Chicago Sports

Two women were killed in a house fire Tuesday night in West Englewood on the South Side.

Officials responded to an extra-alarm fire in the 7200 block of South Wolcott Avenue, where the two women, believed to be in their 30s, were pronounced dead, the Chicago Fire Department said.

No further information was available.

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Two women were killed in a house fire Tuesday night in West Englewood on the South Side.

Officials responded to an extra-alarm fire in the 7200 block of South Wolcott Avenue, where the two women, believed to be in their 30s, were pronounced dead, the Chicago Fire Department said.

No further information was available.

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South Bend Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong awarded a Minor League Gold Glove.

A top prospect of the Chicago Cubs, Pete Crow Armstrong has clinched his first Rawlings Gold Glove Award.

Crow-Armstrong, acquired in the trade that sent Javier Baez and Trevor Williams to the New York Mets, was the lone Cub to take home the award.

The lefty has been seen as an elite fielder since he was drafted in 2020. Coming into 2022 campaign, Crow-Armstrong posted a .944 fielding percentage with the Low-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Once promoted to High-A South Bend, his numbers were even better. He posted a .985 fielding percentage in more games with the South Bend Cubs.

Crow-Armstrong’s breakout at the plate along with his continued excellence in centerfield makes him perhaps the most exciting young player in the organization.

The California native could be instrumental in the next competitive era of Cubs baseball, and this may not be the last Gold Glove he receives.

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Something told Seth Jones the pain he felt during the second intermission Oct. 29 against the Sabres indicated a significant injury, not just another bruise.

But with the Blackhawks locked in a close game, he decided to play through it and deal with the consequences later.

“You just kind of know sometimes,” Jones said Tuesday. “It didn’t feel good. But it’s one of those things where you have adrenaline going a little bit and it’s just one period [to get through].”

The diagnosis after the game confirmed Jones’ suspicion. He’d broken his right thumb and would miss an estimated three-to-four weeks. And as recently as last week, it seemed like he’d miss even longer than that. Hawks coach Luke Richardson estimated last Wednesday that Jones was at least 10-14 days away.

Hawks doctors suddenly liked what they saw on Jones’ X-ray this week, though, and cleared the 28-year-old defenseman to return. He went from skating only on his own to participating fully in team practice Tuesday — on the first pairing with Jack Johnson — before the Hawks’ flight to Dallas, his hometown.

He plans to be in the lineup Wednesday against the Stars, and although that isn’t cemented yet, it’s wise not to bet against Jones when he sets his mind on something.

“Watching on TV is pretty boring,” he said. “It should be fun. [I have] a lot of family there. I’ll have dinner tonight with some of the family, and obviously they’ll all be at the game tomorrow.”

Richardson said he likes to give the “worst-case scenario and work backwards” in his injury updates and didn’t seem too surprised by Jones’ sudden return.

“It just depends on quick you heal,” Richardson said. “In Ottawa, when I was there, Daniel Alfredsson was like a miracle. He always seemed to be healed faster than everybody else.

“As long as the X-rays show the break is clouded over, then it’s going to be solid enough to play. Otherwise, if it was displaced, you can’t really take that chance. With a guy like that, you want to make sure you do the right thing. As long as the doctors clear him, it’s fine.”

Because the injury didn’t affect his lower body, Jones continued skating — and skating hard — throughout his absence to keep his conditioning up.

That should aid him Wednesday, even though Richardson said he hopes he’ll be able to ease him back in with a smaller-than-usual workload. He’d averaged 25:12 of ice time through the Hawks’ first eight games, tallying four assists, after averaging 26:13 in 78 games last season.

Of slightly more concern is a splint Jones will need to wear around his thumb for the next few weeks. The splint provides protection against re-fracturing the bone but prevents him from bending the thumb.

“That’s challenging,” Jones said. “I can’t move it or do much with it, but it is what it is. I’ve had it on for about two weeks now…so [I’m] pretty used to it.”

Thumb flexibility or not, Jones’ return should make a huge difference for the Hawks. They went 2-6-2 during the 10 games he missed while allowing 35.1 shots on goal, 33.1 scoring chances and 3.06 expected goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five, ranking bottom-five in the league in every category.

Almost all of their defensemen have been over-slotted in the depth chart, thrust into roles larger and more difficult than they could handle. With Jones devouring minutes and taking on top matchups again, that problem should somewhat resolve itself.

Note: The latest injury update was worse for forward Tyler Johnson. He didn’t practice Tuesday after experiencing increased ankle soreness the past two days. At one point, he expected to return last week; now, even next week seems optimistic.

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Tuesday, November 22, 2022

LAKE SHORE ATHLETIC

Roycemore at Lycee Francais, 5:30

NON CONFERENCE

ACERO-Soto at Mansueto, 5:30

Alden-Hebron at Our Lady Sacred Heart. 5:30

Bader Hillel (WI) at Ida Crown, 7:30

Blue Ridge at Lowpoint-Washburn, 7:00

Harvest Christian at Rochelle Zell, 7:00

Illinois Lutheran at Heritage Christian (IN), 6:00

Marquette at DePue, 7:00

North Grand at Urban Prep-Englewood, 1:00

Universal at Hope Academy, 6:30

ASHTON-FRANKLIN CENTER

Leland vs. West Carroll, 6:00

Durand vs. Polo, 6:00

Amboy vs. Hiawatha, 7:30

LaMoille vs. Ashton-Franklin Center, 7:30

BATAVIA

Waubonsie Valley vs. Longwood, 6:00

Raby vs. Marmion, 7:30

BLOOM / MARIAN CATHOLIC

at Bloom

Lincoln-Way Central vs. Hillcrest, 4:30

Bloom vs. Thornton Fr. South, 7:00

at Marian Catholic

Homewood-Flossmoor vs. St. Francis de Sales, 5:0

Marian Catholic vs. Rich, 6:30

BOYLAN

Freeport vs. Rockford Lutheran, 5:00

St. Charles North vs. Richwoods, 6:30

Boylan vs. Marshall, 8:00

CHRIST THE KING

Julian vs. Richards (Chgo), 5:30

Hansberry vs. Christ the King, 7:00

COLLINS

Ellison vs. Manley, 11:00

North Grand vs. Urban Prep-Englewood, 1:00

Muchin vs. Collins, 3:00

Providence-St. Mel vs. Austin, 5:00

Hyde Park vs. North Lawndale, 7:00

COAL CITY / MANTENO

at Coal City

Morris vs. Agricultural Science, 5:30

Gardner-So. Wilmington vs. Coal City, 7:00

at Manteno

Beecher vs. Peotone, 5:30

IC Catholic vs. Manteno, 7:00

DE LA SALLE / KING

at De La Salle

Urban Prep-Bronzeville at De La Salle, 5:00

Chicago Military vs. Latin, 6:30

at King

Morgan Park vs. King, 5:00

Corliss vs. Orr

DE PAUL / LANE

at DePaul

Englewood STEM vs. Notre Dame, 4:30

Francis Parker vs. DePaul, 6:00

at Lane

Jones vs. Niles North, 5:00

Legal Prep vs. Lane, 7:00

DECATUR

Bolingbrook vs. Eisenhower (Decatur), 6:00

Thornton vs. Manual, 7:30

DWIGHT / WOODLAND

at Dwight

Momence vs. Earlville, 5:30

Grant Park vs. Dwight, 7:00

at Woodland

Flanagan-Cornell vs. St. Bede, 6:00

Ridgeview vs. Woodland, 7:30

ELLISON

Catalyst-Maria vs. Chicago Tech, 2:15

Catalyst-Maria vs. Ellison, 3:30

Chicago Tech vs. Ellison, 4:45

Hubbard vs. Little Village, 6:00

Crane vs. Little Village, 7:15

ELMWOOD PARK

Addison Trail vs. Walther Christian, 5:30

Aurora Central vs. Elmwood Park, 7:00

FENTON

Clemente vs. Rolling Meadows, 4:30

Wheaton-Warr. South vs. Harlan, 6:00

Fremd vs. Montini, 7:30

GIBSON CITY-MELVIN-SIBLEY

Prairie Central vs. Fisher, 5:00

Armstrong-Potomac vs. Lexington, 6:30

Hoopeston vs. Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, 8:00

GLENBARD WEST

Glenbard East vs. Glenbard South, 6:00

Glenbard North vs. Glenbard West, 7:30

GLENBROOK NORTH / ST. PATRICK

at Glenbrook North

Wheaton North vs. Prosser, 5:15

Conant vs. Glenbrook North, 7:00

at St. Patrick

Lake Forest Academy vs. Payton, 6:00

St. Patrick vs. Niles West, 7:30

GOODE

Chicago Collegiate vs. Horizon-McKinley, 10:00

Air Force vs. ASPIRA-Bus&Fin, 11:30

Goode vs. Mogan Park Academy, 1:00

GRANT / MUNDELEIN

at Grant

Schurz vs. Grant, 5:30

Comer vs. Warren, 7:00

at Mundelein

Lakes vs. Deerfield, 5:30

Carmel vs. Mundelein, 7:00

JOHNSBURG

Marian Central vs. Wauconda, 5:30

Huntley vs. Streamwood, 5:30

Geneva vs. Crystal Lake South, 7:00

Johnsburg vs. Grayslake North, 7:00

LISLE

Evergreen Park vs. Westmont, 5:30

West Chicago vs. Lisle, 7:00

LOYOLA / NEW TRIER

at Loyola

Loyola vs. Rauner, 5:00

Bulls Prep vs. Lake Forest, 6:30

at New Trier

New Trier vs. Butler, 5:00

St. Ignatius vs. Taft, 6:30

LYONS

Fenger vs. Lincoln-Way East. 6:00

Lyons vs. Maine South, 7:30

NAPERVILLE NORTH / OSWEGO

at Naperville North

Oswego East vs. Hinsdale Central, 5:30

Naperville North vs. Downers Grove South, 7:00

at Oswego

Neuqua Valley vs. West Aurora, 5:30

Fenwick vs. Oswego, 7:00

NORTHRIDGE

Wheeling vs. Amundsen, 6:00

Vernon Hills vs. Northridge, 7:30

OAK LAWN / REAVIS

at Oak Lawn

Bremen vs. St. Laurence, 5:00

Lincoln-Way West vs. Oak Lawn, 6:30

at Reavis

Kennedy vs. Mount Carmel, 4:30

Sandburg vs. Reavis, 6:00

OTTAWA

Pontiac vs. Marengo, 5:00

Ottawa vs. Thornridge, 6:30

Streator vs. LaSalle-Peru, 8:00

PALATINE

York vs. Round Lake, 4:30

Stevenson vs. Buffalo Grove, 6:00

Palatine vs. Jacobs, 7:30

PEORIA HEIGHTS

Midland vs. Peoria Christian, 6:00

RICHARDS / SHEPARD

at Richards

Chicago Christian vs. Richards, 5:00

Eisenhower vs. Southand, 6:30

at Shepard

Andrew vs. Perspectives-Lead, 5:00

Marist vs. Shepard, 6:30

RIDGEWOOD

Northside vs. Maine East, 5:30

Highland Park vs. Schaumburg, 5:30

Mather vs. Ridgewood, 7:00

Naperville Central vs. Leyden, 7:00

RIVERSIDE-BROOKFIELD

Curie vs. Hinsdale South, 5:30

Riverside-Brookfield vs. University High, 7:00

ROCKFORD

at Guilford

Young vs. Rockford East, 6:00

Guilford vs. Douglass (TN), 7:30

ROWVA-WILLIAMSFIELD

Henry-Senachwine vs. Monmouth United, 6:30

ST. CHARLES EAST

East Aurora vs. Proviso East, 5:00

Benet vs. Plainfield East, 6:30

South Elgin vs. Willowbrook, 8:00

ST. VIATOR

Antioch vs. Prospect, 5:30

Libertyville vs. Evanston, 7:00

SENECA

Hall vs. Mendota, 5:30

Somonauk vs. Seneca, 7:00

STAGG

Argo vs. Plainfield South, 4:30

Lindblom vs. Nazareth, 6:00

UPLIFT

Alcott vs. South Shore, 5:00

Roosevelt vs. Holy Trinity, 6:15

Uplift vs. Lycee Francais, 7:30

WASHINGTON (IL)

Yorkville Christian vs. Metamora, 4:30

Lincoln Park vs. Washington (IL), 7:30

Joliet West vs. Ritter (MO), 9:00

WELLS

Ogden vs. Golder, 3:00

Wells vs. Noble Street, 4:30

Intrinsic-Belmont vs. Wolcott, 6:00

WESTMINSTER CHRISTIAN

Elgin vs. Genoa-Kingston, 4:30

Horizon-Southwest vs. Westminster Christian, 6:0

WETHERSFIELD

Annawan vs. Stark County, 5:00

Bureau Valley vs. Elmwood, 6:30

Putnam County vs. Wethersfield, 8:00

WHEATON ACADEMY

Downers Grove North vs. Lake Park, 5:30

Metea Valley vs. St. Francis, 7:00

WOODSTOCK / WOODSTOCK NORTH

at Woodstock

Kaneland vs. McHenry, 5:15

Cary-Grove vs. Woodstock, 7:00

at Woodstock North

Prairie Ridge vs. Woodstock North, 7:00

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The Chicago Bears added a CB to their practice squad

The Chicago Bears’ secondary has been atrocious this season. The Bears supposed best corner, Jaylon Johnson, was the Bears worst rated defensive player in the team’s loss to the Detroit Lions. Rookie cornerback Kyler Gordon has been terrible in pass coverage this year.

It’s a bad year for the Bears when Kindle Vildor is graded as the team’s best coverage cornerback for the season. However, how bad the Bears’ secondary is versus how bad the team’s defensive line seems impossible to evaluate by Week 12. The team was looking for options to add secondary help to the practice squad this week.

According to a statement by the Bears, the team signed defensive back Breon Borders to the practice squad.

Borders was an undrafted free agent who has been in the NFL off and on since 2017. He’s played in 31 total NFL games as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Washington Commanders, Tennessee Titans, and Arizona Cardinals.

Borders played college football at Duke. He was a member of the third-team All-ACC team in 2016. We’ll see if Borders can fight his way onto the active roster. That should be an easier proposition on this Chicago Bears team than most other secondaries in the NFL.

For More Great Chicago Sports Content

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Randy Durr was an “A and B student” before graduating from Walter H. Dyett High School for the Arts in 2021, worked at McDonald’s and UPS and belonged to a South Side church where he served as an usher, according to his family.

“Randy has been raised to know the difference between right and wrong,” his mother says.

But last week, according to authorities, Durr held up an undercover federal agent at gunpoint during a firearms transaction. The 19-year-old now faces a robbery charge in federal court.

Durr’s family members filed letters with the court Monday asking for him to be released from custody until his trial.

“Wrong is wrong and right is right and in this case my son was wrong, but one thing for sure I know, I did not raise my son to be what he appear[s] to be in court,” his mother, Yamashita Durr, wrote.

“My husband and I would like to apologize to the court for the decisions Randy has implemented and hope and pray our son learn[s] from his failures,” she said.

Durr’s mother said he continues to struggle with grief over the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old friend in 2019 in Dolton.

On Monday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Young B. Kim said Durr must remain in custody but recommended that corrections officials segregate him from people awaiting or serving prison sentences.

Durr’s lawyer didn’t return calls seeking comment, and his parents couldn’t be reached.

According to a federal complaint against Durr, he sold an undercover agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives a 9mm Polymer80 handgun on Nov. 7 and another on Nov. 9. Those weapons are often referred to as “ghost guns” — untraceable firearms without serial numbers, assembled from components bought online.

On Nov. 16, the agent arranged to buy four more guns from Durr and they met in a grocery parking lot near 38th Street and Martin Luther King Drive, the complaint said. Durr got in the agent’s vehicle. He handed a cell phone to the agent, who talked to a man who said he was bringing the guns and was 10 minutes away, according to the complaint.

The agent started counting out the “buy money” in front of Durr, the complaint said.

Hidden video cameras recorded Durr as he then pulled a Glock handgun from his jacket, pointed the pistol at the agent with his finger on the trigger and grabbed the cash, according to the complaint. Durr is accused of threatening to shoot the agent, who got out of the vehicle and walked away.

Durr got in a black Chevrolet Impala, which sped off, hitting vehicles driven by law enforcement officials who had been watching the undercover operation, according to the complaint.

Officials chased Durr and lost sight of the Impala as it raced south on Lake Shore Drive but were able to track him down at a woman’s South Side apartment. They arrested him and recovered a Glock pistol and most of the stolen money, whose serial numbers were pre-recorded, according to the complaint. Durr admitted he committed the holdup and that he hid the loaded Glock in a garbage can, officials said.

The undercover agent wasn’t identified in court records.

Underscoring the danger of such operations, two ATF agents and a Chicago police officer were wounded last year when Eugene McLaurin, thinking they were rival gang members, shot into their unmarked Chrysler 300 on the ramp on to northbound I-57 near 119th Street in Morgan Park, federal prosecutors said. McLaurin, 30, is awaiting trial on federal charges.

In 2018, an undercover ATF agent was doing surveillance of a gang’s territory near 43rd Street and Hermitage Avenue in Back of the Yards when Ernesto Godinez shot him in the head, causing permanent damage to his left eye, federal prosecutors said. Godinez, 32, allegedly thought the agent was a rival gang member. He’s serving a 200-month prison sentence for the shooting.

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Randy Durr was an “A and B student” before graduating from Walter H. Dyett High School for the Arts in 2021, worked at McDonald’s and UPS and belonged to a South Side church where he served as an usher, according to his family.

“Randy has been raised to know the difference between right and wrong,” his mother says.

But last week, according to authorities, Durr held up an undercover federal agent at gunpoint during a firearms transaction. The 19-year-old now faces a robbery charge in federal court.

Durr’s family members filed letters with the court Monday asking for him to be released from custody until his trial.

“Wrong is wrong and right is right and in this case my son was wrong, but one thing for sure I know, I did not raise my son to be what he appear[s] to be in court,” his mother, Yamashita Durr, wrote.

“My husband and I would like to apologize to the court for the decisions Randy has implemented and hope and pray our son learn[s] from his failures,” she said.

Durr’s mother said he continues to struggle with grief over the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old friend in 2019 in Dolton.

On Monday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Young B. Kim said Durr must remain in custody but recommended that corrections officials segregate him from people awaiting or serving prison sentences.

Durr’s lawyer didn’t return calls seeking comment, and his parents couldn’t be reached.

According to a federal complaint against Durr, he sold an undercover agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives a 9mm Polymer80 handgun on Nov. 7 and another on Nov. 9. Those weapons are often referred to as “ghost guns” — untraceable firearms without serial numbers, assembled from components bought online.

On Nov. 16, the agent arranged to buy four more guns from Durr and they met in a grocery parking lot near 38th Street and Martin Luther King Drive, the complaint said. Durr got in the agent’s vehicle. He handed a cell phone to the agent, who talked to a man who said he was bringing the guns and was 10 minutes away, according to the complaint.

The agent started counting out the “buy money” in front of Durr, the complaint said.

Hidden video cameras recorded Durr as he then pulled a Glock handgun from his jacket, pointed the pistol at the agent with his finger on the trigger and grabbed the cash, according to the complaint. Durr is accused of threatening to shoot the agent, who got out of the vehicle and walked away.

Durr got in a black Chevrolet Impala, which sped off, hitting vehicles driven by law enforcement officials who had been watching the undercover operation, according to the complaint.

Officials chased Durr and lost sight of the Impala as it raced south on Lake Shore Drive but were able to track him down at a woman’s South Side apartment. They arrested him and recovered a Glock pistol and most of the stolen money, whose serial numbers were pre-recorded, according to the complaint. Durr admitted he committed the holdup and that he hid the loaded Glock in a garbage can, officials said.

The undercover agent wasn’t identified in court records.

Underscoring the danger of such operations, two ATF agents and a Chicago police officer were wounded last year when Eugene McLaurin, thinking they were rival gang members, shot into their unmarked Chrysler 300 on the ramp on to northbound I-57 near 119th Street in Morgan Park, federal prosecutors said. McLaurin, 30, is awaiting trial on federal charges.

In 2018, an undercover ATF agent was doing surveillance of a gang’s territory near 43rd Street and Hermitage Avenue in Back of the Yards when Ernesto Godinez shot him in the head, causing permanent damage to his left eye, federal prosecutors said. Godinez, 32, allegedly thought the agent was a rival gang member. He’s serving a 200-month prison sentence for the shooting.

Read More

It wasn’t just the 3-25 record.

That was embarrassing enough for the Bulls to suffer through last season when going head-to-head against teams with a winning percentage of .600 or better.

What cut even deeper was that many of those 25 losses weren’t even close.

That’s why the Bulls were the only playoff team in the Eastern Conference with a negative point differential last April.

Not only an indictment on the effort against the NBA’s elite, but the talent level.

Better believe that was discussed more than a few times in the offseason.

“One of the things we talked about before the season started was, against those top four teams in the East and the West, we didn’t play particularly well,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said.

And while executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas banked on bringing back “continuity” by leaving the starting group intact, there was a focus made in the depth department. Depth that has given the Bulls a promising bench and one of the reasons last season’s ugly trend against upper-echelon teams was already changing just 17 games into the regular season.

Facing teams that entered Tuesday currently sporting a .600 winning percentage or better, the Bulls were 3-3. That included being responsible for two of the four losses 13-4 Boston was wearing.

Not the only impressive mark on the current resume, either.

The Bulls also have wins over projected playoff teams like Miami and Toronto.

So it’s not an indictment on talent like it was last season, as much as it’s an indictment on effort with the current 7-10 overall record this roster has posted.

Very fixable in Zach LaVine’s opinion.

“We’re a really good team, but we go through lapses where we play bad,” the two-time All-Star guard said. “We don’t want to dig ourselves into too deep of a hole where you’re just hoping and praying. We’re a good enough team to make it up with the players and talent we have.”

That’s about to be tested once again, as the Bulls start a six-game road trip Wednesday night in Milwaukee, and can start making a statement going into December.

After the Bucks (12-4), it’s Oklahoma City (7-10), Utah (12-7), Phoenix (10-6), Golden State (8-10) and Sacramento (9-6). Four teams currently .600 or better, one defending NBA champion, and a Thunder team that might be down on talent, but fights from tip-off to final horn.

A 12-day trial where Donovan was hoping to find out exactly what he has rounding the quarter mark of the season with.

“I know our record is what it is at this point in time, but I think outside of maybe the Cleveland game [a 32-point blowout loss], some of these teams like Boston, we’ve been very competitive with them,” Donovan said. “Same thing with Toronto, Miami, the first game of the year. I think we’ve been way more competitive in those games than we were a year ago.”

It’s been no secret why.

The Bulls starting five will go into the game with the Bucks a combined minus-220 in plus/minus this season, while the usual reserves of Goran Dragic, Alex Caruso, Javonte Green, Derrick Jones Jr., and Andre Drummond were a combined plus-206.

To put that in perspective, Milwaukee’s starting five will host the Bulls with a combined plus/minus of plus-367.

Head shaking? Absolutely. But like LaVine, DeRozan thinks it’s all very fixable. This road trip would be a good place for that to start.

“I’d rather be going through our struggles now, because games like [the latest Boston win], we realize we can compete with anybody,” DeRozan said. “I really believe once we catch that rhythm, that confidence of playing at a high level, it’s going to be consistent.”

Read More

It wasn’t just the 3-25 record.

That was embarrassing enough for the Bulls to suffer through last season when going head-to-head against teams with a winning percentage of .600 or better.

What cut even deeper was that many of those 25 losses weren’t even close.

That’s why the Bulls were the only playoff team in the Eastern Conference with a negative point differential last April.

Not only an indictment on the effort against the NBA’s elite, but the talent level.

Better believe that was discussed more than a few times in the offseason.

“One of the things we talked about before the season started was, against those top four teams in the East and the West, we didn’t play particularly well,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said.

And while executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas banked on bringing back “continuity” by leaving the starting group intact, there was a focus made in the depth department. Depth that has given the Bulls a promising bench and one of the reasons last season’s ugly trend against upper-echelon teams was already changing just 17 games into the regular season.

Facing teams that entered Tuesday currently sporting a .600 winning percentage or better, the Bulls were 3-3. That included being responsible for two of the four losses 13-4 Boston was wearing.

Not the only impressive mark on the current resume, either.

The Bulls also have wins over projected playoff teams like Miami and Toronto.

So it’s not an indictment on talent like it was last season, as much as it’s an indictment on effort with the current 7-10 overall record this roster has posted.

Very fixable in Zach LaVine’s opinion.

“We’re a really good team, but we go through lapses where we play bad,” the two-time All-Star guard said. “We don’t want to dig ourselves into too deep of a hole where you’re just hoping and praying. We’re a good enough team to make it up with the players and talent we have.”

That’s about to be tested once again, as the Bulls start a six-game road trip Wednesday night in Milwaukee, and can start making a statement going into December.

After the Bucks (12-4), it’s Oklahoma City (7-10), Utah (12-7), Phoenix (10-6), Golden State (8-10) and Sacramento (9-6). Four teams currently .600 or better, one defending NBA champion, and a Thunder team that might be down on talent, but fights from tip-off to final horn.

A 12-day trial where Donovan was hoping to find out exactly what he has rounding the quarter mark of the season with.

“I know our record is what it is at this point in time, but I think outside of maybe the Cleveland game [a 32-point blowout loss], some of these teams like Boston, we’ve been very competitive with them,” Donovan said. “Same thing with Toronto, Miami, the first game of the year. I think we’ve been way more competitive in those games than we were a year ago.”

It’s been no secret why.

The Bulls starting five will go into the game with the Bucks a combined minus-220 in plus/minus this season, while the usual reserves of Goran Dragic, Alex Caruso, Javonte Green, Derrick Jones Jr., and Andre Drummond were a combined plus-206.

To put that in perspective, Milwaukee’s starting five will host the Bulls with a combined plus/minus of plus-367.

Head shaking? Absolutely. But like LaVine, DeRozan thinks it’s all very fixable. This road trip would be a good place for that to start.

“I’d rather be going through our struggles now, because games like [the latest Boston win], we realize we can compete with anybody,” DeRozan said. “I really believe once we catch that rhythm, that confidence of playing at a high level, it’s going to be consistent.”

Read More