Bulls Keep Jimmy Butler For Playoff Push As Trade Deadline Passes

Matt Peck
-
0
Bulls Keep Jimmy Butler For Playoff Push As Trade Deadline Passes

While Bulls fans try to figure out what the hell just happened with that trade with Oklahoma City, the big Jimmy Butler rumors went quietly untouched as the deadline passed.

Gar Forman and Danny Ainge continued their long-lasting standoff. Like 12 year old kids eyeing each other from opposite sides of the gymnasium at the school dance, the subtle flirting never materialized into an awkward make-out session. It’s probably all for the best. Ainge likely would’ve gotten his lip caught on Gar’s braces.

…Where were we? I got lost in my beautiful dark twisted fantasy.

Oh, right! The Bulls did what most expected and held onto franchise star Jimmy Butler through today’s NBA trade deadline. While rumors about Chicago and Boston revisiting their trade talks from last year spiraled out of control over the past month, the end result stayed the same.

Ainge hoarded his assets (primarily the 2017 1st round pick owed to him by the Nets) and Forman didn’t hear an offer insanely rich enough to part with his best player on a very cheap contract. We also heard from TNT’s David Aldridge, among others, that Jae Crowder was once again the hangup of any potential deal. The Bulls wanted Butler’s former Marquette teammate, but Ainge wouldn’t let him go.

Most insiders said there were basically zero discussions between the Bulls and Celtics all day.

And the beat goes on.

Full Steam Ahead

By keeping Butler, the Bulls front office sent a message to their fanbase: “We want to get back to the playoffs this year, and we think that Jimmy is our guy to build arou nd…for now….maybe.” But they sent away Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott, two of the team’s most important role players thus far this season? Okay…

Forman and Paxson, along with team president Michael Reinsdorf, might revisit the idea of trading Butler in the offseason when teams’ lottery picks are locked in. But the immediate plan is for Butler and a hopefully-healthy Dwyane Wade to lead the Bulls to a postseason birth. Coming out of the All Star break, Chicago holds the 7th seed in the East. They’re one game behind Indiana for the 6th seed and two games clear of the Bucks in 9th.

Who knows? A first round matchup with Cleveland, Boston or Toronto might prove interesting. The Bulls are 6-1 against those three teams combined this season. I don’t put any stock into it, but you can bet your bottom dollar that Gar does. Or he might not. Either way, it gives him an out when he undoubtedly faces questions about a meaningless first round exit when all is said and done.

“Something, something…compete at a high level…excited about our core moving forward…something.”

Some Bulls fans are happy about keeping Butler, while others wanted to see the front office finally press the self-destruct button and blow this team up completely. You can’t always get what you want, but one thing is true no matter where you stood on the Jimmy trade rumors: this Bulls team will be interesting for the next 2 or 3 months. Not necessarily good. But interesting.

Bulls Trade Taj Gibson & Doug McDermott To Oklahoma City Thunder

Matt Peck
-
0
Bulls Trade Taj Gibson & Doug McDermott To Oklahoma City Thunder

After all the rumors spanning nearly a decade in a Bulls uniform, Taj Gibson has finally left the building. Well, not yet. But Bulls traded the veteran power forward to the Oklahoma City Thunder just minutes before the NBA trade deadline on Thursday afternoon.

Chicago agreed to send the final piece of their 2011 Eastern Conference Finals roster to the Thunder for center Joffrey Lauvergne and shooting guard Anthony Morrow. Shams Charania of The Vertical was first to report the trade.

In addition, the Bulls will send small forward Doug McDermott and their 2018 second round pick to the Thunder.

Thunder point guard Cameron Payne is also included in the deal, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

For a team seriously lacking in shooters, this move is puzzling on the surface. Doug, despite his recent struggles, is the only quality three point shooter the Bulls have had this season. Morrow is shooting just 29.4% from three point range this season, though he is a career 41% shooter from deep. Maybe Gar Forman and John Paxson are hoping he’s due for an upswing? The same can be said for Payne, who’s a terrible outside shooter for a point guard.

What exactly are GarPax thinking?

We’ll keep you to speed with any further developments on this trade.

Kyle Schwarber Is Going To Be The Cubs Leadoff Hitter In 2017

Aldo Soto
-
0
Kyle Schwarber Is Going To Be The Cubs Leadoff Hitter In 2017

Joe Maddon has had a clear idea of who will bat leadoff for the 2017 Chicago Cubs and on Thursday he once again reiterated that Kyle Schwarber is the frontrunner to take on that roll this season.

Back in December, Maddon discussed Schwarber and Ben Zobrist as the options to replace Dexter Fowler as the leadoff hitter, but the entire time the manager seemed confident that he was leaning toward Schwarber.

A few days before the first spring training game for the Cubs, Maddon still views Schwarber as the man.

However, the Cubs will remain cautious with their young slugger, who is coming off two major surgeries on his left leg. Schwarber’s unbelievable come back in 2016 was remarkable, but the club is going to play it safe and lower the risk of future injury.

And for those of you who keep crying, “Schwarber is too slow to hit leadoff,” the Cubs don’t care. All that matters with Schwarber is him getting on base, which as a rookie he did at a .355 clip, and also murdering baseballs.

Stealing bases isn’t a priority for the Cubs, who ranked 15th in that category last season. Again, all the Cubs want for Schwarber to do is walk, hit doubles and home runs and then trot home when Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo also murder baseballs.

Damn, Schwarber, Bryant and Rizzo to start the game. Good luck pitchers.

Maddon also discussed batting the pitcher eighth in the lineup, like he did in 2015.

If you remember back to 2015, Maddon implemented this strategy with Addison Russell hitting ninth behind the pitcher. So, it makes sense Maddon is considering it again with another young player in Albert Almora getting a bigger role with the team this year with the departure of Fowler.

Quickly going back to Schwarber hitting leadoff, if he avoids any injury he has a good chance to break Alfonso Soriano’s record of 13 leadoff home runs. Soriano hit 13 of them in 2003 with the New York Yankees. Soriano set a Cubs record, hitting 12 leadoff home runs in 2007.

Buzz Growing Chicago Bears Are The Next Home of This Top Quarterback

Erik Lambert
-
0
Buzz Growing Chicago Bears Are The Next Home of This Top Quarterback

March 9th is approaching fast. With it comes the start of the 2017 league year in the NFL. That means unrestricted free agency begins, as does the window during which trades can be announced. It will be the first opportunity for the Chicago Bears to let their fans in on what they may or may not have planned at the quarterback position. By far the biggest question mark of this critical offseason.

Of course the primary rumors have centered around Jimmy Garoppolo. The Illinois native is viewed by many as the best young quarterback available in any of the three major markets. No doubt the New England Patriots are hoping to turn that into a blockbuster trade package. Some are concerned GM Ryan Pace may actually pay it, reverting back to the same “mistake” that led to the Jay Cutler era.

Of course getting Garoppolo would be fascinating, but he’s not the only name who is quietly being tied to Chicago. There is another former Eastern Illinois grad expected to be available too. NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah is getting the sense his move north is inevitable.

Really? Tony Romo? No doubt the name conjures up mixed emotions from Bears fans. On the one hand he’s a notorious heartbreaker of a QB, losing some big games in brutal fashion and now also dealing with injury issues at age 36. On the other he’s a four-time Pro Bowler who has shown consistently over the past few years that he can put up impressive numbers when healthy.

Just how realistic is this?

Oklahoma City Thunder Want Bulls Forward Taj Gibson

Matt Peck
-
0
Oklahoma City Thunder Want Bulls Forward Taj Gibson

We’re about six hours away from the NBA trade deadline. Most believe at this point that barring an unexpectedly massive offer from Danny Ainge, the Bulls will hold onto All Star Jimmy Butler. But Gar Forman and John Paxson want to make something happen today, whether that be trading away either Nikola Mirotic or Taj Gibson.

Forwards For Sale

Earlier this morning, ESPN’s Marc Stein reported that the Bulls and 76ers are still in talks about a trade for Jahlil Okafor. The 21 year old center played high school ball at Whitney Young in Chicago. According to Stein, the Bulls are Okafor’s first choice if he dealt.

The two teams still need to find common ground on the other pieces of this trade. Philadelphia is looking for a first round draft pick and a player for Okafor, but the Bulls don’t want to surrender that pick that they value greatly. They are trying instead to convince the 76ers to take the slumping Mirotic.

It’s possible that Philadelphia could send the Bulls a second round pick along with Jahlil to sweeten the deal, but that still might not be enough for GarPax to pull the trigger.

Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder are reportedly interested in a different forward on the Bulls roster. Workhorse veteran Taj Gibson could give OKC an additional enforcer to help on the defensive end as they prepare for a playoff push behind likely MVP Russell Westbrook.

The Bulls are looking for draft picks and young talent. Small forward Jerami Grant (brother of Bulls guard Jerian) is shooting 38.1% from downtown this season, which is better than most on Fred Hoiberg’s roster. Shooting guard Alex Abrines (37.5%) is also decent from deep. Abrines contract could balance with Gibson’s in a two-player swap, but Grant is still on his rookie scale deal. The Thunder do have their first round pick in 2017, but they might not believe Taj on a half-season loan is equal value. They owe their second round pick this summer to Denver, but could offer two second round picks in 2018 (one via Boston) instead.

The Bulls are also shopping Doug McDermott, according to Stein. That fits with similar reports from recent weeks.

Less than six hours to go. Deep breaths, everyone.

Sports Mockery will keep you up to speed on any developments with either of these potential trades. Follow @Bulls_Peck on Twitter for the latest.

Here’s A Sneak Peek Into The New ‘Bryzzo 2.0’ Commercial

Gus
-
0
Here’s A Sneak Peek Into The New ‘Bryzzo 2.0’ Commercial

A few days ago, I wrote about the bromance between Cubs superstars Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo after they gave a pretty hilarious interview during Spring Training in Mesa. I’m assuming the interview was supposed to be pretty serious but it quickly turned into the two stars laughing at each other because Rizzo kept trying to put his hand on Bryant’s leg when he was talking.

Yes, these are professional athletes.

The genuine friendship between the two led the MLB to give the pair the now famous nickname ‘Bryzzo’ and even gave them their own commercial spot at the beginning of last season entitled, “Bryzzo’s Souvenir Company” with the outstanding motto of,

We put the ‘ding’ in dingers.

Since the two are now officially World Series champions, the people at MLB decided to give the pair another commercial spot for the 2017 season entitled ‘Bryzzo 2.0.’

Unlike the first commercial however, Bryzzo 2.0 has a few guest appearances that Cubs fans will be pretty happy to see and if you listen closely, at one point Rizzo turns to Bryant and says,

“It’s good to be us.”

REPORT: The Cubs Are Completely Done With Sammy Sosa After His Bizarre Comments

Aldo Soto
-
0
REPORT: The Cubs Are Completely Done With Sammy Sosa After His Bizarre Comments

For several years the new ownership of the Chicago Cubs has kept the door open to a possible reunion with Sammy Sosa. The ex-Cubs superstar hasn’t been back with the organization since he walked out of the final game of the 2004 season and was then traded to the Baltimore Orioles. Well, whatever slim chance there was of a reunion is now over after Sosa’s latest comments according to the Chicago Tribune’s Paul Sullivan.

According to Sullivan’s sources, the Cubs are done with Sosa.

Whatever chance Sammy Sosa had of reconciling with the Cubs apparently is over.

According to multiple sources, Sosa’s comments in an interview with blogger Chuck Wasserstrom were deemed so bizarre it convinced the organization to close the door on the possibility of ending his 13-year exile.

(Paul Sullivan)

In his interview with Chuck Wasserstrom, Sosa made some outlandish comments, comparing himself to Jesus Christ when asked about the speculation that he used PEDs and also claiming, “when nobody knew who Chicago was, I put Chicago on the map.”

You can read more of Sosa’s comments here.

Sammy Sosa Compares Himself To Jesus Christ Regarding PED Use

You can hate Sosa, love him or fall somewhere between those sentiments, but there’s no denying that for about a decade he was the reason people were going to Wrigley Field. Sosa was putting asses in seats and the Cubs couldn’t be happier. Now, no one is saying Sosa isn’t wrong in some areas because obviously he left town burning every bridge around. His alleged PED use also ruined his reputation and it’s safe to say Sosa is never going to admit that he used them. That might be one of the sticking points in why he hasn’t been welcomed back because let’s not pretend the Cubs care that much of PED use, considering Manny Ramirez is a big part of their minor league system working with young players.

Anyway, that doesn’t matter anymore because if the report is true, Sosa is basically banned for life from the Cubs? I guess. At no point do I think Sosa was going to swallow his pride and admit guilt, nor do I believe the Cubs would do the same and extend an olive branch without Sosa bending first. This latest, whatever Sosa was doing, was perfect for the Cubs, who have used it as a reason to shut the door on the once beloved Cub.

Personally, I would have loved to see a reunion. Again, the dude was the man on the North Side for close to a decade. He was the franchise and yes he fucked up, but overall this entire fiasco could have been dealt better by both sides.

Here’s Why The Bears Have A Legit Shot At Landing Jimmy Garoppolo

Erik Lambert
-
0
Here’s Why The Bears Have A Legit Shot At Landing Jimmy Garoppolo

The rumor mill is swirling faster and faster every day. March 9th is widely viewed as the start of the new league year in the NFL and the beginning of unrestricted free agency. What is has also become in recent years is ground zero for trade announcements. Needless to say people are scrambling for any bit of news they can get a hold of regarding several names on the block. The Chicago Bears should know. They’re right at the heart of it.

Not only is Jay Cutler being shopped by the team, but the real news has centered their supposed infatuation with Jimmy Garoppolo. GM Ryan Pace got to meet and talk up the New England Patriots backup during joint practices in the 2016 preseason. Since then their interest has grown after watching the 25-year old perform very well in his two starts at the beginning of the season in place of a suspended Tom Brady.

In many ways he represents the ideal solution for this regime. He’s young enough for Pace to build around but also boasts enough NFL experience to win games right away. Something head coach John Fox needs to happen with his job clearly on the line in 2017. The problem is many still aren’t convinced Chicago has a reasonable shot. Not with Cleveland, a team loaded with extra high draft choices, also in the hunt.

So here’s why there should be reason to believe the Bears have a serious shot at him.

Breaking Down The Broken Bulls

JK Truth
-
0
Breaking Down The Broken Bulls

When I first started watching the Bulls… I mean really watching, it was back in the day – when the GOAT ran the show in Chicago. Like most admirers, I was distracted by the shiniest of all objects, MJ.

We were spoiled.

The Post-Jordan Era

Important concepts like spacing, efficiency and roster rotation never entered my mind. In the NBA, individual greatness has a way of masking pesky metrics.

Then… the next decade happened… and the Bulls, well, they sucked. As a fan I watched, confused and frustrated, unsure why the team didn’t win… couldn’t win, even after they’d stumbled into top draft picks or lured established free agents?

Why did some franchises fail to compete, year after year? It wasn’t until the Thibs era that I came to understood the value of systems, defensive sets and the all important X’s & O’s. The Bulls started to win. A lot. But, after failing to reach the mountaintop, the organization chose to go a different direction.

When the Bulls hired Fred Hoiberg, the promise was that the team would change philosophies, shedding Thibs’ ground-&-pound defensive mentality and adopting “The Mayor’s” fabled pace-and-space, share-the-rock style, which would, in theory, fire up the flow of the game, encouraging creativity and explosion.

After a season and a half, it’s fair to state definitively: That hasn’t happened.

Now, I know, as a fan, you recognize this. After all, you watch the games. You scan box scores. You search out blogs like this one and read interviews and opinion pieces highlighting the hows and whys. As fans, we watch management manufacture hope and buy into pre-season bullshit about upside and emerging talent. But in basketball, the eye test is the only test. And results are all that matter.

Why Aren’t The Bulls Winning?

From the stands, it seems obvious why the Bulls aren’t winning:

1. The Roster is Ridiculous.

Let’s break it down:

The GOOD: 

1 legit All-NBA SF (Butler)

1 declining, but still savvy, future Hall of Fame SG (D Wade)

1 blue-collar banger at PF (Taj)

The LESS GOOD (but still kinda good!): 

2 hard working & occasionally mascot-battling Cs (Lopez & Felicio)

The BAD: 

2 PGs who can’t shoot, I mean at all…(Rondo & MCW)

3 supposedly sharp-shooting swing-men (McBuckets, Nee-Ko-La & Zipser)

THE UGLY: 

3 1st round picks, youngsters with pluck! and apparent upside, who for some reason, can’t crack (or consistently impact) the lineup (Portis, Valentine & Grant)

In today’s NBA you have to know how to build a team. The Bulls seem unclear as to how to do this. It seems simple enough: Find a playmaker you can build around (see Butler, Jimmy) and surround him with a rim protector, some hard nosed “3 & D” guys and a handful of smart, efficient 2-way vets.

The Bulls don’t seem to know what they have or what to do with it.

After trading Rose, they seemed committed to building around Butler, their home-grown, ascendant star. Yet for some reason, they chose to bring in not one, but two ball-dominant vets (Wade & Rondo…RONDO?!) that neither complimented Jimmy, nor supported an organizational philosophy. Couple that with prospects that haven’t developed as expected (we can debate why another time) and you end up with a jalopy full of spare parts that never seems to reach full speed.

2. Shooting (Or, the lack thereof):

The NBA has changed. Wait… no it hasn’t. The game has always been about putting the ball in the basket. True, hustle and moxie and moving without the ball are important. Rebounding and defense win championships (Or so they say). Those qualities matter, but when they make a difference, it’s because they’re coupled with winning intangibles in a unique package like Bill Russell or our old pal, Joakim Noah.

But even in such cases, those players support dominant scorers and knockdown shooters. In the past decade, the Bulls have featured three dependable, bankable gunners: Ben Gordon, Kyle Korver & Mike Dunleavy.   Most great teams have three at a time.

It makes no sense: Hoiberg’s entire philosophy supposedly depends upon efficient shooting and selfless ball movement… Yet the front office gave him a roster full of ball dominant 2-point specialists.

How is this possible? How did the Bulls end up here? It would be simple if required a single magic bullet but it’s a combination of recognizing talent, developing that talent and putting players in the best position to succeed. This is achieved through organizational acumen and philosophical consistency. Neither of which Chicago has.

Compare our Bulls to the preeminent organization in the league, the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs have had the same coach, Gregg Popovic since 1996 (96!!) and the same GM (R.C. Buford) since 2002.

My guess is each of those guys knows how the other takes his coffee.

3. Chemistry (What chemistry?!):

Team chemistry must be built, not bought. The Bulls’ has been questionable for some time now. By trading Rose, firing Thibs and losing Noah & Gasol (never a fan of Pau’s fit, but that’s another story), the Bulls sacrificed scoring, playmaking, rebounding, mental toughness and, yes, chemistry.

They lost locker room leadership and undermined organizational intention. Are we in win-now mode?  Are we rebuilding? Anyone that thinks they know what the front office has in mind, is guessing at best.

Bringing in D Wade would have been a coup back in, say, 2010. When it would have been a slam-dunk. (When Wade still could slam-dunk!) But that didn’t happen. And if the Bulls believed he came home for any reason other than to stick it to Pat Riley, they weren’t paying attention. And while a bruised ego is a powerful motivating tool it isn’t exactly the foundation of team building. As for Rondo, well his torched track record in Dallas and Sacramento should speak for itself.

Recipe For Disaster

So what are we left with? Pieces that don’t fit. Shooters who can’t shoot. Role players without roles. And a coach who doesn’t have what he needs to coach.

What could possibly go wrong?

New Chicago Bears Wide Receivers Coach Is Quite The Rising Star

Erik Lambert
-
0
New Chicago Bears Wide Receivers Coach Is Quite The Rising Star

John Fox has a long-standing reputation for being able to identify coaching talent. The fact that three of his former coordinators were or are still head coach in the league is proof enough of that. After seeing a large portion of his staff exit this off-season, that ability was being put to the test yet again. Perhaps none more important than the wide receivers assistant position.

With Alshon Jeffery’s status for 2017 still up in the air, having a quality coach who can develop young talent in case he leaves was imperative. So it wasn’t welcome news when veteran Curtis Johnson chose to depart after one year to rejoin the New Orleans Saints. Nonetheless this is the business part of the NFL.

Could they find somebody capable enough to take over the job without losing some of the quality progress made by guys like Cameron Meredith. As it turns out the Bears seemed to have eyes for somebody in particular and made a strong push to get him. Based on prior accomplishments, Fox’s eye for ability hasn’t diminished one bit.

1...2,4282,4292,430...2,481Page 2,429 of 2,481