Alicia Hume, 42, outside her home in Metolius in central Oregon. | Joe Kline/For the Sun-Times

Today’s update is a 5-minute read that will brief you on the day’s biggest stories.

Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a 5-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.

This afternoon will be mostly cloudy with a high near 50 degrees. Tonight will be partly cloudy with a low around 30. Tomorrow will be mostly sunny with a high near 44, and Sunday will bring rain with a high around 48.

Top story

Oregon’s the first state to ticket narcotics users, but reform has yet to live up to what was promised

Alicia Hume feared she was headed to jail after a sheriff’s deputy pulled over her borrowed Volkswagen Beetle and saw her put a bottle of eight fentanyl-laced oxycodone pills in her bra.

She faced a misdemeanor drug possession charge that could mean up to a year in jail, more than $6,000 in fines and court-ordered addiction treatment.

The Jefferson County, Oregon, sheriff’s deputy charged her but used his discretion to let the 42-year-old mother of two drive away that September night. Prosecutors later dropped her case, saying the deputy should have written her a ticket instead of charging her.

That’s because of a new Oregon law — the first in the nation — making possession of small amounts of drugs such as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine the equivalent of a minor traffic infraction.

Since the Oregon law went into effect in February, police officers have written more than 1,300 tickets for drug possession instead of arresting people like Hume, achieving the ballot measure’s aim of keeping people out of jail.

It also steers hundreds of millions of dollars into expanding treatment throughout Oregon, which regularly ranks among the worst states for substance abuse and mental health problems as well as access to care.

But records show few have entered drug treatment through the ticketing system, which the law also was supposed to encourage. And interviews suggest many cops aren’t carrying out their new responsibilities.

Casey Toner, Jared Rutecki, and Frank Main have more in the second part of a Sun-Times and Better Government Association investigation into dead-end drug arrests. You can read the full Sun-Times/BGA series here.

More news you need

In a news conference today, Carmen Day, the mother of Jelani Day, demanded the FBI take charge of the investigation into her son’s disappearance and death. A task force including state police, the Bloomington and Peru police departments, LaSalle County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit continue to investigate Day’s death.

New cases of COVID-19 jumped by nearly 50% in Illinois over the past week and have climbed nearly 150% since last month, according to figures released by health officials today. Coronavirus positivity rates and hospitalizations have also more than doubled over the past month during the fifth surge of the pandemic.

A Crest Hill couple pleaded guilty today to their roles in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol breach, admitting they spent about an hour in the building after entering through a broken window. John and Amy Schubert each pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.

Two people were shot and wounded on the Dan Ryan Expressway early this morning. It was the 233rd shooting on Chicago-area expressways this year.

Gas-powered portable generators emit deadly carbon monoxide and have been blamed for more than 1,000 deaths since 2005, as previously reported by the Sun-Times in 2019. Citing that report, U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush is pushing to mandate safety standards for those types of generators.

In a conversation with our Fran Spielman, retiring Illinois House Majority Leader Greg Harris today reflected on his crowning achievement — leading the crusade to legalize gay marriage in Illinois. Harris, 66, also talked about the significant changes in his own daily life as someone who is HIV-positive.

In a two-page letter to constituents, Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson said he perceives racism in an effort to redraw the boundaries of his 11th ward to give it an Asian American majority. The letter came after a city committee unveiled a ward remap plan that would turn the Daley family’s Bridgeport-based fiefdom into the city’s historic first Asian American-majority ward.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul today touted the efforts of a so-called retail theft task force that covered well over $1 million in stolen goods from about four semitrailers this week. The items recovered were a mix of electronics, high-end food items, hair extensions, jewelry and clothing from a variety of major national retailers, Raoul said.

Performing under the moniker She & Him, actress Zooey Deschanel and singer-songwriter M. Ward will bring their holiday-themed tour to town with a stint at the Chicago Theatre on Tuesday. The tour marks the 10-year anniversary of their album “A Very She & Him Christmas.”

A bright one

Thomas Melvin pays homage to Louis Sullivan with Fulton Market murals

Chicago muralist Thomas Melvin is paying homage to pioneering Chicago architect Louis Sullivan in two murals he created for a development in Fulton Market.

Sullivan is renowned for his work during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, designing buildings including the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Dr., and the former Carson Pirie Scott department store building at 9 E. Madison St., now known as the Sullivan Center.

In one of Melvin’s two untitled murals, at 205 N. Peoria St. next to the Fulton East building, he offers a glimpse of the Chicago skyline through an eye-shaped lens. Melvin says that was inspired by the Sullivan Center and that the aim was to give the effect of seeing the city through the renowned architect’s eyes.

Amelia Ickes/Sun-Times
Thomas Melvin says he aimed with his mural at 205 N. Peoria St. to let people see the city, in effect, through famed architect Louis Sullivan’s eyes.

Melvin, 69, who lives in Albany Park, did another new mural nearby. It features larger-than-life ivy vines that appear to be crawling up the west side of the building at 220 N. Green St.

The artist got his start as a sign painter. He says he draws inspiration from early American folk art and the painted scenic backdrops that often were used in early photography.

Melvin takes some of his technique from what he learned from Richard Haas, a muralist who specializes in the trompe-l’oeil style that aims to “deceive the eye” by making an object appear in three dimensions.

Amelia Ickes has more on Melvin and the murals here.

From the press box

Andy Dalton will be the Bears’ starting quarterback Sunday against the Cardinals.
Alex Caruso got recognition in L.A. for helping the Lakers, but that was a tough town to compete for attention in. It’s a different situation in Chicago, where Caruso is impacting games and winning with his defense, Joe Cowley writes.
Now that the champions have been crowned, Michael O’Brien names his 2021 All-Area high school football team.

The 2021 Sun-Times high school football player of the year: Brother Rice’s Jack Lausch.
Miami recruit AJ Casey and the Young basketball team have sky-high expectations for the season, O’Brien writes.
Notre Dame named Marcus Freeman, previously the Fighting Irish’s defensive coordinator, as the school’s new head football coach.

Your daily question ?

What was the best album of 2021?

Email us (please include your first name and where you live) and we might include your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.

Yesterday, we asked you: Who does the holidays better — New York City or Chicago?

Here’s what some of you said…

“Chicago hands down! The ice rink at Millennium Park, Maggie Daily Ribbon, Navy Pier and Michigan Avenue is so much better than NY. The rink at Rockefeller Square is so small! I was so disappointed and it cost $25. Whereas the Millennium Park rink only costs to rent skates and it’s so much larger!” — Barbara Crowley

“Because of the bigger streets, Chicago does. But Chicago learned from New York.” — Robin Hickman

“Chicago for Christmas and New York City for New Year’s Eve.” — Loli Mauriz

“NYC — if even just for the vastly superior retail AND people watching. Like people walking designer dogs in fur jumpsuits. Or watching the people going in and out of St Patrick’s Cathedral and other Churches on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day. And Chinese restaurants are the place to see and be seen!” — Mike Listwan

“Chicago, because it’s less crowded and there’s more free stuff to do. NYC charges when you breathe.” — Daisy Flores

“That’s a tough call New York is beautiful at Christmas but there’s little to do there. Chicago is beautiful too and there’s plenty to do here, so the advantage, I give to Chicago.” — Byron Benguche

“There is nothing like shopping Michigan Ave., the Christmas Train, and the Christkindlmarket.” — Joe Medearis

Thanks for reading the Chicago Afternoon Edition. Got a story you think we missed? Email us here.

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Alice Wynekoop was charged with the murder of her daughter-in-law, Rheta Wynekoop, on Nov. 29, 1933. | From the Sun-Times archives

On Nov. 29, 1933, a Chicago grand jury charged Dr. Alice Wynekoop with the murder of her daughter-in-law. Here’s how it went down that day.

As published in the Chicago Daily News, sister publication of the Chicago Sun-Times:

On Nov. 29, 1933, a new twist in the “operating-room murder mystery” headlined the Chicago Daily News.

That day, a grand jury in Chicago charged Dr. Alice Wynekoop, a noted physician who treated patients in her basement, with the murder of her daughter-in-law Rheta Wynekoop. The city’s most talked-about crime — at least for the moment — finally had a suspect charged and in prison.

“And so it comes to an end of another chapter in the operating-room murder mystery that started a week ago last night,” a Chicago Daily News reporter wrote that day, “when an undertaker summoned to the gloomy sixteen-room Wynekoop house, at 3406 West Monroe street, was ushered to the basement and there shown the semi-nude bullet-torn body of Rheta, lying on the operating table with a blanket tucked neatly about it.”

News reports about the grisly murder appeared in the Daily News on Nov. 22, 1933, but even though the crime occurred the previous night, the paper, which published in the afternoon, had some dramatic discoveries to disclose about the body and the investigation.

“There was one bullet wound in the back and there were fingernail marks police discovered today, about the mouth and nose, as if the slayer had clamped one hand over her mouth to silence her as he fired the gun with the other,” the reporter said.

The gun sat nearby, but Capt. Thomas Duffy, who led the search of the East Garfield Park home, “took one look at the bullet wound in the back and decided it could not have been suicide, that even Houdini himself could not have done such a trick.”

As more discrepancies piled up, the coroner called an inquest at a nearby mortuary, the paper said. Alice Wynekoop, her daughter and one of her sons attended. Earle Wynekoop, who was married to the deceased, had been delayed coming back from Kansas City, Missouri. The coroner and state’s attorney questioned police and later a witness who lived in the home as a border. Her testimony provided little use to the investigators.

Alice Wynekoop’s original statement — that she had been out shopping during the day and didn’t go to her basement surgery area until about 8:30 p.m. when she discovered the body — began to fall apart when authorities asked about a telegram, the paper reported. The delivery boy testified that lights were on in the home when he tried to deliver a telegram that afternoon, but Alice Wynekoop said the house had been dark when she arrived home. Police, however, found the telegram in the surgery area, which the doctor was unable to explain.

But authorities started to take an even harder look at Alice Wynekoop after it was discovered that a “$5,000 insurance policy with a double indemnity clause was taken out on Nov. 11, just 10 days before Mrs. Wynekoop was found.”

It took investigators a little over a week to gather enough evidence — including a confession — and bring charges to a grand jury. Now charged and imprisoned, Alice Wynekoop waited for arraignment, scheduled for Dec. 4, but she refused to wait quietly. For the duration of the trial, she and her lawyer would released many statements proclaiming the doctor’s innocence and lamenting her always-declining health.

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Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and head coach Kyler Murray watch the second half of the 49ers game last month. | Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Whomever the team hires next — Nagy figures to be fired this offseason, barring an unforeseen rally — needs to build the team’s offense around rookie quarterback Justin Fields’ unique athleticism and deep-ball ability.

Matt Nagy wasn’t subtle about it.

When the Bears coach began explaining Kyler Murray’s growth earlier this week, he detailed how the Cardinals quarterback grew more comfortable with the speed of the NFL and learned to develop a passing attack as dynamic as his scrambling ability.

That development, Nagy said, was in part because of his relationship with head coach Kliff Kingsbury, the play-caller and college quarterback guru the Cardinals hired months before drafting the Oklahoma star in 2019.

“That comes with more repetitions and him and coach Kingsbury being able to work together and grow,” Nagy said. “That’s paramount. That’s important.”

His implication was obvious: look what happens when you let a coach and quarterback grow together.

“They’ve found an identity and they’ve put pieces around [Murray]” Nagy said. “And they’ve given him time to be able to grow in the last couple of years.”

In doing so, though, Nagy was inadvertently detailing perhaps the most important trait of the Bears’ next head coach. Whomever the team hires next — Nagy figures to be fired this offseason, barring an unforeseen rally — needs to build the team’s offense around rookie quarterback Justin Fields’ unique athleticism and deep-ball ability.

There can’t be half-measures the way there was earlier this season, when the Bears were running an offense better-suited for veteran Andy Dalton. Dalton will make his fourth start of the season Sunday; two have been in place of an injured Fields, who hurt his ribs against the Ravens.

The Cardinals look unlike anyone else in football for a reason — their quarterback. Just barely taller than 5-10, Murray can see the defense more clearly out of the shotgun. An elusive scrambler, Murray — who will be a game-time decision Sunday after missing three games with a sprained left ankle — can take advantage of a spread-out field.

Three years ago, the Cardinals built their offense to magnify Murray’s skills. In May 2019, as Kingsbury was installing a similar scheme to the one he ran at Texas Tech, center A.Q. Shipley said the Cardinals could be in the shotgun 99 percent of the time. The NFL world laughed — the sheer volume of shotgun plays belonged more in college.

Kingsbury didn’t get to 99 percent, but it was close. In Murray’s rookie season of 2019, the Cardinals went in the shotgun 87 percent of the time, according to Sharp Football Stats. Last year, they went in the shotgun on 92 percent of their plays. Both years, the Ravens — who use a pistol formation — were the only team under center less than the Cardinals.

The Cardinals have used four receivers and one running back more than anyone else in football, too. In 2019, the Cardinals used the personnel grouping 31 percent of the time — no other team eclipsed 8 percent. Last year, they went in the shotgun 20 percent of their snaps — only one other team topped 5 percent. This year, they use four receivers 19 percent of the time — and only one other team uses it more than 7 percent.

“This is not the type of offense where it’s just, [Murray’s] running all the time,” Nagy said. “That’s not what this is. He’s a quarterback. He’s very successful at it. …

“They’ve found an identity and they’ve put pieces around him and they’ve given him time to be able to grow in the last couple of years.”

Whomever coaches the Bears next doesn’t need to run the “Air Raid.” They don’t have to spread the field or put Fields in shotgun on every snap. But they need to make the offense unapologetically focused on the skills of the most unique quarterback in franchise history — even if that makes the Bears’ offense look dramatically different than anyone in the NFL.

To borrow from Nagy: Fields needs to “be” him. His next coach needs to help him get there.

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The author’s stories feel more relevant today than perhaps ever before.Read More

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Two people were wounded in a shooting near the Garfield Red Line station Dec. 3, 2021. | Google Maps

On Wednesday, a CTA train operator was hospitalized after two teenagers beat him while a train was stalled near the Garfield station.

Two men were shot near the Garfield CTA Red Line stop Friday afternoon on the South Side.

Authorities responded to the shooting about 12:50 p.m. in the 200 block of West Garfield Boulevard, according to Chicago fire officials.

Two men suffered gunshot wounds and were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, fire officials said. Their conditions were not immediately known.

Chicago police didn’t immediately release details.

Trains were running but not stopping at the station as police continued to investigate, according to an alert from the CTA.

On Wednesday, a CTA train operator was hospitalized after two teenagers beat him while a train was stalled near the Garfield station.

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Repeal Day is right around the corner, so let’s talk about the iconic speakeasies in Chicago. While we’re fortunate enough to enjoy a good drink legally whenever we want, back in the day, these secret underground bars with hidden entrances were the only way for someone to take a good sip after a long day of work.

We all know Chicago is famous for its speakeasy culture. However, what are some of the best of the best that will truly allow you to relive that discreet drinking experience? Take a look at the best speakeasies and private clubs hand chosen by our editors!

1134 W Washington Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607

From wine to cocktails, from light bites to an elegant dinner, the Press Room is undoubtedly one of Chicago’s best speakeasies. Located in the heart of West Loop, the Press Room’s charming dark interior and intimate ambiance will keep you coming back for more.

Image Credit: Paper Girl PR

2002 W Roscoe St, Chicago, IL 60618

Looking for a private wine club? You’ve found it. From a daytime co-working space and member-only events to date nights, game nights, wine and spirits appreciation nights and private gatherings, Birch Road Cellar members use the clubhouse for various activities. At Birch Road Cellar, it’s not uncommon to find yourself enjoying a bottle of wine with strangers by the end of the night.

1520 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Looking for the excitement of finding the door? The Violet Hour in Wicker Park has completely unmarked at the front. The only hint you get is that they feature a local artist’s work in the window. This speakeasy also has underground jazz and live music regularly. The cocktail menu is on seasonal rotation, so you’ll have to come back!

1721 W Division St, Chicago, IL 60622

Through the hidden door and leopard-print stairs, you find yourself at one of Chicago’s unrivaled speakeasies. Bordel is a cocktail bar and cabaret in the heart of Wicker Park, featuring drinks inspired by the last golden age of cocktails. You’ll be stunned by the exotic garnishes and daring presentation, while enchanted by the perfectly-balanced flavors brought out by these liquid art pieces.

5050 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640

When was the last time you’ve been to a magic show? Been a while, right? Then, Chicago Magic Lounge is the perfect speakeasy for you. Plus, what speaks more about the speakeasy vibe when you navigate your way through a laundry mat to find the entrance? Get your mood right, because one of the most iconic speakeasies in Chicago is back!

2456 N California Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Transcend yourself to Paris at Soif Wine Lounge in Logan Square, where the night gently unfolds into a peaceful, romantic dream. Hidden underneath a flight of unmarked stairs, you’ll enter Soif through Logan’s esteemed Testaccio. The wine menu focuses around French gems and a diverse collection of champagne. You’ll also find lovely craft cocktails on the menu.

2421 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Opening doors in 2008 in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood, The Whistler is part craft cocktail lounge, part storefront art gallery, part live music venue and part in-house record label. The Whistler distinguishes itself with a robust, regularly rotating menu of inventive classic and seasonal contemporary craft cocktails, as well as a wide variety of art and live music affairs.

676-8 N Orleans St, Chicago, IL 60654

What is life? A drift. A sleepwalk. An endless journey. Come to The Drifter and see your fate as you choose through their rotating list of over 100 cocktails presented on Tarot cards. This is an authentic 20s-era speakeasy hidden in the basement of the Green Door Tavern. When you step into The Drifter, you’re stepping on the same floor where drifters have tread for over 100 years — only with new blood and revigorated energy.

500 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654

Located underneath the beloved Jaleo Chicago, Pigtail brings you a delicious menu of small bites and larger plates featuring Spanish Jamon and other Spanish ingredients, accompanied by some of the most iconic and innovative cocktails in town. The intimate space is the perfect place to start or end your evening with a libation experience you can’t find anywhere else.

712 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654

Finally, let’s wrap up the list with one of our personal favorites. Storyville has brought authentic NOLA flavors and the art and romance bursting in the historic red-light district in New Orleans to Chicago. Featuring an elegant, intimate design, live performances, and a bar cocktail bar boasting French Quarter cocktails, Storyville will take you back in time.

Featured Image Credit: Bordel

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Young’s AJ Casey (20) shoots the ball over Mount Carmel. | Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

It’s entirely possible that the best team in the state hasn’t played a game yet.

It’s entirely possible that the best team in the state hasn’t played a game yet.

Young was No. 2 in the preseason Super 25. Top-ranked Glenbard West received all the preseason hype and attention, but the Dolphins are talented enough to grab the top spot at any moment and hang on to it all the way to Champaign.

“I love this group,” Young coach Tyrone Slaughter said. “We have kids that have been in the program for awhile. So much of this is about having connectivity and these guys are connected. They love each other. They come here every day and work hard.”

It starts with AJ Casey. The 6-8 Miami recruit has never played two consecutive years at the same high school. He started at Simeon, spent his sophomore year at Tinley Park and arrived at Young last year.

“Last year when he first got here I think he was a little shaken up trying to fit in with the team but he’s comfortable now,” Dolphins point guard Dalen Davis said.

Casey had a nagging finger injury over the summer. He’s healthy now. His college future is settled and for the first time in his high school career he’s surrounded by familiar teammates. That sounds like a recipe for success.

“AJ now has the opportunity to really just kind of be who he is,” Slaughter said. “He’s always had a great attitude but I can see in his play and how he’s going about things a little bit differently. So I’m excited about that. He’s going to be a better defensive player. A lot of people don’t recognize that AJ is a supreme passer and we want to put him in situations this season where he can be a playmaker.”

Casey was the top-ranked player in the Class of 2022 for years. He fell behind Glenbard West’s Braden Huff and Yorkville Christian’s Jaden Schutt over the summer.

“There were a lot of mental things going on but I’m fully locked in now,” Casey said. “I’m just ready for the season. I’ve had ups and downs and that came from dealing with a lot of mental games and the injury. I’m definitely back and fully recovered.”

Casey has always been an engaging kid to talk to and an explosive talent to watch on the court. He’s relishing his new role as an underdog but his expectations haven’t changed.

“Winning Player of the Year is a big goal of mine,” Casey said. “I’m shooting for the stars. I definitely like the underdog role. Of course everyone wants to be number one. But being the underdog is a new challenge in life for me. In the player rankings as well. It’s just built a fire in me and hopefully it has built one in the team as well.”

Casey isn’t the only Division I bound senior on the roster. Xavier Amos, a 6-8 NIU recruit, was one of last season’s breakout stars.

“I can’t believe all the [colleges] that passed on him,” Slaughter said. “People will look back and say ‘wow we missed that.’ How they missed it I don’t know. He’s 6-8 and probably as skilled of a player as I’ve had. He’s a rebounder, a big-time shot blocker. He can put it on the deck, he can shoot it. He’s just really, really skilled.”

Davis has been massively hyped since his freshman year. Much like Casey, he’s watched other players pass him by in the rankings.

“Your sophomore year is your toughest year,” Slaughter said. “You are good enough to do a lot of things but you’re not really ready. He’s healthy and he’s focused and he is our leader on the team as far as a guard.”

Davis started for the Dolphins as a freshman, which is a rare accomplishment.

“I didn’t have a good or a great summer,” Davis said. “I know that and I’m hoping to get back on track.”

Daniel Johnson, a 6-6 junior, will likely be Young’s breakout player this season. He showed flashes as a sophomore and opened eyes all summer. The next star is on hand as well in freshman Anthony Munoz.

Most importantly, the Dolphins have high-quality depth will a group of exception role players including 6-6 Matt Sommerville, 6-8 Marcus Overstreet, 6-6 Kanye Smith and guard Marcus Pigram.

The Dolphins open the season on Saturday at the Chicago Elite Classic against Gonzaga from Washington, DC.

“Our goal this season is to win everything, city and state,” Davis said. “If we do that we will be the first since Quentin Richardson’s team to do it and that’s a big deal for us.”

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There was recognition for what he did in Los Angeles, but that was a tough town for his act to truly be appreciated. That’s not the case for the Bulls, where Caruso is impacting games and winning with his defense.

NEW YORK – Hollywood was lukewarm on Alex Caruso’s act.

They loved the guy, respected his hustle, but Los Angeles is lights, camera, action. It’s Magic, LeBron, and Showtime.

A white guy from Texas, wearing a headband, and diving on the hardwood just to deflect a ball?

Yeah, it gets more than a golf clap, but doesn’t exactly move the needle.

Show that same hustle to the Midwest, where there’s still that innate fabric of lunch pails and hard hats? Now there’s a blockbuster, and Caruso just happens to be the leading man.

“Maybe … I don’t know,” Caruso said on Friday, when asked if what he does on the basketball court is more appreciated outside of LA. “I just feel like a lot of times playing on the West Coast for four years, specifically the last two, the Lakers get thrown into the media regardless. So sometimes people may think it’s fool’s gold or just another headline or highlight instead of actually paying attention to the game. Maybe they’re just finally being enlightened to how I actually play.”

How Caruso plays was best summed up in one word by Tom Thibodeau.

“Disruptive,” the Knicks coach said, after Caruso’s latest showing in the Bulls beating New York on Thursday.

Irritant, stopper, pest … all other words the former Bulls coach could have used.

In the 119-115 Bulls win, Caruso scored just six points, but had four steals, a huge deflection that led to Zach LaVine’s late-game free throws, and even got Taj Gibson so incensed with his defense that the veteran lost his cool and was ejected from the game.

How dominant was Caruso when he was on the court? He finished the game with a plus-21 in plus/minus, and the next closest teammates were LaVine and Nikola Vucevic at a plus-7.

“He’s a dog, man,” veteran teammate DeMar DeRozan said. “There’s times we look at the stat sheet after games and he’s like four or five steals. Just the energy he brings defensively, it triggers us because we try and live up to the standards that Alex is going to bring out there on the court. It’s incredible the things that he does defensively. If Shaq [O’Neal] was playing he would try and go out there and figure out how to guard him.”

“He might get a steal,” LaVine chipped in.

He just might.

Caruso entered Friday leading the NBA in steals with 2.3 per game. Of the other players in the top 10, the Bulls guard was the only one playing less than 30 minutes per game. Caruso also leads the Association in deflections per game at 3.9 (tied with Dejounte Murray), and total deflections with 85.

His numbers might be up from the last few seasons with the Lakers, but his game is the same. So why all the recognition now?

“To be candid, probably just because it’s on the West Coast and nobody stays up to watch those games,” Caruso said. “The stuff that I do isn’t always glamorous. It doesn’t always get highlighted. You might have seen a dunk or two over the years, like a pass to LeBron [James] or AD [Anthony Davis], but stuff I do isn’t sexy. It’s stuff that wins basketball games.

“What I love doing is playing and winning basketball games, so for me getting recognition, not getting recognition is not going to change how I live my life, how I play the game, how I interact with people on the team, my family, so people love making a big deal out of it, but for me it’s really just playing basketball.”

That’s why award talk, such as All-NBA Defensive Team honors, can wait.

“Yeah, I mean at the end of the day we’re all humans, we’d like to be rewarded for things we do well,” Caruso said. “Specifically, doing jobs that are hard to do, but there’s a lot of season. I’ve got to do it for another 75% of these games, and there’s 60 games or so, so we’ll maybe talk about it a little bit more in-depth when the time comes, but for now I think if I start thinking about that then I kind of get away from what brings me so much success, which is what I talked about – kind of staying present and try and winning each possession.”

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