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Towards the beginning of Taylor Swift’s Miss Americana documentary, the cameras capture her reaction on Grammy nomination day back in 2018. For the first time since Speak Now (2010), she hadn’t received a nomination in any of the big three categories, Album, Song or Record Of The Year. “This is fine,” Taylor said, while clearly shattered. “I just need to make a better record.” Though it was actually a small blip in the tenure of her success, the snub made one thing clear — Grammy nominations are never something to be taken for granted. At the 2020 awards, the title track off Swift’s album Lover was up for Song Of The Year, and with the 2021 nominations coming through yesterday, Folklore has restored her to an accustomed perch — this year’s release is up for Album Of The Year, and its lead single, “Cardigan,” for Song. I’m a Taylor fan through and through, so no one will mistake this for shade: I would take every single song off Reputation over “Cardigan.”

For an artist like Swift, who is one of the biggest musicians in the world, Grammy nominations are an expected part of the process. For plenty of other women, though, the struggle to be recognized, even in smaller, genre-specific categories, has been much more in-depth than a single off-year. In the rock categories, for instance, women have been shut out many times, and as the genre has fallen out of popularity in favor of hip-hop, it’s hard not to pin some of that on the Academy routinely choosing to spotlight bland, commercial-centric male acts. This year, they did an about-face, nominating only women for the Rock Performance category, leading to big looks for critic’s darlings like Phoebe Bridgers, Fiona Apple, and Big Thief. Bridgers got another huge look in the Best New Artist category and in Best Alternative Album for her sophomore release, Punisher.

But that Fiona album, which caused more commotion this year than most other records put together, was notably absent from the Big Four. And even when Beyonce picked up nine nominations, not an unusual number for an artist of her caliber, it’s hard to take the gesture seriously. We’ve been down this road before, Bey is frequently nominated but rarely awarded actual wins, despite her monumental impact on the music industry at large, and pop culture on a scale that’s basically unparallelled. If you were only using Grammy wins as a metric, Bey’s actual influence would never come across.

Still, to see that many women nominated in the Alternative and Rock categories was unusual enough that it caused a mini-celebration on Twitter among fans, who have long been noting that female musicians are making some of the most interesting, groundbreaking music in those areas. And anytime an award show’s selections line up with critically-acclaimed artists who are at the beginning of their careers, or seen as underdogs because they’re on independent labels, the reaction is warm and welcoming. So the nominations laid upon Chloe x Halle, young proteges of Beyonce herself, for Best R&B Song (“Do It”) and Best Progressive R&B Album were also met with enthusiasm. But within the positive reactions to this year’s shifts, I kept thinking back to Taylor’s words in Miss Americana, and her internalized reaction that the problem was within her, not the system. Is Folklore really that much better of an album than Reputation? Or does it, instead, represent the more familiar elements of folk-rock that the Grammys always prefer to honor over harsher, more inventive pop and hip-hop sounds?

My point is much larger than Swift, but she’s the perfect example of how the Grammys can function as a vise on what kind of music gets made, and who gets rewarded for making it. All of the women who were nominated for rock music this year are excellent at what they do. But are they so markedly better than the women who released albums last year, or the year before, and went completely snubbed, that it logically makes sense they’re nominated? No, of course not. Yet, the glow of a Grammy nom has the power to potentially change a musician’s careers forever, particularly if they’re a smaller artist, and definitely if they’re a young woman. So even if the Grammys are finally beginning to listen to the overwhelming pushback from fans, critics and music lovers, who are hammering them on very predictably only rewarding white guys playing guitar, the small over corrections still aren’t enough to acknowledge how the award show continues to function.

It also continues to overlook the contributions of zeitgeist artists who happen to be Black and make hip-hop, even if the award’s Big Four categories this year include tossed off inclusions of the most commercially visible rap songs of the year. Nominating relatively random artists like Black Pumas and Jacob Collier to the Album Of The Year category while denying spots to slain stars like Pop Smoke, breakout stars like Lil Baby and Lil Uzi Vert, and returning icons like Fiona Apple reiterates the disconnect between the most important events in the music world and what the Grammys deigns to pay attention to. While Justin Bieber complains that his tepid new album Changes and the abysmal lead single “Yummy” should’ve been nominated in R&B categories instead of the Pop arena where they scored selections, actual pop stars like The Weeknd and Harry Styles, who had a far bigger impact on pop culture this year than Bieber, are conspicuously missing from certain categories (or, in the case of Abel, all categories). Both After Hours and Fine Line strayed far afield of pop expectations, which is why listeners far preferred them over Bieber’s predictable mashups — the Grammys, on the other hand, reward the expected.

Meanwhile, the bulk of the rap and hip-hop community have to sit by and see only the biggest names like Travis Scott, Roddy Ricch, Drake and DaBaby earn mentions, no looks for the likes of Mulatto or Princess Nokia, Run The Jewels or Lil Uzi Vert, all of whom had huge years. Yes, D Smoke, Chika, and even Freddie Gibbs got looks, but again, the likelihood of them winning remains incredibly slim based on the past. Is it fair for the top ten percent of rappers to be the only ones who ever get a look from the most important critical governing body in music? If so, where do cult favorite groups like Run The Jewels fit into this ecosystem? Looking at these selections, it seems like a spot on the Billboard chart is the primary measure of what hip-hop should be recognized; but deep listeners of the genre know better. The best hip-hop of our lives is being made every single day in 2020, even if a lot of it doesn’t get a lucky TikTok sync.

In a year where the noise and commotion of social life and public events were largely removed, and it seems like more incredible music than ever was released, there’s a certain satisfaction in seeing the places where Grammy voters seemed to really connect with the rest of the listening public. Maren Morris and Ingrid Andress were honored in country music, Lil Baby’s vulnerable reflection on police violence and his experience of being a Black man in America was recognized in two nominations for “The Bigger Picture,” and even Megan Thee Stallion, facing the double standard of being a woman in rap, was awarded three shots at a Grammy victory. But how will those who didn’t get the recognition go home and change, tweak, or alter the kind of art they make in response to their snubs? Will they internalize the rejection? What do we lose every time the Grammys get it wrong? And how much longer do we have to keep losing it?

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

Barack Obama sat down for a lengthy interview with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday night, and the former president clearly had some things to say about the state of America after four years of Donald Trump. While Colbert wanted to steer clear of the current occupant of the White House, stating that he was tired of talking about him after so long, Obama often brought up Trump to hold him to the fire for his failed pandemic response, which he says isn’t “rocket science.” All Trump had to do is listen to the experts and he could’ve weathered the storm that most likely ended his presidency, but Obama notes that there’s now a conspiratorial strain through the Republican Party that has him deeply concerned for America.

Via The Daily Beast:

Asked by the host if he was surprised that Republicans didn’t see the “political advantage” of acting like they “cared,” Obama said, “I think that that is a measure of how detached from reality and how embedded ideological and conspiratorial thinking has become, where you’re doing it even when it’s to your disadvantage.”

Demonstrating a surprising historical knowledge of Colbert’s career, he added, “In your original show, right, you’re satirizing a certain attitude, but you never thought that folks would actually start believing it.”

Obama also revealed that he had deep concerns when he first met Trump in the White House after he surprisingly won the 2016 election, and the damage that Trump caused “exceeded” anything Obama could’ve imagined.

You can watch the full interview below:

(Via The Late Show with Stephen Colbert)

Of the 25 actors that have been nominated for an Oscar for playing an LGBTQ character, a grand total of zero of them have been openly queer. The debate on whether or not only gay actors can play gay roles has many sides and nuances. After Darren Criss, who is straight, won an Emmy for playing Andrew Cunanan in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, Criss vowed he would never play another gay man because he didn’t want to be “another straight boy taking a gay man’s role.” Actor Ben Whishaw, who is gay, feels otherwise. “I really believe that actors can embody and portray anything, and we shouldn’t be defined only by what we are,” Whishaw said. Recently, Kristen Stewart also weighed in on some of the complexities around the issue.

Variety recently asked Stewart about the importance of gay actors playing gay characters. Stewart acknowledged the complexity of the issue. “I would never want to tell a story that really should be told by somebody who’s lived that experience. Having said that, it’s a slippery slope conversation because that means I could never play another straight character if I’m going to hold everyone to the letter of this particular law. I think it’s such a gray area,” Stewart told Variety.

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Authenticity in storytelling is important, and there’s normally a feeling of artificiality when someone tries to tell the story of a group in which they don’t belong. However, it’s not always the case. “There are ways for men to tell women’s stories, or ways for women to tell men’s stories. But we need to have our finger on the pulse and actually have to care,” Stewart told Variety.

Stewart also pointed out that telling the story of a group you’re not part of has to be done with love. “You kind of know where you’re allowed. I mean, if you’re telling a story about a community and they’re not welcoming to you, then fuck off. But if they are, and you’re becoming an ally and a part of it and there’s something that drove you there in the first place that makes you uniquely endowed with a perspective that might be worthwhile, there’s nothing wrong with learning about each other. And therefore helping each other tell stories,” Stewart pointed out.

Stewart is currently starring in Happiest Season, an LGBTQ Christmas film directed by Clea DuVall. “Happiest Season” tells the story of Abby and Harper, a lesbian couple who spends the holidays at Harper’s parents’ house, despite Harper’s family not knowing she’s a lesbian. Mackenzie Davis, the actress who plays Harper, is straight, and Stewart doesn’t see a problem with Davis taking the role. “She was the only person in my mind that could have played this with me. Sometimes, artfully speaking, you’re just drawn to a certain group of people,” Stewart explained to Variety.

But for all of the complexities around the issue, Stewart boiled it down to one simple, common sense solution. “So my answer is fucking think about what you’re doing! And don’t be an asshole,” Stewart said.

She’s got a point. Sometimes all it takes to figure out if you’re “doing it right” or not is asking yourself if you’re being an asshole.

Chris Evans is no stranger to setting the internet’s loins on fire, but this time, he did it without even taking off his shirt (or all of his clothes). In fact, the Captain America actor’s chunky sweater plays an integral part in his latest viral moment that’s leaving folks with all kinds of feelings. It all started with Evans dropping a video of his piano skills in his Instagram Stories, and it didn’t take long before social media was fanning itself as the musical clip quickly bounced around Twitter. Maybe it’s the pandemic conditions, the contentious presidential election that doesn’t seem to want to end, or the simple matter of Evans being a downright snack, but people are here for him tickling the ivory and they aren’t shy about it.

Here are just some of the reactions, which fair warning, only get hornier as they go on:

But people weren’t just thirsting for Captain America getting classical in a comfy sweater. They were getting downright emotional at the pure beauty of it all. No man should be this delightful!

That said, it also didn’t take long for everyone to remember that time Evans did a shirtless backflip, and we’re back in Horny Town.

Evans has yet to react to the thirst parade being launched in his honor, but the Marvel star is an expert at flipping social media attention into a good cause. After he accidentally posted a nude photo to Instagram back in September, and nearly broke the internet in the process, Evans used the viral moment to encourage people to vote. Two months later, America saw its highest turnout ever for a presidential election. Are the two related? Who’s to say?

(Via Chris Evans on Instagram)

The greatest footballer to ever live has passed away. According to multiple reports out of South America, the 5’5 colossus who served as one of the most magnetic athletes of all-time due to his brilliance on the pitch and his penchant for being in the public eye off of it, died on Wednesday morning. He was 60 years old.

The report was confirmed by ESPN, while The Daily Mail reports the cause of death was a cardiac arrest. Argentina’s national soccer team, along with S.S.C. Napoli, paid homage to Maradona with a tweet.

Maradona’s career as a footballer — which spanned from 1976 to 1997 and included pit stops in Argentina, Spain, and Italy — is nigh unparalleled. As an attacking midfielder, Maradona was revered for his ability to produce moments of magic with the ball at his feet, often possessing a gravity no one else could even begin to replicate despite oftentimes being the smallest man on the field. As a club player, he was most well-known for his time with Italian side Napoli, where El Pibe de Oro (The Golden Boy) helped the side Serie A for the only two times in its history.

With his national team, Maradona was instrumental in Argentina winning the 1986 World Cup, a tournament in which he won the Golden Ball for being the best players. His name still strikes fear in the hearts of English supporters who watched him almost single-handedly topple the Three Lions in the quarterfinals with perhaps the two most famous goals in World Cup history — the controversial “Hand of God,” in which Maradona used his right hand to punch the ball past the keeper, and the moment known as the Goal of the Century, a slaloming run through midfield in which Maradona’s greatness was put on full display.

His exploits off the field, where he was known for a cocaine addiction and a reputation for being a party animal who occasionally indulged in a lavish lifestyle, was as much a part of his legacy as what he did as a player. Despite this, he was known for being a man of the people, both as a player and as an advocate for the poor — he once famously criticized the Pope after visiting the Vatican, saying “I argued with him because I’ve been to the Vatican and seen the gold ceilings. And then I hear the Pope saying that the Church was concerned about poor kids. So? Sell the ceilings, mate! Do something!”

Following the end of his playing career, Maradona, transitioned into managing, which included a stint as the manager of Argentina’s national team. Most recently, he served as the manager of Argentine club Gimnasia.

The backlash to the 2021 list of Grammy nominees has been swift and severe. Some of the major criticisms about the list were related to the hip-hop categories, like how very few women are present in them. 50 Cent has similar issues, as he is not a fan of the nominees for Best Rap Album.

As HipHopDX points out, 50 Cent shared and later deleted the list of nominees in that category on Instagram, which consists of Black Habits by D Smoke, Alfredo by Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist, A Written Testimony by Jay Electronica, King’s Disease by Nas, and The Allegory by Royce Da 5’9″. 50 expressed his discontent with that selection, writing, “Best Rap Album [smiling emojis] They out of touch this sh*t ain’t it, get the f*ck outta here.”

Although he didn’t say it, it’s possible 50’s displeasure with the category has to do with his involvement in the posthumous Pop Smoke album Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon. The album and its songs didn’t earn any nominations, which he predicted earlier this month would happen when he said, “If it’s recognized, it will because he’s gone. The content is similar to what I would do. They didn’t recognize mine. They gave me Grammys when I was with Em, when I’m on records with Eminem. Other than that, they’re afraid to give him Grammys because they think it’s teaching the audience to want to be like Pop, and to be like him is to be part of gang culture. Who you see get Grammys that is making drill music? You mean to tell me ain’t none of those songs worthy of it?”

Find the full list of 2021 Grammy nominees here.

Donald Trump and his team of sub-Lionel Hutz lawyers were expected to travel to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on Friday to continue his futile attempt at overturning the fair and legal election that he lost to Joe Biden. But the trip was called off after Rudy Giuliani “was exposed to a 2nd person in the last week who tested positive for coronavirus,” according to CNN White House correspondent Jeremy Diamond. That means there won’t be a repeat of the Four Seasons incident or the black goo leaking from Rudy’s scalp, but at least it gives Jenna Ellis more time to look up fake Teddy Roosevelt quotes.

Trump’s legal advisor, who recently claimed that he won the election by a “landslide,” tweeted a quality photo of America’s 26th president with the quote, “To anger a conservative, lie to him. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.” That doesn’t sound like something Theodore Roosevelt would say, because he didn’t: literally the first Google result for the quote is a Reuters article that states, “Posts circulated on social media attribute a quote on liberals and conservatives to the 26th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt. The quote, however, is falsely attributed to him… Reuters found no mention of this quote among those compiled by the Theodore Roosevelt Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to perpetuating his memory and ideals.”

After being ridiculed for sharing a fake quote, Ellis tweeted, “For people asking, this quotation has been attributed to Roosevelt, but there isn’t a specific record of him saying this in a speech. I posted it because the idea itself is true, whether or not he said it!” Trump’s lawyer, the same who once called the president “an idiot,” siding with “sounds true” over “is true” is just too perfect, as many on Twitter pointed out.

“To anger a conservative, lie to him. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth” — Michael Scott.

University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban has tested positive for coronavirus, and has mild symptoms of COVID-19, the university announced on Wednesday morning. As a result, the coach will miss this weekend’s Iron Bowl game between Alabama and Auburn.

Saban will isolate at home according to NCAA protocols, while presumably his close contacts will be tracked down and asked to do the same.

Previously, Saban had turned up a positive test, but did not miss any games after he did not suffer symptoms and tested negative multiple times shortly thereafter. The positive test was determined to be a false positive at that time, and Saban never missed a beat.

Because he now is experiencing symptoms (mild so far, thankfully), Saban must now follow NCAA protocols until the disease has run its course and he can get back to coaching.

College football is headed toward another weekend dominated by the virus after breaking its own record every week of November for canceled games. At the same time, positive tests for college basketball coaches like Baylor’s Scott Drew are forcing their programs into COVID protocols as well. The disease continues to prove it will not make any exceptions for sports, no matter how aggressively leagues press on.

Internet Money has itself a hit with “Lemonade.” The song — which features Gunna, Don Toliver, and Nav — has been occupying space in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for weeks and has managed a peak at No. 6 (on the latest chart, it’s No. 8). Now those artists got together to perform the song for last night’s episode of The Tonight Show.

The pre-taped performance took place on a simplistic-but-striking white platform stage surrounded by lemons. Bathed in yellow light, each of the featured rappers took their turns at the front of the stage to deliver their verses.

Internet Money’s Taz Taylor previously revealed that “Lemonade” started its life in 2017, tweeting, “We been sitting on lemonade since 2017 man. That song has had a crazy ass journey. I’m glad y’all finally have it..” Reflecting on the song’s success earlier this month, he added, “Sh*t even Lemonade we was told no on. yall have no idea how many artists passed on that hook and song for 3 YEARS. moral of the story.. stop doubting and just TRUST THE PROCESS.”

Since the song’s initial release, Internet Money have gotten other artists involved, as Roddy Ricch and Anuel AA have appeared on new versions of the track.

Watch Internet Money, Gunna, Toliver, and Nav perform “Lemonade” above.

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

As has been the case for any NBA-related endeavor over the past 8.5 months, this year’s offseason cycle, headlined by free agency and the Draft, unfolded amid distinct circumstances. Rather than a pair of mid-summer events that reshape many team’s outlook, things unfolded in the heart of winter and the NBA’s title picture looks fairly similar to last year. Certain playoff contenders like the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, and Portland Trail Blazers landed difference-making splashes via trade this month, but the Los Angeles Lakers’ flurry of moves in recent weeks have them still atop the league and eyeing a second consecutive championship.

Despite the largely stagnant top tier, at least with regard to its members, various teams, players and organizations have starkly benefited or been afflicted by November’s action. In simpler terms, some are winners and others are losers, though such concrete terms may appear foolish with the asset of hindsight down the road. The four aforementioned teams would all fall into the Winners category, but we’ve explored them in detail already. Here, we’ll take a look at the rest of the league and who’s had a good and bad offseason.

Winners

Gordon Hayward and LaMelo Ball

After weeks — months, maybe? — of rumors and speculation about how Gordon Hayward would approach his $34.2 million player option with the Boston Celtics, the veteran swingman chose to decline that option and will ink a four-year, $120 million deal with the Charlotte Hornets, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The new deal is fully guaranteed and means, from the 2017-18 season to 2023-24 season, he will earn $213.6 million.

That’s a lot of cash for a one-time All-Star, though, in fairness, his ankle injury in 2017 dramatically altered the trajectory of his career and it’s reasonable to project he might’ve added more All-Star nods to his tally if fully healthy. Regardless, Hayward enters a new environment where he’ll be given more offensive freedom and responsibility.

For the Hornets, Hayward provides stability and secondary creation next to their recently acquired franchise center piece, LaMelo Ball, the third overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft. Ball is a virtuoso passer with a slippery and functional handle, but the upper echelon of his scoring equity remains to be seen. Hayward does not inhibit the exploration of his initiating upside, but will give Ball a release valve on the wing who can take pressure off when necessary.

As Hayward ages and Ball blossoms, the former can step further aside, if needed. The deal remains an overpay, but signing someone to help facilitate the development of Ball is paramount and shrewd. Perhaps that was not the motivation and Charlotte merely wants to chase the eighth seed, but this signing is an obvious win for Hayward and an understated one for Ball as well.

Trae Young

Since selecting Trae Young in 2018, the Atlanta Hawks have been prominent players on the trade market in an effort to surround their offensive superstar with a winning core. Young has not been quiet about his desire to win as quickly as possible and the Hawks have aimed to grant this request, wheeling and dealing assets and players for guys who are seemingly primed to help manifest Young’s wishes. They dealt a pair of top-20 picks on Draft night in 2019 to move up and select De’Andre Hunter fourth overall, perceiving him as a burly, versatile two-way wing who pairs well alongside Young. They acquired Clint Capela in February in an attempt to anchor their defense and provide another complementary pick-and-roll partner for Young.

The latest opportunity to acquiesce Young arrived this offseason, as Atlanta entered free agency stocked with cap space and has not hesitated to spend it. Headlining the Hawks’ spending spree is the signing of Danilo Gallinari to a three-year, $61.5 million contract. Gallinari becomes Atlanta’s second-best shot creator, particularly adept in isolation and a strong catch-and-shoot spacer from his forward spot, and will alleviate some burden from Young, who has overwhelmingly acted as the table-setter and primary scorer during his tenure.

Atlanta also inked former Sacramento Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic to a four-year, $72 million offer sheet/contract, surrounding Young with a crafty perimeter handler who also functions comfortably off the ball. Bogdanovic has limitations, but he is a savvy facilitator and shooter. His arrival further heightens this squad’s offensive potency. Next month, assuming John Collins is not traded, the Hawks will trot out a Young-Bogdanovic-Gallinari-Collins-Capela starting unit, assuredly capable of nabbing the Eastern Conference’s eighth on the back of a very good offense.

It’s probably not the level Young references when he talks about his desire to win, but it’s a notable improvement from the mid-lottery teams he’s been the face of early in his career. I’d wager adding win-now guys like Capela, Gallinari, and Bogdanovic accelerates the timeline too far forward and inhibits the Hawks’ chances of constructing a core through the Draft genuinely worthy of consistently deep playoff runs. But this new roster makes clear the pull Young wields within the organization. Atlanta’s offseason signifies an acknowledgement of Young’s demands and represents a step in actualizing his preference to win immediately.

Blake Griffin’s trade suitors

If a strategy to roster construction were a glaring signal to the availability of a star, the Detroit Pistons’ actions in recent weeks have to suggest Blake Griffin is on the trade market. Between the Draft and early days of free agency, Detroit fortified its frontcourt in a prominent way, preparing itself for a life without Griffin. Top-20 picks were invested in power forward Saddiq Bey and center Isaiah Stewart. Jerami Grant, who is maximized at power forward, was the team’s shiny free-agent pickup, signing a three-year, $60 million contract. The signings of Mason Plumlee and Jahlil Okafor round out the center depth chart.

So, since Nov. 18, five big men have been added to the roster, three of whom were on the receiving end of significant Draft or financial capital. Griffin is owed $74 million over the next two seasons. There’s a chance his physical decline continues moving forward and he cannot reproduce his All-NBA level from 2018-19. But that version of Griffin is a top-30 player, the sort of star who can reshape a team’s short-term vision. He probably won’t require a huge haul, given his contract and injury history. The intrigue of a playmaking, floor-spacing star forward, though Griffin’s health is a sizable question mark, has to be enticing for some suitors, whose ears might’ve perked up in response to the Pistons’ roster-building decisions this month.

Losers

RJ Barrett’s development

Watching RJ Barrett’s rookie season last year was challenging. He did not have the floor-spacing to augment his slashing prowess, nor the truly competent point guard/initiator to steer the offense and ensure he was not saddled with an overextended handling burden. Neither issue has been remedied this offseason. The New York Knicks selected Obi Toppin eighth overall in Wednesday’s Draft, pairing Barrett with a dominant lob threat, viable pick-and-pop big and gifted passer. Toppin is not an offensive hub or the elite shooter to command defensive respect on a possession-by-possession basis. He is a complementary player, just like Barrett, and now, neither, has the initiator to amplify their skillsets.

With guys like Killian Hayes and LaMelo Ball off the board, New York was handcuffed to an extent — even if a guy like Kira Lewis, a snug fit next to Barrett, would’ve been a sharper selection. The Knicks’ later selections, however, signified a lack of willingness to land that ball-handler. With Malachi Flynn and Desmond Bane both available, New York opted for Immanuel Quickley, an undersized off-ball guard who brings the shooting but not the handling for Barrett. Free agency did not offer a reprieve, either, producing notable acquisitions of Austin Rivers, Elfrid Payton (new deal, same team), Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel, none of whom should be entrusted to conduct the offense or can be expected to simplify the offense for Barrett.

Retaining long-term cap space and flexibility is understandable and wise, and the Knicks avoided an ill-advised run of lavish signings, unlike previous summers. Yet the roster is still scarce on guys who will help their third overall pick from last year’s Draft and that is worrying for his developmental track, as well as the franchise’s perceived view of how to accommodate it.

Milwaukee Bucks

Earlier this month, the Milwaukee Bucks appeared as though they’d perhaps thoroughly addressed their perimeter scoring/creation deficiencies, landing both Jrue Holiday and Bogdan Bogdanovic via separate trades. Holiday is a Buck, but the Bogdanovic deal fell through because, well, he didn’t agree to a sign-and-trade, a rather important component of such a deal. Instead, Milwaukee sought to replace him with depth, signing guys like DJ Augustin, Bobby Portis, and Bryn Forbes. Beyond the tenet of high-end talent trumping depth, the real kicker is in solidifying the back-end of the rotation, the Bucks have likely enabled head coach Mike Budenholzer to, once again, extend too far down the bench in critical playoff series and short-circuit the minutes of his stars.

Budenholzer’s rotational preferences are not the sole factor for Milwaukee’s repeated postseason demise. Giannis Antetokounmpo needs to establish more counters as a scorer. Eric Bledsoe, who was sent to New Orleans as part of the Holiday trade, regressing from very good starter to nearly unplayable guard is to blame as well. Utilizing Giannis more as a roller and big man offensively would also help. Holiday’s advantages as a creator over Bledsoe will benefit the Bucks and potentially put them over the top when it counts, but missing out on Bogdanovic shrinks their margin for error during a season of vital importance for the franchise. Of course, should Antetokounmpo still put pen to paper on a supermax extension this offseason despite the failure to land the plane on the Bogdanovic deal, the Bucks can swiftly jump into the winners category simply by proxy of locking in the reigning two-time MVP.