Chicago Sports

Finally on Monday morning, after weeks of trying to find a match for Marc-Andre Fleury that worked for that team, the Blackhawks and Fleury himself, Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson and Wild GM Bill Guerin found common ground.

A trade was soon finalized that sent Fleury to Minnesota in arguably the biggest move of the NHL’s deadline day.

Said Davidson: “My stance was pretty clear on what I was looking for, and we found a nice balance between what we were both looking to do. It wasn’t too in-depth or too prolonged or anything like that. It was to-the-point and ‘boom, boom, boom.’ The pressure of the deadline approaching really kicked everything into high gear.”

Said Guerin to reporters in Minnesota, characterizing negotiations a bit differently: “It has been a pretty crazy last couple days [with] a lot of highs and lows. A lot of, ‘This is getting done now,’ [and], ‘This isn’t getting done at all,’ back-and-forth. But in the end, it’s a fair deal.”

Guerin first called Davidson weeks ago after deciding to look into alternatives to his former goalie duo of Cam Talbot and Kaapo Kahkonen, he said.

But the process took a while. Davidson was determined to recoup a first-round pick for a player of Fleury’s caliber. Guerin was publicly insistent he wasn’t willing to give up a first-round pick for anyone.

Ultimately, they reached a true compromise: the Hawks received a conditional 2022 first- or second-round pick for Fleury after retaining 50% of his $7 million salary cap hit.

If and only if the Wild reach the Western Conference Final and Fleury wins four or more games during the first two playoff rounds, the pick is a first-rounder.

Since that would likely require the Wild to beat the Avalanche, it’ll more likely than not be a second-rounder. But getting another relatively high pick in the draft is significant regardless, considering the Hawks will relinquish their own first-rounder to the Blue Jackets — thanks to the Seth Jones trade — unless they win the lottery.

They now at least own two guaranteed picks in the first two rounds of the coming draft, plus four third-rounders.

That’s what the Hawks desperately needed to do with Fleury, whose solid goaltending wasn’t worth keeping around for the final 19 games of a lost season as a pending unrestricted free agent.

He finished his brief Hawks tenure with a 19-21-5 record, .908 save percentage and four shutouts, with his milestone 500th career win on Dec. 9 in Montreal standing out as the highlight moment.

He will be dearly missed in the locker room, as his perfect blend of easygoing personality and endlessly competitive drive had quickly made him one of the most beloved Hawks players in years. But this move made clear sense for the Hawks.

Making it make sense for Fleury, who reportedly nixed other logical fits like the Maple Leafs, Oilers and Capitals because he didn’t want to play in Canada or match up in the playoffs against the Penguins, proved far more difficult. Davidson said he let Fleury’s preferences dictate his decisions throughout the process.

“I didn’t want to engage with anyone who he wouldn’t approve,” Davidson said. “I didn’t want to force the player’s hand by coming to him with anything he wasn’t going to be amenable to. It was figuring out where was a desirable location, and then getting something done there.”

Fleury said Monday he liked the Wild because of St. Paul’s relative geographic proximity to Chicago — “It’ll be easier for my family to visit or to visit them in the next few months,” he said — as well as his relationship with Guerin, a former Penguins teammate. Davidson called it a “very favorable location” for Fleury.

Fleury and Talbot will be the goalies backstopping the Wild’s “built for the playoffs” roster moving forward after Kahkonen was separately traded Monday to the Sharks.

The Hawks, meanwhile, will roll with two other pending UFA goalies — Kevin Lankinen and Collin Delia, the latter of whom was called up from the AHL in time for the Hawks’ flight Monday evening to Anaheim — the rest of the season. Prospect Arvid Soderblom is currently their only goalie under contract for 2022-23.

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The Bulls were always asking a lot on the medical front the last few months.

They were counting on Alex Caruso to return from a wrist fracture courtesy of a Grayson Allen flagrant-2, they were hoping the serious wrist surgery for Patrick Williams would allow him to make it back before the end of the regular season, and the feeling was Lonzo Ball’s left knee injury/surgery would have him back by the end of March.

All things considering, two out of three isn’t that bad.

Caruso has been back for more than a week and Williams made his return on Monday against Toronto. The Ball saga, however, not only took a serious pause, but now the point guard is running out of time on the calendar.

According to Billy Donovan, Ball and the medical staff got together and decided the best course of action was to now cease all running and cutting for 10 days, with the hope that rest will ease up the discomfort. The original prognosis on the knee was a bone bruise, while the surgery was to fix the meniscus. It’s the bone bruise that’s still the issue.

“He’s actively doing things to strengthen [the knee], but in terms of the running and what we were trying to do where he kept kind of hitting that plateau, they’re just going to pull him back now,” Donovan said. “So there’s not going to be anything for 10 days just to see how he responds to that, if that helps take away some of the discomfort he does feel when he does [the running].

“It’s not necessarily he’s had any setbacks. It’s just we haven’t been able to take that next step.”

This was week seven for Ball, with the original timetable for the injury six-to-eight weeks. He’ll obviously blow past that.

What Donovan still won’t do, however, was rule his starting point guard out for the remainder of the season.

“I think we’ll have a better feel of that once they get through this next 10 days,” Donovan said. “Obviously it’s coming to the end of the season. The last game is what, April 10, and we’re at the end of March right now, so I haven’t really asked that question to the medical of where they’re at. I think they feel like OK, if he can get over this 10-day period get back to the ramp up period – because he has been out for quite some time – that would enable him to get back into contact relatively soon.”

Minuteman

The last time DeMar DeRozan averaged 36 minutes per game for a season was back in the 2013-14 campaign for the Toronto Raptors, when he clocked in 38.2 minutes per contest. He was 24 years old then.

The veteran entered this week with the Bulls right at that 36-minute per game mark, but since Feb. 1, has carried a much bigger workload.

He averaged 38.5 minutes per game in February, and 38.3 per game through March so far. That included eight games of 40-plus over that span.

Just don’t ask DeRozan if he’s worn down.

“No, not all,” DeRozan said, when asked if he was physically or mentally tired. “You want to have a smooth, free road on whatever destination you’re on, but sometimes it just doesn’t go that way. You hit bumpy roads.”

Donovan said that he speaks with DeRozan almost daily, and communication has been the key.

“The one thing about DeMar, at least from my perspective, is he’s physically and mentally a tough guy, he really is,” Donovan said. “He’s trying to help our team get that.”

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Reds 2, Cubs 3

Thompson logs first start

Right-hander Keegan Thompson’s ramp-up plan: stay healthy.

“I’m not going to move any quicker than I should,” he said. “I think that’s the big thing for everyone here. We’re not trying to rush. We’re just trying to build up as safely as possible.”

He got off on the right foot on Monday, giving up two hits and striking out three in two hitless innings.

Thompson made his major-league debut last season. The Cubs planned to build him up to starter’s minutes toward the end of the year. But the club ended up shutting him down for the final week after several short starts, concerned about his workload. He went on the injured list twice in September for what the Cubs called right shoulder inflammation.

Davis exits

Cubs top prospect Brennen Davis left the game with a right knee contusion. He was hit with a pitch in the second inning. He stayed in for a couple batters but then was replaced on the bases. The Cubs labeled his availability as day-to-day. Davis is batting .333 in Cactus League play this spring.

Hicks stays hot

Non-roster invitee John Hicks logged his third hit of spring (3-for-5) to tie the game in the eighth inning. His ground-rule double hopped over the fence in right-center, driving in minor-leaguer Donnie Dewees, who got on base with a triple.

On deck

Cubs at Mariners, 3:05 p.m Tuesday, Peoria, Kyle Hendricks vs. Robbie Ray.

–Maddie Lee

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SOX 8, Dodgers 6

Mighty Myker hits second homer

Right fielder Micker (My-ker) Adolfo, rated behind Oscar Colas and Yoelquis Cespedes among Sox outfield prospects but doing what he can to stay in the conversation about up and coming Sox outfielders, belted his second homer in four games, an opposite field three-run shot against righty Andre Jackson. Adolfo also lifted a sacrifice fly to left for his fourth RBI.

The 6-4, 225-pound Adolfo, 25, is in his eighth professional season and is on the 40-man roster. The Sox have young first baseman/outfielders Andrew Vaughn and Gavin Sheets in their right field mix, and the depth at the position, coupled with Adolfo being out of minor-league options could make Adolfo a potential trade chip.

More Yoelqui

Cespedes, who also has two homers this spring, singled, stole second and scored on Adolfo’s homer. In center field, he sprinted to the gap toward left and made a nice running catch. Cespedes played the entire game, going 1-for-4.

Money in the Banks

Tanner Banks, a 30-year-old career minor league left-hander drafted by the Sox in 2014, struck out five and walked one in two scoreless innings as the starter. Banks fanned Trea Turner, Max Muncy and Austin Barnes in a perfect first and struck out Cody Bellinger and Stefen Romero in the second. Banks posted a 4.98 ERA for Triple-A Charlotte last season.

Ryan Burr, the only major league pitcher used by the Sox, allowed homers Barnes and former Sox Jake Lamb in the third inning.

The Sox are 4-1 in Cactus League games.

On deck

Sox at Brewers, 3:05 p.m., Phoenix, Lucas Giolito vs. Eric Lauer. Giolito and Dallas Keuchel are slated for three innings each. Relievers Kendall Graveman and Aaron Bummer are scheduled to pitch one inning each.

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MESA, Ariz. – Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward chuckled when asked what kind of locker-mate manager David Ross was when they played together in Atlanta.

“This space right here,” Heyward recalled this weekend, tapping the corner of a box next to his chair, “if a flip flop went partly over the line, he would let either one of us know, like, ‘Fellas, clean this s– up.'”

The veteran catcher would say so straight-faced and walk off. Then, he’d look back and laugh.

The lockers of Heyward, Ross and Andrelton Simmons, from right to left, stood next to one another in the Braves’ clubhouse a decade ago. Now, the trio is back together with the Cubs, in slightly shifted roles: Ross the manager, Heyward the veteran, Simmons the newcomer.

“It was nice to see Simba,” Ross said when the Cubs signed the shortstop to a one-year deal this spring. “… I’ve got a long history with him. He’s got a pretty good resume, fits in well up the middle with our [contact-oriented] pitching staff, gives us a lot of versatility with moving different guys around.”

Simmons was the last piece added to the locker-mate trio in Atlanta, too. Hayward was given a locker next to Ross when the outfielder broke into the big-leagues in 2010. Heyward, then the highly-touted hometown kid, was on the fast track in the minors, making his MLB debut before he hit 1,000 at-bats.

“It was always everything it needed to be,” Heyward said of his relationship with Ross then. “Deadass serious sometimes but always supportive, always out of love, and realizing that I just wanted to come in, be a part of the team and do what I can to help and learn.”

Two years later, Simmons was on a similarly fast track before his debut in June 2012. When asked about that time, Simmons brought up a poker case that some of the veterans made him carry around. No one ever used it, Simmons said, but he still had to have it with him.

“Humbled me a little bit,” he said.

Now, Simmons is 32 years old, he played for four different teams before joining the Cubs, and he has established his defensive prowess.

“I’m excited to pick his brain a little bit,” Cubs second baseman Nick Madrigal said last week, “ask him questions,”

Simmons may be new again, but he’s certainly not a rookie shlepping around a poker case anymore.

“It’s funny,” Heyward said, “because any memories [Ross] and I had, as far as me being a rookie and him watching me grow up some, I feel like I’ve kind of had the same opportunity with Simba.”

Plenty of things have changed since the last time Heyward, Simmons and Ross shared a dugout. And exact roles and playing time – which are both Ross’ decisions – have yet to shake out this spring .

Simmons is expected to lighten the load for Madrigal and versatile infielder Nico Hoerner. The Cubs also signed infielder Jonathan Villar over the weekend. As a switch-hitter, Villar gives Ross more flexibility to play matchups.

Heyward has moved from right field to center, to make room for Seiya Suzuki, who the Cubs added on a five-year, $85 million deal.

The locker-mate trio also knows more than it did in 2012. They see the game differently.

“A second chance,” Heyward said, “just to hang out again, to compete together, to make each other better, to watch each other make other people better. It’s a cool feeling.”

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As he plowed through his frustration with the Bears’ sputtering offense the last four seasons, wide receiver Allen Robinson saw more potent attacks throughout the NFL and took note.

He didn’t study opposing offenses, but he’d see them on film when he was scouting defenses and daydream a little.

One of those offenses that caught his attention belonged to the Rams, and as soon as Robinson had the chance to the leave the Bears, he signed a three-year, $46.5 million deal with $30.7 million guaranteed.

“You see a lot of what other teams run,” Robinson said when the Rams introduced him Monday. “So being able to see that from a schematic standpoint, being able to have that knowledge as I’m breaking down film throughout the course of the season, that definitely was something that played a part in me going back to that and seeing and remembering the concepts that guys were running.”

The defending champion Rams outpaced the Bears in every aspect offensively last season. They were eighth in scoring, fifth in passing yards per game and seventh in passer rating with Matt Stafford at quarterback.

The Bears, meanwhile, were 27th, 30th and 29th in those categories, respectively. They careened to 6-11 and fired coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace at the end of the season.

Robinson’s run with the Bears was fraught with friction.

After great performances in 2018 and ’19, he hoped to sign a long-term extension. That never materialized as the two sides disagreed on Robinson’s value. The Bears didn’t see production that merited paying him like an elite receiver, but Robinson believed his stats were weighed down by poor quarterback play and a dysfunctional offense.

He followed with another big season in 2020, then slipped to 38 catches, 410 yards and one touchdown in 12 games last season. Robinson played hurt throughout the season and got a career-low 66 targets.

In the end, he leaves as one of the most successful wide receivers in franchise history despite playing just 57 games. Robinson stands ninth all-time in receptions (293), 11th in yards receiving (3,561) and 21st in touchdown catches (18).

He did that amid the Bears ranking 26th in team passer rating during his tenure. They went 34-41 over his four seasons, following a 21-43 record by the Jaguars in Robinson’s four seasons with them.

Now he joins a Rams team that not only won the title, but is one of the favorites to win it this season. Stafford is by far the best quarterback he’s ever had. And their receiver corps is loaded with Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson and possibly Odell Beckham. And head coach Sean McVay’s offense is the envy of the league.

“They’re coming off a Super Bowl, and I’m coming here and I haven’t yet won a Super Bowl,” Robinson said. “Being around a group of guys that have experienced that and want to experience that again, for me, that’s only gonna help me get better and continue to push me.”

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GLENDALE, Ariz. — Tim Anderson is an open book, turning pages with each passing year as he matures as a player, as a man, as a face of the franchise personality.

That bat-flipping Anderson fans came to love? The one who actually ran a bat-flip clinic at Sox Fest? That might be a Tim of the past. Maybe, maybe not.

“I don’t have to,” Anderson told the Sun-Times. “I don’t have to do all that. Go back and look at my game the last three years, my game speaks for itself. Three years in a row it’s been consistent.”

Anderson won a batting title in 2019, a Silver Slugger and MVP votes in 2020 and was an All-Star in 2021.

His energy and swagger were as evident as ever last season, but chucking bats after homers was taken down a notch.

“What do I have to do that for?” he said. “It was a point, it was a moment and it was cool. I don’t have to flip the bat every time. If I feel it in the moment I will, but I don’t have to.”

Anderson has grown to respect 77-year-old manager Tony La Russa, who is no fan of the flip. He didn’t flip as much in La Russa’s first season but says it has nothing to do with his Hall of Fame manager.

“I told Tony when he first got here, ‘I’m not going to change anything because of you,’ ” he said. “Because if I change for you then you’re not going to get 100 percent out of me. And that’s going to suck, because I’m acting like I’m something I’m not.”

And La Russa is cool with that.

“I know he is, I know he is,” Anderson said. “He’s on whatever I’m on. He knows I’m not going to do anything to make him look bad or make the organization look bad. I’m mature enough, I’m on my own now, I’m a big kid. Mature enough to handle my business like you guys have seen for three years. How I represent myself.”

How Anderson represents himself, markets his brand and builds his fan base is a big deal to him. He is busy on social media, has his own YouTube channel and is very active in the community with wife Bria. A father of two girls, they live in the south suburbs year round.

The Sox are also promoting their biggest star. On Tuesday, they will release “TA7: The Story of Tim Anderson,” a five-part documentary series exploring Anderson’s baseball journey on the Sox YouTube channel.

“It’s pretty dope,” Anderson said Tuesday. “It’s going to be pretty cool. Giving a chance for people to get in-depth with things I’ve been through.”

There are interviews with Anderson, Sox vice president Ken Williams, Bo Jackson, Anderson’s family where he had a challenged upbringing in Alabama and his high school coach.

“It’s kind of good to hear from other people to see the journey I’ve been on and understand,” Anderson said. “Know what kind of person I am. Hopefully they will understand me a little bit better.”

While the Sox produced this one, so much of Anderson’s brand is built on sending his own message. He takes pride knowing it’s authentic.

“Nothing is fake. Everything I tweet is realistic, maybe a song, maybe off my feelings,” he said. “Everything I post is in the moment. Some content I shot that really fits me. I bring my best energy to it and it will echo around the room where I’m at. Now there are more fans and those fans are going to tell everyone else, ‘Man he’s so cool. Like, he’s real.’ ”

Anderson says it would be cool to be a White Sox well beyond his $25 million, six-year contract that pays him $9.5 million this season. There are club options of $12.5 million and $14 million in 2023 and ’24, bargains in today’s top shortstop market.

He is more than open to an extension but said he is unaware of any such discussions going on.

“I don’t know. Have you heard anything?” he said. “That would be nice if it did. Maybe if I get a new deal I can have some more kids. I can’t afford them right now.”

Anderson laughed his infectious laugh saying that. He has no regrets about signing his current deal well before his free agent year.

“I ain’t mad,” he said. “It was a good deal, a win-win. I’m still able to enjoy life. And just play.

“I think I performed up to it, so hopefully I get some more. So we’ll see.”

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Illinois hired Shauna Green as its women’s basketball coach on Monday, hoping she can lift a struggling program following a winning tenure at Dayton.

Green was chosen Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year three times while leading Dayton to five conference regular-season championships and a 127-50 record over six years. The Flyers went 26-6 this season, finishing first in the league in the regular season and beating DePaul in the NCAA Tournament before losing to Georgia.

“I truly believe the time is now for the program and we will work tirelessly to build it into a championship program,” Green said in a statement.

Green is 156-75 in eight seasons as a head coach, including two at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. She has also been an assistant at Dayton, Northwestern and Providence.

Green, who’s from Clinton, Iowa, is Canisius’ all-time leading scorer with 2,012 points from 1998 to 2002.

She replaces the retired Nancy Fahey, a Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame coach who struggled over five years at Illinois after winning five national championships at the Division III level. The Illini went 7-20 this season and were 42-99 overall — 7-77 in Big Ten regular-season games — during her tenure.

“In visiting with Shauna, I was struck by her inner drive, her innate competitiveness, and her commitment to the student-athletes under her charge,” athletic director Josh Whitman said in a statement. “She and I connected quickly around an ambitious vision for the future of Illinois women’s basketball, which she and her staff plan to spread around the state and across the country.”

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MESA, Ariz. — Cubs left-handed prospect Brailyn Marquez arrived at spring training camp Monday, after a COVID-19 infection delayed his report date.

Marquez, who is vaccinated, said he’s feeling good now, after testing positive about two and a half weeks ago. He was symptomatic but has since recovered. Marquez quarantined in the Dominican Republic, his home country.

“It really isn’t frustrating for me [personally], moreso the possibility of affecting the team and the organization by not being there, being ready for them when they need me,” Marquez said through team translator Will Nadal.

Marquez went through something similar last season, which delayed his arrival in camp. Between recovering from COVID-19 and then sustaining a shoulder strain, he was sidelined for the season. That time, he said, he was shut down during a month-long quarantine period.

“Then when I started ramping up again practicing throwing, I felt [the injury],” he said. “So, I don’t really know where it came from. It could have been from that layoff, from having COVID and being quarantined.”

He’s focused on avoiding a related injury this time around.

“I’ve had a full year just to continue to work on my body,” he said, “build up, make sure that if this happened again, which it did, I’d be ready once I was able to start pitching again.”

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Marc-Andre Fleury’s time in Chicago has ended after less than nine months.

The Blackhawks traded the legendary goalie to the Wild on Monday — hours before the NHL trade deadline — for a conditional second-round draft pick.

The pick could become a first-rounder if the Wild reach the Western Conference Final and Fleury wins four or more games in the first two playoff rounds, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported.

Fleury finishes his Hawks tenure with a 19-21-5 record, 2.95 goals-against average and .908 save percentage — an unremarkable and largely unsuccessful footnote in his Hall of Fame-bound career.

But he still managed to become arguably the most popular Hawks player to teammates and fans alike in years, demonstrating the power of immensely likable personality and steadfast character.

The Maple Leafs, Capitals and Oilers, among other teams, had pursued Fleury for months as new Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson tried to recoup a first-round pick for his top trade chip. But Fleury’s unofficial no-trade clause and apparent unwillingness to join any of those teams ultimately forced Davidson’s hand.

For a while, it seemed a trade might not come to fruition after all. But Minnesota’s late-emerging interest changed things. The Wild traded goalie Kaapo Kahkonen to the Sharks in a surprising separate trade Monday, meaning Fleury and Cam Talbot will now compose their goaltending duo for their postseason run.

This story will be updated.

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