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Chicago Bulls: Why Patrick Williams was a better pick than Anthony Edwardson November 19, 2020 at 2:00 am

Chicago Bulls (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Chicago Bulls (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

Fans may not truly understand the Patrick Williams pick, but the Chicago Bulls went the smart route.

Going into the 2020 NBA Draft, no one knew exactly what the Chicago Bulls were going to do. The first three picks went seemingly as planned, and then it was up to the Bulls to make it interesting.

At no. 4 overall, Arturas Karnisovas went with Florida State forward Patrick Williams. He is a name that was mentioned in connection with the Bulls earlier this week, but the average basketball fan wasn’t too familiar with this kid.

After all, one of the first things you’ll hear about Williams is that he didn’t even start for the Seminoles last year. He was a freshman who rose and impressed as the season went on, and became a big-time prospect closer to the draft.

In his only collegiate season at Florida State, Williams averaged 9.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.0 steal, 1.0 block and 1.0 assist in just over 22 minutes.

At 6-foot-8, Williams presents the Bulls with exactly what they have lacked for a few years — a strong perimeter defender on the wing. Williams can guard multiple positions and works harder than anyone. He’s tireless in his efforts.

In fact, during his first press conference with ESPN, Williams mentioned several times how his hard work is the main reason why he will be successful as a pro. He pointed to the fact that, if he works the hardest, he has no other outcome other than to be successful.

When you watch his college tape, the term “worker” certainly describes his game. He pops off the screen each time you see him play. Williams is always the hardest worker on the court. He’s all over the place. He’ll guard anyone, challenge anyone on a rebound and he will undoubtedly go up and block anyone’s shot, regardless of how big they are. Oh yeah, and the kid can fly.

Looking at the three guys drafted before Williams, you could use the term “potential” with any of them. Specifically, Georgia’s Anthony Edwards showed us a lot of potential. The Minnesota Timberwolves drafted themselves quite the athlete who can attack the hoop and throw down.

But, there is one major difference between a kid like Edwards versus the Bulls’ draftee, Williams. That falls in the category Williams mentioned multiple times — hard work.

Edwards’ biggest knock, going into the draft, is whether or not he actually loved the game of basketball. Plenty was made about whether he had the drive to be a great pro; whether he would work hard to become the best he could possibly be.

When asked about his love for the game, Edwards responded that he was “not really into” basketball. The full conversation was absolutely a red flag when it comes to Edwards, but he still went number one.

Is Edwards a natural talent? Sure. But, the Bulls’ pick of Williams could end up being an even better one than Minnesota taking Edwards, and it’s strictly based off of which of these players will have the drive, the passion and the work ethic to practice and play with enough drive. We know Williams’ calling card. It’s hard work. It’s defense. It’s doing all of the little things to help his team win.

Speaking of which, if you compare the two, Edwards’ defensive rating last year was 103.6 while Williams’ was an impressive 94.1 — almost a 10-point difference. That’s incredible.

Actually, let’s look at the other side of the ball, shall we?

Looking at their offensive rating (points score or points attributed to per 100 possessions), Edwards sits at 105.8 last year. Williams’ offensive rating came in at 106.9.

Very interesting, isn’t it? Between every little thing Williams does, he graded out as a better player on offense and defense.

This isn’t just an opinion. Williams very well could be a better pro than Edwards. For the Bulls, he’s a much better pick and fit than Edwards would have been. What a bold pick by Karnisovas, but it should pan out to be an excellent decision.

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‘Wonder Woman 1984’ to debut Dec. 25 on HBO Max and in theaters as wellon November 19, 2020 at 12:31 am

“Wonder Woman 1984,” the hotly awaited and oft-delayed superhero sequel, has a new release plan — and it looks like this one might be for real.

Warner Bros. Pictures announced Wednesday at the movie will show on the HBO Max streaming platform starting Dec. 25 — and also in theaters the same day. Viewing it will require no additional fee for HBO Max subscribers, and their access will last only a month.

“As we navigate these unprecedented times, we’ve had to be innovative in keeping our businesses moving forward while continuing to super-serve our fans,” said Ann Sarnoff, Chair and CEO of Warner Bros.’ parent company.

The continuing spread of COVID-19 has prompted the closing of cinemas in many parts of the country, including Illinois, which has ordered theaters to cease operation starting Friday.

Gal Gadot, star of the 2017 hit “Wonder Woman,” returns as the DC Comics crimefighter in the new movie, which co-stars Pedro Pascal as Max Lord and Kristen Wiig as The Cheetah.

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‘Wonder Woman 1984’ to debut Dec. 25 on HBO Max and in theaters as wellon November 19, 2020 at 12:31 am Read More »

Do you have elevator etiquette?on November 19, 2020 at 1:33 am

The Ultimate Circle Table Kid

Do you have elevator etiquette?

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Do you have elevator etiquette?on November 19, 2020 at 1:33 am Read More »

Fragmented lives up to its title–for better or worseon November 18, 2020 at 5:00 pm

“You and I both know that if you leave here and talk shit about this play, people will just assume you’re racist,” says K in Fragmented, a new play by Karissa Murrell Myers (who also plays K) and directed by Spencer Ryan Diedrick (with assistance from Daniella Wheelock) that explores the condition of being a “Half Filipino, Half European American” actress from Boise, Idaho, who now lives and works in Chicago. In the same section, K notes, “Analyzing hundreds of microaggressions–and macroaggressions–and deciding which ones to assault you people with is not my idea of fun.” But K persists, and the result is a defensive, defiant, sometimes funny, sometimes pedantic hour of work, presented through the Our Perspective playwriting initiative, part of the AA Arts Incubator Program of Asian Improv Arts Midwest (AIRMW).

Fragmented lives up to its title–fragments of scenes, each depicting a facet of being hapa in (mostly) Middle America, the essence of which is contradiction: The indignity and ubiquity of the question, “What are you?” The rage and despair of not quite belonging to any one culture. The trendiness and troublesomeness of being “ethnically ambiguous” at a white theater audition. The phony opportunity of tokenism. If you’re a person of color in America, you get this. It’s your life.

So what are you going to do about it? The primary mode of expression in Fragmented is the callout, almost as if each scene were a meme crossed with a Stuff White People Say video. “It’s so hard being a white actress when theater companies want to go ethnic, you know?” says one Actual Real White Person (Brennan Urbi, who also plays Dad, K’s brother, and other characters). “I mean, we all get so many chances to do plays by Noel Coward and Neil Simon. You know what I mean, right?” says Another Real White Person (Emily Marso, who also plays Mom, K’s sister, and other characters with chameleonic precision). This strategy may be satisfying if you find memes an effective mode of communication–their abundance in contemporary culture would seem to indicate that we have a need to shout through and be shouted at by cartoons. However, outrage quickly expressed quickly exhausts itself before developing into story, which tends to involve change.

The most compelling fragments of Fragmented are thus the scenes in which the characters actually speak to each other: K and her siblings chatting in the car on the way to the airport, reminiscing about old games of Oregon Trail and shopping at Waremart, interviewing each other about growing up hapa in the conservative midwest, wondering whether getting called “Pinoy” is racist or not. “I was confused so I only half-laughed. Because I was too embarrassed to ask what it meant,” admits J (Urbi). The lightness of the dialogue makes the revelation of the reason for their reunion punch that much harder when it finally comes. And just as quickly, as if real pain were too raw to be given space to emerge, the play dashes back to the surface. v






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Em Kettner creates elaborate casings for her sacred sculptureson November 18, 2020 at 5:35 pm

Garfield Park-based gallery Goldfinch opened “Play the Fool,” a solo show with works by Em Kettner in late October. I traveled to the gallery earlier last week to examine the works that sit, live, and perform on the shelves and walls of the gallery. With the recent stay-at-home advisory in place, the entire exhibition is also viewable on the Goldfinch website with extensive documentation. Kettner’s charms and cabinet curiosities can be seen as characters in a larger story or narrative that we have yet to finish. In an interview with Goldfinch curator Elizabeth Lalley, Kettner explains that she’s always been interested in votive objects carried by “pilgrims, saints, and children; those used in healing or transformation ceremonies.” In “Play the Fool,” the sacred characters do have a supernatural quality to them, especially those who have the face of a human, but take on the shape of a bed, thin cone, or twisted pretzel.

In tarot card readings, “the fool” represents new beginnings and a belief in the future. In myth, Kettner explains, the fool delivers advice or holds power over certain events. Through humor, these figures detail stories, events, and performance. Since Kettner’s work surrounds the theme of disability, this exhibition title also refers to disabled folks playing the role of “court jesters, circus sideshow attractions, and even gods of mischief and laughter” where they “were at once celebrated and isolated for their anomalous behaviors.” The names of the sculptures–The Guardian, The Mirror, and The Sycophant–are all similar names to tarot cards. The pieces in the show, along with their names, resemble a carny family traveling to their next destination. As a viewer, I stop and smile at each piece, taking on the role as the outsider–the looming public gawking at their tiny comedic stances and carnival-style woven costumes. Many of the weavings are in diamond- or square-shaped patterns, synonymous with circus troops and traveling performers. Several of the characters in the show wear cone-shaped hats with a ball on the very tip. These woven costumes are bound together with cotton and wool. Underneath the material threads are the individual porcelain pieces that are only held together by their outer layer. One piece of work can be made up of several pieces–the weavings work as glue and hold them together to create one whole piece.

Kettner tells Lally, “I embellish what is strange or broken so that the sculptures flaunt their sinewy limbs with panache, diverting attention toward their brightly woven costumes. There’s power in embracing your own smallness and fragility, and insisting others delight in these conditions as well.” And Kettner’s pieces are, in fact, very small. I circle the gallery twice and notice various details that I didn’t notice before. Kettner describes her work as “accessible and deceptively simple.” Crouching down is required for many of these works. That’s when you can see the weaving of the thread and the intricate detail put into the costumes.

A small tongue licks the shelf on the wall in The Pilgrim. Breasts protrude from a costume. A little buttocks pops out from the backside of pants. They perform as they hang from the walls and sit on the shelves. Their sexuality reveals itself on my second go-around. It’s only after you look long enough that you realize these characters are more than their elongated and silly outer shells.

Kettner, who lives with a rare form of muscular dystrophy, re-imagines the disabled body in her works. As someone who relies on other people for a physical support system, these miniature sculptures depict those moments of support. Kettner typically needs someone to aid in her standing up, and her sculptures imitate these additional limbs in her everyday life. “I have four extra limbs working in tandem with mine,” says Kettner. And these works mimic the “moments of expansion, mutualism, and dependence.”

In conjunction with “Play the Fool,” the gallery also opened a painting show in the back gallery by Oregon-based artist Howard Fonda. “the message or the messenger” features large-scale paintings with vivid brushstrokes, vibrant colors, and narrative scenes. The markings on Fonda’s paintings work well in conjunction with Gallery 1 and Kettner’s colorful use of weaving and paint. These two exhibitions support one another although they differ in medium and in size. In a way, I feel as if Fonda’s works are enlarged scenes of Kettner’s sculptures. They could live inside of each other’s magnificent worlds.

It’s difficult to imagine that Kettner doesn’t work with a miniature loom. But readers, she does not. She creates the porcelain figures and then wraps them with cotton and wool thread. Working with a domestic craft, Kettner’s weaving works as a crutch for many of these pieces. Without her thread to keep them in place, they would simply fall apart and lay in several separate, functionless pieces. Kettner stitches them together and gives them a new purpose, a functional life, similar to folks who may need an aid or need assistance. The weavings are casts or casings that protect, honor, and serve the fragile works.

When Lally asks Kettner if these figures all exist in the same story, Kettner says that they do but that the “story is still unfolding.” She goes on to explain that some of her characters in the show are created at various times in their journey. Like Medieval paintings repeat figures, Kettner’s work may repeat characters as they grow and change through time.

Like small tokens or relics, the figures come to life individually and as a whole. I feel like I’ve caught these souvenirs in the act. They are all frozen in mid-action, the orgy of cacophonous sound is silence for a brief moment. I imagine when the gallerist turns off the lights for the evening, they all dance with one another, celebrating and carrying on as if we were never there. v

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7 of the Best Wine Shops in Chicagoon November 18, 2020 at 2:47 pm

Whether it’s a full-bodied Cabernet, a sweet Sauvignon Blanc, or bubbly champagne, there’s nothing like a great vino. And you don’t have to travel to Napa Valley or the south of France to find your favorite bottle! Check out these exceptional wine shops in Chicago. Currently, most retail locations are closed right now and only offering pickup or delivery. 

2312 W Leland Ave, Chicago, IL 60625

Looking for a one-stop wine shop in Lincoln Square? Peep out Augusta’s selection of unique wines. They also offer traditional wine and cheese gift baskets which can be customized with spirits, vermouths and amaro, sauces, preserves, sweets, European olive oils, and kinds of vinegar.

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3023 W Diversey Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

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If you’re more of a natural wine person, look no further. Diversey Wine is made with organically farmed grapes and no additives. And don’t forget to check out their wine club. For $50 a month, you’ll get two bottles of wine, tasting notes, pairing suggestions, and 10% off your purchase.

719 S Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60605

Since 2004, Printers Row has been serving up a curated collection of wines, small batch spirits, and local craft brews. Their mission is to bring to you the freshest, hippest, and most delicious selections available. Pro-tip: order 12 bottles and you’ll score an automatic 20% off. Boom.

1412 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60642

Wine nerds! Stop by this Roscoe Village staple for hundreds of bottles of wine, rare beers, bottled cocktails, and eccentric spirits. Not sure what to get? Ask their friendly staff for some suggestions. Order online for curbside pickup or delivery everyday between 12 PM to 8 PM. 

393 E Illinois St, Chicago, IL 60611

Nestled in the heart of River East, Uncork It! is your go-to for wine shops in Chicago. Explore the world without leaving your couch by choosing vino from one of 21 countries. Plus you can browse beer, liquor, cocktail accessories, and various gifts to dial up the fun. 

2108 W Division St, Chicago, IL 60622

Wicker Park folks! If you’re looking for an exclusive bottle for a real aficionado, the staff at Joe’s can help you find something perfect. Score some great wine, beer, spirits, and various food items, Tuesday through Sunday. Don’t want to leave your house? They’ll deliver if you live within a mile.

1861 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

For over a decade, the folks at Red & White Wines have offered a wonderful selection of artisan wines in Bucktown. Join their Wine Club for $85 a month (also makes a great gift!). You’ll get three wines from their favorite producers and unique selections, a free wine tote, and 5% off all purchases.

Featured Image Credit: Hermes Rivera on Unsplash

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8 Reasons Why Chicago is a Better Place to Live than NYCon November 18, 2020 at 4:00 pm

When it comes to big cities in the United States, two metropolitan areas come to mind: Chicago and New York City. And while many will debate tooth and nail the positives and negatives of The Big Apple and The Windy City, we know that only one of these two reigns supreme. Chicago may be smaller in size but it trumps NYC in many of the necessary categories on the every-man’s checklist. From food to fortune, cleanliness to accessibility, these are 8 reasons why Chicago is better to live in than New York City.

Lower Cost of Living

The cost of a one-bedroom in the heart of Chicago is about half as much to rent than a one-bedroom in the heart of New York. Also, the costs associated with using public transportation are lower here.

No Trash Piles

Not only do trash bags accumulate regularly on New York sidewalks, but the problem is apparently worse than ever. Keeping Chicago’s trash in back-alley bins may not make for the best-smelling alleys, but it’s better than tripping over our own garbage.

Lake Michigan

Not only is Lake Michigan beautiful, but it’s easily accessible using public transportation or by car, and it has all of the charm of a large body of water without the risk of hurricanes. Getting to many beaches in New York means committing to a couple of public transit transfers and/or $20+.

Chicago Invests in Its Public Transit

While New York City’s aging subway system continues to deteriorate and suffer from long delays, Chicago has, in recent years, spent quite a bit of money updating some of its train lines— most notably the Red, Blue, and Purple lines.

Getting Around is Easier

Though New York does have a more extensive subway system than Chicago’s (New York commuter tracks cover over 1600 miles, while the “L” tracks only cover 224), that system does suffer from significant delays, and is more expensive for commuters. Driving a car in Chicago is very do-able (even reasonable, considering the sprawl of the Chicago metro area), while in New York the traffic is so reliably terrible and parking so hard to come by that it seems easier to stick with the subway.

Lower Population Density

The number of people per kilometer in New York is more than twice that of Chicago. Even an experience as simple as walking on the sidewalk (according to people who had moved from Chicago to New York) is very different in each city.

Airports are More Accessible

Both O’Hare and Midway are simple to travel to on public transportation (or by car, even), while getting to the airport in New York is a journey in itself. Somehow the closest airport to Manhattan is LaGuardia (…in Queens), and getting to JFK from Manhattan is a pricey and lengthy process.

It’s a City of Neighborhoods

Every Chicagoan knows that the true beauty of the city lies not in its downtown tourist attractions, but in the unique personality and atmosphere of each of the neighborhoods it encompasses. Boroughs just don’t compare.

Featured Image Credit: Jürgen Polle on Pixabay

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