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On Feb. 8, the Orlando Magic were seemingly in at least some amount of peril with regard to the Eastern Conference playoff chase. While much has changed in the world since then, the Magic did end the 2019-20 season on a high note, turning a 22-31 record (after losing 9 of 11 games) into a 30-35 mark when the 2019-20 season was placed on hold.

Unlike Orlando’s central competition at the bottom of the East standings, the Magic aren’t dealing with substantial personnel absences at this point, even while acknowledging uncertainty with Jonathan Isaac and Al-Farouq Aminu. Steve Clifford’s team holds a substantial roster advantage over the Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets, putting the team in an advantageous position for playoff positioning. At the same time, a tough matchup undoubtedly awaits in round one of the playoffs, and that is, at least in some ways, the focus for Orlando.

ROSTER

Markelle Fultz
Evan Fournier
Aaron Gordon
Jonathan Isaac (status unclear)
Nikola Vucevic
Mo Bamba
Terrence Ross
DJ Augustin
James Ennis
Michael Carter-Williams
Al-Farouq Aminu (status unclear)
Wes Iwundu
Khem Birch
Gary Clark

SCHEDULE

Friday, July 31 – 2:30 pm ET – vs. Brooklyn Nets
Sunday, Aug. 2 – 6:00 pm ET – vs. Sacramento Kings
Monday, Aug. 4 – 6:00 pm ET – vs. Indiana Pacers
Wednesday, Aug. 5 – 8:00 pm ET – vs. Toronto Raptors
Friday, Aug. 7 – 6:30 pm ET – vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Sunday, Aug. 9 – 5:00 pm ET – vs. Boston Celtics
Tuesday, Aug. 11 – 1:00 pm ET – vs. Brooklyn Nets
Thursday, Aug. 13 – TBD – vs. New Orleans Pelicans

STANDINGS

1. Milwaukee Bucks: 53-12
2. Toronto Raptors: 46-18 (6.5)
3. Boston Celtics: 43-21 (9.5)
4. Miami Heat: 41-24 (12.0)
5. Indiana Pacers: 39-26 (14.0)
6. Philadelphia 76ers: 39-26 (14.0)
7. Brooklyn Nets: 30-34 (22.5)
8. Orlando Magic: 30-35 (23.0)
9. Washington Wizards: 24-40 (28.5)

WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE?

Because of the roster situation for the Nets and Wizards, Orlando is flat-out expected to make the postseason. That would be the case, given the standings, no matter what, but the Magic are widely projected to finish with the No. 7 seed. That likely means a battle against the Toronto Raptors and, while that is a tough proposition, the Magic are in a different place than you may think. Orlando has real decisions to make with regard to their roster, especially if Evan Fournier declines his player option, and giving the Raptors a real battle in a playoff series would bring optimism that may not currently exist in some circles.

X-FACTOR

If Isaac is able to play, he would be the answer, both as Orlando’s best long-term prospect and as a terrifying defensive presence in a present-day sense. If he can’t, though, the Magic will be more reliant on Aaron Gordon and Mo Bamba. Gordon often finds his name associated with trade buzz, even if not in full-fledged rumors, and a strong showing here could help Orlando to see its future. As for Bamba, a shaky rookie year gave way to real strides in year two, and even if Vucevic is “the guy” right now, Bamba could develop in this setting.

BIGGEST ON-COURT QUESTION

Can the Magic score enough? Orlando enters the bubble with the worst offensive rating (107.5 points per 100 possessions) of any team at Walt Disney World, and that is a product of a roster that doesn’t have a No. 1 option. Fournier is a quality wing, Vucevic is a high-end offensive center and there are interesting auxiliary pieces. With that said, the Raptors have the No. 2 defense in the league and, if that widely projected playoff match-up comes to pass, Orlando will have an uphill climb to score with any level of efficiency. In a five-game playoff series last season, the Magic scored just 95.8 points per 100 possessions against the Raptors and, well, they aren’t going to pose a substantial threat if that baseline reoccurs.

I’ve always known that I was adopted. My parents never tried to hide this from me. For one, they couldn’t. I didn’t look anything like them. Their smooth, pale, white skin contrasted with my darker complexion. Their double-lidded blue and green eyes were nothing like my brown monolidded ones. Strangers would often ask if I was sure that the tall, balding, white man was my father. When I eagerly nodded yes, a certain look would come over their face.

For as long as I’ve known that I was adopted, I’ve known that I was loved. My parents always made sure that I knew down to my very core that they cared for me. Even though I looked nothing like them, they were quick to tell me that it didn’t matter—that they would love me the same if I were purple with white polka dots, or if I had red hair, or if I were taller. And when I was younger, I accepted their words as the absolute truth.

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But, as I grew older, the narrative that my parents told me—that they didn’t see my race—was challenged by those around me, who did see my race—and it mattered. Who asked me if I was bad at driving or assumed I was good at math. Who confused me with the only other Asian girl at my school of 1,500 students.

I had to reconcile what my parents had told me with what I had experienced outside of my home

I could no longer pretend that my race didn’t matter. But what did it mean if my parents didn’t see my race? Did that mean that there was a part of me that they couldn’t see nor understand? I was trying to figure out how my race factored into my identity, and realizing that it was a much bigger part than my parents had led me to believe. Just because they saw the world through this colorblind lens did not mean that my own personal experiences reflected this.

In college, I gained the knowledge to truly understand my Asian American identity. I learned about microaggressions and stereotypes and the model minority myth. I met other people who had had similar experiences growing up. I learned to name the ways, both small and big, that my race impacted my day-to-day life. I felt validated realizing that there were others who understood who I was, race and all.

My race mattered. The only question was how much?

Now, as a 25-year-old, I wish my parents had talked to me about race. With the wisdom and grace that I gained in college, I understand why they didn’t. But their lack of comprehension of the subject impacted the way that I saw myself and forced me to put together my own racial identity like pieces of a puzzle, with no help from them.

I wish that they had made more of an effort when I was younger to acknowledge my race. I wish that they would have told me that they saw me for who I was, race and all. I wish they could have helped prepare me for the way that my race was going to impact how I moved throughout life. I wish that they would have explicitly stated that they would love and support me through the complex journey of discovering what it meant to be an Asian American woman. But they didn’t. And I was forced to learn all these things on my own.

I had a recent conversation with my mom about Black Lives Matter, which made me think that my parents just might be ready to hear my story. During our conversation, my mom seemed willing to listen to the ways in which Black people are discriminated against in this country and the way that the color of their skin impacts each and every interaction that they have. And while I know that my privilege is different, I am still affected by the way other people perceive me. And I just want my parents to understand that. I still have hope that they can learn.

If you told Chance The Rapper in 2010 that in a decade, he’d be one of Kanye West’s closest peers and his veritable spokesman, the Chicagoan who once deemed himself “Kanye’s best prodigy” would probably be overjoyed. He’d likely envision himself feeding people the lowdown on in-demand albums, fashion lines, and whatever other boundary-pushing creative ideas that seemed within the grasp of prime Yeezy. But instead in 2020, he’s got the dubious gig of trying to put out Kanye’s fires while stepping over his own.

Yesterday, Kanye tweeted a snippet of “Donda,” a soulful song that features his late mother Donda West orating the lyrics to KRS-One’s “Sound Of Da Police” before he drops a verse noting, “I’m doin’ this one for y’all / So we can end racism once and for all.” The song (which may boast another collaborator based on an ominous adlib at 2:15) is a solid cue to his heyday — for people who still have the stomach to listen to him after years of self-sabotaging antics.

Fonzworth Bentley recalled it was “a privilege to be in the lab for this verse… oh and it’s Soooo many more bars.” Thousands of others complimented the song. But Chance decided to put a little too much dip on his chip and gloat, “and yall out here tryna convince me to vote for Biden. Smfh.” Saluting the song would’ve been simple enough, but Chance decided to needlessly open a can of worms by defending his friend’s latest trivialization of electoral politics. Once again, he decided to defend Kanye at the expense of his own reputation.

Chance continued on, noting, “I get that you’ll want to reply that you’re just tryna ‘get Trump out’ but in this hypothetical scenario where you’re replacing Trump, can someone explain why Joe Biden would be better??” The question was a needless binary that sought to slyly legitimize Kanye as a candidate. It was akin to someone randomly stopping you in the street and asking you if you wanted to buy a phone off them, then trying to get you to explain why your phone is better after you say no. It’s a waste of time that serves no one.

Kanye hasn’t officially applied to run for President. His recent Forbes interview put Onion writers to shame by decreeing that he would run for the “birthday party” and ideated a “framework of Wakanda” for his hypothetical administration. He also expressed pro-life sentiment and called vaccines the “mark of the beast.” If the speculation is true that Kanye has been in the throes of a bipolar episode, the entire narrative is disturbing and needs to be forgotten, except as a cautionary tale.

Yesterday’s tweets exposed the conditional confines of Chance’s political agency. He generally expresses solid ideas about Black liberation — except when Kanye is involved. He posed his question as if his friend was running for homecoming president instead of President of the United States. Aestheticism is at an all-time high, but it’s alarming that Chance would be irresponsible enough to suggest that a wholly unqualified person could “support my dreams” their way into the Presidency. And his contention that “alota u n****s is racist” was even more foolish if he was referring to Black people. “-Ism” means system. Black people have no power to systematically oppress each other, or anyone else on the grounds of race — and we’re not going to act like it’s possible because Chance is mad at the backlash to his friend.

Chance’s self-destructive comments exemplify how loyal he is to Kanye. The devotion would be endearing if it wasn’t another relationship where a Black man refuses to hold his peer accountable for nonsense. Kanye’s attention-seeking foray into politics was annoying enough two years ago. Now, in the midst of a global pandemic and a nationwide uprising against systemic oppression, his game is so transparent and tone-deaf that most people are tuning him out for their own peace of mind. Perhaps that reality was lost on Chance. Solidarity is important, but not to the point where one crosses the bounds of logic and good sense.

He defended Kanye in 2018 by seemingly cosigning his conservative-influenced, pro-Trump tweets by noting, “Black people don’t have to be Democrats… Next President gon be independent.” After Trump thanked him for the tweet, Chance walked it back, then apologized for presenting a “deflection from the real conversation.” He added, “Unfortunately, my attempt to support Kanye is being used to discredit my brothers and sisters in the movement and I can’t sit by and let that happen either.” He called Kanye his “brother-in-Christ” and added that “no matter how much I may disagree with him, it’s hard for me to watch people talk about someone I love – even if they were justified in doing so.”

The same cycle happened yesterday. After hours of being on Twitter’s figurative Summer Jam screen, he bemoaned, “When you get to the top of a hill and realize you have to die on it ,” admitting the err of his previous tweets. He also tweeted that, “Whoever you vote for I hope they abolish the prison system as we know it, honor Black reparations and all treaties with Indigenous folk and lastly end homelessness. Whomever that may be God bless em.” He added, “I understand the improbability of Ye winning the 46th Presidential seat and I understand that everyone voting for Biden isn’t necessarily doing so enthusiastically.” That admission further made people question what he thought he was doing in the first place.

A month ago, at the outset of national anti-police uprisings, Chance tweeted “SWIFT DRAMATIC CHANGE ONLY COMES VIA REVOLUTION.” It’s unclear what his version of revolution looks like, or if he was just saying that to feed the moment, but most Black activists believe that revolution will take abolishing wealth-hoarders like Kanye, not defending them. Chance gained his for-the-people reputation by doing actual work for the people in Chicago and stepping up against the CPD and other city leadership when Kanye was nowhere to be found. He should know better than to undermine that reputation and lead his fans astray by even acknowledging Kanye’s “aspirations.” Instead, he should be holding his friend accountable for taking Small Business Association loans despite having egregious wealth.

And if removing the two-party system is an actual goal, he should amplify qualified scholars and activists who can educate people on how to organize in furtherance of that mission. Whatever Chance does next politically, it shouldn’t involve engaging Kanye’s ego-driven album promo. He rhymed, “I met Kanye West I’m never going to fail” on “Ultralight Beam.” But in 2020, publicly aligning with Kanye’s politics might just be the biggest fail of all.

IDK made his late-night television debut last night with a blinding performance of his Is He Real? song “No Cable” on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. While live performances have experienced a shift in impact without the benefit of studio audiences during pandemic prevention lockdowns, IDK and his band used the opportunity to create a more intimate art piece with the help of the Uproxx Studios soundstage in Culver City, California.

Despite releasing in 2019 on his major label debut album, Is He Real?, “No Cable” speaks to unfortunately relevant themes today. The flashy performance utilizes some stark lighting techniques to keep the focus firmly on IDK — except when scenes of protest are projected on the backdrop behind him, along with the shockingly long list of names of victims of police violence. The spotlights are further used to powerful effect when IDK’s second verse finds him questioning the role America has cast for him as a Black man.

IDK recently followed up Is He Real? with IDK & Friends 2, which also serves as the soundtrack to the film Basketball County: Something In The Water, which IDK narrated. IDK previously visited Uproxx Studios for an in-depth conversation with Talib Kweli on the Uproxx podcast, People’s Party.

Watch IDK perform “No Cable” live on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert above.

IDK is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The emergence of new technologies and marketing strategies has brought about a lot of changes to the music industry in recent years. One practice that artists have adopted to help them sell more albums is to include their music alongside items like merch and concert tickets. Late last year, Billboard announced changes to its rules on how these sales would be reflected on its charts. Now, they have once again changed the rules: Albums bundled with merch and tickets will no longer be counted towards chart placement.

The publication made the announcement in a post on their website, writing, “Billboard — in an acknowledgement that [the previous rule changes] have fallen short of the intended goal of accurately reflecting consumer intent — has decided to eliminate the practice of counting albums bundled with merchandise and concert tickets on its album and song charts altogether.”

Billboard notes that beginning at a start date to be announced, “all albums bundled with either merchandise or concert tickets must be promoted as an add-on to those purchases in order to be counted on the charts. Those included as part of a baked-in, single-price option (along with the merchandise or ticket), with the album cost undisclosed to the consumer, will no longer be counted. It is Billboard‘s belief that the resulting charts will more accurately reflect consumer choice.”

Additionally, “sales of physical albums or singles that are bundled with digital downloads” will no longer be able to be reported as digital sales, “thereby eliminating the practice of ‘spontaneous’ non-manufactured items being used to influence first-week chart rankings.” The physical item would only be counted in Billboard‘s tallies when it is shipped.

Billboard went on to cite Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and Tekashi 69 as artists who have handled recent releases in that way: “The practice of selling vinyl, CDs and other physical releases that won’t be manufactured and shipped to consumers for weeks or months — while offering a digital download that can be redeemed instantly — has become widespread as of late, with artists including Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande and 6ix9ine all recently using the tactic to boost their chart positions. The latest rule changes will render that tactic ineffectual.”

The publication concluded:

“Billboard is implementing these changes to address widespread concerns that an accurate measure of consumer intent — which has been the basis of the Billboard charts since their inception — is being undermined by increasingly-common bundling practices. The new guidelines will better ensure that Billboard chart rankings more accurately reflect the conscious purchasing decisions of consumers and level the playing field for all artists. […] Despite the latest rule changes on album bundling, Billboard will continue to work with the industry to reflect merchandise sales within existing charts such as the Artist 100, as well as potential merchandise-specific charts down the line.”

Read Billboard‘s full post here.

Back on the Fourth of July, we celebrated our Independence Day. The day was (hopefully) full socially distant good times around barbecues and a beer cooler. Well, now it’s France’s turn. That’s because July 14 is Bastille Day (also known as Fête Nationale), the national day of France.

The holiday is celebrated to remember the storming of Bastille on July 14, 1789. For those without a history degree, this was a major climax in the French Revolution. It’s a big deal. And since our big summer holidays are over (and we really need something else to celebrate), why not take a minute to toast to our French friends across the pond by sipping on a nice glass of Cognac?

To get expert advice on the French grape-based eau de vie, we decided to turn the professionals. We asked a handful of well-known bartenders to tell us the best cognacs (and one Armagnac) to toast to Bastille Day.

Hennessy XO

Daniel Yang, lead bartender at Rosina inside The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas

You really can’t go wrong with Hennessy XO. It’s a truly lovely Cognac made with the best grapes perfect for the French National Day.

Remy Martin VSOP

Leo Morjakov, bartender at The Ebbitt Room at The Virginia Hotel in Cape May, New Jersey

You can’t go wrong with Remy Martin VSOP. You can drink it neat or mix it with your favorite cocktail. It’s perfectly suited for both.

Camus VS

Nazar Hrab, beverage director at The Pineapple Club in New York City

Last Bastille Day we had Remy Martin. Would definitely recommend it. Another great Cognac is Camus Vs. It’s a great buy if you’re going to branch out past the usual Henny, Remy, and Courvoisier. It’s full of rich oak with vanilla, dried fruits, and subtle spice.

Hennessy Paradis

Jorge Centeno, chief spirits officer at the Deer Path Inn in Lake Forest, Illinois

Hennessy Paradis is my pick for Bastille Day. It is a drink fit for royalty: smooth, luxurious, and worthy of a celebration.

Remy Martin 1738

Thomas Nesselhauf, bartender at Datz in Tampa, Florida

The best, if you have a little over $4K lying around, is Louis XIII. The best for its price point is Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal. 1738 marks the year Louis XV of France exclusively recognized the House of Rémy Martin for its quality and craftsmanship. For $80 a bottle, you can drink an authentic Cognac that’s rooted in tradition and time, and once honored by the King himself. Think baked spices, mellowed butterscotch, and dark chocolate on the palate.

Domaine Tariquet Armagnac

Melissa Reigle, beverage manager and head bartender at Byblos in Miami

Cognac? Bastille Day is all about what is quintessentially French and inherently rebellious. So, forget those stuffy, formal Cognacs and grab a bottle of Domaine Tariquet Armagnac. Armagnac is the oldest form of liquor distilled in France. Full of fruit, vanilla, and baking spice flavors it is wilder and freer than its more restricted cousin from the north. À votre santé.

Martell Blue Swift

Hayden Miller, head bartender at Bodega Taqueria y Tequila in Miami

Martell Blue Swift is the marriage of a VSOP cognac with the vanilla and oak of bourbon barrels is worth celebrating on its own. Santé.

Hennessy VS

Frantjasko Laonora, head mixologist at Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort in Curaçao

Hennessy VS has already earned its name worldwide since it’s been around for many years. Over 250 years to be exact. Also, this Cognac’s headquarters is located in France. What better way to celebrate Bastille Day with a Cognac distilled and based in France?

Writer’s Picks:

Pierre Ferrand 1840

This Cognac is designed to be a throwback to the 1800s. It’s floral, subtly fruity, and full of vanilla and caramel sweetness.

D’Usse VSOP

This Cognac from Château de Cognac is worth the $50-plus price tag. It’s smooth, rich, yet somehow light in body and full of dried fruits, toffee, and subtle pepper flavors. Perfect for mixing, but better suited for slow sipping.

Kanye West recently declared that he intends to run for president, which has prompted much conversation. The rapper doesn’t seem to have a ton of support for his POTUS bid: Elon Musk was originally on his side, but he seemed to change his mind. Chance The Rapper defended Kanye’s bid, but later acknowledged “the improbability of Ye winning” the election. It appears that voters might not have Kanye’s back either, according to the results of a recent presidential poll.

Citing data from Redfield & Wilton Strategies, Political Polls — “a non-partisan group” focused on “trusted political polls, predictions and election night results” — notes that in a voting intention poll conducted on July 9, 48 percent of respondents said they will vote for Joe Biden, while 39 percent supported Donald Trump. West did not fare well in the poll, earning only two percent of the votes. 2,000 registered voters in the United States were polled, meaning that Kanye earned the support of about 40 respondents. That ties Kanye with Libertarian candidate Jo Jorgensen.

Kanye has involved himself in more than politics lately. He recently signed a huge deal with Gap, teased an animated show with Kid Cudi, shared a new song with Travis Scott, unveiled a streaming platform, and paid tribute to his late mother with a new song.

Colin Jost’s memoir A Very Punchable Face is out today, and in it, the SNL head writer discusses growing up in Staten Island, the time Jimmy Buffett saved his life (though, in a way, “Math Suks” saved all of our lives), and his relationship with Oscar nominee Scarlett Johansson. The couple, who got engaged in 2019, first met in 2006, but Johansson’s first memory of her future-husband came four years later when she guest-hosted SNL.

In November 2010, Johansson starred in a parody of MTV’s then-popular Teen Mom and 16 and Pregnant reality series called “MTV: Maternity Television.” The sketch was pitched and written by Jost, whose confidence ScarJo was immediately drawn to. “It was some dumb parody that he had written, and he was in there partly directing this segment we had to do,” Johansson told the Hollywood Reporter. “That’s my first memory of him. He seemed very confident at the time. I don’t know if he felt that way, but in that environment, if you’re not confident as a writer, your stuff just never gets produced.”

This is their meet-cute.

Jost was also recently asked by Entertainment Weekly to name his favorite ScarJo performance (this is obviously his favorite — and most uncomfortable — ScarJo impression). “She’s made a lot of great movies,” he answered, wisely, “but I would say Lost in Translation. When I saw it, I guess in the theater, I just thought her and Bill [Murray] together was such a great performance. It was a beautiful movie. It’s funny now looking back, because I obviously never watched those movies thinking, someday I might marry someone in this movie.” What if he said “We Bought a Zoo“? Is that grounds for calling off the marriage?

(Via EW)

Kanye West’s presidential bid has been a big topic of conversation in recent days, and now John Legend appears to have addressed the situation.

Legend began a series of tweets last night by explaining why he believes not every artist needs to speak out about politics, writing, “Reporters always ask me if more artists should speak out about politics. I always say ummmmmm not necessarily. It ain’t for everybody. If you’re more comfortable just making bops, do that. We need that in our lives too! If you are going to speak out, try to do your homework. Read about it. Talk to activists and organizers and people impacted. Be open to evolution and changing your mind. Be intentional and strategic. And think about the impact of your words on the real lives of real people.”

He then seemed to more directly address the Kanye situation, discussing “the real world implications of rooting for a futile 3rd party bid” and how it’s important to have an impactful leader during these trying times:

“Part of an artist’s job is to imagine a different future. I appreciate the desire to break free from the strictures of the 2-party system in America, for instance. But you can’t divorce that conversation from the real world implications of rooting for a futile 3rd party bid. And the real world implications of electing (or reelecting) someone who doesn’t know how to run the government are particularly urgent and impactful in the middle of a pandemic that’s been so much more deadly due to an incompetent President.

This is not merely an intellectual exercise. It’s life and death.”

Find Legend’s tweets below.

Last week, the Los Angeles Police Department revealed they had arrested five suspects who were allegedly involved in the murder of Pop Smoke. Now, charges have been handed out: the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced yesterday that four men, all teenagers, have been arrested and charged with murdering the late rapper.

Two of the accused are adults: Corey Walker is 19 years old and Keandre Rodgers is 18. Additionally, a 17-year-old and a 15-year-old, who were not named due to them being minors, were each charged with one count of murder and robbery in juvenile court. If Walker and Rodgers are convicted as charged, they could potentially face the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole. The DA’s office notes that “a decision on whether to seek capital punishment will be made at a later date.” Currently, the case is still under investigation by the LAPD.

The announcement did not include any mention of Jaquan Murphy, a third adult man who was previously named as a suspect and was booked for attempted murder.

LAPD Captain Jon Tippet previously confirmed the department believes the defendants got Smoke’s address from a photo that Smoke had posted on Instagram, and that they did not know the rapper personally.