Chicago Sports

There was a time that Kyrie Irving wanted to be a Bull.

One small caveat: It was over five years ago, and it was only to play alongside Jimmy Butler.

Back in the summer of 2017, a month before Irving told his own Cavaliers front office he was looking to get out of Cleveland, the Sun-Times reported about the attempted teaming up Butler and Irving were trying to pull off.

The two became close friends in the Team USA experience, and wanted that to continue on the NBA level.

Enough so that Butler – still with the Bulls at the time – told then-general manager Gar Forman and vice president of basketball John Paxson that Irving wanted to make the move. Butler even offered up a back-up option in bringing in Kyle Lowry if the Irving trade couldn’t be pulled off.

Weeks later, it didn’t matter.

Paxson and Forman opted to blow-up the entire Bulls roster for a rebuild, sending Butler to Minnesota. Irving eventually informed the Cavs of his destination places, and it was no surprise that Chicago was no longer listed, but the Timberwolves were.

He instead ended up in Boston.

Why was any of this relevant to the new Bulls regime of executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley as of right now?

Well, with the trade deadline looming on Thursday, there was once again an Irving spark near the Advocate Center.

A report came out that other executives from around the league felt like the Bulls were one of the teams interested in Irving after the Brooklyn All-Star demanded to be traded by the deadline. That spark was quickly extinguished by Sunday afternoon, however,

ESPN reported that Irving and Markieff Morris were sent to Dallas for Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie and multiple picks, ending the latest drama to come from the Irving camp.

So were the Bulls even in on Irving talks?

It would have made sense since the organization did have talent capital to make the move, were underachieving, and are led by Karnisovas – who has shown an ability to play the role of riverboat gambler in his first few years in charge.

The Sun-Times also reported last week that the Bulls had no plans to be sellers, and as a matter of fact, if they don’t simply stay pat, they could be looking to add for a playoff push, especially at the point guard position.

With Lonzo Ball (left knee) expected to be shut down for the rest of the 2022-23 campaign in the next few weeks, there has been inconsistent play at the point guard spot, especially in the fourth quarter of games.

Irving would have made sense from a basketball standpoint because he can play on or off the ball.

However, Irving was never on the radar, according to a team source. Neither is Russell Westbrook, another rumored point guard that the Bulls have been linked to since November.

This entire 2022 offseason was based on “continuity” from Karnisovas, and that remains unchanged.

But as Bulls coach Billy Donovan pointed out on Saturday, trade deadline week is always fluid, as are the team’s plans.

Front offices across the Association will start getting more aggressive now that Irving has been moved, and that means the Bulls could get more clarity in a decision to stay the course or straying off of it if the right trade comes along.

Donovan, though, said things haven’t reached the serious stage as of yet.

“There’s nothing that [Karnisovas has] really talked to me where he’s said, ‘Hey listen, we’re close on this or close on that,’ ” Donovan said.

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Simeon’s loss to St. Louis Vashon doesn’t look all that bad on paper. Vashon doesn’t have a great record, but it has played a rugged schedule and beaten some excellent teams.

I was able to catch the fourth quarter of the game after getting home from Metea Valley vs. Conant. The Wolverines didn’t look great, sort of folding at the end. I had a much more difficult time keeping them in the top spot this week than I did last week.

Benet just hasn’t been tested as thoroughly as Simeon. The Redwings don’t have one of the tougher schedules in the area, partly because the East Suburban Catholic is a bit down and likely because no one expected them to be this good. Benet faced Joliet West and Simeon at Pontiac and had the home game against Kenwood. That just isn’t enough regular, high-level tests for me to justify the Redwings over Simeon at this point, especially with the head-to-head loss. Benet hasn’t played a true road game against a top-10 caliber team.

But boy, was I close to elevating Benet to No. 1 this week anyway. We will find out an awful lot about Simeon over the next few days. Can the Wolverines send Robert Smith out with another city title?

Loyola dropped out this week after losing to De La Salle in triple overtime. Yorkville joins for the first time this season. The Foxes are very solid and the Southwest Prairie has proved to be even better than expected this season.

Championship week

Chicago Public Schools deserves kudos for its upcoming “City Basketball Championship Week.”

After years of scheduling incompetence, CPS has turned a corner. This week the Public League will host 11 conference tournament championship games at UIC and DePaul’s McGrath-Phillips Arena. The schedule was released on a dedicated website last week. Tickets are available and media requests have been accepted.

It’s an amazing turnaround. There were years in the past where the city final four’s location was unknown just 24 hours before game time.

“We have expanded our city basketball championships to include all of our girls and boys divisions (Blue, White, Green and Red) playing their title games at two legendary Chicago arenas,” CPS Sports Director David Rosengard said. “Our goal is to give CPL student-athletes and coaches the opportunity to play meaningful games at college venues creating lasting memories.”

The girls and boys Red Division championship games are on Saturday at UIC’s Credit Union 1 Arena. Both games will be televised live on WCIU-TV (CW26). Mayor Lori Lightfoot is expected to provide analysis on the girls game again this season.

Super 25 for Feb. 5, 2023With record and last week’s ranking

1. Simeon (23-3) 1Lost to St. Louis Vashon

2. Benet (25-1) 2At Marist on Friday

3. Kenwood (21-5) 3Huge week ahead

4. Joliet West (22-5) 4Beat Indianapolis Cathedral

5. Young (21-5) 5Hosts Curie Tuesday

6. Hillcrest (25-2) 6At TF North Thursday

7. Curie (18-9) 7Toughest road to city title

8. Brother Rice (24-3) 8Beat Mount Carmel

9. Rolling Meadows (24-4) 10At Glenbrook North Tuesday

10. Hinsdale Central (24-3) 11Big test at Lyons Saturday

11. Bolingbrook (21-6) 12Handled Lincoln-Way East

12. Hyde Park (22-5) 13Role players excelling

13. Oswego East (22-5) 14Probably underrated

14. New Trier (25-4) 16Big four-win week

15. Mount Carmel (21-5) 9Upset by Marmion

16. Downers Grove North (23-3) 19Beat Lyons, Glenbrook South

17. Proviso East (19-6) 18Took down Bloom

18. Lincoln-Way East (21-4) 17Lost to Bolingbrook

19. Marist (22-5) 20Still overachieving

20. St. Rita (16-10) 21Hosts Loyola Friday

21. Glenbrook North (23-3) 21Beat Glenbrook South this time

22. Lyons (21-4) 15West Suburban is tough

23. Marian Catholic (21-7) 25Hung with Benet

24. Glenbrook South (20-8) 22Late season rough patch

25. Yorkville (22-5) NRSouthwest Prairie is solid

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A man was dead after a fire early Sunday in Chicago Lawn on the South Side.

The man, 36, was in a vacant building sometime Sunday morning in the 6400 block of South Whipple Street when the fire started, according to Chicago Fire Department officials.

He was taken to Holy Cross Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, officials said.

The cause of the fire was still under investigation.

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Bulls coach Billy Donovan has no idea what the trade deadline will look like for the team come Thursday.

At least no idea he was willing to share Saturday.

What Donovan did share was he and executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas were on the same page as far as where the team was, and if they did have a difference of opinion, Karnisovas had the final say.

“Ultimately, it’s his decision as to what he feels is best,” Donovan said. “And I’m always going to support him and back him on that because I trust him. So if there was a situation where I said, ‘Listen, I don’t think that’s a good idea,’ and he says, ‘No, Billy, here’s why,’ I’m behind him. I’m going to support him.”

Good to know, if that even comes into play.

The Sun-Times reported last week that the Bulls had given no indication to the rest of the league that they’re sellers, let alone that they’re blowing up the roster.

With a second consecutive victory — a 129-121 decision against the Trail Blazers — the immediate plan remained: They’d get help if it was available; otherwise, they might make a few tweaks.

Donovan acknowledged that plans change this time of year, especially for a team that was considered still underachieving with a 25-27 record.

“He has not really given me anything specific,” Donovan said of his latest discussions with Karnisovas. “I know we’re five or six days away from the deadline, but like he always tells me, when something really comes up that’s pertinent that he wants to fill me in on, he’ll fill me in.

“But he’s on the phone, and I think there’s all kinds of calls and conversations going on with all these teams right now. There’s nothing that he’s really talked to me where he’s said, ‘Hey, listen, we’re close on this or close on that.’ “

The Bulls have time on their side to change direction. And speaking of time, they got a full dose of “Dame Time” in the first half Saturday.

With Alex Caruso (foot sprain) sidelined, All-Star Damian Lillard took full advantage of the backcourt early on, scoring 28 points on 8-for-11 shooting and going 9-for-9 from the free-throw line.

It had all the makings of another game getting away from the Bulls, especially when the Blazers (26-27) built their lead to 17 early in the third quarter. But the Bulls finally woke up with a 29-7 run.

Ayo Dosunmu hit a few big threes, Zach LaVine heated up and Lillard was held to just three third-quarter points with a more aggressive mentality thrown at him defensively. It allowed the Bulls to take a five-point lead going into the fourth.

A lead they would add on to, led by LaVine’s 36 points.

“Obviously, ‘Dame’ got hot,” LaVine said. “We just had to make some adjustments, keep playing. We started playing for each other and scrambling on the defensive end. That’s what we needed.”

And while Lillard did finish with a game-high 40 points, the Bulls’ “Big Three” of LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic combined for 86, setting the stage for a very interesting week.

“I feel like he listens to me,” Donovan added of Karnisovas. “But he’s looking at the totality of the team in terms of building it, because there are certain things as a coach that I’m not paying attention to. I’m just watching the games and scouting, and he’s got a much broader picture.

“If there was somebody I feel wasn’t a good fit, I would feel totally comfortable telling him that. But that’s going to be his decision, and I support him and trust him in that.”

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There were a few seasons on the resume in which Zach LaVine had a legitimate argument on being an All-Star Team snub.

This time around, however, wasn’t one of those for the Bulls guard.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday for the first time since the NBA announced the All-Star reserves on Thursday, LaVine knew early on this season that he wasn’t running a good enough campaign to be mentioned.

After all, he was coming off a left knee clean-up surgery and was dealing with a load management schedule right out of the gate.

“I didn’t feel like I played at an All-Star level at the beginning of the season,” LaVine said. “That’s coming back off of injury. I started slow and then started picking it up. I am where I’m supposed to be at. I know who I am as a player. I think the league knows that too.”

They likely do, but they also see where LaVine’s team was in the standings.

Considering DeMar DeRozan’s numbers as well as his reputation, LaVine knew that 10th-place in the Eastern Conference wasn’t going to scream to the rest of the league that the Bulls deserved two players selected.

“I think we need to be in a better position for us to have two or three guys in the All-Star game,” LaVine said. “I think we’re sitting 10th right now. That’s not good. I think bigger picture you’re not worried about All-Star, you’re trying to get your team back in the playoff picture.

“[DeRozan] deserves it. He’s been one of the best players in the league. Obviously, our record hasn’t been great this year. But he’s a big reason why we win a lot of our games, especially late game. And I think everything that comes his way, he deserves. He works for it. He’s a great guy and a great teammate.”

Now don’t go feeling bad for LaVine.

He plans to use the time off to get somewhere warm for a quick family vacation, reset his body, and prepare for some sort of turnaround over the final two months.

As for DeRozan, he now is a six-time All-Star, and his second time as a Bull.

Carus-no

The Bulls were once again without Alex Caruso on Saturday, as the defensive-minded guard missed the game with a sprained left foot.

The good news was it didn’t seem like a long-term injury.

“He’s had that happen before,” coach Billy Donovan said. “He really felt substantially better the next morning, but there really hasn’t been a lot of change from [Friday] to [Saturday]. Just a matter of treating it and see how he responds day-to-day. But I’m not quite sure when we’d have him available again.”

It was the seventh game Caruso has missed this season with different injuries.

Drum beat

While Donovan appreciated veteran Andre Drummond staying ready off the bench and putting in a 15-point, 11-rebound performance against Charlotte on Thursday, it didn’t change the fact that his playing time remained match-up based.

“As you go through the analytics and you look at that stuff, there’s been a lot of merit with Derrick [Jones Jr.] at the five spot,” Donovan said. “But there’s also been some real significant rebounding problems with that too. So it kind of comes with a cost a little bit.

“There’s going to be some games where they’re small and we can switch and there’s not that threat of size and physicality at the rim, and Derrick might be the better option. And there’s going to be times we played, like Charlotte, where Drum’s going to be the better option.”

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It was before the Blackhawks’ most recent game in Edmonton, looking at a forecast of subzero temperatures, when the idea of going to Florida for the All-Star Game really began warming — literally and figuratively — on Seth Jones.

The Hawks’ lone All-Star, although he was chosen mainly because every team needed to have a representative, ended up looking like one of the more eager participants at the NHL’s annual midseason festivities. It was his fourth career All-Star appearance (and fifth selection).

Actual results and statistics are hardly the focal point of the weekend — judging by the players’ collective effort level, no one remotely cared — but Jones technically finished with three points in the Central Division’s two 20-minute games of three-on-three hockey Saturday.

The Central beat the Pacific 6-4 in the first semifinal but lost 7-5 to the Atlantic in the championship, meaning they still haven’t won an All-Star tournament since the NHL switched to this current format eight years ago.

In the semifinal win, Jones scored by stripping the puck off Ducks forward Troy Terry and finishing off a two-on-zero alongside Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko, beating Golden Knights goalie Logan Thompson. He later added assists on two goals by Coyotes forward Clayton Keller.

He was held off the board in the championship loss, however, as Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy and Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark denied him on several high-danger chances. He was called for a rare All-Star penalty shot when he hooked Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin in the final minute.

One more Jones point would’ve broken the record for points by a defenseman in this current All-Star format, not that many defensemen even get the opportunity — only six attended this year’s event.

In the skills competition Friday, Jones was less successful in the hardest shot competition, finishing last among the five entrants with shots of 94.7 and 93.2 miles per hour. Canucks forward Elias Pettersson won with a 103.2 mile-per-hour bomb.

The whole weekend was seemingly lacking energy and pizzazz. Despite the addition of a few inventive Florida-related skills events — playing golf with hockey pucks and sticks; shooting pucks on the beach to knock down surfboards and activate “dunk tanks” — the effort level and general happiness of the All-Stars seemed even lower than usual.

It could be time for another format switch-up — which worked wonders back in 2015 when this three-on-three tournament was introduced — but it’s also possible there’s no better alternative option. It’s not as if other sports’ All-Star games are thriving, either.

For Jones, the days in Florida warmth might increase his stamina more than Saturday’s light workout will reduce it heading into the final 34 games of the Hawks’ season.

The Hawks are scheduled to practice Sunday and Monday before hosting the Ducks on Tuesday and the Coyotes on Friday — two potentially massive games in the theoretical race for last place, not that any of the players and coaches involved have that organizational objective in mind.

The enormity of Jones’ contract — seven years left with a $9.5 million salary-cap hit — all but guarantees he won’t be one of the many Hawks hearing trade rumors in the weeks ahead. It will probably give him plenty more chances for All-Star selections in the years ahead, though.

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Saturday afternoon games can be a hard sell. Most casual fans don’t expect a high school basketball game to start at 4:30. So that may be one excuse for host Metea Valley being outnumbered by Conant fans on Saturday in Aurora.

Mustangs senior Jahki Gray thinks last season’s 10-20 record might actually be the reason his school’s community hasn’t quite bought into the team yet.

“They still think that we are bad because of last year,” Gray said. “We are proving them wrong, but they just don’t see it yet.”

Metea Valley’s late pressure overwhelmed Conant. Camden Lathos made a three-pointer with 4:44 remaining to put the Cougars up by one and Conant looked like the better team early in the fourth quarter.

That’s when the Mustangs turned up the pressure, forcing the young Cougars into five crucial turnovers on the way to a 57-48 victory.

“That’s exactly how we lost games last year,” Gray said. “We saw their heads go down after that first turnover and we jumped on that and picked up our intensity.”

Gray scored seven points in the final three minutes to finish with 18.

Metea Valley is talented enough to win a regional this year at the very least. Gray and Quentin Schaffer are the only seniors in the starting lineup, so the future is bright.

The DuPage Valley has been a sneaky good conference this season. None of the teams are in the Super 25, but five of the six have winning records and three are likely to finish with more than 20 wins.

“The conference has definitely improved,” Mustangs coach Isaiah Davis said. “It’s going to be very difficult to seed the sectional.”

Schaffer scored 11 points for Metea Valley and junior Will Ashford added 12 points. Junior Nicholas Schroeder finished with 10.

“All of the games we would lose last year at the end we are winning this year,” Davis said. “And a lot of the guys are back next year so there’s a lot to look forward to.”

Junior Yusuf Cisse led Conant (13-11) with 13 points and six rebounds. He’s a strong, active point guard that showed promise. Bradley Biedke, a 6-5 sophomore, added eight points, eight rebounds, a block and three steals and Lathos, a junior, finished with 12 points and five rebounds.

“The run late is what determined the game,” Conant coach Matt Walsh said. “We don’t have that many seniors on the team and we don’t want to use that as an excuse but experience is the best teacher. Metea Valley is a really good team.”

A close look at the Cougars’ recent results shows a young team on the upswing. In the last few weeks they’ve beaten Hoffman Estates, Lake Park and Fremd and lost to Palatine and Barrington, two of the best teams in the Mid-Suburban League, by a combined five points.

“Our guys have been battling non-stop,” Walsh said. “We’re always staying together. We will learn from this and get better.”

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The Chicago Blackhawks are going through a rebuild so this regular season has been filled with a lot of losing. However, Seth Jones went to the 2023 NHL All-Star Game to represent them in South Florida. There are some highlights from his weekend playing with the best in the league.

It started in the NHL’s Skills Competition on Friday night. Seth Jones competed in the hardest shot event which was one of the events that were actually fun to watch (this night isn’t as fun as it once was). Unfortunately, Seth Jones didn’t have his best showing.

Elias Petterson of the Vancouver Canucks won the event (it is extremely rare for a forward to win this) with a shot that eclipsed 103 miles per hour. Jones didn’t even break 100 so he didn’t give himself a chance to beat Petterson.

When the game came around a day after, Jones and the Central Division started off hot. He scored a goal and had two assists in the Central Division’s big win over the Pacific Division.

The Chicago Blackhawks saw Seth Jones give a great effort this weekend.

His assist on the second goal scored by Clayton Keller of the Arizona Coyotes was truly sensational. Those are the kinds of passes that fans have come to know from Seth Jones but they look even prettier in All-Star Games.

They then had to sit for an hour and wait for the Metropolitan Division to take on the Atlantic Division and determine a winner. The Atlantic won the game so they advanced to play the Central.

The final game didn’t go quite as well for them though as they, despite a big-time comeback effort, fell to the Atlantic Division who won the All-Star Game for the first time ever. Jones and his teammate didn’t come out on top but it was a really good effort in the end.

Between watching Jones, amazing stuff from the Tkachuk brothers, a show from Crosby and Ovechkin, and much more, it was a weekend loaded with memories. Although the event planners need to find a way to improve again, hockey is amazing and deserves to be celebrated.

Now, Jones is going to come back to Chicago and try to be a part of the situation. There is going to be some losing in the second half but you always know that Seth Jones is going to play as well as he can. He did a great job representing the Hawks and Chicago at this event.

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Saturday, February 4, 2023

BIG NORTHERN

Byron at Rockford Lutheran, 7:00

Oregon at Rock Falls, 6:00

KISHWAUKEE RIVER

Marengo at Johnsburg, 7:15

Richmond-Burton at Woodstock North, 12:30

METRO SUBURBAN – BLUE

St. Francis at Wheaton Academy, 7:30

NIC – 10

Belvidere North at Belvidere, 7:00

NON CONFERENCE

Bloom at Proviso East, 2:00

Butler at Crystal Lake South, 12:00

Chesterton-HF at Westmont, 12:00

Christian Life at Amboy, 3:30

Clark at Fenwick, 1:30

Conant at Metea Valley, 4:30

Cristo Rey-St. Martin at HRK, 5:45

DeKalb at Dixon, 7:00

Dundee-Crown at Elgin, 3:30

Elk Grove at Addison Trail, 4:30

Glenbard East at Downers Grove South, 4:00

Grant Park at Peotone, 7:00

Guilford at Stevenson, 1:45

Harlem at Lake Forest Academy, 2:30

Hinsdale Central at Plainfield East, 1:30

Hope Academy at Marian Central, 1:30

Ida Crown at Rochelle Zell, 9:00

Jones at Proviso West, 1:00

Lake View at Maine East, 5:00

Lake Zurich at Vernon Hills, 1:00

Libertyville at Rolling Meadows, 5:30

Lincoln Park at St. Ignatius, 2:00

Lyons at Hinsdale South, 7:00

Maine West at Round Lake, 1:30

Marmion at Glenbard South, 3:30

Mather at Maine South, 1:00

Naperville North at Plainfield North, 6:00

Pearl City at LaMoille, 12:30

Peoria Christian at Roanoke-Benson, 7:00

Perspectives-MSA at Perspectives-Lead, 3:30

Providence-St. Mel at Christ the King, 2:00

Riverside-Brookfield at Morton, 2:30

St. Edward at West Chicago, 1:00

Stillman Valley at Ashton-Franklin Center, 3:00

Thornton Fr. South at Lincoln-Way Central, 11:30

United Center Tournament – Islamic Schools

Von Steuben at Hoffman Estates, CNL

Walther Christian at Elmwood Park, 1:00

Watseka at Beecher, 7:45

Willowbrook at Romeoville, 6:00

Wilmington at Seneca, 6:00

Winnebago at Eastland, 7:45

KANELAND

Prairie Ridge vs. Oswego 12:00

Bartlett vs. Neuqua Valley, 4:30

Kaneland vs. Woodstock, 6:00

LAKE FOREST

Highland Park vs. Lake Park, 3:00

Niles North vs. Lake Forest, 5:00

NOBLE LEAGUE TOURNAMENT

at Rowe-Clark

Barker vs. Golder, 11:00

DRW Prep vs. Rauner, 12:30

at Mansueto

Noble Street vs. Muchin, 11:00

UIC Prep vs. Pritzker, 12:30

NORMAL WEST

Normal vs. Yorkville Christian, 1:30

Bloomington vs. Moline, 3:30

Notre Dame (Peoria) vs. Metamora, 5:30

Normal West vs. Sacred Heart-Griffin, 7:30

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

Downers Grove North vs. Glenbrook South, 3:30

Glenbard West vs. Evanston, 7:30

O’FALLON

Belleville East vs. Lanphier, 3:30

O’Fallon vs. Chaminade (MO), 5:00

Simeon vs. Vashon (MO), 6:30,

Joliet West vs. Indianapolis Cathedral (IN), 8:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE PLAYOFFS – CONSOLATION

at Orr – Semi-Finals

Wells vs. Richards (Chgo), 4:00

Schurz vs. Von Steuben, 5:30

RACINE PRAIRIE SCHOOL (WI)

Northridge vs. St. Mary’s Springs (WI), 10:30

Batavia vs. St. Catherine’s (WI), 12:00

Deerfield vs. Edgewood (WI), 1:30

Mount Carmel vs. Franklin (WI), 3:00

Buffalo Grove vs. Prairie School, 4:30

Prospect vs. St. Thomas More (WI), 6:00

New Trier vs. Lakeside Lutheran (WI), 7:30

Wheaton-Warr. South vs. Sussex-Hamilton (WI), 9

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Will Anderson Jr. is the perfect player for the Chicago Bears to add to their team to flip their defense from one of the worst to a top defense in less than one off-season.

There shouldn’t be any debate about who the Chicago Bears should take at number one overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.  Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. is the type of elite pass rusher the Bears need to turn around their fortunes on defense immediately.  Anderson has the size, speed, athleticism and production at the college level to be elite at the NFL level.  Most teams that have the best pass rush, have the best edge rushers in the league, Nick and Joey Bosa, Micha Parsons, and Anderson Jr have the added versatility to rush and defend from anywhere on the field.

Will Anderson Jr. is a generational difference maker on the edge, almost guaranteed to step on the field on day one and be a double-digit sack artist.  He has top-end speed and explosion off the ball which is the first step in finding an elite pass rusher.  He can beat the offensive lineman to the spot on either side of the line.  He’s comfortable rushing from either spot.

He has an elite change of direction ability, elite stop and go and hesitation to get the OL to stop their feet or hesitate enough for him to beat them cleanly.  He has good hand usage to swipe away the OL’s hands and beat them inside or out.

Overall Anderson Jr shows very few weaknesses in his game.

He’s the type of player the Bears need to draft because the opportunity to draft a player of this caliber rarely comes along.  The Bears can’t afford to pass on a sure thing in a draft full of question marks.  It’s a very weak draft class, and adding the best player in the draft is the correct call to move the Bears in the right direction toward long-term success.  The Bears are not in a position to hope that a number of players they draft from a trade-down pan out, they need the impact player now.

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