protocols.

Statement from NBA on Kevin Durant situation: pic.twitter.com/S6XvLUhAH2

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 6, 2021

Naturally, there was some frustration on Durant’s part, which led to this tweet after he returned to the locker room.

Free me

— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) February 6, 2021

And Durant wasn’t done expressing his thoughts on the matter, appearing to criticize the league for what he perceives as a focus on appearances and perceptions rather than a meaningful response to the situation.

Yo @nba, your fans aren’t dumb!!!! You can’t fool em with your Wack ass PR tactics.. #FREE7 https://t.co/78N1iKFAoc

— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) February 6, 2021

Nonetheless, the Nets will continue to proceed with caution, and according to Adrian Wojnarowski, it appears doubtful that Durant will travel to Philadelphia for a game against the Sixers this weekend.

The NBA and Nets are still conferring, but it is unlikely Kevin Durant will be traveling with the Nets to Philadelphia for Saturday’s game against the 76ers, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 6, 2021

It’s certainly been a strange night for Durant and the Nets, who ended up falling to the Raptors, 123-117. It marked the first time in Durant’s career that he both didn’t start the game and scored under double-digits, although the circumstances clearly put an asterisk by those stats.

For a first-time head coach, Steve Nash has found himself with an embarrassment of riches. The Big 3 of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and James Harden is one of the most talented trios ever assembled, and because of that, the expectations for them going forward are astronomical.

Nash and the Nets are already encountering some of the challenges they’ll have to overcome defensively, but those pitfalls on the other end of the court are certainly a trade-off they were willing to make and an area that they can continue to improve upon as the season progresses.

But when it comes to the pure scoring power that each of these players wields, well, that’s not something you can really teach. They are among the lethal scorers of any generation, and Nash himself has witnessed firsthand just how they measure up when it comes to comparing them against some of the all-time greats.

Prior to their game against the Raptors on Friday night, Nash was asked about Kyrie in relation to a player he’s often compared to, Allen Iverson, and though Nash was effusive in his praise for The Answer, he naturally came down on the side of Kyrie as the more complete player.

Steve Nash was asked if Allen Iverson was a fair player comparison for Kyrie Irving. Nash said Kyrie is more skilled and that Iverson was electrifying, a crazy competitor, and one of the all-time greats. Full quote below. pic.twitter.com/YR0TkRNKwg

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) February 5, 2021

It is, after all, a fairly apt comparison. Both are lightning-quick, with devastating ball-handling skills and an ability to finish at the rim among the trees. But, even Iverson himself has admitted that Kyrie might have better handles than he did, despite the fact that A.I. is widely considered to be the owner of one of the most lethal crossovers in the history of the game.

Kyrie’s footwork and his ability to finish with both hands at all sorts of impossible angles off the glass is another area that sets him a notch above just about anybody else. Iverson die-hards, however, will likely never concede that Kyrie might be more skilled, and that’s perfectly understandable. But either way, there’s plenty of similarities between two of the NBA’s greatest showmen.

With only a handful of singles to his name, Young Rog teamed up with Summer Walker for the laid-back anthem “Bullsh*t.” Alongside the song’s release, the two got together to film a captivating video, which even includes a special cameo from Rog’s dog Zeus.

Directed by Mac Grant, the visual sees the LVRN labelmates seeking a drama-free relationship. “I really wish you’d hear me from a different side / But there’s no tellin’ you nothing bеcause you always right,” Walker sings.

About the collaboration, Young Rog praised Walker’s talent in a statement to Complex: “Summer was honestly amazing and for real, for real, I think her voice over any beat makes records sit in another dimension. Great records definitely come with good team effort and it’s really a blessing to be working with [her].”

Despite the circumstances, 2020 was a busy year for Walker. Along with confirming her pregnancy and showing off her glowing baby bump, the singer broke ground on her own record label Ghetto Earth Records, an imprint of Interscope. After launching the label, Walker’s first signee was singer/songwriter NO1-NOAH, who collaborated with Walker both on Over It and Life On Earth. “I came up with Ghetto Earth because earth is ghetto,” she said about the endeavor. “I don’t wanna be controlling over my artist’s music. I want them to be fully involved in everything they put out. I’m just here to support and help them get to wherever it is they’re trying to go in life.”

Watch Young Rog and Summer Walker’s “Bullsh*t” video above.