Chicago Sports

MOBILE, Ala. — While Justin Fields has a long way to go as a passer and that will be vital in solidifying his place as the Bears’ franchise quarterback, he has established himself as the most explosive runner at the position. And the Bears would be crazy to try to scrub that from his game.

They want to reduce his reliance on scrambling, but it’s always going to be valuable.

“It’s got to be a part of who you are, [but] in the NFL, it’s hard for it to be who you are — you just don’t last,” Getsy said Wednesday. “It’s got to be a part of us and he’s really, really good at it. He’s really good at a lot of things. So we’ve got to make sure we just tap into each one of those things, but [running], for sure, has to be a part of who we are going forward.”

Fields led the Bears (and all NFL quarterbacks) with 1,143 yards rushing and eight touchdowns this season, but finished last among qualifying players at 149.5 yards passing per game. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, by contrast, had more than double that output.

The Bears need to discern exactly what was holding Fields back. If he’s indecisive and struggling to read coverages, that’s a difficult problem to fix. If his low passing production was more a result of the Bears’ fledgling, budget-friendly offensive line and skill player crew, those are areas general manager Ryan Poles intends to upgrade in free agency and the draft.

Nonetheless, Fields’ running ability is a good starting point in his development. Every team in the NFL wants a quarterback who can bail them out on third-and-long, and if Fields can do that with his legs, that’s an asset to the Bears.

“Just watch those championship games last week … the extended play was the difference,” Getsy said. “That ability to extend the play is really difficult on a defense. It’s not just the ability to run, it’s the ability to create time where you can have those receivers have an opportunity to go do what they do.”

Read More

The whole city of Chicago will be buzzing with Super Bowl parties here in just over a week, and you’ll be in great shape to land a HUGE payday thanks to three sensational sportsbook promos. In total, you’ll win a guaranteed $200 PLUS get up to $4,000 in bonus bets for the game! You won’t find value this good anywhere else.

Find below a ranking of each incredible offer and how to claim each one.

1. DraftKings Illinois Promo Code

If you sign up for DraftKings and wager $5 or more on any Super Bowl bet, you’ll win $200 GUARANTEED! No matter what happens with your wager, you’ll win $200 in bonus bets!

Just follow these steps to get your $200:

Sign up for DraftKings with this link (no promo code required)Verify your identityDeposit $5 or moreWager at least $5 on any Super Bowl bet

That’s all! Regardless of your bet’s outcome, you’ll receive $200 in bonus bets to use freely!

Guaranteed wins don’t happen often in this business. You don’t want to miss out on this kind of opportunity to flip $5 into $200 without even winning a bet!

You must be a new DraftKings user to claim this wonderful promo and it ends soon! Sign up for DraftKings today to get $200 guaranteed on ANY Super Bowl bet!

2. BetMGM Illinois

BetMGM has a bet credit of up to $1,000 waiting for you in the Super Bowl! Your next wager of up to $1,000 will be refunded in bonus bets if you lose, guaranteed.

Follow these steps and you’re good to go:

Sign up for BetMGM using this link (no promo code needed)Complete the identity verificationMake a deposit

Provided you deposit at least $10, your next wager up to $1,000 will then be refunded in bonus bets if you lose.

Feel free to put together any bet you want, ranging from backing an individual team to picking the coin toss! You can’t lose either way, so swing for the fences and get that payday!

Only new BetMGM users can claim this promo – sign up for BetMGM now and secure an extra $1,250 bet credit for the Super Bowl!

3. FanDuel Illinois Promo Code

FanDuel Sportsbook is joining the party with a bet credit of up to $3,000! No matter what you bet, your next wager of up to $3,000 will be refunded in bonus bets if you lose!

These are the steps to take:

Sign up for FanDuel with this link (no promo code required)Complete the identity verificationMake a deposit

That’s all! Your next wager up to $3,000 will then be refunded in bonus bets if you lose, guaranteed.

You could back the Chiefs or Eagles to win it all, look at an Anytime TD Scorer pick, or even craft a mighty parlay. Regardless, you can’t lose with this promo!

Either you’ll win your wager or you’ll live to bet another day, though you must be a new FanDuel user to claim this offer.

Sign up for FanDuel now to secure a $3,000 bet credit for the Super Bowl!

With only a few minutes of work, you’ve secured a guaranteed $200 win PLUS up to $4,000 in bonus bets for the Super Bowl! THAT’S the kind of incredible value we’re looking for!

It’s only right to utilize super promos for the Super Bowl. Get your party started early and sign up for all three sportsbooks now!

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Read More

One of the problems with “80 for Brady” is the Tom Brady-ness of it all. Not that I’m one of those TB12 haters, but outside of New England (and to an extent, Tampa), I’m not sure about the audience appetite for a movie about a group of seniors who love Tom Brady — a movie that was produced by Tom Brady and is filled with Tom Brady memorabilia and is capped off by an extended cameo in which Tom Brady plays Tom Brady.

It’s going to be a particularly tough sell in Atlanta, seeing as how the film’s climactic scenes take place at Super Bowl LI, where Brady’s New England Patriots rallied from a 28-3 deficit to beat the Falcons in overtime in one of greatest championship game comebacks ever. As for those of us who recognize Brady as the GOAT but aren’t particularly hyped to see a movie that worships at the altar of Brady (as well as the NFL and product placement in general): The best thing about “80 for Brady” is seeing legendary icons Rita Moreno, Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda and Sally Field having a grand old time playing the diehard Patriots/Brady fans who make the pilgrimage from Massachusetts to Houston to see their team in the Super Bowl. Only Tomlin attempts a Boston accent, and that comes and goes, but they all look great, and they light up their screen with their overall wonderfulness. Maybe someday soon they’ll get a project worthy of their magnificent talents!

This is not that project.

With a jokey, clunky, clich?-riddled screenplay by Sarah Haskins and Emily Halpern that is 100 yards away from the brilliance of their script for “Booksmart,” serviceable but not particularly stylish direction by Kyle Marvin (“The Climb”), “80 for Brady” is so pleasant and vacant it’s like a party guest everybody forgets 10 minutes after they leave. There are a few chuckles sprinkled here and there, but for a movie about football it doesn’t seem to know all that much about football (certain scenes that transpire during the Super Bowl are cartoonishly implausible), and the four primary characters are rather thinly drawn.

For nearly 20 years, Tomlin’s Lou, a cancer survivor, has been hosting Patriots viewing parties at her home, with her three best friends always in attendance. Jane Fonda’s Trish is a bombshell who writes Rob Gronkowski-themed erotic fan fiction, and no I’m not kidding, she has authored books with titles such as “Between a Gronk and a Hard Place,” apparently never married and still has a very active dating life.” Sally Field’s Betty is a retired professor of mathematics who is all about analytics and taking care of her clueless husband (Bob Balaban), who literally forgets to put on his pants until she reminds him, twice. Rita Moreno’s Maura is recently widowed and has a penchant for gambling.

That’s pretty much all we know about the ladies save for a few twists I won’t spoil. If you’re guessing this is the kind of movie that features an Accidental Ingesting of Edibles as well as a Quickly Choreographed Dance Number, you wouldn’t be wrong.

Guy Fieri shows up as Guy Fieri, who presides over a wings-with-hot-sauce competition at the NFL Experience, which is treated like some kind of holy shrine by this movie. Harry Hamlin plays Dan, a former NFL player who has two Super Bowl rings and takes a shine to Trish. Billy Porter drops in as Lady Gaga’s choreographer. Patton Oswalt is in a poker scene for about 50 seconds. Brady sports a 2017 Tom Brady haircut and is a bit stiff playing himself. Gronk is funnier and more natural playing himself.

For the first three quarters, “80 For Brady” is pleasant, comfort-viewing fluff. In the fourth quarter, it collapses under a blitz of absurdity, falling apart like the Falcons did against the Patriots.

Sorry, Atlanta.

Read More

Basketball is DeMar DeRozan’s main hustle, but not his only passion.

The Bulls veteran not only uses boxing as an offseason training tool, but a sport that provides important lessons – both on the court and in life.

So the idea of “styles make the fight” brings some excitement to DeRozan’s face, even with all the disappointment so far this season.

As he recently pointed out, a 2-2 record against top-seeded Boston, a 2-0 record against Milwaukee, and talented enough to beat play-in teams like New York, Atlanta, Washington or Indiana.

Then factor in that DeRozan’s Bulls have the 19th easiest remaining schedule, and that’s the path the five-time All-Star sees for this team to actually make some noise in a season filled with far too many thuds.

A long shot?

That’s an understatement, but DeRozan is hoping for a puncher’s chance. If the roster stays the same leading into next week’s NBA trade deadline, an unforeseen lucky punch to the opponent’s chin might just be the only chance this team has.

Two major problems with building a strategy around luck:

The Boston the Bulls beat in the regular season is not “playoff Celtics.” That’s a different animal. The Milwaukee team the Bulls beat wasn’t “playoff Bucks,” and was short-handed. And as far as the possible opponents for the play-in portion of the postseason? Yes, the Bulls have beaten all of them, but have also lost games to each.

The other issue is in the details, and this is where the coaching staff has to take some of the blame.

The media isn’t allowed in practices or shootarounds. There’s no eyes on the team when they are prepping in a hotel ballroom on a road game day.

But the eye test has shown that this team is either ignoring the details or not getting enough of them.

Two games in the last week have come down to executing inbound plays in crucial moments. And in both instances the Bulls have failed.

The latest came in Tuesday’s 108-103 loss to the Clippers, when Alex Caruso watched his inbound pass for Zach LaVine get stripped away by Kawhi Leonard with 5.2 seconds left.

“We ran the play I was supposed to run,” Caruso said. “We maybe just didn’t execute the screening aspect on how they were guarding it because they were switching everything. … But for the most part, it was pretty much what we drew up.”

Pretty much?

Bulls players have been talking about the “details” most of the season, but Caruso knows exactly what championship details look like.

The defensive-minded guard learned that in his Laker days, and revealed over the weekend a key component in his game prep that has been missing with the Bulls.

Caruso keeps mental flashcards on opponents and how he can turn them over, or at least disrupt the possession, and was discussing that.

“Give credit to [former Lakers coach] Frank Vogel, and Rajon Rondo, Jason Kidd, LeBron, all these great basketball minds that I’ve been around,” Caruso said. “Frank was so detailed in his scouts, personnel. He had an IPad every game that had an 8-minute, 10-minute clip of a guy’s moves, what they like to do depending on where they get the ball based on how valuable that player was to his team. So as my routine I would go out, warm-up, get my shots in, shower, and watch the IPad. For two years that’s how I learned and watched.

“The more knowledge you have in this game, the easier it is.”

At this point for the Bulls, tightening up the details sounds like a much better strategy than relying on a puncher’s chance.

Read More

Natasha Barnes’ path to a college scholarship and a starring role on one of the state’s top girls basketball teams has had a few twists and turns.

But the Kenwood senior also has had some help along the way. Her mom, LeKesha Triplett, starred for UIC in the early 2000s.

“She’s helped a lot,” Barnes said. “Just like little stuff, her being in the position I want to be in and her achieving all the awards that I want to achieve — it just gives me the motivation and the personal kind of tutor to do those things.”

Like Triplett, Barnes will be playing Division I basketball, at Missouri Valley Conference power Missouri State. Getting recruited isn’t easy for high school players in the wake of the pandemic and amid the explosion of college transfers via the NCAA portal.

It’s especially hard for someone like Barnes, who is playing her first full season since she was a freshman. The 5-foot-9 guard started her prep career at Lindblom and had a brief stint at Example Academy, a prep school not affiliated with the IHSA.

She was at Kenwood last season, but had to sit out because of an IHSA eligibility ruling. Barnes at least was able to get her name out somewhat on the AAU circuit, though.

“Playing with MeanStreets, it just opened my recruitment back up and then just allowed me not only [to be] back playing basketball regularly but also getting coaches to look at me more,” she said.

There was plenty to see, and not just on the court. Barnes is a star in the classroom, too. She holds a 4.4 grade-point average and has completed all the requirements to graduate from Kenwood. But after not playing much high school ball till now and with the Broncos eying runs at the Public League and Class 4A titles, she is in no hurry to move on.

“I love my teammates,” Barnes said. “I ride with them all the time, no matter what.”

Barnes is one of three scorers averaging in double figures for Public League Red South-Central champ Kenwood along with sophomore Ariella Henigan and freshman Danielle Brooks. She said there’s no ego about who’s scoring, however.

The idea, Barnes said, always is to play the hot hand: “No matter who’s rolling — whether that be the freshman, whether that be me, whether it be the bigs — just try to get the ball to whoever’s rolling that day.”

Kenwood coach Andre Lewis calls Barnes a leader on and off the court.

“She’s a great person,” he said. “She loves the game, she plays with a lot of passion. Of course, she can shoot the ball which comes from [being from] a basketball family.”

Lewis believes Missouri State is a good landing spot for Barnes. The Bears have a rich tradition, which includes two trips to the Final Four and 17 NCAA Tournament berths, and Barnes has family ties to the area.

But before she embarks on the next chapter, Barnes and the Broncos have some more immediate goals.

“City and state, obviously,” she said. “Just playing our best basketball … making sure we do all the little things right, playing together as a team, being there for one another.”

After having to watch from the sidelines last season, Barnes can’t imagine any better place to be than on the court, making plays and doing what she loves.

Read More

The Chicago Bears are rebuilding. They have the number one pick in the draft, a developing franchise quarterback, and the most cap space of any team in the NFL. Now, they are doing it in a league vacant of Tom Brady’s greatness.

For the last few seasons, Tom Brady has actually been in their conference as he moved from the New England Patriots to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. During that time with Tampa Bay, he was incredibly successful including a Super Bowl victory.

That Super Bowl win was the seventh in his amazing career. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that he is the greatest and most impactful football player who ever lived.

Now, on Wednesday morning, Tom Brady announced his retirement from the National Football League using his social media pages. This is obviously big news around the NFL as the greatest player in league history is now done. He makes it seem like it is for good too.

The Chicago Bears need to take advantage of the weak NFC moving forward.

Outside of the fact that one of the greatest athletes of all time is now done, this is great news for the Chicago Bears. For one, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are now headed for a rebuild. That is one less postseason team for the Chicago Bears to worry about once they become good again.

The Bucs might also now have plenty of players for sale as they start their teardown. Both Chris Godwin and Mike Evans would look great in blue and orange as the team tries to get Justin Fields some new weapons to play with in 2023. Without Tom Brady, those guys won’t be needed in Tampa.

Again, with all this cap space and assets, the Chicago Bears could take full advantage of what is going on with Tom Brady and the Bucs. It is a great time for them to start building back up.

With Brady out of the NFC, that pretty much leaves Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, and Jalen Hurts as big-time threats moving forward. However, only Hurts isn’t a question mark for a variety of reasons at this point. There is no better time than now for Chicago.

The AFC is a powerhouse with the Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Los Angeles Chargers amongst others. The NFC has the Philadelphia Eagles and a bunch of teams that may or may not be good going forward.

If the Bears can do things right, including taking advantage of this upcoming Tampa Bay firesale, big things could be ahead.

Read More

Coach Billy Donovan suspects the Bulls had a bit of a horseshoe on their side last season. And it’s looking more and more like he’s right.

“Our consistency has been a challenge,” Donovan said. “Some of the things that happened for us last year, we were on the side of good fortune in a lot of those situations.”

He pointed to last year’s thrilling overtime victory over the Clippers at the United Center, when DeMar DeRozan rescued the Bulls with a scintillating performance, scoring 50 points.

“We were down by [eight] points with like two minutes to go,” Donovan said. “Some of those games worked out for us. This year, they haven’t.”

When the Clippers returned Tuesday, the Bulls were in the midst of a season-long slog toward playoff contention, searching for the consistency and chemistry that sparked last season’s fast start.

They’re still searching. They lost a 19-point lead in the first half and led by seven in the second before fading again in the fourth quarter and faltering in crunch time in a 108-103 loss before a home crowd of 20,068 fans.

DeRozan again was in position to be the hero, but — typical of this season’s reversal of fortune — came up empty. After the Bulls (23-27) rallied from a 99-91 deficit with 6:38 left to trail 104-103 in the final minute, he aggressively drove the lane against Clippers guard Reggie Jackson, tried to spin, fell forward in the lane and lost the ball with no call with 36 seconds left.

“I got fouled,” DeRozan said when asked what went wrong. “What went wrong is they didn’t call it — simple as that. It’s frustrating being in that situation. I didn’t want to settle for a jump shot. As soon as I spin, his arm was reaching in and I couldn’t fully spin.

“I don’t know. It doesn’t make any sense to me. I tried to be aggressive. Tried to get downhill. Clearly it was a foul. It just sucks that I’ll wake up tomorrow and read the Last Two Minute Report [from the NBA office analyzing the officiating] and [it’s] something else [they] missed that possibly could have cost us the game. That’s the most frustrating part.”

After the turnover, Clippers guard Norman Powell was fouled on a drive with 10 seconds left and hit two free throws to give the Clippers a 106-103 lead. The Bulls, who hit 12 of 23 three-point shots, had a chance to tie. But they turned it over on the ensuing inbound pass when Alex Caruso struggled to get the ball to Zach LaVine in the corner, and that was it. That one final failure illustrated the frustration of a disappointing season.

“We didn’t execute the play,” Donovan said. “We’ve just got to be better in that situation.”

Explained LaVine: “The play was for me to go up top, but they were switching. I tried to make a cut and get open. Me and DeMar cut to the same area. [Caruso] just tried to make a play. Kawhi [Leonard] got his hand on it, and then we just scrambled for it.”

Nikola Vucevic led the Bulls with 23 points and 14 rebounds. LaVine added 18 points, a career-high 14 rebounds and eight assists. DeRozan had 20 points and five assists but also eight of the Bulls’ 20 turnovers.

“I take a lot [of the blame] upon myself,” DeRozan said. “That was too uncharacteristic. Just careless. I wouldn’t even give [the Clippers] all the credit. It was just us rushing some stuff, being careless with the ball. That killed us, too — all the turnovers. I had seven, eight — whatever it was, it’s entirely too much. We can’t let that happen.”

Read More

Alec Schmidts is 6-4 according to Barrington’s roster. And after the Broncos’ 45-32 win against host Schaumburg on Tuesday Schmidts appeared to be that size, or a smidge taller, in real life.

But he certainly plays much bigger on the court. Schmidts had 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds while matching up against some significant size in the Saxons’ frontcourt: 6-7 Clark Easley, 6-8 Edvin Bosnjak and 6-6 Tyler March.

“It’s all about technique,” Schmidts explained. “Knowing how to deny on three quarters front and then using my strength from the size that I do have to keep them out of the paint. I’ve gotten used to playing taller guys.”

Senior guard Donovan Nichols scored 11 points and senior Dillon Schmidt added eight points and four steals for the Broncos (17-3, 6-2 Mid-Suburban West).

Barrington’s gaudy record is a surprise to many. The Broncos were one of last season’s best stories. They outdid expectations by reaching the state finals in Champaign and then played two excellent games, losing to Young by just four points and beating Bolingbrook to finish third in Class 4A.

All of those players graduated, and it was expected to be a rebuilding year in Barrington.

“The guys that left set the tone in terms of work ethic,” Broncos coach Bryan Tucker said. “We didn’t have much game experience back but we had great senior leadership and the young guys coming up bought in and worked really hard. And they have a little chip on their shoulder and a little something to prove.”

The long grind of the season hasn’t taken that chip away just yet.

“That doubt definitely fueled us,” Schmidt said. “We knew that wasn’t going to be the case. Even know with our record now we are still hungry. We believe we are a better team than what we’ve shown. Learning how to win in those close situations will be crucial for us. That’s what we are focusing on now. “

The Broncos stepped up in the crucial moments against Schaumburg (9-15, 2-6). The Saxons, who managed to stay close for most of the game, were held without a field goal for the final 4:31 and only managed two in the entire fourth quarter.

“Talking defensively was the key to that,” Schmidt said. “Making sure everybody’s accounting for each other and having energy is big.”

Schaumburg seemed to get the shots it wanted in the first half, but shot just 6 for 21 in the first two quarters. Those looks weren’t as good in the second half, as the Broncos clamped down.

“That’s been our problem all year,” Schaumburg coach Jason Tucker said. “We just can’t put the ball in the hole. It’s been a struggle. We are young and inexperienced, but really excited about what we have going in the future.”

Sophomore guard Jordan Tunis led the Saxons with 11 points and sophomore Javonte McCoy added four points and seven rebounds.

Read More

A year ago, DeMar DeRozan was an obvious All-Star Game selection as the catalyst of one of the NBA’s most surprising teams. This year, it’s going to be a closer call.

DeRozan is the Bulls’ best chance for an All-Star. But after he did not make the initial roster off fan and media voting, it will take an All-Star head coach’s selection to get there.

DeRozan was averaging 26.4 points, 5.0 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game and shooting 51.3% from the field heading into Tuesday night’s game against the Clippers. His scoring average is the same as it was last year when he was selected — but it was sixth in the league last year. This year it’s 15th. And perhaps an even bigger difference — the Bulls were 23-26 heading into Tuesday night’s game. Last year they were 30-17 and second in the Eastern Conference at the time of DeRozan’s selection.

Bulls coach Billy Donovan emphasized the 33-year-old DeRozan’s availability in making a case for his veteran star. DeRozan played in his 47th game Tuesday night. Among the top 15 scorers in the NBA, only the Celtics’ 24-year-old Jayson Tatum had played more (48).

“He’s had a great year. He’s been really, really consistent,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “The year’s been unique for a lot of players in terms of injuries — his availability has been pretty impressive for as many years as he’s been in the league. He’s just been incredibly efficient and has played really well. I think he’s played at the same level as he did last year in a lot of ways.

Trade winds

Nikola Vucevic remains unfazed by the approaching NBA trade deadline Feb. 9, even though he could be dealt.

“I don’t pay attention to that,” Vucevic said. “I’ve been in the league for a long time now [13 seasons]. I’ve been involved in two trades. It’s part of it, obviously. It’s not easy when you get the call and are told you’re traded — everything changes for you. But there’s nothing you can do about it. If you think about it, you’re just going to make it harder on yourself.”

Passing fancy

The 32-year-old Vucevic, coming off a 26-point, 13-rebound game in a victory over the Magic, is averaging 17.5 points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists this season. He came into Tuesday night’s game averaging 4.8 assists in his previous 11 games after averaging 2.9 assists in his first 38.

“The way we’ve been trying to play lately puts me in position to involve my passing game a lot more,” Vucevic said, “especially when DeMar and Zach [LaVine] are getting doubled in the pick-and-rolls, I’m able to get in the pocket and make plays out of it, or even just regular pick-and-rolls.

“It’s something I really enjoy doing when I get the ball in the pocket, whether it’s making a play for myself or for somebody else. I think it helps our offense a lot.”

No Rising Stars

The Bulls were shut out of the Rising Stars game for rookies, second-year players and G-league players that will be played during All-Star weekend.

Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu who played in the game as a rookie last season, was not among the 10 second-year players named to the roster this season. Dosunmu came into Tuesday night’s game averaging 9.3 points and 2.6 assists per game.

The Bulls’ only rookie, guard Dalen Terry, has played in only 18 games the season, mostly in bit roles, averaging 0.9 points per game.

Read More

Here we are approaching the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 9 and it’s just not working for the Bulls. They have been the MC Skat Cat of the NBA since January 2022: Two steps forward, two steps back.

That might be too old of a reference, but those who get it, well, get it. The Bulls have had games where you can trick yourself into thinking they could win a playoff series — with the right matchup. Then there are games when you watch them play and wonder if they deserve to be in the play-in tournament.

This team has a collection of talented players. The problem is that they’re flawed in ways that don’t complement the rest of the team. DeMar DeRozan has been a breath of fresh air for the Bulls franchise. He’s smart, tough, resourceful and not afraid of the big moment. His flaw is that his game can’t work unless he’s on a team with consistent three-point shooting.

DeRozan deserves his moniker of “King of the Mid-Range.” He’s proved that he can get to a spot, pump-fake a defender and score. If this were the ’90s, he’s unstoppable. Alas, while DeRozan works his butt off to get two-point buckets, Bulls’ opponents come back and shoot threes. Bad exchange rate.

Zach Lavine has superstar talent. He’s fun to watch and there’s not many things he can’t do offensively. His flaw is that he’s still figuring out that having a max contract doesn’t automatically make you a max player. Late-game situations have haunted him this season, with costly turnovers and bad decisions in the moments when the Bulls can’t afford it.

Nikola Vucevic is an ideal “Big” in the modern game. Sure, he can play in the post, but his game is diverse enough that he can step outside, extend a defense and hit an occasional three. His flaw is that he’s not as good on the defensive end and still needs others to put him in a position to succeed.

Theoretically, you have three All-Star-caliber players. Practically, the styles haven’t meshed. And coach Billy Donovan has a hard time getting this team to mesh their games consistently. If we count the playoff series against Milwaukee, the Bulls have been below .500 since last January. Which brings me to one of the bigger Bulls issues.

It’s no secret part of the Bulls second-half collapse last season had to do with Lonzo Ball getting injured. He’s supposed to be the guy that makes this whole thing work. His mysterious knee injury must be as frustrating as hell for him and I’m sure he’s thinking beyond just his Bulls contract and about his NBA survival.

It doesn’t look like he’s going to make a triumphant comeback this season. That means the Bulls have some hard decisions ahead.

With the current roster of active players, what’s the best possible scenario? Bulls fight their way out of the bottom of the play-in portion of the Eastern Conference and end up as a sixth seed? That’s probably the rosiest picture I can paint and it still doesn’t scream contender to win the conference.

Vooch will be a free agent at the end of the season and DeRozan can exit a year later. This was the time DeRozan’s ability to get buckets was supposed to be maximized. And it doesn’t look like this roster is going to be able to do that.

There are no good answers. Any trade the Bulls complete will make this group worse, but it’s not like they’ve earned the right to go out on their shields. After a year and half, this squad looks like the first half of last season was the outlier. Who they’ve been since is reality.

It would also be nice to hear honestly what Bulls management thinks is the path forward, but they’ve been harder to get on the record than Prince when he changed his name.

It’s been an ugly, mostly frustrating and often boring season. Last season, we thought: Who could the Bulls add to put them on par with teams like Milwaukee? Unfortunately, we’ve returned to the place where we wonder which one of the good, likable players the Bulls must trade to start rebuilding, again.

You can hear Laurence Holmes talk Chicago sports Monday to Friday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on 670 The Score with Dan Bernstein.

Read More