Chicago Sports

WASHINGTON — The headphones were in his ears, the dental floss pick was actively going between his teeth as he listened to the question.

For a guy that had been dealing with an ailing quadriceps the last few weeks, DeMar DeRozan appeared to not have a care in the world.

Not exactly the normal body language for an NBA All-Star on an underachieving team at the halfway point of the season.

Then again, DeRozan’s a student of the game.

He knows what this Bulls roster has done so far in big-game moments, he’s well aware of what’s left in front of them.

And frankly at that moment on Monday night, healthy gums and mouth hygiene might have been a more daunting task.

“We’ve been coming together offensively and defensively, communicating, challenging each other, holding each other accountable,” DeRozan said of the first-half journey. “[We’re] at the halfway mark and we’ve made great strides the last few weeks. I feel we’re going to continue to build on that and up our confidence. We’re showing we can compete with all the top teams in the league and that’s a plus we’ve got to use going into this next half of the season. Turn it up and take advantage of everything we’ve learned from these first 41 games.”

Which means taking advantage of the easiest schedule in the NBA.

With 41 games left, the remaining teams on the Bulls’ schedule have a combined .480 winning percentage, which was 30th in the league. To put that in perspective, the Los Angeles Clippers have the toughest remaining schedule, facing teams with a combined .524 winning percentage.

Even better news for DeRozan and his teammates is teams like Philadelphia, Miami, New York and Atlanta — all teams that the Bulls will have to jump if they want a first-round home playoff series — are in the top eight in toughest remaining schedules.

The Bulls have taken the punch on the nose, withstood the 8-count, and now are actually playing consistent basketball.

It took some embarrassing losses, some hurt feelings in a halftime locker room “meeting,” and the realization that Lonzo Ball playing this season is more bonus rather than likely, but here the Bulls are.

“We struggled so much early on,” DeRozan said. “We felt the frustration and let downs and went through almost every negative emotion the first half of the season. Lately channeling everything we went through to the positive, and that’s the team you’ve been seeing over these last 10 games and I think the next 10 we know what it takes to close out games, how to come together, win games, guys understanding what role is needed on an everyday basis and with that we can’t do nothing but continue to build.

“Over the last 10, 12 games we’ve been playing up to that standard.”

A 12-game standard that very well could have changed the trajectory of the season in the mind of the front office.

Even when the Bulls were struggling with consistency in November and December, executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas was very limited in what he could actually do with this roster.

Blowing it up was fan overreaction rather than reality.

What could become reality as the Feb. 9 trade deadline approaches is looking to add some depth, especially in the shooting department.

Either way, it’s now a roster of players that feel good about what’s in front of them.

“I think we’ve caught our rhythm and stride,” guard Zach LaVine said. “We’re understanding players’ roles and what we’re doing out there and how to compete and how to win games, especially after these last 10 [games].”

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A former Bears linebacker gets his payday

The Chicago Bears had a contract dispute that had a lot of attention in training camp. Roquan Smith held out during camp. He then demanded a trade when general manager Ryan Poles didn’t arrive at the figure Smith wanted. The former Bears linebacker found a figure to his liking Tuesday.

According to Ian Rapoport with the NFL Network, Smith signed a five-year deal for $100 million. $45 million is fully guaranteed. Smith became the highest-paid off-the-ball linebacker to earn $20 million a year.

The Bears weren’t going to be suckers for that. That’s 16 Equanimeous St. Brown equivalents Poles can stock up on.

Head coach Matt Eberflus pretty much mocked Smith’s positional value this season following his trade to the Ravens. The former Bears linebacker believed he could play middle linebacker for the Bears in the 4-3. Eberflus disagreed, which made it all the more interesting when he started undrafted rookie free agent Jack Sanborn at middle linebacker after Smith’s trade. Nicholas Morrow switched to weakside linebacker.

Smith has started nine games for the Ravens since the trade before the Nov. 1st deadline. He has 86 tackles,  seven tackles for loss, and one interception with the Ravens. Those numbers just don’t equate to the ball production stats Eberflus envisions his defenders making in the future. But good on Smith for going agentless and finding a team dumb enough to toss him that bag.

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General manager Ryan Poles made a public overture to keep running back David Montgomery on Tuesday — but it’s unclear if he’ll pay him accordingly.

The Bears’ fourth-year running back is at the end of his rookie deal.

“I’ve always wanted to keep David,” Poles said. “I love his mentality, how he plays the game. I told him that to his face. He’s part of the identity that we had this year that kept us competitive.”

That alone won’t get a deal done. Poles knows it.

“The second part of that is just the contract situation,” he said. “That’s something that we’ll see how that goes and if we can find common ground. Obviously, I’ve learned that you can want a player and the value’s got to come together for it to happen.”

Spotrac.com calculated his market value as a three-year deal worth about $21 million. The Bears have the most salary cap space in the league, but that might prove too rich.

Montgomery, who said Sunday he’d like to return, averaged four yards per carry, the second-best average of his career, this season. Splitting time with Khalil Herbert, he carried the ball 201 times after averaging 238 carries through his first three seasons.

“I love the way he attacked this season,” Poles said. “That’s a guy that does everything right. You all watched his tenacity, his fight. I’m a big David Montgomery fan.”

Still high on Mooney

When Poles took the Bears job a year ago, he soon identified receiver Darnell Mooney as a player who exemplified what he wanted the Bears to become.

That hasn’t changed.

“I love him more than I did when I first walked in the door,” he said. “I think he’s a special human being, first and foremost, and a really good football player.”

He and head coach Matt Eberflus offered few specifics about Mooney’s recovery from an ankle injury suffered against the Jets.

“He’s headed in the right direction,” Poles said. “He’s in rehabbing a bunch. So he’s in good spirits. … In adversity, he’s a guy that says,. ‘It is what it is, I’m going to control what I can control — and you know I’m going to come back just as good if not better than I was before.'”

Mooney, who has season left on his rookie deal, is eligible for a contract extension this offseason.

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Former Bears linebacker Roquan Smith finally got his contract extension.

The Ravens agreed to give him a five-year deal worth, per NFL Network, $100 million and $60 million guaranteed — roughly what Smith wanted when he was a member of the Bears and serving as his own agent.

The Bears wouldn’t give it to him and Smith missed much of training camp while serving as a “hold-in,” attending meetings but not practicing. Smith returned without any capitulation from Bears general manager Ryan Poles, who eventually traded him to the Ravens on Oct. 31 for a second- and fifth-round pick. The Bears didn’t win another game.

Earlier this season, coach Matt Eberflus pointed to a lack of takeaways when asked to compare Smith to the highest-paid off-ball linebackers in the league. Smith, though, was named to his first Pro Bowl last month.

The Bears’ No. 8 overall pick in 2018, Smith will become the first off-ball linebacker to receive $20 million per year.

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NFL Trade Rumors: Houston Texans WR Brandin Cooks is likely on his way out

The off-season is in full swing for the teams that aren’t playing next week, and that includes the Chicago Bears. This team has plenty of holes to fill in order for them to be competitive next year, let alone compete for a playoff spot. The defense needs help and the offense at times looks like a complete mess, when Justin Fields isn’t bailing them out with 30-yard scrambles.

One of the glaring issues that has plagued the Chicago Bears last year and the years prior has been the talent level at wide receiver. As it stands right now, you could argue the Bears have a bottom-five receiving corps in the entire NFL. Yesterday, current Houston Texans WR Brandin Cooks has requested a trade. Cooks is turning 30 years old this fall and is on contract until 2024 and is set to earn a whopping 18-million dollars in guaranteed money.

When looking at the positives, this locker room could use a veteran playmaker. All of the current skill positions on the roster at the moment are quite young, with little to no experience. Cooks has caught 49 touchdowns over his nine-season NFL career and has appeared in some big games when he played for the New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, and New Orleans Saints. An addition like that could help the likes of Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool in their development.

A lot of wide receivers fall into this “trap”. Get traded to a new team, sign huge extension with said team, and then want out as soon as they realize the plan going forward. With multiple reports coming out today that teams around the league are interested in trading up for a QB, I believe the Bears could acquire more picks in this year’s draft. It may be smart to have a young, contract-friendly option instead of overpaying for an aging, injury prone wide out.

Should the Chicago Bears look into trading for Brandin Cooks?

However, with all things considered, I don’t think it would be a smart move whatsoever for the Chicago Bears to trade for Brandin Cooks. A near 30-year-old wide out who’s numbers have declined significantly over the past year, who is also on a huge contract, doesn’t sound like it’s going to fix the problems this team has. Save the money and hopefully draft one of the many wide outs available in this year’s draft.

Also, Cooks said yesterday to team reporters that he “Doesn’t want to be a part of a rebuild,” and has respectfully communicated that. Doesn’t sound like he’d be too impressed to be traded to another rebuilding situation. And yes, that’s where I believe the Chicago Bears currently are as they sit with the number one pick in the draft. The contract is the main reason I believe GM Ryan Poles won’t even entertain the idea, but when you consider what Cooks said yesterday that makes it easier to stay away from.

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Overreaction: Firing Kill Kingsbury and Lovie Smith was the right move

Kingsbury and smith were made the sacrificial lambs of their organizations yesterday when they were fired. In his fourth season as head coach of the Cardinals, Kingsbury finished his tenure 4-13 before getting the boot. This comes just 10 months after signing a contract extension in the offseason that would have made him the Cardinal’s head coach through 2027. This continues the streak of head coaches never lasting more than six years in Arizona, which has never tenured a coach for more than six years in the franchise’s existence.

The Cardinals had immense pressure to win now after their hot start in 2021, but injuries plagued their offensive line. The Cards were also without NFL All-Pro wide receiver Deandre Hopkins for six games and went 2-4 in his absence, then losing Kyler Murray to an ACL tear later in the season. With only winning two games the rest of the season the blame had to be placed on someone.

In the case of Lovie Smith the Texans had a chance Sunday to get the number one pick with a loss, but Smith did everything he could to win. The Texans managed a tie in week one against the colts that no one saw coming and didn’t have a blowout loss until week 6 when they lost 38-20 to the Las Vegas Raiders.

In most of their games, the Texans fought hard and had the 15th-best defense on third down allowing a 39% conversion rate. But in the end, it is about who won the game not how hard you played in the NFL. Houston is very clearly in a rebuild with no direction at quarterback, which will most likely be addressed in the draft, and will have a fresh restart with a new head coach.

With their win on Sunday, the Texans lost the number one pick to Smith’s former team the Chicago Bears, more than likely sealing his fate. Smith had success in his time with the Bears but was given nine seasons to build teams. He managed to get them to the Superbowl in his first three, but in the NFL if you can’t blame the defense or the quarterback the coach and General Manager are next on the chopping block.

Overreaction: The Ravens can afford to let Lamar Jackson walk

Without agreeing on a contract in the offseason the Ravens are in a position to franchise tag the former NFL MVP if they cannot agree on a long-term deal. There is speculation that Jackson will not like this, as most players who get tagged do not and may force a trade from the Ravens. Baltimore’s inability to go out and get a weapon may force Jackson to go to the weapons instead of hoping they come to him.

With offseason speculation starting quarterbacks and star players alike look to have fresh starts where the grass is greener. For Jackson, the grass is the greenest whereas the receivers are the best. Teams like Miami and New Orleans are loaded with offensive firepower but struggle at the quarterback position. Tua had moments of brilliance this season for the Dolphins but could not stay healthy and suffered several concussions, diagnosed or not, and in the NFL the best ability is availability.

As evident in the previous weeks since Jackson’s injury, the Ravens have been less than spectacular that quarterback and have had to rely on their defense to carry them since Jacksons’ absence. The Ravens may have to look at a rebuild if they cannot lock Jackson down for a long-term deal. Jackson deserves weapons without being expected to do everything if the Ravens want to compete for the title they will need to get him the help he deserves.

Not an overreaction: Several quarterbacks are on the move this off-season.

The goal of every team every year is to win the Superbowl. Some are closer than others to achieve this but the tonality of the NFL has changed from, “this is a several-year rebuild” to, “how can teams win now?” Coaches and GMs have shorter shelf life’s to change teams around, players have to prove every day that they belong or it will be next man up, this leads to many good options being left as a “bridge” to a great option.

Take for example the Alex Smith years in Kansas City. Smith and Andy Reid took the Chiefs from the first pick in the draft to playoff contenders during Smith’s tenure. They saw an opportunity to be great with Patrick Mahomes and traded up to draft him. Unlike the failures, the Jets have had a quarterback time after time when they start week one and are not allowed to grow under the right circumstance because they need to win now.

The current NFL has rookies starting week 1 or even in their first year, Mahomes was allowed to sit and learn behind Smith for an entire year before seeing the field and was allowed to grow without being thrown into a starting role. Many of the quarterbacks on the move this off-season they’re looking for fresh starts and ways to rebrand themselves to help another team win. Players that are expected to see new teams are: Ryan Tannehill, Derek Carr, Tom Brady, and Jimmy Garoppolo.

While some players may have played themselves into new contracts after coming to new teams, players like Baker Mayfield, Geno Smith (who now holds the record for most passing yards in a season in Seahawks history) Daniel Jones, Jarret Stidham, and Mike white all played exceptionally better than expected. Teams that were on the edge of going to the playoffs and were kept out of the playoffs because of quarterback play (Jets, Titans, New Orleans, Carolina, Atlanta, Washington) could all look to improve with the option presented this offseason or should look to trade up in the NFL draft as Kansas City did and grow a quarterback the right way.

Not an overreaction: Dak Prescott could be done as the Cowboy’s starter after this year.

Dak Prescott signed a 4 year, $160,000,000 contract with the Dallas Cowboys, including a $66,000,000 signing bonus, $126,000,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $40,000,000. In 2023, Prescott will earn a base salary of $31,000,000, while carrying a cap hit of $49,130,000 and a dead cap value of $89,070,000. After having just inked this new deal Prescott has done anything but play up to it this season. 

The Cowboys are 12-5 and suffered an embarrassing loss to the Commanders where Prescott completed just 14 of his 37 pass attempts (15 if you could the one he threw to the defense for a touchdown). Prescott finished with only 128 yards passing and one touchdown to his team. Dallas has not made the Championship game since 1995 and has not won a playoff game since 2018.

There has been growing unrest among the Cowboys fanbase with the play of Dak Prescott and if the Cowboys fail to win a postseason game or possibly even reach the NFC championship game the blame will fall on head coach Mike McCarthy and Dak Prescott. McCarthy will no doubt be fired, but what of Prescott? The defense is good enough to win now, as is the running game, but the passing attack leaves more to be desired with Prescott’s inconsistencies.

In the NFL no one’s job is safe and nothing is guaranteed unless you have it in writing. Prescott has a no-trade clause in his contract but could be waived for teams like Tampa Bay or New Orleans that are in-now mode. The issue is that both of those teams are in cap hell and have the least amount of money available this next season. If Prescott wants to leave it may be to a team that isn’t as good but can handle his contract or he will have to restructure his contract to fit the needs of teams that want to trade for him.

Thank you for reading this year’s Overreaction Tuesdays. I appreciate and thank every one of you for taking the time to read these and cannot wait for another season of NFL football so that I can write them again for you. For more Chicago Sports and all things, NFL follow ChiCitySports on Twitter and Facebook.

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Ryan Borucki is the latest left-handed pitcher to sign with the Cubs on a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to major-league spring training, the team announced Tuesday.

Of the six such signings the Cubs have made official in the past month, three have been lefties. Borucki, who was born in the Chicago suburb Highland Park, joins Roenis El?as and Eric Stout. Throughout this rebuild, the Cubs have valued left-handed pitching depth, both in their acquisitions and draft choices.

Borucki and El?as join the organization with a combined 229 games of major-league experience. Both have played for multiple organizations and most recently pitched for the Mariners. Borucki, 28, is younger than El?as, 34. El?as has been turning heads in the Dominican Winter League, entering Tuesday with a 0.92 ERA in seven starts.

Stout, also a hometown kid, has only played 23 major-league games. But he rejoins the Cubs after a momentous return to the big-leagues at Wrigley Field last year. His Cubs debut was also his first MLB appearance since 2018.

The Cubs also announced Tuesday that catcher P.J. Higgins had rejected his outright assignment, electing free agency.

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“Good afternoon everyone. I’m very happy to be back again at Belmont Village. My name is Jim Kendros, and I had such a wonderful time being here before. We’re going to explore great music today.”

An audience of about two dozen people, including my parents, gathered in the lobby of a senior living community in Buffalo Grove last week.

“Today I have a program called ‘Mozart and More,'” Kendros continues.

He plays “Carol of the Bells” on the piano. It quickly becomes clear that the lobby is not the best environment for a recital. Noisy conversations erupt. Phones ring. A few residents arrive, late and loudly. A janitor rolls a garbage can rumbling by.

None of this fazes Kendros, talking major versus minor, diving into musical theory.

“Chances are you have heard something we call the ‘incipit’ in music,” he says. “I-N-C-I-P-I-T. It’s a Latin word that basically means the smallest part of a melody.”

Kendros does this for a living. He also lectures before concerts, as well as social clubs and libraries. He is a composer, creator of the Mount Prospect Overture.

For me, just visiting here once a week can be an occasion for somber reflection. I wondered how Kendros views his audience.

“They’re near the end of their lives, even though I hope they will live another 20, 30 years,” he told me, earlier, over the phone. “I would like to believe I’m bringing them not only new things to think about but helping them to feel younger.”

Music certainly is an elixir of youth. And Kendros offers food for thought. What most impressed me about him the first time I heard him was when he said the reason America leads the world in popular music is because we have such a diverse population — so many different ethnic groups bringing so many musical traditions to the table. I’d never thought about it that way before, and it made sense. I also liked the idea of learning something new in the lobby of a place like this.

Kendros plays “Moon River” by “the immortal Henry Mancini” — the “and more” part of the “Mozart and More ” program. Music appreciation is not the only appreciation he encourages.

“We live better than the kings of Mozart’s time,” he says. “Even the most modest among us have luxuries that the kings of Mozart’s day wouldn’t have had when you think about it.”

His focus shifts from the greats to those assembled.

“Mozart had a fascinating life, dying just before he was 36,” Kendros says. “Then again, people died of things we could easily cure today. When you look at it, life was so precarious. My gosh, if you made it into your 40s or 50s, you were considered lucky. When you think about it, the quality of life we have today, and how we’re extending it, is just amazing.”

That’s true. My dad is 90. His father died at 61.

“Does anyone know what is a piano concerto?” Kendros asks. I’ve heard the word, and have a vague idea. Something symphonic.

“What are the attributes?”

Nobody volunteers. Kendros explains “concerto” means “a dialogue between the orchestra and a soloist. A piano concerto is a work for orchestra with a piano. You can do it with a violin. We can have a concerto for anything. I have heard concertos for bassoons — Vivaldi wrote well over 30. Accordion. Harmonica. Ukulele.”

His view on talking with the residents of senior homes may be surprising.

“It’s a joy,” he said, previously. “An absolute joy. They have the most incredible stories. When you get them to open up, they have amazing stories to tell. … They are people who have Alzheimer’s. People in wheelchairs, with breathing conditions. The point is, new knowledge and looking at people as though they are just people helps them to feel younger, makes them feel more vital. They have hard-won life experience, and they have something to contribute to society.”

He said the problem is that others tend not to listen.

“If we just talk to them as normal people would, as you and I would like to be spoken to, you see a dramatic transformation. I see it all the time. They just glow.”

That is a truth of life: You get out what you put in. Music helps. As does learning new stuff. So it makes sense that learning new stuff about music really helps.

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Simeon’s weekend sweep over a pair of out-of-state foes, particularly Imhotep Charter, a nationally-ranked powerhouse out of Philadelphia, is another example of coach Robert Smith’s often overlooked impact on the state’s premier program.

There has always been an abundance of talent at Simeon in Smith’s 19 years as head coach. While Smith has won big with Division I players, including a couple of generational high school talents in Derrick Rose and Jabari Parker, he’s also shown to be a coach who has a unique way of keeping good and great teams all on the same page.

Smith understands and thrives in managing talent. He keeps egos and all different personalities in check. He massages any potential friction when it pops up among a team full of individual talent. Whether fans — or even other coaches — want to believe it, that part of coaching is an art and not for everyone.

When talking with a head coach of another high-profile team in the Chicago area recently, he stated, “I now have a total appreciation for what Rob Smith has done as a coach. You don’t truly understand how he’s done it until you see it for yourself.”

What the coach was emphasizing in that discussion is the challenge of being in charge of a loaded roster and maximizing its talent. With the outside distractions that come with coaching high-profile players, it’s not easy. Smith has consistently passed that test with flying colors over the past two decades.

Smith has also been a coach who has won when he’s not supposed to.

After winning back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007, Smith lost all five senior starters and still reached a state championship game in 2008, losing to Marshall to finish second in the state.

The 2010 state title came when everyone wrote the Wolverines off in February when they suffered their ninth defeat and Brandon Spearman was the team’s only double-figure scorer.

There have also been wins like this past Saturday over Imhotep, the No. 8 team in the country who, on paper, had more individual talent. Smith’s Wolverines have regularly knocked off bigger, more talented national heavyweights.

Simeon wasn’t supposed to beat mighty Oak Hill Academy, the No. 1 ranked team in the country, in 2007. They were underdogs in 2015 before taking down Bishop Gorman and 6-10 Chase Jeter and 6-11 Stephen Zimmerman, two of the top 15 prospects in the country.

And this season’s No. 1 ranked Simeon team is even better than anyone expected.

Smith, who is seeking his seventh state championship in his final season as head coach, is closing in on another milestone: 500 wins. A victory over No. 3 Kenwood in a showdown Tuesday night would be win No. 495.

DJ Douglas steps up

It sure didn’t take long for Yorkville Christian to churn out another mega-scoring, record-setting guard.

Jaden Schutt departed for Duke after leading the Mustangs to a Class 1A state title last season and scoring over 2,000 points in his career.

Now senior David “DJ” Douglas is putting up a whopping 33 points a game following his school record 56-point explosion in last week’s win over Ottawa Marquette. He’s made 62 three-pointers and made a living at the line (11 attempts a game) while shooting 89 percent.

Douglas averaged what now seems to be a modest 21.5 points a game in four Thanksgiving tournament games. Since then he’s averaged just under 40 points a game.

Douglas was a double-figure scorer as a junior for the state championship team. But he was the lone contributor to return this season. He’s making the most of his senior season. The 6-4 guard is a scholarship-caliber player and one of the better uncommitted prospects remaining in the senior class. He’s a deadly catch-and-shoot threat from the three-point line but has progressed nicely as an all-around scorer and threat with the ball in his hands.

The shooter

After watching months of club basketball in the offseason and the first half of this 2022-23 season, I’ve seen enough: Cole Certa of Bloomington Central Catholic is the state’s best shooter.

And with several early commitments, including the trio of Morez Johnson, James Brown and Nojus Indrusaitis at St. Rita, the junior guard is also the best uncommitted Class of 2024 prospect in Illinois.

Certa is still a very slender 6-5, but he’s gained some weight and strength that has enabled him to become a more complete scorer and player.

With offensive outbursts of 47, 38 and 37 points already this season, he’s shown to be more than just a shooter. The shot is pure and soft out of the hand and he boasts unlimited range beyond the three-point line. But he’s able to score the basketball in a variety of ways.

Certa is already a hot commodity among local programs. Loyola, Southern Illinois, Bradley and Illinois State all offered last summer. But Big Ten teams Northwestern and Penn State have jumped in with offers since.

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Chicago Bears Jake Tonges

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