Chicago Sports

The Fire announced they have exercised the 2023 contract options for Sporting Director Georg Heitz and Technical Director Sebastian Pelzer. The 2023 season will be the fourth for the pair.

“I’m pleased that Georg and Sebastian will return in 2023,” said Owner and Chairman Joe Mansueto. “Going into next season, we feel that we have established a strong foundation with a new coaching staff, led by Ezra Hendrickson, and a core group of players to build around.”

The Fire suffered through another disappointing season, finishing 10-15-9 (39 points) and 12th in the Eastern Conference and missed the postseason for the fifth consecutive year.

In another front office move, President of Business Operations Ishwara Glassman Chrein will leave the organization for personal reasons.

“Although I enjoyed my role at the Fire, it has been extremely challenging for my family and I to be away from our home, close friends, and family in New York City,” Glassman Chrein said. “With the offseason now underway, it felt like the right time to transition back home and pursue other opportunities.”

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A long break just three games into their regular-season schedule has given the Blackhawks another miniature training camp of sorts this week.

After staying an extra day in California — following their win Saturday over the Sharks — for a team golf outing, the Hawks practiced Tuesday back in Chicago and will again Wednesday and Thursday before finally hosting the Red Wings in their home opener Friday.

Coach Luke Richardson is using the opportunity to work on the Hawks’ communication and man-assignment sorting in defensive coverage and to emphasize playing faster and more aggressively in the neutral zone and on the forecheck. Those were focus areas during actual training camp, too, but the Hawks now have more film to break down and a better sense of their strengths and weaknesses.

“Our team did a really good job tracking [the puck], our ‘D’ were having good gaps and we were ending [opponent possessions] early,” Tyler Johnson said Tuesday. “But there are times where we get the puck and, instead of just moving it north right away, we try to look for that perfect play or try to look around.

“If we can get it in our heads that we know exactly where everyone’s going to be once we turn the puck over…we’re a pretty good team. In San Jose, there was a very good stretch there where we did that: we just played north-south.”

Richardson will show the team Wednesday one particular play from the third period Saturday that demonstrates what he wants to see more often.

In it, Jarred Tinordi retrieved a dump-in behind the Hawks’ net and immediately passed the puck up to Philipp Kurashev in the neutral zone, who immediately deflected it into the Sharks’ zone. Within three seconds, the puck traveled from goal line to goal line and the Hawks transitioned from retrieval to breakout to forecheck — exemplifying that aforementioned “north-south” approach.

Sharks goalie Kaapo Kahkonen stopped the puck behind the net but Patrick Kane pressured him from the weak side, forcing him to pass to defenseman Radim Simek in the strong-side corner — right in line with Kurashev’s forecheck. Kurashev hit Simek, forced a turnover and fed Kane down low, who dished the puck to MacKenzie Entwistle (the “F3” forward in this situation) cruising into the slot.

Entwistle’s shot attempt was blocked, but dozens of forechecks like that over the course of a game would eventually add up.

“It becomes very annoying for other teams,” Richardson said. “Teams start to not [exactly] be leery of you, but…[think] like, ‘Oh, we’re playing them tonight. They’re relentless. They never give up.’ That’s the presence we want to have and what we want to be known as our identity.”

Richardson isn’t exaggerating about making a heavy forecheck a central part of the Hawks’ identity. When Jason Dickinson joined the team last week, for example, forechecking was the first thing the coaching staff talked to him about.

And more time together will hopefully help the Hawks memorize teammates’ tendencies, familiarize themselves more with Richardson’s lessons and improve the forecheck further.

“Good teams don’t really make reads,” Johnson said. “They just react, and they always know where everyone is. Early on in the year, it’s tough to be like that. But as the year goes on, you should be able to get the puck and literally have your eyes closed and know where the other four guys on the ice are going to be. That’s just timing.

“Once you get that, that’s what makes teams look like they play really fast.”

Note: Jake McCabe has been medically cleared to return from cervical spine surgery and will likely make his season debut Friday. The Hawks sent Alex Vlasic to Rockford on Tuesday but still have eight defensemen on the active roster, which Richardson called a “good problem to have.”

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The NBA season tips off tonight with two marquee matchups. Gear up for the season with a few future bets to add to your slips.

If you are a massive NBA fan, whether you enjoy betting, or not, I truly believe that look-ahead conversations and future hypotheticals are almost as enjoyable as actually watching the action. This blog won’t be a full breakdown of my 2022-23 thoughts, but I figured I’d give a little snippet of some opinions that I’ve generated on a few teams ahead of tonight’s tip off. Stay tuned for daily plays on the Bulls, and also consistent thoughts and bets on the NBA as a whole throughout the entire season!

Philadelphia 76ers Over 50.5 Wins

Many people have mixed thoughts on this Philly team that finished with 51 wins one season ago, but I am a believer in this upcoming year from a handful of different standpoints.

The question marks with James Harden are certainly warranted, and while I don’t believe we will see the return of MVP-level James Harden given some of the rule changes that have happened over the past seasons, I do believe, with more repetitions and continuity with this roster following the midseason trade last year, we will see a more effective and consistent James Harden.

In Joel Embiid’s case, after falling short in MVP voting to Nikola Jokic in back-to-back years, I firmly believe that contending for that award is on his list of goals for the season, and if he is truly in that conversation this team should be a 50-plus win team.

Beyond the stars, I really love the possibility of the depth of this team improving. The leading candidate for improvement, and if achieved could be season-changing improvement, is Tyrese Maxey. Maxey finished 6th in last year’s “Most Improved Player” voting, and is currently listed as the second favorite on most sportsbooks to win the award this year, behind only Anthony Edwards. If he goes to another level, he may elevate to a household name, but could also tilt the East to Philly’s favor.

To close things out, adding PJ Tucker in the offseason, and a potential boost in production from Matisse Thybulle and the rest of the supporting cast would only make this team deeper and tougher to play on a nightly basis. Give me the over for the season, and give me this team to have a serious chance to contend for the 1-seed in the East.

Cleveland Cavaliers Under 47.5 Wins

Cleveland was the clear front-runner for most improved and most surprising team last year, and while I by no means am saying they revert back to a losing team, I am taking a bit of a stance against the public with this one.

According to DraftKings bet tracker, as of last week, 84% of the bets on this market are to the over. At 44-38 one season ago, and now having added Donovan Mitchell to the mix, you would on paper expect Cleveland to take more than a four-win jump.

I really love what they are building overall with the young talent that they have assembled, but at the end of the day, I think their could be some offensive growing pains in the early portions of this season. Defensively, their interior with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen is really stout, but on the perimeter, if they face guards that can create their own shot on the outside, their defense could face some struggles with the personnel that they have in Mitchell, Darius Garland and Ricky Rubio.

I put them in a similar position as they were in last year with 44 or 45 wins, and more than likely in the six to eight seed range when it’s all said and done, but the future is incredibly bright.

Portland Trail Blazers Over 39.5 Wins

I can understand if you are surprised to see this play on my card, as the Blazers were a total afterthought last season with Damian Lillard sidelined for 53 games due to injury.

I’ll start with Lillard and work my way down here, but I have strong thoughts on a huge bounceback season for Lillard. Last year marked the first time in his career in which he played in less than 66 games throughout the season, and with re-commitment at least for the upcoming couple of seasons in Portland, I fully expect him to be a hell-bent man on a mission to not only be a winning team, but shock everyone and give this team a shot at playing in the postseason.

That may be a tall order, but with a potentially improved, yet under the radar supporting cast, I think this team will be really fun to watch. The supporting cast includes guys that either took massive jumps recently, or new faces that don’t quite get as much respect as they should in the NBA.

The leading candidate that could continue to see improvement, is Anfernee Simons, who in his fourth year, elevated from a roughly eight point per game scorer, to 17.3 in Lillard’s absence. In addition to Simons progression, you have Josh Hart who came over midseason last year and played only 13 games with this team, but across 54 games with both Portland and New Orleans averaged 14.9 points per game.

The offseason additions include Jerami Grant, who if you haven’t been paying attention to Detroit over the past two seasons, has elevated to a 20 point per game scorer in his own right. This team will certainly have it’s flaws, and shouldn’t be looked at as a true contender, but with a highly motivated Lillard, and a multitude of other scoring options at the guard and wing positions, I think this offense can be really effective and put this team at 41 or 42 wins this season. Give me the over and give me a sprinkle on Lillard to win MVP as well while you’re at it.

Detroit Pistons Over 29.5 Wins

The Detroit Pistons head into 2022 with arguably the most buzz surrounding their team that we have seen in recent memory. While I firmly believe this team is still one year away from playoff contention, I believe we will start to see the beginning of a turn in culture over in Detroit.

The easy points for this argument lie at the top with Cade Cunningham entering year two of his career. I am buying plenty of stock in him to elevate not only his play, but the team’s play on a nightly basis. Cunningham finished the season with All-Rookie honors, averaging 17.4 points per game and over five rebounds and assists to go along with it on the side. I’m not sure how much these numbers will jump here in year two, but I do firmly believe that his “game-management” and leadership as a point guard will only improve.

Jaden Ivey’s (preseason highlights) production as a rookie remains to be seen, but I took a piece of his odds to win Rookie of the Year, and even if he falls short of those honors, the energy and athleticism that he brings can only boost the firepower of this young team. Utilizing him off-ball as a compliment to Cunningham is something that I am really excited to see, and should allow him to find his spots to execute within the offense.

To shore up the loss of the aforementioned Jerami Grant, Detroit brought in Bojan Bogdanovic from Utah, a roughly 18 point per game scorer in his own right. In addition to the key pieces on this team, I also love the possibility of a few of their young role players to take a jump as well including, Seddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart, and Killian Hayes.

Give me a Pistons team that finished eighth in the league against the spread one year ago, to translate some of those close losses into wins. I’ve got this team grabbing 35 wins, and taking a nice leap into the playoffs in 2023-24.

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The Chicago Bulls’ injury report is longer than expected heading into the season opener.

By now, everybody is aware that Chicago Bulls PG Lonzo Ball is missing the beginning of the season. How much time he will miss exactly remains unclear. Aside from Lonzo, a couple of surprising additions have popped up on the Chicago Bulls’ injury report on the eve of their first game.

KC Johnson pointed out that Zach LaVine is listed as questionable. Alex Caruso, the defensive leader of the second unit, is listed as probable. Both injury updates will surprise Bulls fans, especially since the season hasn’t even begun.

It’s hard to imagine LaVine missing the team’s very first game because of injury management. LaVine participated in a good chunk of the preseason. He and DeMar DeRozan sat out the final preseason game just to play things safe.

KC Johnson followed up this report with further reasons why this news should come as a surprise.

Perhaps this listing of ‘questionable’ is only precautionary. If so, Bulls fans might have to prepare themselves for a long season of load management and scheduled rest days. The Chicago Bulls begin their 2022-23 campaign tomorrow night against the Miami Heat. They’ll take on former Bull Jimmy Butler on the road at 6:30 pm CT.

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Bears coach Matt Eberflus knows the team needs to make changes after a 2-4 start, and he spent the last few days examining every possible adjustment he could make. His thorough review included analysis of every player and coach in the building.

“That’s going to be an ongoing process,” he said Tuesday. “And that’s not to say that’s just during a mini-bye or during a bye; that’s going through the whole, entire season. We’re always trying to do that, but this is when you get a breath and you can take a chance to really dive into it a little bit deeper.”

The coaching staff met with each player individually Tuesday to go over what they’ve done well and what needs to be corrected.

In broad strokes, Eberflus highlighted many of the Bears’ obvious issues.

He said the run defense was “one thing that we’ve been working on,” though he believed the Bears were “doing a lot of things well on that side of the ball” overall. He also. mentioned that quarterback Justin Fields needs to improve his footwork and getting the ball out faster (those issues are intertwined) and that he reassessed whether the team was hindering his development with scheme and personnel issues.

The Bears begin their practice week Thursday in advance of visiting the Patriots on Monday.

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The Chicago Bears season is pretty much done

Following the Chicago Bears’ humiliating defeat on Thursday Night Football, it’s time to put any hopes about this season to bed. Roquan Smith being pancaked by an injured Carson Wentz is the perfect synopsis of where the Bears are going this season.

The Bears head into their Week 7 matchup against the New England Patriots with a 2-4 record. The Bears are currently 7.5 point dogs to a Patriots team that will likely be starting their third-string rookie quarterback, Bailey Zappe. A quarterback who was taken in the fourth round. Unless a recovering Mac Jones can start on Monday night.

That’s where this Bears team is at. A rebuilding Patriots team that might be one of the worst AFC East teams on paper is predicted to dominate the Bears with a third-string rookie quarterback. With the rest of the schedule looking rough, the Bears need to consider making some fire sales before the trade deadline.

Roquan Smith should be up for consideration at the deadline

Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report wrote about NFL players who might benefit from being traded at the deadline. Knox wrote that Bears linebacker Roquan Smith, who demanded a trade in training camp, might be a player who would appreciate leaving Chicago to play for a contender. Knox suggested the Los Angeles Chargers as a logical trade option.

The 2-4 Bears aren’t likely to be relevant in the NFC playoff race this season, as their offense and Justin Fields have been too inconsistent for that. However, Smith is playing at an All-Pro level and could see the postseason with, say, the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Chargers rank dead last in yards per rush allowed (5.8) and could desperately use a playmaker like Smith to bolster their 30th-ranked scoring defense. L.A. has $6.3 million in cap space available and wouldn’t have to create much space to absorb the remainder of Smith’s $9.7 millionbase salary.

Los Angeles also seems to have a good working relationship with Chicago general manager Ryan Poles, who dealt Khalil Mack to L.A. in the offseason. Seeing Smith and Mack on the field together would be fun, and it would make for a great change of scenery for the Chicago linebacker.

The move would make sense for both parties. Khalil Mack and Roquan Smith could have a better chance to finish this season with the Chargers what Cody Parky couldn’t with the 2018 Bears team. It helps the Chargers team is loaded with outstanding offensive talent and a franchise quarterback. Smith would likely be happier in a place his abilities make a difference.

If there’s one thing we’re learning about this season, Smith isn’t going to be the piece that puts the Bears into the playoff chase. He’s a great linebacker, but the franchise will continue to struggle until they have better pieces in more valuable places than at weakside linebacker. Trading Smith for a second-round pick seems like a good deal. The Bears could use that value to pay a quality player a much lower price than what Smith will ask for this offseason.

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It’s championship or bust for our last team that we preview in the Central Division, the Milwaukee Bucks

Opening night is tonight which means Basketball is officially back! We save our last preview for one of the favorites to win the NBA Championship. You can read my preview for the Indiana Pacers here, Detroit Pistons here, and Cleveland Cavaliers here. For the Milwaukee Bucks, it’s business as usual with eyes on a second NBA championship in three years.

2021-22 Recap

Record: 51-31 (3rd in Eastern Conference)

Lost to the Boston Celtics in seven games in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals

vs Bulls: 4-0

Memorable moment: Jrue Holiday locking down Marcus Smart late in a Game 5 victory.

2022 Off-Season

Signed Forward Joe Ingles

Re-signed Forward-Centers Bobby Portis and Serge Ibaka, Guards Wesley Matthews, and Jevon Carter

2022 Preview

For the Milwaukee Bucks and superstar Forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, there’s a clear goal to achieve: win an NBA Championship.

Some would say that if Forward Khris Middleton doesn’t sprain his MCL in the first round vs. our Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee would have repeated and been gunning for a third straight title. Injuries and luck are a part of the game and Milwaukee finished their season with little of either. Middleton had wrist surgery in July, and he’s expected to miss at least the first part of the regular season. Luckily for basketball fans around the world, this means Giannis takes on more responsibility early on and creates a strong campaign to potentially win his third NBA MVP.

Giannis, Giannis, Giannis

The consensus best player in the world, the Milwaukee Bucks go as far as Antetokounmpo will take them. Even in defeat against the Boston Celtics in the 2022 playoffs, Giannis became the first player in NBA history to record 200 points, 100 rebounds, and 50 assists in a single playoff series. With no Middleton on the roster, Boston was just a bit too much, even for Giannis.

Now entering his 10th season and still in the heart of his prime, we see if Giannis expands his game and come back an even better version of himself. Last season, he improved to become a 72% free throw shooter. This season, the hope for Bucks fans would be getting his three-point percentage closer to 35% instead of his career average of 28.8%.

He had a lot of memorable moments playing for his native Greece in Eurobasket 2022.

Roster

The addition of Forward Joe Ingles is an added playmaker to try and make life easier for Giannis and Guard Jrue Holiday. Ingles, coming off a Torn ACL suffered in January, won’t be ready for the start of the season, but will be a welcoming presence when he is ready.

Jrue Holiday should also see a nice uptick in stats early on and his on-ball defense remains one of the best in the entire league.

Besides the addition of Ingles, Milwaukee kept their roster much of the same from last season, a clear sign that they thought they were the best team in the league a season ago. My only gripe with this roster is that Grayson Allen will still be their starting shooting guard. That’s a spot where I think they need to be active in the trade market in the coming months. A better backup point guard would be a good addition as well.

Load Management

The leaders in load management the last couple of seasons, don’t expect much to change. The Milwaukee Bucks are known for being extra cautious when it comes to Giannis Antetokounmpo (don’t blame them) and their other stars, so there will be games in the regular season that simply don’t matter to them. When you’re this good consistently, it’s a luxury you can afford.

Prediction

As loaded as the top half of the Eastern Conference is, it’s hard to go against the Milwaukee Bucks as being the favorites to be back in the NBA Finals come June. Let’s see if lady luck leans more on their side this season.

Let’s get ready for six months of fun Bulls fans!

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Overreaction: The Ravens hit the panic button

The Baltimore Raven’s lost their third game in which they held a 10-point lead or greater. Sunday’s loss to the Giants has some fans ready to hit the panic button on the 3-3 playoff likely Ravens. Baltimore has struggled in the 4th quarter on both sides of the ball this season. The offense has ranked top five in the first three quarters for every game this season according to teamrankings.com, but in the fourth quarter drops to 25th in the NFL.

The defense is number one in the NFL in the first quarter but loses steam as the game goes on. Baltimore falls to the 19th defense in the second quarter then rebounds to the 17th in the third quarter. However, the fourth quarter has been the witching hour for the Ravens. Their defense falls to 31st in the NFL during the final quarter of play, only the Browns have a worse fourth-quarter defense than the Ravens.

Though Baltimore is struggling they are lucky enough to be in a division where the other teams are having ups and downs. The Bengals have shown signs of returning to a Super Bowl-caliber team, but still can’t protect Joe Burrow. The Steelers are in a rebuild but squeaked out a win against Tom Brady and the Bucs on Sunday, and the Browns are still the Browns. Baltimore can pull away from the division if they can fix their issues on both sides of the ball in the final quarter of play.

Not an Overreaction: Football is back in New York.

For the first time since the 2015 NFL season, the New York Jets and New York Giants have winning records. Both New York teams are in rebuilds but seem to be ahead of schedule with their promising starts to the season. After losing starting quarterback Zach Wilson for the first three games of the season. The Jets have won three straight in his return, but all the credit can’t go to Wilson. Rookie running back Breece Hall has looked like a home run for the Jets this season and the defensive line has become a force in recent weeks.

The Jets’ success is surprising, but the G-men being 5-1 is an absolute shock. After stunning comebacks against the Packers in week 5 and the Ravens in week 6, the Giants are one of the 3 teams that are 5-1 in the NFL. The Giants have shown no signs of quitting and all kinds of grit this season. With each game being within a touchdown, the G-men make you play their way and make you beat them at their own game.

The Giants’ success comes from similar roots as the Jets. Star running back Saquan Barkley has returned to form and the defensive line for the giants has imposed its will on teams. In other articles, I have noted that the Giants have the easiest schedule in the NFL. However, Brian Daboll and Robert Salah deserve some respect for the culture change they have given New York’s football teams. Regardless of the season outcome for the two teams New York football (for the time being) is back.

Overreaction: The suffering of NFL Primetime is over.

Whether you’ve watched Amazon’s Thursday night football, NFL Sunday Night Primetime, or ESPN Monday Night Football, the primetime slots have been anything but entertaining. Through six weeks in the NFL, the dreadful Denver Broncos have been featured four times. Primetime has also given us the privilege of two Chicago Bears primetime games with the treat of a third Bears game on Monday Night Football against the New England Patriots.

I would be happy to tell you that the painful primetime games stop there, but unfortunately, they do not. Barring any schedule flexing, we are set to see the Falcons at Panthers in week 10 on TNF. Week 12 has a beautiful showcase of the Steelers at Colts on MNF before giving us the matchup of the season of Colts at Cowboys in week 13 on SNF. The Bear and Colts have a bye week for week 14 so they can’t hurt us, but the Broncos are back in Primetime against the Chiefs on SNF.

Barring any rescheduling, there are still plenty of bad football games ahead in the primetime slots. If you want to suffer through them with us go ahead, but there may be a few games you can just get the highlights from in the coming weeks.

Not an Overreaction: Russ is cooked.

Not long ago “Let Russ Cook” was a battle cry for Seahawk fans. The NFL Pro Bowl and Super Bowl-winning quarterback had received many early season MVP nods and Pete Carrol and Russell Wilson looked like a match made in heaven. Wilson didn’t show many signs of decline, he missed two games for the first time in his career, threw for the least amount of yards since his rookie season (3,113), and yet was still elected to his ninth Pro Bowl.

Rumors started to fly in about the Seahawks looking to draft a quarterback in the coming drafts. which in turn created a frenzy of rumors that filled the NFL: “Russ demanding a trade”, “Russ being traded to the Bears“, the Raiders, or the Broncos. Seattle denied the rumors at the time, flash forward to the offseason Wilson is traded for a slew of picks and players to the Denver Broncos and begins the cursed “Broncos country, let’s ride” trend.

Since his ride began in Broncos Country, Russ has done anything but cook. Wilson is having the worst season of his career posting a 58.6% completion percentage and has been sacked 20 times through 6 games (5th most in the NFL). Not all of the blame can be on Wilson when he is also in the top 10 for hurries and knockdowns amount quarterbacks in the NFL and coaching has made some questionable play calling on several 3rd and 1’s this season. The Broncos will need to figure out the run game and the offensive line to help Wilson return to Pro Bowl form.

What did you think of week 6? Were there any overreactions I missed? Do you agree with my overreactions? Let me know in the comments below.

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It was a seamless transition for the Bulls so far.

The players went from summer pick-up games, to fall preseason games.

But now the intensity gets real.

Welcome to the “Hunger Games.”

That’s what awaits the Bulls on South Beach, as they tip off their regular season against Miami and the fabled “Heat Culture.”

Few with the Bulls know that more than Goran Dragic, who spent seven seasons playing in Miami.

“It’s way different,” Dragic said recently, when describing life with the Heat. “I mean they hold you accountable. You have to [have] body fat [measured] every week, have to come in and do pre-practice, practice, every practice is basically Hunger Games. You have to put the pads on, tape your ankles, and it’s basically like [regular-season] games. Iron sharpens iron, and that’s how they approach it.”

Basically, the very formula that the Bulls have struggled with the past few seasons, especially last year.

Teams with like or better talent, but more physicality gave this Bulls roster fits.

The 3-25 record against teams .600 or better last year – including the playoffs – wasn’t just a coincidence. It was who this team was.

An identity that has to be changed.

“Against those [elite] teams a year ago, we weren’t really as competitive as we needed to be,” coach Billy Donovan said of the opener against Miami. “Some of those games were close, but a lot of them, it wasn’t. And we’ve got to be able to take another step as a team.”

And quickly.

There will be no easing into the 2022-23 schedule for the Bulls. Besides dealing with the Heat right off the tip, the home opener is against the up-and-arrived Cavaliers, there’s two games against Boston, Toronto, and New Orleans within the first 15 games, as well as meetings with Philadelphia and Brooklyn.

Always a realist, Donovan knows what last season looked like, and wants an early test for this group to see if lessons were learned.

“I do like the fact that we’re playing against a Miami, we’ve got Boston several times, we’ve got Cleveland on a back-to-back … we’re going to be against a lot of those [elite] teams because the East is so good,” Donovan added.

Right or wrong, the starting core of this Bulls team feels they should also be in that conversation of elite teams. A core that also included Patrick Williams, after he was officially named the starting power forward on Tuesday.

Then again, they’re supposed to feel that way, but there’s also a toll that needs to be paid to go along with that confidence.

Few know that more than veteran DeMar DeRozan, who is not only embracing the rough schedule out of the gate, but anxious to see how his teammates handle it.

“I don’t want no cakewalk,” DeRozan said. “I don’t want anything easy. Playing against the best should bring out the best in you. If you’re talking about anything like being a good team or the best, you gotta compete against it. You can’t run from it.”

The good news for DeRozan & Co., they start the season relatively healthy. Sure, Lonzo Ball – arguably the best two-way player on the team – will be absent indefinitely after a second left knee surgery at the start of camp, but the coaching staff and front office knew this scenario was likely and had an entire camp to prepare for it.

Ayo Dosunmu won that starting point guard spot, and played well in all four preseason games, but the second-year player is about to really get tested.

He won’t be alone. Miami will test this entire group – starters and reserves.

“This is what you work so hard in the summer for, for moments like this,” DeRozan said. “You gotta look at it from that standpoint. That’s the beauty in it.”

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Chicago Bears make a move at wide receiver Tuesday

The Chicago Bears are making a swift change at wide receiver. According to multiple reports, wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette had been waived by the Bears. Smith-Marsette had been heavily criticized following his fumble in the fourth quarter of the Bears’ loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5. He also struggled to come up with receptions during the Bears’ final drive in the loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 6

According to Sean Hammond of Bears Insider, the team elevated a practice squad member to take Smith-Marsette’s place.

Isaiah Coulter was the Houston Texans’ fifth-round draft pick in 2020. He’s been with the Bears since the 2021 season. Coulter has appeared in just four games in his NFL Career. His stat sheet is empty. It’ll be interesting to see how Coulter fits in with this Bears offense. Not sure how he could do much worse than the wide receiver he is replacing.

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