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Chicago Blackhawks: Of course Alex DeBrincat is bouncing back by Vincent Parise

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Chicago Bulls (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Could the Chicago Bulls be of assistance to the Boston Celtics before the 2021 NBA trade deadline?

Let’s just get straight to the point: yes. The Bulls could, and should, definitely look at dealing with the Celtics. It’s pretty obvious as to why, too.

The Celtics are a contender in the East. Currently, they hold the fourth seed. They have the type of core to be able to last through multiple 7-game series if necessary. But, Boston could use one more piece to the puzzle. Maybe, just one more guy to round out the rotation could help them get to Eastern supremacy.

As for the Bulls, this year has been a learning process. We’re seeing even more maturation out of Zach LaVine, but it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a long-term staple in Chicago. The same can be said of Coby White, who looks lost when trying to navigate playing the point guard position and appears to be more of a two guard at heart.

Chicago won’t compete for anything major this year, so they could try and sell at the deadline in order to set themselves up for a more interesting future with additional options and assets.

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge recently noted that the team could use “shooting with size” before the deadline. He went on to say that finding a more complete player with size could be what the team needs at this point.

The Bulls have a few players who fit that mold, for the most part. Knowing that just about anyone on this roster is fair game when it comes to trading, Chicago should at least explore a few scenarios with the Celtics. One of these deals could help both sides, and for the Bulls, it makes it an easier pill to swallow when it comes to taking on this rebuild.

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Chicago Bears: Team will be aggressive but not smart this offseason by Usayd Koshul

The Chicago Blackhawks saw Alex DeBrincat take a step back in 2019-20.

The year ended up being a shortened one thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic but that wasn’t the issue for him. Before the pause, he was having a down year based on what he did the first couple of years in his career. In his rookie year, he scored 28 goals and followed that up with a 41 goal sophomore campaign. In year three, he managed to fall all the way down to an 18 goal total. He probably would have been around the 20 range (which is still good) had the season finished as normal.

The Chicago Blackhawks desperately needed an Alex DeBrincat bounce-back.

So far in this strange 2021 season, it has been a bounce-back for DeBrincat. Even with a short stint on the NHL’s COVID-19 list, he has some really good numbers. In 8 games played, he has four goals and six assists for 10 points. In Chicago’s most recent game, they snapped the Carolina Hurricanes’ five-game winning streak thanks to some clutch play from DeBrincat. He scored the go-ahead goal and the empty netter to seal the deal for Chicago.

With Jonathan Toews and Kirby Dach out, it is very important for the guys who are in to play at their best. We know what we are getting from Patrick Kane but guys like Alex DeBrincat, Dominik Kubalik, and Dylan Strome need to show up. It is also helpful when guys like Phillip Kurashev and Pius Suter contribute as well. We know that the old guard is starting to pass the torch.

When that torch is officially passed, DeBrincat will be one of the leaders. Some people like to think of Ian Mitchell as a guy who can rock the captain C on his sweater but don’t rule out Alex DeBrincat. He has been a leader simply by his play ever since he arrived.

What is Alex DeBrincat’s ceiling? Well, we know he can be a guy who consistently scores 35-40 goals a season if he is going well. He is a pure sniper so it will be interesting to see if he can improve on his playmaking. You never want him to stop shooting the puck when he has good shots to take but making others around you better is also important.

A pop fly or two but Alex DeBrincat finds the net!#CHIvsCAR pic.twitter.com/GuT9imj1pd

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 5, 2021

Never stopped battling! Big win at home pic.twitter.com/n0UzhsCFkc

— Alex DeBrincat (@Brinksy97) February 5, 2021

Hot: Could the Chicago Bears trade Khalil Mack this offseason?

In that year where he scored 41 times, he also had 35 assists for 76 points so there is proof to believe he can be that type of guy that has goals and assists. For now, however, it is good to see that he is feeling good about his game after the way 2019-20 went. He has been having tremendous success on the power play so hopefully, the last game against Carolina is a breakout for his even-strength production.

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Chicago Bulls: 3 trades to consider with Boston Celtics before deadline by Ryan Heckman

In the past week, the dialogue around Chicago Bulls big man Lauri Markkanen has been as polarizing as his play.

A 30-point and an eight-point game, against the same team, with an off day in between has set off alarm bells in every fan’s head, especially those who are looking forward in time to Markkanen’s contract negotiations.

Those alarm bells are ringing especially loud and clear in this fan’s head.

In typical armchair GM fashion, I took it upon myself to see what Markkanen’s production is worth, compared to his peers. Lauri has a unique playstyle, illustrated by his shot chart (via cleaningtheglass).

still thinking about this lauri shot chart. maybe morey would like Lauri. is this shot chart predicated on wanting efficiency, or ability? pic.twitter.com/Mjh2uATYXE

— Ethan McDougall (@McDougiee1) February 5, 2021

That is a special chart. It’s reminiscent of a Daryl Morey Platonic ideation. It’s a shot profile that’s not super common for big men, especially at the efficiency that Markkanen puts up. So, I created a set of criteria meant to tease out the Finnish forward and his peers, by finding efficient shooting big men, who don’t take a ton of midrange shots (via cleaning the glass):

I tried to get a group of similar players in shot profile to Lauri Markknanen. This is his “archetype” offensively pic.twitter.com/IRRQKaHPFt

— Ethan McDougall (@McDougiee1) February 5, 2021

These are the players that play a similar style offensively. (Just as a side note, I way undershot the threshold for “all threes” percentile. Every player actually is 80th or above!) Take a second and get familiarized with the stats. Take a look at the hallmarks of this group: an effective field goal percentage of above 53 percent, infrequent midrange, and a higher volume of three pointers. This is the shot profile of Lauri Markkanen, and the players that shoot the most like him; this is his archetype.

Once I found a good little grouping for Lauri to settle in to, I wanted to be able to compare them. I took their standard counting stats (Points per game, assists per game & rebounds per game) from basketball-reference.com and laid them all out. Then, I took the average of those stats, and then the standard deviation.

For all the non-statistic folks out there, The standard deviation is how far away a number has to be from an average to be considered “different.” Say the average is 10, with a standard deviation of four. That means that any number above 14 or below 6 is significant. For this case, I was looking only positive deviations from the mean, to indicate success from the baseline.

So, if any players accumulated counting stats greater than one standard deviation away from the mean, then I went a little bit more in depth with their stats. You can think of this subset of players as the better half of the archetype, which Markkanen falls into.

To flesh these players out, I went back to Cleaning the Glass to bring in defensive and rebound metrics. Keep in mind, these stats don’t paint a full picture, but they can be used as an indicator to success on the less sexy side of the ball.

So, I took each player with a similar offensive archetype as lauri, and then grabbed counting stats (from basketball-reference). Then, any player with PTS, AST or REB that were > 1 standard deviation away from average has defensive/rebounding stats from cleaning the glass pic.twitter.com/73nVpuSDhm

— Ethan McDougall (@McDougiee1) February 5, 2021

What does this all mean? Let me reframe this data:

These are the players that, offensively, play the most like Lauri Markkanen, in terms of shot type. Not only are they similar in archetype, but all the players with defensive numbers perform at essentially the same level as Lauri (greater than one standard deviation away in at least one stat). However, all of these players also score in higher percentiles on the defensive/rebounding side, meaning that there is evidence that they impact more than just scoring, compared to Markkanen.

And then go ahead and take a look at the contract numbers.

Myles Turner is the closest in counting stats to Lauri Markkanen, and look at his defensive/rebounding numbers. In “stocks” (steals + blocks), he is elite for a big man. Keep in mind, this is in addition to filling the same role as Markkanen on offense. Turner is currently under contract that he signed in 2019-2020, for $18 million a year. That’s also the highest contract on the spreadsheet.

That’s all the evidence needed. A much more impactful player, who has the same archetype as Lauri offensively, is on a deal for $18 million for the next two years. JaMychal Green signed his contract last year. Even with cap inflation (I don’t have the numbers yet, but I’m not sure how high the cap can jump), Lauri’s production is more on the low end of that $12-18 million dollar range.

Related Story: Lonzo Ball: Bulls Target?

Lauri Markkanen has a role on the Chicago Bulls. It’s not a unique role, and others who play the same way he does oftentimes contribute more in other facets of the game. With all of that information, a re-sign for Markkanen (if he is re-signed at all) should not be for more than Turner’s current contract.

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Chicago Cubs: Trevor Bauer is out of the National League Central by Vincent Parise

Let’s face it, seven years into the Ryan Pace era and the Chicago Bears are still in the market for a quarterback. To make it all worse, even Pace’s biggest swing, which was Mitchell Trubisky five years ago, was never labeled as a surefire pick, simply because there were more talented quarterbacks on the board.

Now, Pace and head coach Matt Nagy are once again left trying to figure out the issue that’s plagued the Bears for nearly seven decades. This offseason is expected by many to be musical chairs for quarterbacks. We’ve already seen Philip Rivers retire with Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff getting moved. Then there are rumors surrounding Deshaun Watson, Carson Wentz, and Derek Carr, each of the three that would be significant upgrades over anything Chicago had at quarterback in 2020.

Factor in the NFL Draft featuring Justin Fields, Zach Wilson, Mac Jones, and Trey Lance, all four of whom could be realistic options for Chicago. However, to acquire Fields or Wilson, Chicago would need to trade up into the top-10.

Chicago Bears will be aggressive but not smart at quarterback this offseason

Considering the current state of the Bears, it’s hard to trust anything that Pace and Nagy do right now. The two have overpaid for a number of players in the past, including guys like Robert Quinn and Jimmy Graham, two aging veterans who could’ve been signed for much cheaper than what the Bears paid.

When it comes to quarterback, last offseason, let’s not forget that both Pace and Nagy’s “collaboration” landed them Nick Foles, which also cost a 2020 fourth-round pick and $21 million dollars guaranteed.

Now, in a year where the aforementioned head coach and general manager know that they have to do everything in their power to save their jobs, it means they’ll do anything possible to acquire a quarterback. That means Chicago could end up with a reclamation project or someone like Watson.

In the NFL, it’s totally okay to be aggressive. The Bears can look at the Los Angeles Rams, who just traded two first-round picks for Stafford in an effort to upgrade the quarterback position. The Rams were smart about how they acquired Stafford, knowing he’s the missing piece they need for a Super Bowl run.

Next: Chicago Bears: Ryan Pace will likely overpay for a quarterback

It’s hard to see the Bears doing the same this offseason. Will they be aggressive? Of course. However, will they be smart? That’s the biggest question that will need to be answered, knowing Chicago’s quarterback room in a few months could be the same as it was in 2020 or be entirely reshaped.

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There was a bit of stir earlier this week when Maine South tweeted out its basketball schedule.

The thing was massive, with 22 games scheduled in just five weeks. It definitely threw some people, who questioned if that kind of effort was wise during a global pandemic.

Hawks coach Tony Lavorato has a plan.

“Some people were haters, some people loved it,” Lavorato said. “It was a baseball mentality schedule. My goal is 16 games. If we can play 16 games I will be happy. Any more than 16, great.”

Friday afternoon there was a COVID-19 positive test in the Maine South girls basketball program. They were supposed to play a doubleheader at Loyola with the boys team. That was canceled.

It’s exactly what Lavorato was worried about.

“The girls just lost four games,” Lavorato said. “We want to try to get those 16 in. So if we have to cancel, boom we cross it out and we are moving on. No rescheduling. We have four games a week.”

Read all about Maine South’s season-opening win against Loyola…

Friday’s top games

Yorkville Christian 85, Sandwich 33: I’m really interested to see how good the Mustangs are this season. They were so young last season and played such a high-quality schedule. Jaden Schutt led with 23 points and Tyler Burrows scored 22.

Northridge 63, Schaumburg Christian 40: Ok, I always knew that Northridge was a quality basketball program. I’m not a moron, most of the time. But I admit I was surprised that the Knights wound up as the No. 31 winningest program in the entire area the last decade. Wow. We clearly need to pay more attention to Northridge. Sean Flood led the way tonight with 31 points.

Tuscola 58, Warrensburg-Latham 38: Tuscola is the notebook’s team this season. Just makes sense after we started the season down there. The Warriors are 3-0 and play at Shiloh tomorrow.

Lincoln-Way Central 64, Lincoln-Way East 55: So it turns out there is one huge benefit to games happening before I actually finalize the rankings. Some things get solved. I knew I was ranking one of these teams, but hadn’t fully decided which one. I was impressed with what I saw from the Griffins last season and the Knights return their entire starting lineup from last year. Based on tonight it looks like Central will get the preseason nod. Nick Tingley scored 21 and James Ogrodnik added 18.

Indian Creek 79, Genoa-Kingston 55: The Timberwolves win so often that you are starting to get familiar with these names, aren’t you? Drew Gaston scored 22, Cam Russell 16, Davis Stryker 13 and Michael Lampson 10.

Glenbrook South 57, Lake Forest 41: This is the most impressive win of the night. Both were likely preseason Super 25 teams. I expect the Scouts to be pretty darn good, so that is impressive margin. We probably should take into account that it was Lake Forest’s first game. That’s likely a major factor right now.

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A Roseland man died of his injuries Wednesday about a month after a mattress fire at his home in the South Side neighborhood.

Joe Clark, 52, was critically injured when he tried to put out a mattress that was on fire about 2 p.m. Jan. 2 in the 100 block of West 112th Street, Chicago police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.

He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he died Wednesday of complications from burn injuries, the medical examiner’s office said.

An autopsy ruled his death an accident.

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Friday, February 5, 2021

METRO SUBURBAN – BLUE

St. Francis at Aurora Christian, 7:30

SOUTHWEST SUBURBAN – CROSSOVER

Lincoln-Way East at Lincoln-Way Central, 4:30

TRI-COUNTY

Marquette at Henry-Senachwine, 7:00

Seneca at Lowpoint-Washburn, 5:30

NON CONFERENCE

Donovan at Gardner-So. Wilmington, 7:00

Dwight at Morris, 7:00

Glenbrook South at Lake Forest, 7:00

Guilford at DeKalb, 7:00

Indian Creek at Genoa-Kingston, 7:00

Iroquois West at St. Thomas More, 7:00

LaSalle-Peru at Hall, 7:00

Maine South at Loyola, 7:00

Mendota at North Boone, 7:00

Naperville North at Wheaton-Warr. South, 8:00

Plano at Somonauk, 7:00

Rochelle at Stillman Valley, 7:00

Rockford Christian at Rockford Lutheran, 7:00

Sandwich at Yorkville Christian, 7:00

Schaumburg Christian at Northridge, 6:15

St. Bede at Ottawa, 7:00

Sterling at Jefferson, 7:15

Streator at Pontiac, 6:45

Many schools livestream games on the NFHS Network, which often charges fans to watch. However, several local schools stream games on their own that are free to watch. Some schools do all the games, some just home games and some select games.

If your school streams games, please send a link to the channel or home page to [email protected]. Here’s a list of all the schools that have submitted links so far.

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Chicago Bears Rumors: Carson Wentz trade buzz is heating up by Patrick Sheldon

The Chicago Cubs traded away the guy, Yu Darvish, who came in second place for the National League Cy Young to the San Diego Padres. Well, the guy who won the award, Trevor Bauer, is off to the NL West as well as he is now with the Los Angeles Dodgers. That is an insane movement out of the division as it seems like every team (besides the Pirates) has a chance to win this thing. The Cubs won’t have to face Bauer on a regular basis anymore though which is nice.

The Chicago Cubs will still play against Bauer as he remains in the National League.

The Chicago Cubs will still play the Los Angeles Dodgers a fair amount of times but not as many as they did when he was on the Reds. They could, however, play the Dodgers in the playoffs if they squeak out a division title and the Dodgers have the best record in baseball. It doesn’t really matter, however, as the Cubs just need to mainly focus on taking care of business against the teams in their division and that will be easier without Bauer.

As for the Dodgers, they are loaded. They are coming off of a World Series victory in 2020 and they were pretty much the best team in the league from beginning to end. Now, they have a rotation that is seven pitchers deep. Trevor Bauer, Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, David Price, Dustin May, Julio Urias, and Tony Gonsolin are all awesome and could impact the team in different ways.

With a group like that, they are legit World Series contenders. The Padres made so many great additions, including Darvish, and after all of that, they are still behind the Dodgers. The Cubs had a chance to do something similar when they won the World Series but instead, they traded their top position prospect and top pitching prospect for a number three pitcher in Jose Quintana, wasted money on Tyler Chatwood, and fired their manager a few years later.

Related Story: Three free-agent pitchers for the Cubs to consider

Now that this free agent chip has fallen, it feels like the MLB world will start looking towards Spring Training. There is still a lot to be resolved with the Cubs going forward but the players on this roster will go into it with a mindset that they can win.

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Whether you choose to embrace the winter weather by seeking refuge in a dark, warm-flavored ale, or you mentally escape our snowbound environs with a summery, coconut-fueled fantasy, newly-available flavors from Chicagoland breweries offer solace and comfort in a variety of forms. With sour ales, IPAs, and even coffee-infused brews, you’re sure to find something tasty to sip on during the month of February.

Hopewell Brewing Company

Prepare to be dazzled by the stars of Hopewell’s recent double release— Neon: Cherry Lime, a fruity sour ale incorporating Montmorency cherries and lime leaf; and Low Key, a spelt pale ale “brewed with Strata and Loral hops.”

Temperance Beer Co.

Though technically released at the very end of January, Evanston-based Temperance’s new Where I’m From hazy IPA continues to grace the month of February with its presence, specifically benefiting the City of Evanston’s Reparations Fund, which was established “to address, in part, wealth and opportunity gaps that Black Americans experience as a result of historical racism and discrimination.” The new brew itself is infused with delicious notes of vanilla and citrus making it one of these hottest releases from Chicagoland breweries this year.

Off Color Brewing

Along with the return of a couple of other favorites, Off Color has introduced the brand new Well Fed Sheep scotch ale, which combines a heavy malt presence with lighter Star Thistle honey. A welcome addition to the brewery’s menagerie of other excellent concoctions, Well Fed Sheep is sure to keep you feeling warm and fuzzy this month.

Empirical Brewery

Continuing to alter our ideas about great beer on an atomic level, one of Chicagoland favorite breweries, Empirical Brewery has teamed up with Hexe Coffee for the upcoming release of Vibraniyum Coffee Brown Ale. The bold new beer becomes available February 8 in cans and on draft.

Begyle Brewing

Begyle’s upcoming double release introduces the light and fruity When Pineapples Fly sour pineapple ale—with a touch of coconut!—and the Sent with Love hazy IPA, which incorporates not only notes of berry but more coconut! Escape the to more tropical climes with these brews starting February 11.

Chicagoland Breweries Featured Image Credit: Begyle Brewing on Facebook

The post 5 New Beers Released by Chicagoland Breweries This February appeared first on UrbanMatter.

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Illinois hopes to start its 2021 football season in Ireland as part of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. Northwestern will remain at home for its first game.

The Big Ten released schedules for the upcoming season on Friday, with the Illini facing Nebraska in Dublin on Aug. 28. The Wildcats open against Michigan State on Sept. 4 at Ryan Field.

The teams face each other for the Land of Lincoln trophy in their annual rivalry game on Nov. 27 in Champaign.

Six Big Ten football games will be played at different sites than originally planned and dates for many matchups have been changed on the revised 2021 conference schedule.

The Big Ten shortened its 2020 season to eight games because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and six games were played at the same location as the previous year. The changes to the 2021 schedule avoid having the same home team three years in a row for those games.

The games with new locations: Michigan State at Indiana on Oct. 16; Wisconsin at Purdue on Oct. 23; Michigan at Michigan State on Oct 30; Purdue at Nebraska on Oct. 30; Indiana at Michigan on Nov. 6; and Nebraska at Wisconsin on Nov. 20.

Two rivalry games were moved back to their traditional spots at the end of the regular season. Iowa plays at Nebraska on Nov. 26 and Wisconsin visits Minnesota on Nov. 27.

Each team’s nine conference opponents remain the same from the original schedule.

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