Chicago Sports

The line of doubters has been growing.

Didn’t add enough this offseason, “continuity” was a questionable plan, the Eastern Conference is a minefield … pick a criticism and the Bulls have heard it the last few months.

So while NBA media day is usually a nice bonfire and some Kumbaya filling the fleeting summer sky, Monday’s was a bit different for the crew at the United Center.

That started with veteran DeMar DeRozan.

At age 33 and coming off arguably one of his best seasons in the NBA, DeRozan spent the last few months hearing the critics dissect his game and predicting the inevitable fading of it in Year 14.

Enough so that he fired back at it on social media recently.

“I mean at this point, I always find humor in it,” DeRozan said. “You always try to find reasons to be motivated. At this point, I have so many other motivational factors that it becomes laughable. I always use whatever I can take. It’s kind of like free energy. I indulge in it and just let them eat their words whenever they eat it.”

Then why reply and get caught up in it?

“Because it’s like, “God damn, what did I do to you all?’ ” DeRozan replied. “Because I know nobody understands and knows the amount of work that I put in. I know for a fact that most of the guys in our league don’t work like I do. Just me knowing that part of it, I already know what you’re putting up is BS.”

DeRozan wasn’t the only one with a chip on his shoulder, either.

Fellow All-Star Zach LaVine found himself still being asked about being a max contract player and the pressure that will come with that.

LaVine’s response was his usual company line.

“I put the highest expectations on myself more than anybody, and I keep developing my game like I have the last nine years of my career,” LaVine said. “I don’t think a contract is going to give me any extra motivation for it because I already have enough myself.”

Easy to say the eve before camp practices are scheduled to start. Let’s check back with LaVine come February and March, especially if this Bulls team is trying to find a foothold in a play-in spot and that five-year, $215-million extension has an even brighter spotlight shining on it.

That’s when LaVine’s West Coast cool will really be tested.

There is a desk, however, where the buck starts and stops.

Since executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas first sat in the chair prior to the 2020-21 season, Karnisovas has been showered in praise for the quick turnaround. But even feel-good has an expiration date in the Association.

Karnisovas isn’t even close to reaching that, but there are now reasonable questions about his plan in building this roster, starting with the decision to stay the course with the core group this offseason. A core group that finished 3-25 against teams .600 or better last season and was bounced from the playoffs in the first round.

Even with the East getting better, Karnisovas wasn’t about to start second-guessing his plan.

“I think we need time to see this group play together longer to have any type of conclusion because we liked what we saw in the first 20 games,” Karnisovas said, when asked about summer regrets. “I think this group needs a lot more time.

“The things we are going to focus on, because it’s a lot of talent on this team, is chemistry and team cohesion and relationships because we all understand talent wins games and relationships win championships. Everything we do in our building is thinking about winning.”

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Lonzo Ball was scheduled to have left knee surgery on Wednesday, with the hope to remove some debris and have him back on track for a re-evaluation in four-to-six weeks.

That was all Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas was willing to insist with conviction.

How quickly the point guard will return, or if he’ll even return this season? That’s not a pool that Karnisovas was willing to swim in.

“I’m not a doctor,” Karnisovas said on Monday. “I’m just going to wait and see what the doctors are going to tell me.”

And that’s where it gets tricky for the Bulls.

Ball went down last January with what was first diagnosed as a bone bruise that would need a few weeks to subside. One surgery and now eight months later, Ball was still sidelined, and in Los Angeles awaiting a second surgery on the knee.

There was some criticism about the timing of Ball’s decision for a second surgery, but Karnisovas explained that timeline.

“We gave every opportunity [for Ball] to rehab and get back on the court without doing the surgery,” Karnisovas said. “That was our thought process, with the thought in mind of what’s best for the player. We’re at a crossroads now where we need to do something else and that’s why we opted in to do the procedure.”

Ball’s teammates have been in constant contact, and know how tough this latest injury saga has been for the former No. 2 overall pick.

“I know guys have talked about it all summer, but let’s understand he wants to be out here more than anyone else,” guard Zach LaVine said. “Nobody wants to be injured. It’s tough to have people talk about it each and every day, and when you’re going to be back. I just told him, ‘Make sure you’re ready when you are cause when you come back we need you, you’re our starting point guard, you’re the cog to our defense, our facilitator.’ ”

As far as a plan to replace Ball for the time being, coach Billy Donovan was leaving it an open competition. Second-year combo guard Ayo Dosunmu, as well as veterans Alex Caruso and Goran Dragic are all in play, but Donovan wanted to use practices and exhibition games to see which groups work in sync with certain personnel.

‘What are you doing, Dragic?’

Dragic knew the question was coming in his first media session as a Bull, and it came.

The veteran was on the receiving end of a 2010 poster dunk by Derrick Rose, leaving announcer Stacey King to scream, “What are you doing, Dragic …” after the then-Suns guard attempted to block Rose. A block that was very unsuccessful.

“Yes, this is my nightmare,” Dragic said, laughing.

He then explained the play all these years later.

“The funny thing, this was the only time somebody dunked on me in my whole NBA career,” Dragic said. “It’s fine.”

Dragic said he spoke to Rose about the play later, when the two were on an Adidas promotion tour.

“I said, ‘You had to do it like that?’ ” Dragic recalled. “I was young … second year in the league. First year I didn’t play much, so my second year I started to play a little bit so I had to go for that play. Of course if I knew [the outcome], I would never [challenged Rose], but it is what it is. At least I’m on TV all the time.”

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Pondering Bears quarterback Justin Fields leads me to thoughts of the family dog I purchased a decade ago.

The girls had decided they needed a small, fluffy breed that didn’t shed, and the man with a brood said the one we picked was ”pet quality, not show quality.”

The dog had a paw that turned out slightly and some other ”defects” that mattered only if you were preparing to trot him in a ”Best in Show” remake. That is, if you were ready for a commentator like John Michael Higgins to spew cynically, ”He broke his gait. He may as well have taken a dump.”

This dog we love is not in competition. Most assuredly, not in elite competition.

Sadly, quarterback Fields is.

As I have said many times, there is nothing harder in all of team sports than being a successful NFL quarterback. There’s no shame in being ”pet quality.”

But team owners aren’t looking for cuddly, flawed creatures to lead their teams. They’re looking for beasts like Johnny Unitas, Joe Montana, Dan Marino, John Elway, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Tom Brady, Lamar Jackson — when they’re at their peaks — to lead.

Fields on Sunday was so bad that it is remarkable the Bears beat the Texans. A good running game, a good defense, and a lousy Houston squad made the difference.

It’s astounding to think that an NFL quarterback in the modern era (since the invention of the T-formation, the banishment of the bump-and-run, the proliferation of tree-frog sticky receiver gloves, and the apparent moratorium on holding penalties by offensive linemen) can throw just 28 passes in two games.

Yet that’s all Fields has thrown since the 17 he tossed in the opener. Consider: Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray threw 28 passes in the first half against the Rams on Sunday. Joe Flacco has thrown 155 passes so far, Josh Allen, 132, Joe Burrow, 125. And so on.

Fields has 297 total passing yards in three games. Thirty-one quarterbacks have more. Twenty have thrown for at least 700 yards.

Fields’ four interceptions tie him for second most (or worst) in the league. His two passing touchdowns rank him 27th.

The point is, quarterbacks play the game to throw passes. The Ravens’ Jackson and a couple other quarterbacks are legitimate running threats — and Fields has good wheels, too. But that’s not why anybody leads the way. Running is a corollary to quarterback success, not a foundation.

Second-year man Fields knows how badly he has played. People talk about giving him time to adjust and learn the pro game. But the flash of greatness needs to appear. Patience be damned.

”I just played like trash,” he said Sunday. No need to expand.

The amazing part of the Bears’ 2-1 success is that they have made their mark running the ball. Kudos to backup running back Khalil Herbert for gaining 157 yards on 20 carries Sunday. And congrats to the Bears for their 281 total rushing yards, the most since 1984. The Bears had 283 yards rushing in that game 38 years ago, and lost 23-14 to the Cowboys. The point being, you’re not going far if you can’t pass.

And we don’t know if Fields can do that. Oh, his arm is strong enough. But his vision, anticipation, instant checkdown skill, his feel for what is in front of him seems missing.

One would expect foes to now scheme mightily against the Bears’ rushing attack, and defy Fields to throw. Pass the damn ball, kid!

That’s almost exactly what Bears fans are saying, too.

Clearly, coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy are worried about Fields airing it out. Disaster might lurk. Indeed, his two aggressive passes deep down the middle — always dangerous area — were intercepted by Texans safety Jalen Pitre.

The pro game is so fast that receivers who were open in the college game — especially when you’re leading super-talented Ohio State — get gobbled up by NFL defensive backs’ comeback speed and tricky schemes.

It’s not height or speed or strength Fields is lacking. But it might be the intangible something, the something his failed predecessor Mitch Trubisky lacked.

In that classic mockumentary, ”Best in Show,” the clueless announcer played by Fred Willard blurts out with a smile as he watches the finals parade, ”And to think that in some countries these dogs are eaten!”

We just eat quarterbacks here.

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The last time Dylan Sikura donned a Blackhawks sweater, he was a floundering prospect failing to translate his collegiate stardom to the NHL.

Two and a half years later, Sikura is back with the Hawks. But he’s not exactly the same Sikura.

“I’m a different player,” he said. “I’ve matured a lot from my first couple years pro. [When] you go through the ringer, you learn a lot about yourself.”

When Sikura turned pro in 2018, expectations were high. He’d churned out 111 points in 73 games and during his junior and senior years at Northeastern, where he was a Hobey Baker Award finalist. He was considered one of the Hawks’ top forward prospects.

Those high hopes never panned out, though. Sikura spent three seasons bouncing back and forth between the AHL and NHL, producing plenty of points in Rockford but very few in Chicago.

He infamously went 43 games without a goal before breaking the drought in January 2020, and he made just three more Hawks appearances after that. A trade to the Golden Knights that fall ended his tenure after just one goal and 13 assists.

One of then-general manager Stan Bowman and then-coach Jeremy Colliton’s biggest concerns about Sikura–and perhaps the most logical explanation for his struggles–was his inability to crash the net. At 5-11, 166 pounds, he didn’t have the necessary strength to fend off NHL-caliber defensemen and establish his presence in the most dangerous areas of the ice.

“My first year, I don’t think I even went to the net at all,” he said. “Being able to box guys out and having confidence in your body [is so important]. I lacked that a little bit. I was getting pushed around or shying away from some of those spaces because I knew I couldn’t win those battles.

“At the time, Jeremy still trusted me to be on the ice when I [was] not producing. That was one of my strongest suits. I was finding some parts of my game, but missing the element I was more used to.”

The trade to Vegas served as a wake-up call. Since then, Sikura, now 27, has added 15 to 20 pounds and accepted his future might be as more of a grinding depth forward.

He racked up 33 goals and 73 points in 60 games for the Colorado Eagles last season, ranking seventh in the AHL in scoring, before watching the Avalanche’s Stanley Cup run as a healthy scratch.

“I had a good year in the minors,” he said. “Obviously it was a different league, but I think I can transition some of that to this level now.”

He was initially surprised to see a familiar name–Mark Bernard, who functions as the IceHogs’ GM–pop up on his phone this summer, but he soon realized a reunion made sense for both parties.

Sikura would like to prove he’s finally worthy of a call-up, and the rebuilding Hawks offer one of the relatively easiest roads to NHL playing time. Meanwhile, the Hawks want forward depth and for Rockford to be a Calder Cup contender. They signed a number of experienced AHL stars–including Sikura, Brett Seney, Buddy Robinson, Luke Philp and Adam Clendening–with that in mind.

New Hawks coach Luke Richardson previously wasn’t familiar with Sikura but has been impressed by his “confidence with the puck” so far in training camp. And indeed, that new confidence–accompanying his new muscle–differentiates this Sikura from his previous iteration.

“It was a little weird at the start, but it’s nice to not feel overwhelmed when you come to a new team,” Sikura said. “[With] a little more corner weight and the heavier parts of my game, hopefully I can find that scoring touch I was missing here.”

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Matt Eberflus sent a message to Teven Jenkins Monday

The Chicago Bears’ passing attack continues to be non-existent in games this season. Quarterback Justin Fields had a dreadful performance in Week 3. But not all of the air attack’s issues have been on the second-year quarterback. The wide receiver play has been bad. The offensive line hasn’t kept a clean pocket. Monday, head coach Matt Eberflus offered contradictory statements about FIelds development in the offense and how the Bears plan to structure their offensive line with Teven Jenkins.

Eberflus, addressing the media Monday, said the Bears need to do a better job keeping the pocket clean for Fields, according to Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic.

The Bears’ run blocking has been excellent this season. PFF rates the Bears as the NFL’s second-best run-blocking team. Pass blocking has been a different story. General manager Ryan Poles made it clear this offseason that the Bears would start their best five offensive linemen this season at any combination. But that appears not to be the case.

In the early season, Jenkins has been rotating with Lucas Patrick to play guard. Jenkins has been rated much higher by PFF as a run blocker and pass blocker in his 72 snaps for the Bears this season than Patrick has with his 90 snaps. Jenkins has given up no sacks of Fields but has two hurries allowed. Patrick has given up four hurries. The offensive tackle position (where Jenkins was moved from this offseason) has been especially awful at pass blocking. Larry Borom has given up two sacks and five pressures. Rookie Braxton Jones has given up three sacks and nine pressures.

Eberflus is critical of how Teven Jenkins conducts business at practice

One would think Eberflus, who says that he cares about Fields’ development and that a clean pocket is necessary for Fields’ development, would put Teven Jenkins on the field more to help Fields in the passing game. However, according to CHGO reporter Nicholas Moreano, Eberflus told reporters Monday that Jenkins playing time is subject to how the second-year offensive lineman practices.

That was a brutal message sent to Jenkins about his practice habits. But it’s an even harsher memo sent to Fields: Whatever petty drama the Bears brass and Jenkins have had since this offseason and training camp is more important than Fields having that clean pocket to make throws in.

Eberflus and Jenkins need to work out their problems before the New York Giants game in Week 4. Jenkins needs to take practice seriously, but Eberflus is flirting with potential disaster by putting a defective product out on the field at the offensive line. One can chalk this decision up as another newbie mistake for rookie head coach Eberflus.

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Zach Lavine ready to compete for a championship

Zach Lavine did not shy away from comments at the Chicago Bulls media day. One of the Bulls’ star players set the goals high and his comments on their expectations.

“If they’re not high, what are we doing here? We’re a team that held a top record in the East all the way until after the All-Star break, got a playoff berth, and got our feet wet,” LaVine said. “If we’re not competing for a championship we’re selling ourselves short.”

Zach Lavine getting the Bulls to the next level

The Bulls made the playoffs for the 1st time last year, in the 5 years of Lavine’s time in Chicago. The Bulls are coming off a 46-36 finish and look to continue that success for the 2022-23 season. For, the team this was the most success in Lavine’s time with Chicago but did not post his best individual numbers. Lavine’s numbers dropped last season with the addition of Demar Derozan and finding a way for those 2 to play together at their highest levels will be the way for the Bulls to advance in the playoffs next season.

Many will say step 1 is showing up. Lavine has yet to play 70 games in the regular season for the Chicago Bulls and having that time on the floor can lead to more continuity with the other players and will be another way to get a higher seed in the playoffs and gain home court advantage heading into the postseason.

Here is the entire video of Lavine’s interview on media day:

Zach Lavine and Demar Derozan

This is year 2 for the connection of Zach Lavine and Demar Derozan. When bringing in an all-star caliber player like Derozan it can take an adjustment period. There are suggestions that Demar’s production will drop this year. Which could very well happen.

This is a task for Coach Billy Donavon in his 3rd year with the team that they need to avoid. Coach Donavon needs Lavine and Derozan to play at their highest level. While also incorporating and finding ways to get more out of young forward Patrick Williams and involving Center Nikola Vucevic.

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Bears coach Matt Eberflus maintained a “day-to-day” status for injured running back David Montgomery and said it was plausible he’d be available for the game Sunday at the Giants.

However, Eberflus has been evasive on injury information throughout his first year as coach and declined comment when asked if he could rule out injured reserve for Montgomery. Players must sit a minimum of four games if they go on IR.

Montgomery left the game against the Texans halfway through the first quarter when defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour rolled into his right ankle. Montgomery was down for a few minutes and quickly went to the locker room.

Eberflus said after the game the initial examination of Montgomery’s ankle injury was “good,” meaning not nearly as disastrous as the dramatic scene on the field might’ve indicated. He said Monday the next checkpoint for him returning is seeing if he can practice Wednesday.

Montgomery left after three carries for 11 yards, and Khalil Herbert took over as the primary back for the rest of the game. Herbert ran for a career-high 157 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.

Montgomery was the team’s leading rusher each of the last three seasons.

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PITTSBURGH – When the Cubs return to Wrigley Field for their final homestand of the season, High-A South Bend manager Lance Rymel is scheduled to meet them there, fresh off a Midwest League Championship.

“I’m anxious to pick his brain about a couple things with the new rules,” Cubs manager David Ross said last week.

Major League Baseball has used the minors as a testing ground for rule changes, three of which are set to come to the big-leagues next year: the pitch clock, defensive shift restrictions and bigger bases.

The latter two haven’t made the kind of waves in the minors that the pitch clock has. Defensive shifts aren’t nearly as common in Single-A, High-A and Double-A – where MLB tested the restrictions – compared to the major leagues. And playing with bigger bases is a straightforward transition.

The pitch clock, however, has dramatically trimmed average game times. Earlier this month, MLB announced that with the introduction of the pitch clock, the average nine-inning game time in the minors went from three hours and four minutes last season to two hours and 38 minutes – a difference of 26 minutes.

“It’s been awesome this year for our pitchers to get the ball on pitch instead of waiting 30 seconds before the pitch,” Rymel said in a conversation with the Sun-Times a couple weeks ago, during South Bend’s last regular-season series. “It speeds it up, the fans enjoy it. It’s not that much of a difference, just a quicker pace. It’s a good, quick pace. It’s not too quick, it’s perfect.”

Triple-A Iowa Cubs manager Marty Pevey said he was skeptical of the pitch clock when MLB first announced its introduction to the minor leagues. Now he says he loves it.

“Once I saw how it helped the progression of the game – the main thing I’m on board with is building a bigger baseball fan base,” he said.

MLB has tweaked a couple aspects of the rule.

Major-leaguers will have a little more time on the clock. Minor-league pitchers had 14 seconds to begin their motion with no runners on base and 18 or 19, depending on the level, with at least one runner on to start their motions. Major-league pitchers will have 15 seconds when the bases are empty and 20 with a runner on.

While minor-league hitters had to look up with at least nine seconds left on the clock, major-league hitters will get until there are eight seconds remaining.

Pevey has some other ideas about how to improve the rule. He said he filled out a survey for MLB on the rule changes and wrote that pitchers should get 20 seconds on the clock no matter if there are runners on or not.

“What should happen is when a pitcher comes set, the clock should stop,” Pevey said. “They should be able to hold the ball. Because if you can hold the ball, you control the running game, right. But if you can’t hold the ball, you can’t control the running game. Especially if you get a couple of throw overs. Now they extend their lead [off the base], and you’ve got bigger bases.”

The pitch clock comes along with a step-off limit for pitchers. They can disengage the rubber twice per plate appearance – to pick off a runner or just reset the clock – without penalty. If a pitcher steps off a third time, he’ll be called for a balk, unless it’s a successful pickoff and the runner is thrown out.

“I’m not a big fan of that, because then it takes away the strategy of somebody who knows what they’re doing, knowing how to hold runners.” I-Cubs pitching coach Ron Villone told the Sun-Times. “And in the seventh, eighth, ninth inning of a Major League Baseball game, you should be able to have that ability to pick somebody off a third time. So, you’re handcuffing a pitcher a little bit because of that.”

In the minor-leagues, the step-off counter never reset mid-plate appearance. In the majors, at least, it will when a runner advances.

On the other hand, Villone, a former MLB pitcher, said he doesn’t understand why some pitchers take so long in between pitches.

“My thing is, if it changes the baseball game, the outcome of a win or a loss, it’s a problem,” he said of the pitch clock. “But if you can systemize it a little bit and make it very fair and very consistent, I’ve got no issues with it.

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A person was shot by police Monday after using a fire escape to gain entry to a Chicago police facility in North Lawndale, then grabbing a gun he found and aiming it at officers, a law enforcement source told the Sun-Times.

The shooting happened around noon on the fifth floor of the police department’s Homan Square facility at 1011 S. Homan Ave., according to police communications.

After climbing the fire escape to gain access to the building, the person grabbed at least one gun from a table inside, the source said. He aimed at officers who were in the middle of a training session and was shot.

The person was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition, according to a Chicago Fire Department spokesman.

An officer was taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center but did not suffer a gunshot wound, the fire department said. The nature of the officer’s injuries weren’t immediately known.

No other details were released by police.

After the shooting, officers cordoned off streets and directed traffic around the Homan Square facility, a former Sears, Roebuck & Co. warehouse. A police spokeswoman urged members of the media not to photograph officers around the facility because they may be working undercover or doing other sensitive work.

The Homan Square compound houses the police department’s Evidence and Recovered Property Section and also serves as a hub for undercover operations and the counterterrorism bureau.

The facility earned a shadowy reputation after the Guardian published a series of stories in 2015 likening it to a CIA “black site” where suspects have allegedly been “disappeared” and subjected to off-the-books questioning and abuse.

The department pushed back on the Guardian’s claims at the time, saying it “abides by all laws, rules and guidelines pertaining to any interviews of suspects or witnesses, at Homan Square or any other CPD facility.”

Still, the department has faced a series of lawsuits over alleged abuse at the facility, and activists have demanded it closed.

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Patrick Williams was still half asleep every time DeMar DeRozan showed up in the early summer hours to pick him up for their workouts.

That haze left him uncertain of what time it was when the 13-year veteran arrived every morning. One irrefutable fact was that those summer runs started at 5 a.m. and not a minute after. Williams’ regimented schedule was the result of signing up for DeRozan’s summer workout plan in an effort to take the third-year step that can make or break a player’s career.

After playing just 17 games last year — missing five months after tearing ligaments in his left wrist five games into the season — whether Williams feels pressure or not, it’s there.

“It’s exciting to have people in your corner,” Williams said. “To have people that have your back and want to see you do well.”

DeRozan is one of those people for Williams and his summer workouts reflected just how highly he thinks of the third-year power forward. He didn’t shy away from the expectations he has for Williams, telling him exactly how important this summer would be for him.

His goal wasn’t to put pressure on the young forward, but he wanted to be transparent about the growth that’s needed from year two to three.

Williams didn’t disclose DeRozan’s exact program but said it was grueling and included afternoon sessions that followed their morning routine.

DeRozan’s role as a mentor is one that he values and one that coach Billy Donovan deems a necessity in cultivating his young player’s talent, specifically Williams. That vital leap Williams needs to take this year that will contribute to the Bulls’ front office making good on their promise of continuity translating to wins will be impacted by this team’s veteran leadership according to Donovan.

What Donovan wants to see from Williams is aggressiveness. The pass-first mentality that Williams has utilized since being drafted fourth overall in 2020 needs to transition into attacking his spots. How that happens is a combination of work and the go-ahead from his veteran teammates to play his game.

“The encouragement by our guys for him to be more aggressive is the place where it needs to start,” Donovan said.

That encouragement Donovan referenced was abundant during the team’s media day Monday afternoon at the United Center. The biggest challenge for Williams will be translating that encouragement into action, and understanding how to create advantages for his team.

Williams’ summer with DeRozan in Los Angeles was just as much about the mental aspect of his game as the physical. One of the biggest takeaways from his time on the court with DeRozan was how the five-time All-Star prepares.

His only ask of Williams was that he pass that same desire to mentor young players on down the line.

Williams made his deposits this offseason beyond the time he spent with DeRozan. He also spent time working out with Zach Lavine’s personal trainer. But determining whether Williams is developing into the player the Bulls need will come down to that work translating into on-court production.

“I look at every year as a make or break year,” Williams said. “I looked at my rookie year that way, second year and this year is the exact same way.”

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