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Meet the Greatest Chicago Bear Born on the 4th of July

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears

The Chicago Bears have close ties to the 4th of July holiday. In fact, one of the best NFL players in history to be born on that celebrated date played the bulk of his career in Chicago. Think back for a moment with this question. Who were the best runners in Bears history? Odds are the same group of names will come up.

Walter Payton is at the top with Gale Sayers, Bronco Nagurski, Matt Forte, and Neal Anderson all lined up behind him in one order or another. Not nearly enough people bring up another name that was a Bear to the bone during his career. That was Rick Casares. The Tampa Bay native was a second round pick of the team in 1955 out of Florida.

Keep in mind this was an era where toughness was abundant around the league. If you wanted respect, you had to be tough. So think about this. Many other NFL greats of that time, not just teammates, stated that Casares was the single toughest player in the league.

That might explain why he was such a dominant player for a long stretch of his career.

Rick Casares embodied Chicago Bears football to the core

Casares played fullback, so many might think he was just a great blocker right? Not at all. He could block of course, but he was also a ferocious runner. Through his first five seasons, all of which he made the Pro Bowl, he averaged over 900 yards from scrimmage and scored 43 touchdowns. He was pretty much the entire offense in 1956, helping the Bears to reach the NFL championship game.

Years later in 1963, he wasn’t the focal point anymore but his leadership played a huge role in helping the Bears win the championship that season. Not nearly enough people remember how great Casares actually was. So the next time you think about the 4th of July the birth of America, be sure to remember that it was also a day a Bears great was born too.

 

The Chris Gimenez Experiment Was A Failure And Now It’s Over

By
Aldo Soto
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The most optimistic fan saw Chris Gimenez being a solid backup catcher for the Chicago Cubs in 2018, hopefully giving some guidance to Willson Contreras, making Yu Darvish’s transition to a new team smoother and hey maybe even hitting a few dingers. Instead, the signing of Gimenez will go mostly forgotten and after a month of being up, the Cubs have DFA’d the 35-year-old catcher.

The hopes of a David Ross part 2 scenario happening with Gimenez quickly disappeared at the start of the season, when Victor Caratini made the 25-man roster instead of the veteran. Once Gimenez was called up at the end of May, his play didn’t meet the lowest of expectations either.

Gimenez appeared in 12 games for the Cubs, hit .143, and drove in one run in 28 at-bats. He wasn’t very good behind the plate either. Basically, he brought no value to the team. It was pretty disappointing because you thought he had something left after putting up a .732 OPS in 77 games with the Minnesota Twins in 2017.

It was just a flat out failure in 2018, and the Gimenez era with the Cubs came to an end Wednesday.

As much as Gimenez sucked on the field, which was obvious to anyone watching, the worst part of his time with the Cubs was the drama he created when he said the following about Yu Darvish and fans back in May.

Via the Sun-Times.

“I think he thinks that Chicago hates him for going on the DL a couple of times,” Gimenez said. “I’ve tried to portray to him, ‘Listen, they’re going to love you when we get to October and we’re doing the things that we all want to do here, you’re the main reason we’re doing it and we’re riding you all the way through it.

“So don’t worry about them getting mad at you on Twitter in May. Worry about when we get to September, October and they’re chanting your name.”

Way to throw your friend and teammate under the bus there, Chris.

That made Yu Darvish look bad even if it wasn’t true. Anyway, Theo Epstein was on 670 The Score earlier this week and he addressed Gimenez’s comments.

Gimenez probably thought he was helping Yu, not sure how, but that was a big fuck up on his part.

Anyway, the Cubs are moving on and although Gimenez was awful, Cubs fans going after him on social media are even worse.

He may not be very good at baseball anymore, but at least Gimenez has a sense of humor. I mean, he was basically fired, fans attack him and this is how he responds.

Also, fuck this guy.

Jimmy Butler Could Be Coming Home Soon, and May Not Be Alone

By
Erik Lambert
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jimmy butler

The Chicago Bulls aren’t ready to win just yet, but there is plenty of reason for hope now. Why? LeBron James is gone. The future Hall of Famer made the momentous decision to leave the Eastern Conference for the first time in his career and signed a megadeal with the Los Angeles Lakers. While reasons for that choice remain unclear (money aside), it has suddenly popped things wide open in the East.

For the moment the Boston Celtics look like the heavy favorite to reach the Finals. This based on the work they’ve done building a young and fascinating roster. However, this does not make them invulnerable. The chances of making a run in the playoffs are far higher now than they’ve been in a decade. All the Bulls have to do is finish their latest rebuild strong.

They have a foundation in place with Lauri Markkanen but this era proves that the only way to truly compete for championships is by stockpiling as many All-Stars as possible. As things stand the Bulls aren’t ready for that sort of push yet, but that could change as early as 2019 if the latest rumors are to be trusted.

Jimmy Butler wants to team with Kyrie Irving and Chicago could benefit

Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reported recently that former Bulls star Jimmy Butler, whom they traded to Minnesota last year, has designs on teaming up with an old friend at some point in the near future. That would be Celtics point guard and former All-Star Kyrie Irving.

“A league source close to the situation told the Sun-Times on Tuesday that Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving and former Bulls All-Star Jimmy Butler — who’s been playing with the Timberwolves since a draft-night trade in 2017 — are still trying to figure out a way to play together.”

Both Butler and Irving have player opt-out clauses in their current contracts. So they could each decide to depart as free agents in 2019 if they wish and join forces somewhere else. This means if the Bulls played their hand right, they could potentially land both of them with the idea of teaming with Markkanen to form one of the hottest trios in the East.

The trick would be to build enough cap space for two max-level contracts ($32.4 million). Ryan Borja of Bullsconf.com says this is possible if the Bulls don’t make offers to Jerian Grant and Cameron Payne while waiving Omer Asik. This would give them upwards of $64.6 million in space.

With that settled, only one question remains. Can the Bulls lure both men to Chicago?

Butler doesn’t seem totally against the idea of Chicago return

There’s an interesting wrinkle to that question. While Butler wasn’t happy being traded to Minnesota, this doesn’t necessarily mean he’s against the idea of coming home. If LeBron could reconcile with Cleveland, he can do the same. There’s also something else to note carefully. Butler sold his River North mansion last year. However, this past May it was reported he’d bought a condo in the same area.

If it’s true and Butler would like to return to Chicago, then half the battle is already won for the Bulls. Him coming home would immediately increase their intrigue for Irving and then the max contract along with Markkanen would be the chaser. A lot of things would have to go right, including Irving wanting to leave Boston which is far from a guarantee.

Still, it’s a scenario that’s far more plausible than one might think.

Brian Urlacher Reaction to Receiving Hall of Fame Jacket is Priceless

By
Erik Lambert
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brian urlacher

Brian Urlacher has never been a man driven by his emotions. Sure he played with a passion, but that’s something all great players have. When it came to anger or being moved to tears? That was an ultra-rarity for the Chicago Bears superstar. Yet even he couldn’t hold back his emotions when receiving news that he would become a first-ballot member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The ceremony is fast approaching with just a month to go. Urlacher must be prepared for the occasion and that means receiving the coveted gold jacket. At last the tailored piece arrived at the linebacker’s home where he was put on camera cracking the case open. His reaction to its unveiling is nothing short of pure entertainment.

The look at the camera alone was such an Urlacher move, but the comment about being afraid to put it on? That’s classic. One thing is for sure. When the time comes to reveal it to the world at the ceremony, he’s going to be the sharpest-looking guy there. No disrespect to the other deserving candidates. Urlacher joins an elite club of players who get in on his first chance. Many great players didn’t get such an honor.

It’s a reminder of just how great a player he was. Hopefully the Bears can do him proud with their performance in the Hall of Fame game that same day against the Baltimore Ravens. Meaningless as it may be to the season as a whole, sending Urlacher off into immortality with a win would still be preferrable.

Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz…Again

By
Corey Roveri
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Chuck Liddell Looks To Remain Undefeated Against Tito Ortiz.

Liddell and Ortiz Fight For A Third Time

After teasing a “Golden Boy MMA” brand venture with Chuck Liddell, Golden Boy Promotions has landed its first official MMA fight, and it just happens to be Chuck Liddell versus Tito Ortiz. Liddell and Ortiz fight for a third time while some simply ask, “but why?”

We’re aware that Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions have a significant interest in jumping into MMA, but is this the entrance they need? In its heyday, this was a premier match-up on more than one occasion. These first two fights are just begging for a recap.

UFC 47

Back on April 2, 2004 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Liddell was 34 years old. The “Ice Man” was challenged by the 29-year-old “Huntington Beach Bad Boy.” It was a fight downplayed by Ortiz after accusing Liddell of an eye poke (even if it was inadvertent). Liddell went on to knock out Ortiz just 38 seconds into the second round of the bout. With the victory, Liddell became the first fighter to knock out Ortiz.

Afterwards, Liddell became the No. 1 contender in the Light Heavyweight Division, and coached against the then-Light Heavyweight Champion, Randy Couture, during the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter.

Ortiz was also successful after his loss to Liddell. Tito went on to win back to back fights via submission vs. Patrick Cote and Vitor Belfort, respectively. Skipping over the contractual issues between the UFC and Ortiz, he returned to the organization in 2006 and defeated TUF1 winner Forrest Griffin via split decision.

UFC 66

After the knockout and subsequent paths of these fighters, as fate would have it, the pair would need to square off yet again, this time, more than two years later in December of 2006. At the time, Liddell was the Lightweight Champion and Ortiz was stepping in the octagon to strip him of the title.

Instead, Ortiz ended up on his back, and Liddell won by TKO with one minute, four seconds left in the third round. Although Ortiz managed to secure a takedown near the end of Round 2,Liddell scrambled out and managed to survive the round. Later, the two fighters mentioned a myriad of injuries suffered either before, or during the fight.

There was enough hype surrounding the event to garner nearly 1.1 Million PPV purchases.

Liddell and Ortiz Fight for a Third Time

This one is probably for nostalgia’s sake. No question, these are two extremely talented fighters, and I’m certain they will show up in the best physical shape, and put on the best show possible. The perplexing part is that both fighters are in their 40’s now (Liddell at 48 and Ortiz at 43). It begs the question, what do these two have left in the tank? And Apparently I’m not the only one wondering…

Perhaps the most intriguing story line revolving around Liddell vs. Ortiz 3, is that Oscar De La Hoya has hinted at Golden Boy Promotions venturing into the world of MMA. At this point, De La Hoya has more than dipped his toes in, booking what used to be a premier UFC match-up. However, if they plan to make their journey into MMA work long-term, they will need to corral more current (and relevant) MMA style fighters.

And they better hope the fight is more than just two old men fighting past their prime. Anything less would be just as easy to find on Netflix as it would a pay-per-view event.

Jason Heyward Shares The Secret To His 2018 Success

By
Gus
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I don’t know if there is another member of the Chicago Cubs that I root for as much as I pull for Jason Heyward. After signing an 8-year, $184 million dollar contract in December of 2015, he inherited sky high expectations from Cubs fans which unfortunately come with the territory when you sign that big of a contract. As we all know, he scuffled through the first two years of that contract and has rightfully heard his fair share of criticism along the way. There has been no other Cub that has been criticized nearly as much as Heyward has been the past two seasons and to be quite honest with you, it’s been pretty much impossible for me to defend him in the past.

And believe me, I’ve tried.

Before this season, all I could say about Heyward is what he brings defensively (Five Gold Gloves) and the type of character he has in the clubhouse is way undervalued to the common fan. However, I could only use, “But guys…he delivered the Game 7 rain delay speech” line so many times before Cubs fans started to look at me like I was grasping at straws.

I can’t blame them. I was.

So to say watching 2018 Jason Heyward has been a revelation would be the understatement of the year. I’m no swing expert and I refuse to act like I know what the hell he has done to “fix” himself this season, but whatever that is, I truly hope that he can keep this pace up. To date, he has delivered arguably the most exciting swing of the season when he hit a walk-off grand slam against the Phillies on June 6th.

Seeing what he’s done for the first three months of 2018 is exactly what every Cubs fan expected to get when Heyward signed with the Cubs two years ago. The days of watching him roll over on pitch after pitch and hit slow rollers to second base seem to be a thing of the past and the bat of 2018 Jason Heyward doesn’t look like it weighs 58 pounds like it has the past two seasons.

Let’s just say that 2018 JHey is seeing the ball quite well as of late.

I root so hard for guys like Heyward because the guy is the ultimate pro. When he scuffled in 2016-2017, he dedicated himself to training in Arizona in the off season to try and figure out how to rectify the problem. There isn’t one interview that I’ve seen where he is pointing the finger at someone blaming them for his struggles but rather, he consistently responded that he has to keep putting the work in to get better.

Being the consummate teammate hasn’t gone unnoticed in the Cubs clubhouse. Former MVP Kris Bryant said it perfectly when he was asked what his thoughts were about Heyward grinding away regardless of his struggles,

“It inspires me. It makes me want to be like him, always keeping your head up, always being a great teammate, being so positive. I can’t say enough about him.”

I know there are still a lot of Cubs fan who don’t want to acknowledge that Heyward has gotten better since joining the Cubs because it’s easier to say that he’s still being overpaid, so let’s take a look at a few basic stats to put things in perspective.

2016 – .230/.306/.325, .631 OPS, 49 RBIs, 93 K

2017 – .259/.326/.389, .715 OPS, 59 RBIs, 67 K

2018 – .285/.342/.431, .773 OPS, 37 RBIs, 30 K

You can clearly see in each year, his numbers have improved significantly. Obviously the 2018 season is a little over halfway done but we can project those RBIs and Ks will also be better than previous years.

Heyward had himself another solid day today going 2-4 with a single, double, 1 RBI, and 2 runs to help the Cubs win their fifth game in a row defeating the Detroit Tigers 5-3 at Wrigley Field. After the game, he shared the secret to his success this season with NBC Chicago reporter Kelly Crull and surprisingly enough, it has absolutely nothing to do with this swing mechanics.

Jason Heyward stopped giving a f*ck.

I’m saying that only half jokingly but I think there is some truth in Heyward’s statement. Nobody knows what goes on inside his head but if a hitter isn’t mentally locked in, you won’t see very good results. I’ll interpret hearing him say that he “stopped caring” as he stopped putting pressure on himself to be perfect during every at-bat. You heard him say that he’s finally starting to trust his hands again and his mental approach is clearly where it needs to be right now so I don’t see a reason why he can’t keep doing what he’s been doing so far in 2018.

And ya have to admit, it’s been pretty fun to watch.

 

Madden Raters Aren’t Even Trying to Hide Their Love of Roquan Smith

By
Erik Lambert
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roquan smith

The Madden 19 video game has come under some scrutiny of late, particular Chicago Bears fans who feel their choices of best players on the roster is a joke. While Jordan Howard, a former Pro Bowler with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons gets an 85, Adrian Amos (who was benched to start last season) gets an 88? Really? One can imagine people were skeptical was the numbers for the rookie 2018 draft class came out.

In a surprising twist, the script was flipped a bit. Madden raters seem quite taken with a couple of the Bears’ picks, but none more so than linebacker Roquan Smith. They seem to think that he’s as close to a can’t-miss prospect as a team can get. Only two players in the entire draft had higher overall ratings than him in Quenton Nelson and Saquon Barkley.

Though he’s officially fourth overall on the list, he’s actually tied for third with top quarterback selection Baker Mayfield.

4. Roquan Smith, Middle Linebacker, Chicago Bears

“81 OVR

Smith has the makings of a Pro Bowl level talent. The Bears added him to help build a linebacker core that already included Danny Trevathan. Smith can be disruptive all over the field with several ratings in the high 80s. His 88 Tackle and 87 Hit Power are enough to stop most ball carriers cold, but his numbers make him a natural fit in coverage, too. Smith sports an 89 Speed, 91 Acceleration, 88 Agility, with an 89 Pursuit and 80 in Zone Coverage.”

This is noteworthy. Smith’s rating is actually just a couple points lower than current starter Danny Trevathan (83) and three points higher than Nick Kwiatkoski (78) despite him having two years of experience. This should offer a keen insight into how good Smith was in college and why people have so much confidence in what he could become for the Bears.

The comparisons to Patrick Willis may be a bit premature. Yet if the Bears even get a player who’s 75% that good, then their defense both in reality and on the video game field just got a lot better.

Five Changes UFC Should Make To Improve

By
Sina Pahlevan
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The UFC is the fastest growing sports organization in the world. Founded in 1993, the UFC has transcended over the last 24 years from a startup idea that might be able to add some flare to the most versatile combat sport in the world to a globally watched billion dollar enterprise that sits atop the world of combat sports. Still, there are some aspects of UFC needing reform, so here is the list of five changes UFC should make to improve.

As fight fans, we should be thankful for the the chance to watch the most skilled combat athletes in the world display their physical abilities on the brink of life or death. We should be thankful for the continuous effort the UFC puts in to deliver the most talent stacked and mouth watering fights fans want to see card after card.

Throughout the last 24 years, the UFC has obtained an unimaginable level of power and control through its increased popularity and, just like any institution with a certain level of power in today’s society, the UFC should be careful as to how it uses its platform. Not only does it affect its viewers, but it also affects everyone associated with the UFC down the pipeline.

As stated earlier, it’s important to be thankful but not oblivious when it comes to how we, as fight fans, perceive the UFC. Without much further ado, here’s five things the UFC can change in order to improve.

No. 1: Broadening the weight limits of weight classes

Weight cuts are without a doubt the most brutal aspect of the game fighters go through. Cutting weight holds severe physical consequences for these fighters, long term and short term. Repetitively putting your body through extreme dehydration can cause long lasting damage to one’s kidneys and heart. Cutting that much weight right before a fight also can drain a fighter’s endurance and muscle performance during the fight. According to MMA journalist Esther Lin, Dana White recently said that he wants to get rid of early weigh ins. “So we’re looking at going back to — at 4 p.m. PT — when we do the weigh-ins, those will be the real weigh-ins,” said White, according to Lin.

The truth is I’m not quite sure how much that will lighten the load for these fighters. They will still be required to go through close to the same level of brutality and intensity when cutting weight, they just have a little bit more time on their hands. Why not make weight divisions have a weight range of more than just one pound? For example, the welterweight division weigh-in limits would be 168.5-171.5 pounds, being the division is a 170-pound division.

No. 2: Fighter Pay

There’s an old historical expression that goes, “Piss on the peasants and they will piss on you.” The point of this is that basically everyone should be treated properly, no matter what position of power they hold. Now, I have no clue where this expression came from to be honest but this can be directly applied to the way the UFC is managing their fighters.

For the degree of difficulty and brutality these fighters go through, they are not getting paid nearly enough, especially considering the amount of attention they draw. While some fighters may be living larger than life at the moment, others are not. Let’s pay our fighters what they deserve so this train can keep on rolling. Otherwise, Gegard Mousasi and Rory MacDonald won’t be the last fighters to leave to Bellator.

No. 3: Use the entire scoring system

In professional MMA fights, a 10-8 round is considered a complete domination for the winner of that round. Most rounds are scored 10-9 in professional mixed martial arts and I just don’t understand why. The full 10 numbers should be used. The current scoring system is so up for grabs and inaccurate due to the lack of options when grading a fighter’s performance. I know good old Joe Rogan is with me on this one as well. Let’s see some 10-7’s and 10-6’s please. The fighters might actually end up trusting the judges more if this happens.

No. 4: Create a minor league for the UFC

Why isn’t there a minor league for the UFC already? Sure there are “feeder” leagues like Tuff-N-Uff and Resurrection Fighting Alliance and Legacy Fighting Championship — the latter two merged in 2017 — but nothing substantial specifically tied to the UFC. There are too many fighters signed to the UFC roster that might not quite be at a UFC level.

A minor league under the UFC would give seasoned veterans who are out of their prime a change to shine again and maybe revive their career while young upstarts have a chance to make a name for themselves. This would also improve the product the UFC is putting out as fight cards will include more talented fighters. This would also further legitimize the notion of paying fighters what they deserve through being able to allocate the majority of fighter pay funds towards the more talented fighters. It’ll in a way force the UFC to pay the fighters based off merit, not favoritism.

No. 5: Consume Bellator

Bellator and the UFC have been bickering rivals for years now and there is just no reason for it. The fact of the matter is that Bellator will never reach anywhere remotely close to the level of success the UFC has enjoyed, nor will they earn a fraction of the UFC’s revenue. They’re holding on to false hope and its not really doing them any justice. With that being said, I do believe Bellator has some really talented fighters on their roster that could beat some top level guys in the UFC. Pay Scott Coker and give him a position of some authority within the UFC. I’m sure Dana probably isn’t his biggest fan, but I guarantee you the positives definitely outweigh the negatives in terms of combining all these freak athletes. Hell, let’s have him and Dana settle it in the octagon every year for controlling interest. I’d pay to watch that! 

Could We See One Of The Mets’ Aces On The South Side In The Near Future?

By
Emmet McClain
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Yesterday Jon Morosi tweeted out an article on the possibility of the White Sox or Padres making a trade for Jacob deGrom or Noah Syndergaard, even while in the early stages of their rebuilds. The Mets clearly aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, and they desperately need to replenish their currently barren farm system. The White Sox have a top 3 farm system in baseball and have the necessary pieces to get a deal done. I wouldn’t buy into the speculation, but for the sake of the argument, let’s look at both sides.

Why The White Sox Will Not Make The Deal

Firstly, the White Sox started their entire rebuild by trading Chris Sale for some of the game’s best prospects. Why would they now want to do the exact opposite of that not even two years later?

Second, the Mets are probably going to ask for two of either Eloy Jimenez, Michael Kopech, and Luis Robert along with a couple mid-level prospects. The thing is, the White Sox system is so deep, those mid-level prospects could be someone like Micker Adolfo, Luis Basabe, or Zack Burdi. All three of those players could all wind up being above average players on an MLB roster.

Finally, Rick Hahn wouldn’t be able to work his contract magic on a possible team-friendly extension. When he inked Chris Sale, Jose Quintana, Adam Eaton, and Tim Anderson to long-term, club-friendly deals, they were still very young. No one knew at the time just how good they would wind up being, only that they all had a ton of potential. Both Syndergaard and deGrom are already established aces and would never accept a deal similar to the ones Sale and Quintana are currently on. If Hahn hypothetically did make a trade to acquire one of the two aces and chose to lock them up long term, it would all but wipe out any chance the White Sox would have of signing Manny Machado this off season.

Why The White Sox Will Make The Deal

If Hahn does get bold and decide to bring on one of deGrom or Syndergaard, then the rotation for next season could look like this:

deGrom/Syndergaard

Rodon

Kopech

Lopez

Giolito/Cease (mid-season call up?)

That rotation (assuming Michael Kopech is as good as advertised) would be one of the best in the American League. You would also have to imagine that a rotation like that would make Chicago a very lucrative free agent destination for Manny Machado and other top names should Hahn decide to not negotiate a new contract withe either deGrom or Syndergaard.

If Rick Hahn does not immediately extend whichever ace he decided to trade for, the White Sox would still have some time to compete immediately. DeGrom becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2021, Syndergaard a year later in 2022. By then, the White Sox would also have Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert, and whichever free agents they sign in Chicago, giving them a potent lineup to pair with a dominant rotation. That would give them a 3-4 year window to win a World Series before deGrom and/or Syndergaard are due for big time pay days.

What It Would Take

If I’m Rick Hahn, I don’t offer any of our top three prospects (Jimenez, Kopech, Robert). If that is a deal breaker, then so be it. Jimenez can be a legitimate triple-crown threat, Kopech is supposed to be the next Syndergaard anyways, and Robert’s potential could be the highest out of any White Sox prospect. If the Mets would be okay with an offer of Dane Dunning, Alec Hansen, and Nick Madrigal, I might pull that trigger. Hansen can be a future ace in his own right, and Dunning has pinpoint control and a high floor. Madrigal technically hasn’t even signed yet but will be blocked at both second base and short stop for the foreseeable future. The White Sox get an ace for 3-4 years (depending on which one they trade for) and the Mets get three top 100 prospects, 2 in the top 50.

Final Verdict

It’s funny because for the past two years we have been the team falling in love with other team’s prospects and in this scenario, we are trying to find a package good enough to trade them away. At the end of the day, I don’t think a deal between the White Sox and Mets will go down. Partly because I think the Mets are just a dumb organization and might not trade deGrom or Syndergaard to any team and eventually see them walk. They will also ask for Jimenez, Kopech, or Robert, which the White Sox will not be willing to give up. But the most logical reason is that I think it’s honestly just too early. If the White Sox were on pace for 80ish wins this season I could definitely see Rick Hahn become a buyer at the deadline. The reality of the situation is that that’s just not the case this year. The White Sox will probably stand pat and make their big moves via free agency. If they can bring in talent via that route and are in the thick of things at the All-Star break next year, then we can start talking about trades of this magnitude. Until then, I wouldn’t get too caught up in the deGrom/Syndergaard rumor mill.

Chicago Bulls Free Agency News: Nothing Yet!

By
Brad Squires
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quick rebuild bulls nba next potential superteam

Two days into NBA free agency and the Chicago Bulls have brought no new faces into the fold. Many Bulls fans are sitting back and wondering what the next move is. Who can the Bulls bring in to help this franchise get back on top?

Well, the answer to that question is nobody right now. Most of the key free agents have committed to sign elsewhere leaving the Bulls no big names to add to their team. This isn’t a bad thing. The only way this is a total fail is if the Bulls do not bring back Zach Lavine. Somehow, someway, a deal needs to get done to bring the 23-year-old shooting guard back to the Windy City.

The market has been weird and while the Bulls have already offered Zach a qualifying offer, what’s the pay scale for him going to be? We have seen Aaron Gordon get a huge contract offer and we have seen Julius Randle get $9M a year. At this point, it is really hard to tell what he is going to get.

Assuming the Bulls get Zach Lavine back they sit in a decent position now. The East is wide open. Of course, Boston, Philly, and Toronto will be sitting up towards the top of the conference but the Bulls have a chance to enter the season at full health and grow together. Plus they could have up to $40M in cap space to make splashes in the next few years while their young core gels.

To look forward to 2019, Klay Thompson, Demarcus Cousins, and Kemba Walker are all on the market. Also, who’s to say the Bulls don’t try and make a huge trade to land a disgruntled superstar… Like, Anthony Davis?

While all that, of course, is just speculation and wishful thinking, do not panic Bulls fans. The time for the Bulls is coming and they have quite a few intriguing players that can develop into some of the best players at their positions. Kris Dunn is no slouch and improved tenfold last year and Lauri Markkanen showed the nation he will be a feared player in the league.

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