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Zach Lavine & The Finnisher Put On A Dunking Clinic Last Night

By
Patrick Mooney
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Who knew blowing a 17 point lead in the final 5 minutes could be so fun? It helps that every loss improves the team’s draft standing with the playoffs being an unrealistic goal, but last night featured a couple big performances from potential trade pieces, as well as a series of dunks from the team’s two youngest centerpieces.

Zach Lavine, in his fifth game of the season, started the dunking clinic in the opening minutes of the 1st quarter with a little help from Lauri Markkanen.

Bulls fans have been waiting to see Lavine show off the athleticism that made him such a coveted asset, and he definitely delivered last night. He finished with 19 points on 15 shot attempts in just 24 minutes.

As for Markkanen, the rookie was not content with setting up his high flying teammate, he made sure to get in on the rim-rocking action himself.

No big deal, just a pump fake and effortless drive right by Anthony Davis and a stuff right in Boogie Cousins’ face.

While Boogie was a little too scared to make contact on that one, Markkanen showed of his athleticism, coordination and physicality on this alley oop and-1 with Davis chasing him down like a greyhound.

And finally, in case you thought that first drive by Davis/dunk on Boogie was a fluke, just a typical case of 1st quarter defensive laziness during the dog days of the season, check this out.

Cousins actually tried to defend that one at the rim, but it didn’t matter. Markkanen>Cousins.

I kid, I kid, but highlights like that from Lavine and Markkanen are why it’s getting easier every day to be excited about the Bulls.

 

 

 

Nikola Mirotic Says Rajon Rondo Was The Best Teammate He Ever Had

By
Matthew Milakovich
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Rajon Rondo has not always been the most coachable player. It’s shown over the years since he’s left Boston, having played for four different teams in as many years since the Celtics decided to go in a different direction. However, that’s not to say he hasn’t been beloved by his teammates along the way.

In regards to the Bulls, there’s one player in particular who may be on the move himself who professed his admiration for the mercurial point guard and former Bull.

When asked about his former teammate last night, Nikola Mirotic joked at first that he “hated Rajon Rondo….”not because he’s hard to coach, hard to play with, or a malcontent, but because he’s “…such a good guy”–

“[Rajon Rondo] is such a good guy, such a good professional, does everything so right… he is the best teammate I ever had.”

“I’ve had some teammates or people that just showed up when something good was happening, not bad. He understood about sticking together and getting guys on the same page. I really love him for who he is. When [the Bulls] cut him [last summer], I was really disappointed because I wanted him on my team at least another year. But this is the NBA, and we’re all moving on.’’

“I learned a lot from Rajon… there’s no doubt that having him as a teammate has helped me [deal] with things, even this year.’’

Mirotic has been at the center of relationship problems all season, mostly stemming from the physical altercation with Bobby Portis which landed the power forward on the IR with broken facial bones and a concussion. Now, Mirotic is playing the best basketball of his career, yet will likely be traded before the Feb. 8 deadline.

Rajon Rondo was beloved by his Bulls teammates

Speaking to Mirotic’s praises, you may remember how Rondo rallied the troops and came to the baby Bulls’ aid last season. Acting as a glue piece after Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler essentially alienated themselves from the team, calling them out via Instagram and questioning their heart. Rondo stuck up for his guys by saying this publicly, soon after the former Bulls’ duo criticism of their younger teammates.

“It takes 1-15 to win. When you isolate everyone, you can’t win consistently. I may be a lot of things, but I’m not a bad teammate. My goal is to pass what I learned along. The young guys work. They show up. They don’t deserve blame. If anything is questionable, it’s the leadership”

Rondo also seemed to have the Bulls on track to upset his former team, the number one seed Boston Celtics, last season in round one of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Rondo led the Bulls to two straight wins and a 2-0 advantage to open the series. In game two he scored 11 points and dishing 14 assists to go along with 5 steals and 9 rebounds in game two. Then it was learned Rondo broke his finger during that flashback performance, and thus, in Rondo’s absence the Bulls would lose four straight games and the series.

Theo Epstein Has Sneakily Built An Excellent Cubs Bullpen

By
Sean Sears
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When the Cubs were eliminated from the postseason in October, one of the most glaring issues for Theo Epstein’s club was their lack of reliable arms. Particularly, his bullpen, which had cost the Cubs 26 of the 48 runs allowed during their postseason run. Compare that to the collective 4 runs allowed between the Nationals and Dodgers bullpens, L.A.’s didn’t even surrender a single run to the Cubs, that’s bad.

They needed more strike-throwers, issuing the most free passes of any postseason team at 554, walking 53 batters during the playoffs. They also knew their All-Star closer Wade Davis was not necessarily gone, but was going to be difficult to retain without having to outbid other teams. And while they did offer Davis a qualifying offer, it was likely to just ensure a compensatory draft pick, as the interest from Chicago never truly seemed real.

As the Winter Meetings started, the Cubs quickly struck a deal with Brandon Morrow, and instantly the direction of the Cubs bullpen for 2018 became less clear. Signing a 33-year-old reliever with a checkered injury history and 18 career saves to his name doesn’t scream World Series 2018.

However, after letting the move soak in for a moment, it became clear what Epstein was trying to do. Avoiding a larger deal, the Cubs will pay Morrow $21 mil over the next two seasons to be their primary closer.

Epstein then added veteran side-armer Steve Cishek to the bullpen, signing on for two years at $6.5 mil per year. The insurance move of inking Cishek and all 121 career saves, gave the Cubs a back-up option to Morrow, who will likely have his usage limited at times during 2018. With Cishek and Morrow in the fold, the Cubs bullpen not only gained two viable closing options, they added two guys who attack the strike zone.

Painting the corners

According to Fangraphs, only three more pitchers threw more swing-strikes than Brandon Morrow, who made 76.4 percent of batters swing and miss at strikes located inside the strike zone (among relievers who threw at least 40 innings). Morrow also threw a first pitch strike 69.4 percent of the time in 2017, the 6th best rate among all qualified relievers.

Cishek, while not among the elite relievers in swing and miss strikes, still has a robust 63.8 percent first pitch strike percentage, along with an encouraging 57.8 percent swinging strikes located in the strike zone.

But likely the most appealing statistic to Epstein and the Cubs was their lack of walks, Morrow especially, who had a walk per nine innings of 1.85 while Cishek issued 2.82 walks per nine innings in 2017. As currently stands, outside of Brian Duensing, the Cubs don’t have a reliever who walks less batters than Cishek and Morrow.

Essentially, the Cubs have added two of the better strike-throwers in all of baseball, retained another in Brian Duensing, and on paper their bullpen should have excellent depth for 2018. Key word is on paper, as the Cubs will still have to see improvement from their returning bullpen arms, mainly Justin Wilson.

If the former Tigers closer could put up the numbers he did in the 1st half of 2017, the Cubs bullpen instantly becomes one of the more complete groups in all of baseball. A bullpen featuring Morrow as the closer, with Cishek and Wilson as possible fill-in closers, to go along with some combination of Duensing, Carl Edwards, Pedro Strop, Mike Montgomery, Justin Grimm, Dillon Maples, or Dario Alvarez  looks deep.

But that’s just on paper. The Cubs, while options are a plenty, will need their relievers to execute better in order to stand a chance at getting back to the World Series in 2018.

Mark Helfrich Is Planning To Torment Vic Fangio Moving Forward

By
Erik Lambert
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mark helfrich

New Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich is an excited man. This season will mark the first time in his career as a football coach that he’s worked in the NFL. This after spending a year out of football following his dismissal from being head coach at Oregon. No doubt he’s anxious to prove to people that he’s every bit as good at what he does as he did at his peak for the Ducks.

That starts with turning around a Bears offense that was among the worst in the NFL this past season. Mitch Trubisky is at the center of it all, but there is tons of work to do at wide receiver as well. Helfrich has to get these guys playing with more efficiency, urgency and confidence. The thing is he isn’t totally adept at how to speak the language of NFL players.

This is a common theme for lifelong college coaches who finally make the jump to the big leagues. He was asked by Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune whether he was concerned about being an assistant again, and in such an unfamiliar setting. Helfrich didn’t seem perturbed. In fact he hinted at a plan for dealing with any such issues.

Mark Helfrich planning to nag Vic Fangio constantly

It would seem that Helfrich hasn’t lost the Pac-12 in his blood. He delighted in nothing more than torturing defenses during his run at Oregon. So naturally he’d have a strong memory of Vic Fangio who was defensive coordinator at Stanford in 2010. In fact during his introductory press conference Helfrich managed to get a little dig in on his former foe.

For those who care to know why this is a troll job, it’s worth noting he and Fangio met once in college. Helfrich’s offense lit up Fangio’s defense for 52 points. Apparently though he’s not satisfied with simply reminding Fangio of how little fun it was to face him on the field. They might be seeing a lot of each in the office real soon.

“Not at all,” Helfrich said. “If (Nagy) was a different person, maybe, but we’re going to have some ups and we’re going to have some downs. I made a million mistakes, a lot of them. And if some of those things, I can communicate, ‘This, this and this might happen,’ and that helps him take a shortcut on a path, absolutely (I‘ll do it).

“But I think it’s all collaborative. I am going to be in Vic (Fangio’s) office a lot. He’s going to be annoyed by me (as I try) to get in his head and know what might help me transition from college to the NFL. I would be an idiot if I didn’t walk 24 feet down and ask a guy like that. So we are all in this together.”

It makes sense. If anybody can help Helfrich understand the difference between college and the pros, it’s Fangio. He already made that jump successfully back in 2011. No doubt those two are going to make for quite a pair.

Chicago Bears Had One Head Coach Interview No One Expected

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears head coach

The Chicago Bears head coach search a couple weeks ago went fairly quick. They interviewed a set list of candidates once and then made the decision to go with Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. The fact he went last may or may not have had something to do with that. Regardless he proved to be the choice and the Bears are happy with it.

That being said was the list that came out from top NFL insiders complete? There were some rumors that the Bears may have slipped one or two candidates in for interviews that people didn’t hear about. This either because it was just an oversight or perhaps because the candidate preferred it be kept quiet.

The people over at Roster Watch, part of Sirius NFL XM radio, believe that may have been the case for Chicago. They indicated that Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly may be looking for an exit from South Bend. His eyes are on the NFL and it seems the Bears job was something he had interest in.

Chicago Bears head coach buzz did hint a “college name”

A couple weeks back a source did inform me that the Bears were talking to an unknown “college coach” about the job. At the time the assumptions were it could be Jim Harbaugh of Michigan or David Shaw from Stanford. Both are considered among the favorites to make an NFL jump sooner than later. However no knew information came of it. This revelation about Kelly would seem to confirm that original rumor.

Kelly has been head coach for Notre Dame since 2010. In that time he’s posted a 69-34 record that includes four bowl victories and a national championship berth. His team rebounded this past season with a 10-3 record after a disappointing 4-8 mark the year before. Nonetheless the pressure is always high to achieve at that school. Kelly may be growing tired of it and want a new challenge elsewhere.

What’s interesting is the Bears were able to secure arguably Kelly’s best assistant in offensive line coach Harry Hiestand for Nagy’s staff. Up until then most had considered Hiestand untouchable. This might offer an idea that even the other coaches there can sense Kelly won’t be around much longer.

In the end it’s probably best the Bears didn’t explore that route too strongly. Kelly is 56-years old and has never coached in the NFL. He’s also steeped heavily in a defensive background. It’s unlikely he would’ve provided the necessary knowledge and experience to help make quarterback Mitch Trubisky a success.

Lopez & Grant Boost Their Trade Value In Crushing Loss

By
Patrick Mooney
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With 5:06 to play in the 4th quarter of Monday night’s game in New Orleans, the Bulls led the Pelicans by 17. Somehow, they didn’t win the game.

All star big man DeMarcus Cousins went off down the stretch, leading the Pelicans in their comeback victory with 44 points, 24 rebounds, and 10 assists. Chicago native Anthony Davis kicked in 34 points of his own.

Despite the crushing loss, there were plenty of positive takeaways for the Bulls in this one. First off, it was a great…

Outside of the end result, other positives from tonight were the performances turned in by center Robin Lopez and point guard Jerian Grant, which likely caught the eye of some NBA scouts. Lopez’ name has been rumored to be on the trade block for over a month now, and recent reports indicate the Bulls are listening to offers on Grant as well.

Both scored 22 points in the loss on a combined 16-23 shooting. Grant has seen an increase in playing time the last two games with the absence of Kris Dunn, and he is stepping up not only in the scoring department, but in the floor general department as well. He added a season high 13 assists to his 22 points.

Lopez, who has been labeled as anything but a scorer over his journeyman career, is averaging 19.3 points over the last three games.

With just over two weeks to go until the trade deadline, the Bulls could use as many of these performances from this duo as possible. Recency bias is very real in sports, and it would be swell if the Bulls could get a team to overvalue either one of these players in a trade because of a few outlying performances in the coming weeks.

Cubs In Active Talks With Yu Darvish According To AP Source

By
Aldo Soto
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Now it’s getting more serious, as the Chicago Cubs are reportedly in active talks with free agent pitcher Yu Darvish according to an AP source.

The New York Times published the following Monday night.

 A person with direct knowledge of the discussions says the Chicago Cubs are having active talks with free-agent pitcher Yu Darvish

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday night because there was no agreement in place. The Texas Rangers, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees also have expressed interest in signing the Japanese pitcher.

This comes after the Cubs signed catcher Chris Gimenez to a minor-league deal.

The Cubs Just Signed Yu Darvish’s All-Time Favorite Catcher

Gimenez, who was a teammate of Darvish with the Texas Rangers is said to be the pitcher’s favorite catcher.

Stay tuned for more updates.

The Cubs Just Signed Yu Darvish’s All-Time Favorite Catcher

By
Aldo Soto
-

Chris Gimenez is a 35-year-old catcher, who has played in a total of 366 MLB games, but he might be the final piece in the Chicago Cubs plan to sign Yu Darvish. The Cubs have reportedly signed the journeyman catcher to a minor-league deal, but there could be more to this acquisition.

Ken Rosenthal added that Gimenez has a good shot to make the Cubs 25-man roster as the backup to Willson Contreras.

Those chances become higher if the Cubs do end up signing Darvish and that’s because Gimenez is apparently really close to the pitcher and is his favorite catcher.

I don’t think Gimenez is going to be the most important part of the Cubs’ pitch to Darvish, but it certainly has to help, right? The ironic part is that Gimenez was let go by the Minnesota Twins, who are also trying to sign Darvish. Imagine if this does become the difference, though, that’d be pretty funny.

Gimenez has spent his entire MLB career in the American League, playing for the Cleveland Indians, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers and the Twins. He has a career slash line of .218/.309/.345. Last year with Minnesota, Gimenez hit seven home runs and had a pretty good .350 OBP in 186 at bats.

 

I know there are several Cubs fans, myself included, that were looking forward to possibly seeing Caratini up the entire year as the backup catcher, but if Gimenez can get Darvish to the North Side, then this will be a great move.

David Ross part two? Let’s all hope so.

Chicago Bears Senior Bowl History Proves Fans Should Care More

By
Erik Lambert
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Jan 28, 2016; Mobile, AL, USA; South squad offensive guard Cody Whitehair of Kansas State (55) battles offensive tackle Spencer Drango of Baylor (58) during a drill during Senior Bowl practice at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Glenn Andrews-USA TODAY Sports

Fans aren’t really giving much attention to the Chicago Bears Senior Bowl buzz. Why should they right? It’s not free agency. It’s not the draft. There isn’t much incentive to watch the practices and games. Except that couldn’t be further from the truth, and the team brass know this. Word has already come down that both GM Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy will be present in Birmingham for every moment of the festivities.

They understand that this week of football action is in fact more valuable than any other during the lead up to the NFL draft in April. That includes the scouting combine and the pro days. This is because it gives them a chance to see many top prospects (and some hidden gems) handle NFL-level coaching, practices and game situations.

One can’t say the Bears haven’t used it to their advantage recently. Starting center Cody Whitehair was their most valuable find to date. Linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski has also proven a quality scoop as well. What many fans may not be grasping though is that some of the most important players in franchise history have come up via the Senior Bowl.

Chicago Bears Senior Bowl alum is a who’s who of former greats

Truth be told this event hasn’t really become a thing among fans until the past few years as the pre-draft process became more and more magnified. However its important, especially to Chicago became huge as far back as the 1970s. It was at the 1975 Senior Bowl where the Bears brass got a close look at a young running back out of tiny Jackson State named Walter Payton.

A few years later new head coach Mike Ditka and GM Jim Finks were hoping to get a quarterback. Down in Birmingham they had a chance to see a skinny kid from BYU name Jim McMahon in action. In 2000 the Bears weren’t sure where they’d go with their #9 overall pick. That is until a mammoth safety from New Mexico named Brian Urlacher started going through drills and game action.

Three years later the same thing happened again, this time with a brass kid out of Arizona who called himself Lance Briggs. Last but not least? A smooth, versatile running back from Tulane took home MVP honors in 2008. That was really the first people had truly heard of Matt Forte.

Suffice to say the Senior Bowl has been good to the Bears in years past. It’s been at its best when they have good eyes in the front office as they seem to do now with Pace. Could the next superstar be laying in wait for them at this year’s festivities? Maybe you should tune in to find out. That way when the draft rolls around you might have an idea of just what this team is getting.

How Andy Reid Assistants Did In First Years Bodes Well for 2018 Bears

By
Erik Lambert
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2018 bears

Matt Nagy is about to take center stage for the 2018 Bears. GM Ryan Pace took a calculated gamble on the 39-year old. Nagy comes from an Arena League background and has only been an offensive coordinator for two years in the NFL. He’s not the most well-traveled coach either, spending his entire pro run under the same mentor. The good news is that mentor is the best there is at cultivating future head coaches.

Andy Reid remains one of the best head coaches in the business. He hasn’t even turned 60-years old yet and already has made the playoffs 13 times in his career. For an idea of how significant that is? The Bears have reached the playoffs 14 times in the entire Super Bowl era. Reid has done it since 1999. In that time he’s planted a series of seeds across the league in the form of several quality head coaches.

Nagy is the latest in that line to get his opportunity. What fans are eager to know is how swift his impact might be. Based on collected evidence, they might be in for a surprise.

Bears 2018 hopes looking bright based on the Reid factor

To date four assistants have gone directly from an Andy Reid coaching staff to a head coaching position of their own. On average the immediate results were pretty favorable. Two of the four coaches went to the playoffs their first year. One finished with the same record as the previous season and only one saw his team regress.

Brad Childress (Minnesota Vikings)

  • 2005:  9-7
  • 2006:  6-10

John Harbaugh (Baltimore Ravens)

  • 2007:  5-11
  • 2008:  11-5

Doug Pederson (Philadelphia Eagles)

  • 2015:  7-9
  • 2016:  7-9

Sean McDermott (Buffalo Bills)

  • 2016:  7-9
  • 2017:  9-7

This is actually quite a crop of coaches as it stands. Childress may have struggled his first year but he was 8-8 his second season and in the playoffs by his third. Harbaugh of course won the Super Bowl in Baltimore. Pederson is now in the Super Bowl with Philadelphia during his second season. McDermott broke a playoff drought in Buffalo that had lasted since 1999. Suffice to say this is a quality tree the Bears plucked from.

The fact that Reid himself said he believes Nagy might be the best of the bunch? That makes it even harder not to be excited about 2018. The steps ahead are simple but not easy. He must do what he was hired first and foremost to. That’s improve an offense that finished 30th in the NFL. That doesn’t just mean making Mitch Trubisky better. It means making them all better.

Together with a Vic Fangio defense, the odds favor a considerable improvement on the 5-11 record they fielded this past season.

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