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Bulls second-quarter flurry overwhelms Hawks for fifth-straight win

It was one of those don’t-blink moments.

Unfortunately for the visiting Hawks, they did.

Midway through the second quarter of Wednesday’s rematch from two nights earlier, the Bulls and Atlanta were doing what they usually seem to do the past few seasons – trading baskets with little resistance.

A Chaundee Brown Jr. layup brought the visiting team to within two at the 6:04 mark before halftime, and Nikola Vucevic answered with an 18-footer, keeping the tennis volley alive and well.

Then it was as if a storm came rolling across the United Center floor, and with just under five minutes left before the halftime horn sounded, the Hawks had nowhere to hide, nowhere to find shelter.

A Javonte Green dunk – because Green always seems to dunk, a Zach LaVine three, a LaVine layup, a Green layup, a Nikola Vucevic jumper, another LaVine three, an Ayo Dosunmu three … by the time the Hawks could run for cover into their locker room, the two-point deficit just six minutes earlier was 21.

A 24-5 flurry that few teams could recover from.

Considering the Hawks (15-19) had 13 players in the NBA’s coronavirus health and safety protocols, almost impossible for them, as the Bulls won 131-117 for their fifth straight victory.

Not that the Bulls (22-10) weren’t down some bodies, but they at least had their “Big Three” in LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Vucevic. More importantly when playing the Hawks, they had two players hell-bent on making life difficult for star point guard Trae Young.

After Young torched Coby White at the start of the Monday game, acting head coach Chris Fleming turned to Green and Dosunmu with elite defenders Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso on the shelf.

Dosunmu especially took the challenge personally, not only holding Young to an 0-for-5 when he guarded him in the Monday meeting, but when he continued the battle in the rematch, it took a logo three from Young to finally get one on the rookie.

“When I got the assignment, when I first checked him, pretty much all the other stuff goes out the window,” Dosunmu said of facing Young. “Now it was just about feeding my competitive nature.”

Which is why Dosunmu is so appreciated by his coaching staff.

“With Ayo he’s got a really unique approach where he doesn’t have a whole lot of fear and he wants to know what he has to do to get on the floor,” Fleming said. “He’s like, ‘OK, tell me what it has to be.’ And he approaches every day like that. I don’t know if it’s necessarily one big thing, but it’s a sum of a lot of little things that a rookie has to learn, and I think he’s done a good job of attacking it the right way. His approach is he’s just been ready whenever we’ve called on him.”

Young did finish with 26, but did so on 10-of-23 shooting, including 2-for-7 from three.

And Dosunmu wasn’t alone, as Green started the game on Young.

“Both those guys did a really good job,” Fleming said. “We just have to continue to work on that side of the ball.”

As for the “Big Three?”

They didn’t need to play hero on this night, as LaVine finished with 25, DeRozan 20, and Vucevic 16 with 20 rebounds.

Impressive, but the entire offense was, finishing with a season-high 38 assists, with Coby White leading the way with 12 in the surgical dissection of Atlanta’s defense.

“Just came out and wanted to be aggressive,” White said of his performance. “We’re a very unselfish group. We took what the defense gave us.”

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As Bulls place a 17th player in the protocol, Jordan Bell is back

Bell was drafted by the Bulls in the second round back in 2017, but picked with the intent to sell his rights to the Warriors. This never sat well with most of the fan base, but very little that Gar/Pax did at that point.

Jordan Bell will wear a Bulls uniform after all.

With the organization placing yet another player in the NBA’s coronavirus health and safety protocols on Wednesday – this time being rookie Marko Simonovic – they were again given another hardship exception, this time to sign the 6-foot-8 Bell.

That name sound familiar?

Bell should, especially since he was the poster boy for an old Bulls regime that the fan base had run out of patience with by 2017.

The quick history lesson on Bell was during that draft night, then-general manager Gar Forman and executive vice president John Paxson had already traded Jimmy Butler in Round 1, going into full rebuild mode. They then drafted Bell in Round 2 and sold his draft rights to Golden State for a then-league-record $3.5 million.

To be fair, the Bulls were never interested in Bell, and picked him only for the Warriors to finish the deal. The fan base, however, didn’t care about fair or unfair at that point. They had enough of Gar/Pax, and didn’t understand the move for a rebuilding team.

It only got worse in November of that season, when Bell came in with the Warriors and made a huge impact in a Golden State win, scoring seven points, grabbing six rebounds, finishing with six blocks and handing out four assists.

He even taunted the old regime, rubbing his hands together like money during the player introductions, saying afterward, “I wanted to see how cash considerations was doing over there.”

Now he might get his chance to finally be a Bull, but for a much different looking regime.

As far as how close the Bulls are to getting healthy, they did get Derrick Jones Jr. back from a tweaked hamstring for the rematch with the Hawks, but still had five players in the health and safety protocols including Lonzo Ball, Tony Bradley, Ersan Ilyasova, Alfonzo McKinnie and Simonovic.

Since Nikola Vucevic back in November, the Bulls have placed 17 total players in the protocols, with only Alex Caruso, two-way player Tyler Cook and hardship exception Mac McClung.

Head coach Billy Donovan also remained in the protocol, missing his third game.

Unpausing the Caru-Show?

Caruso was still dealing with a mid-foot sprain, but according to acting head coach Chris Fleming he was moving toward a return sooner than later.

“It feels good,” Fleming said of Caruso’s injury. “I think in that case it pays to be conservative. He plays so hard and I think our medical staff is doing a good job of managing him, but I think they’re just taking a long-term view of how that recovery is. As far as I know everything is moving forward.”

Closing time

Zach LaVine has seen first-hand how dominant DeMar DeRozan can be in the fourth quarter of games this season, and appreciated it even more sitting back and watching it while he was in the protocol.

As far as LaVine was concerned he continued to learn valuable lessons from his veteran teammate.

“I’ve always been somebody, especially with my past experiences, to where it’s like, ‘OK, I gotta do it now and do everything,’ ” LaVine said. “If we’re down 10 I want to try to get it back right away. [DeRozan’s] so calm. It doesn’t matter if he has 25 going into the fourth or if he has four. He takes that fourth quarter as a totally different game. It’s something to learn from, and I think I’ve picked up a little bit on that.”

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As Bulls place a 17th player in the protocol, Jordan Bell is back Read More »

Mavs add former All-Star Thomas on 10-day dealon December 29, 2021 at 10:43 pm


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Former All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas has agreed to a 10-day hardship deal with the Dallas Mavericks after the team had two more players enter the NBA’s health and safety protocols, sources told ESPN.

Center Boban Marjanovic and guard Brandon Knight entered the protocols Wednesday after testing positive for COVID-19, sources said.

Thomas, who averaged 9.3 points in four games for the Los Angeles Lakers on a hardship deal this month, is expected to join the Mavericks in Sacramento for the game Wednesday night against the Kings.

Dallas has had nine players enter the league’s health and safety protocols this month, including superstar Luka Doncic. All remain in the protocols except for forward Reggie Bullock, who has been cleared after missing the past five games, and reserve forward Josh Green.

Thomas, 32, was a two-time All-Star for the Boston Celtics before a serious hip injury derailed his career. He has spent most of the past two seasons out of the NBA, playing a total of seven games on 10-day deals with the New Orleans Pelicans in April and Lakers this month.

Knight is on a 10-day hardship deal with the Mavericks, averaging 10.0 points and 2.7 assists in the past three games.

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Mavs add former All-Star Thomas on 10-day dealon December 29, 2021 at 10:43 pm Read More »

City officials detail plans for New Year’s Eve fireworks display despite concerns about COVID-19, crime

A massive fireworks display will light up the Chicago River on New Year’s Eve, but Mayor Lori Lightfoot and other city officials warned that unsupervised children shouldn’t be among those in the crowds expected in downtown for the show.

“No child should be unsupervised or their whereabouts unknown when it comes to New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day — do not simply drop them off downtown and hope for the best,” Lightfoot said. “That’s simply not responsible.”

The display will start at midnight with fireworks launching from five bridges and two points along the Chicago River, said Rich Guidice, executive director of the Office of Emergency Management and Communications. The public should be able to see the fireworks along the Chicago River from the Orleans Street bridge to east of Navy Pier, he said. WGN-TV will also broadcast the event. NBC 5 will air the fireworks on TV and on its app.

The holiday display comes as the city faces another surge of coronavirus cases. Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, said she would rather have people outdoors than indoors, where the risk for transmission remains higher.

The show will spread along a 1.5-mile-long stretch of the lakefront and the Chicago River, which could allow for people to space out to watch it outside, she said.

“I am in full support of continuing with this because it is outdoors, more spaced out,” Arwady said. “But if people are going to come down, the masking will help. It will probably be cold so people in Chicago tend to keep those masks on more outdoors, but there is not a requirement.”

Downtown street closures for the fireworks display will start at 4 p.m. Friday with the riverwalk closing to pedestrian traffic east of State Street, Guidice said. The riverwalk west of State Street will close depending on public safety needs, but the public won’t be able to watch the show from the Chicago Riverwalk.

Starting at 11 p.m., pedestrians and cars won’t be allowed on the bridges along the Chicago River on Franklin, LaSalle, Clark, Dearborn and State streets. The bridges will reopen about 10 minutes after the fireworks end.

The eastbound lanes of Wacker Drive from Lake Street to Stetson Avenue will be closed to traffic starting at 11 p.m., but pedestrians will be able to watch the fireworks from this location, according to city officials.

People can also watch the show from Navy Pier at no cost, said Nick Pullia, a spokesman. Masks aren’t required in outdoor spaces, but people do have to wear masks in the indoor facilities.

Navy Pier is also hosting an indoor “New Year on the Pier” party where masks are required, and attendees must show proof of vaccination or a negative test result, according to a news release. Guests, who will have to pay to enter, will also be able to take a COVID test before entering the party.

The Chicago Transit Authority will provide free rides on its trains and buses from 10 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Saturday.

Chicago Police Supt. David Brown said additional officers will patrol CTA stations for the holiday along with business corridors, adding that officers’ days off were canceled to prepare for the weekend.

Brown also urged parents to keep tabs on their children during the holiday and “not drop them off unsupervised anywhere” in the city.

“If there is any criminal activity, we will take the appropriate action, constitutionally, legally, respectfully, but we will take the appropriate action,” Brown said, adding officers will arrest people of any age who are suspected of participating in criminal activities.

Earlier this month, a 12-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy were shot during a chaotic weekend that saw crowds of young people in the downtown area.

Lightfoot said she plans to watch the fireworks on WGN-TV from her home. Balancing concerns about health and crime, Lightfoot said community spread of COVID-19 remains one of the biggest challenges for the city. She encouraged people to get vaccinated, get a booster shot and to get tested for COVID-19 before gathering with anyone indoors.

Arwady said city officials are reaching out to the federal government to get additional resources for testing as people scramble to find a COVID-19 test. She encouraged people who are waiting for a test result to assume it’s positive and take the necessary precautions.

On the North Side, the Lincoln Park Zoo also planned to continue its “Zoo Year’s Eve” 21-and-over event that will largely take place outdoors, said Jillian Braun, a spokesperson for the Zoo. Masks will be required for the indoor portions of the event.

Elvia Malag?n’s reporting on social justice and income inequality is made possible by a grant from The Chicago Community Trust.

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Return of Teven Jenkins a good sign for Bears

Bears rookie left tackle Teven Jenkins had full participation in practice Wednesday after suffering a shoulder injury on the third snap of last week’s game against the Seahawks — an indication he could return this week against the Giants.

The Bears’ tackle situation remains unclear, though. Veteran Jason Peters returned to practice for the first time since suffering a high ankle sprain against the Packers on Dec. 12 at Lambeau Field. The Bears seem determined to let him play if he can get healthy.

Rookie Larry Borom, who replaced Jenkins at left tackle against the Seahawks, is an option on either side. He’s likely behind veteran Germain Ifedi at right tackle, though.

Bears coach Matt Nagy gets it that Bears fans want to see the rookies start and continue to lay a foundation for next season. But the Bears respect the veterans ahead of them and likely will give Ifedi and Peters every opportunity to play.

Borom started five games at right tackle when Ifedi was out with a knee injury. “I thought Larry did a great job of taking advantage of that opportunity,” Nagy said. “We felt really good with him in there.”

But the loyalty factor is strong with Nagy — and line coach Juan Castillo.

“These guys, they put in their own time and effort in trying to get back for their team and their teammates,” Nagy said. “So there’s more dynamics than just ‘play this guy or play that guy.’ And that’s what we deal with as coaches.

Ode to JD

Nagy, wide receiver Darnell Mooney and safety Eddie Jackson all offered condolences to the family of ESPN reporter Jeff Dickerson, who died Tuesday at 44 of complications from colon cancer. Dickerson was one of the most well-liked and well-respected reporters on any beat in town.

“Obviously, it’s a tough day for all of us,” Nagy said. “When I think about Jeff, I think about how positive he was, which we all talk about. He was always glass half-full. With me, he was always very supportive and respectful, which is pretty neat in this day and age to have somebody like that from the very start. And I appreciated that.”

Target … victory

With 62 receptions for 860 yards, Mooney is 140 yards shy of the 1,000-yard mark. With 17 games this season, he has a better chance to get it. But that’s not his focus going into the final two games.

“No,” he said. “I’m just playing the game — just trying to win games.”

Though the Bears are still in the bottom 10 in the NFL in offense (26th in yards, 28th in points), Mooney already has shown improvement after having 61 receptions for 631 yards and four touchdowns last season. His average per catch has jumped from 10.3 to 13.9 this season.

Injury report

Wide receiver/kick returner Jakeem Grant (concussion) had full participation Wednesday after missing the Seahawks game. Cornerback Duke Shelley (heel) did not practice

Cornerback Teez Tabor was put on injured reserve after suffering an ankle injury against the Seahawks.

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Heated words, then gunfire. Two men charged with shooting at each other as shoppers ran for cover at Oakbrook Center mall

It’s not clear what started the argument near Auntie Anne’s pretzel store at the Oakbrook Center mall, but it ended with both men pulling handguns and firing at each other as thousands of shoppers ran for cover just two days before Christmas.

One of the men, Tyran Williams, 32, was hit four times and collapsed to the pavement, dropping a Glock 9mm handgun, according to police.

The other man, Steve Lane, 29, ran into the Nordstrom’s close by, tossing his Taurus 9mm handgun near the entrance, police said. He was taken into custody with the help of store security.

Four other people were wounded as Williams and Lane fired 12 shots at each other. They have since been released from hospitals.

Tyran Williams and Steve LaneDuPage County sheriff’s office

Police say 15,000 to 20,000 people were at the mall when the shots rang out, and many of them sought shelter in stores and theaters as the mall was locked down.

The new details were released Wednesday as Williams and Lane were charged with a slew of felonies and each ordered held on $1 million bail.

“Thousands of men, women, children and families [were] present,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said after the court hearing, calling the shooting “an unconscionable degree of violence and a complete and utter disregard for the safety of the public.”

Williams has been charged with five counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm and one count of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.

Lane has been charged with one count of aggravated battery – discharge of a firearm, a Class X felony, four counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm and one count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

Authorities said they are not sure what the two were arguing about before they fired at each other.

Williams and someone with Lane knew each other and had had a disagreement “some time ago” over a social media post, Berlin said, but it wasn’t immediately clear if that led to the shooting.

Police released a surveillance image of the companion after the shootout, but Berlin said there is no evidence he was one of the gunmen. Berlin said prosecutors have spoken to the man’s attorney and expect to speak with him soon.

The two recovered guns were matched to Williams and Lane through DNA testing, with evidence showing Williams fired five times and Lane seven, Berlin said.

Cuffs on Williams’ and Lane’s jackets tested positive for gunshot residue, he added.

Both men are from Chicago. Williams has a prior drug conviction from 2016 in Cook County that resulted in probation, while Lane has a previous misdemeanor conviction, Berlin said.

During the news conference, Dupage County Sheriff James Mendrick praised the actions of the first responders.

“We never know how something like this is going to turn out when we’re on our way,” Mendrick said. “We got a page of a mass shooting and it said everybody available please come. It was scary.”

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The Chicago Bears get good news for final two games of seasonRyan Heckmanon December 29, 2021 at 10:30 pm

Last week, the Chicago Bears were down to third string quarterback Nick Foles in a road matchup with the Seattle Seahawks. Fortunately, Foles and the offense were able to survive — albeit, barely — in a thrilling victory.

Both Justin Fields (ankle) and Andy Dalton (groin) were out, forcing Foles into action. In the first quarter against Seattle, the Bears also lost another key player.

Offensive tackle Teven Jenkins exited the game with a shoulder injury, leaving his (and Fields’) status for this weekend’s game in question. But, on Wednesday the Bears got some good news.

Both quarterbacks, Fields and Dalton, reportedly returned to practice, along with Jenkins. In their final two games of the season, the Bears need all the bodies they can get to help the front office with some decisions going into the offseason.

#Bears coach Matt Nagy says Justin Fields (ankle) and Andy Dalton (groin) will practice today. Not certain how much they will be able to do. Says both are improving.

— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) December 29, 2021

Getting Justin Fields and Teven Jenkins back is a huge positive for the Chicago Bears, but probably won’t affect Matt Nagy.

With Fields and Jenkins likely in line to play against the New York Giants in Week 17, that means the Bears have a much higher likelihood of coming away with a victory. The Giants are bad, regardless, but getting their dynamic starting quarterback on the field again will only further cement a victory (hopefully).

Being able to evaluate Jenkins for a couple more games will allow the Bears to, ideally, feel positive about their tackle position going into the offseason as well. With Jenkins and fellow rookie Larry Borom having their bright spots this year, it definitely looks like the Bears could roll with those two as their starters going into the future.

Having their tackle spots locked down and a surefire franchise quarterback is something many teams would kill to have. The only problem, now, is in the coaching department.

It likely doesn’t matter how well Fields (or anyone else) plays in these final two games. Matt Nagy should be as good as gone. Even with a somewhat scary report coming out a couple of days ago, referring to ownership looking at Nagy’s entire body of work, he should still be fired.

The Bears’ final two games of the season will do nothing to help a playoff push, unlike last season. Therefore, it’s all about pride. It’s all about feeling better about going into next season. Nagy’s job cannot be helped with their final two games, even if Fields lights it up.

For now, fans can simply be thankful that both their star quarterback and future franchise tackle are back at practice and are trending towards playing on Sunday.

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The Chicago Bears get good news for final two games of seasonRyan Heckmanon December 29, 2021 at 10:30 pm Read More »

Heat without enough players; game at Spurs offon December 29, 2021 at 9:35 pm


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MIAMI — The NBA postponed Wednesday’s game between Miami and San Antonio, after the combination of injuries and positive tests left the Heat unable to meet the league’s requirement of eight available players.

It was the 10th game postponed in the NBA this season because of virus-related issues. None have been rescheduled.

Miami had 12 players listed as out for the game against the Spurs for a variety of reasons. The Heat beat Washington on Tuesday night with only eight players available — and of those, only five would have been able to play Wednesday in San Antonio.

Gabe Vincent, who played 35 minutes in Tuesday’s win, learned after the game that he had a positive test and couldn’t travel. Jimmy Butler was ruled out for Wednesday after spraining his right ankle with about a minute left in the Wizards’ game, and KZ Okpala was unable to play because of an injury he sustained Tuesday as well.

The Heat had also added P.J. Tucker and Zylan Cheatham, neither of whom played Tuesday, to the protocols. And Tuesday’s game came after Miami guard Max Strus — who had been feeling no symptoms — was pulled after he warmed up, because of a positive test that required his entering the protocols.

“That’s the perplexing thing about this right now, this variant,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “I think we’ve gotten to a point — I’ve said it before — we need more information. Are there more asymptomatic cases? All of this is with the caveat of double vaccination, with a booster and then asymptomatic, what does that mean and what adjustments can we make there? … I think it leads to a lot of confusion.”

Miami had tried to get roster help Wednesday — ironically — from the Austin Spurs, San Antonio’s G League affiliate, in part because those players could get to San Antonio relatively quickly and in time to play. Miami was in the process of signing Austin center Aric Holman to a hardship contract Wednesday, and likely will need more reinforcements before its next scheduled game Friday in Houston.

Almost every team in the NBA has been dealing with virus-related issues in recent days, with more than 120 players and five head coaches in the protocols entering Wednesday.

“The whole league’s going through this,” Spoelstra said.

The league told teams early Wednesday that it was amending its protocols again, this time to shorten the required amount of time a player who tests positive needs to spend in isolation to five days — following guidance released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The league made that disclosure in a memo obtained by The Associated Press.

The five-day isolation is predicated on the player either being asymptomatic or having his symptoms resolved by the fifth day. That change doesn’t necessarily mean a player could return to the court more quickly, because the updated CDC guidelines also call for an additional five days of wearing a mask when around others after leaving isolation.

But it does allow teams, when a player or staffer tests positive on a road trip and must begin isolating immediately, the ability to use commercial airlines to fly that person home sooner than had been the case in some instances while the 10-day isolation period was in effect.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Heat without enough players; game at Spurs offon December 29, 2021 at 9:35 pm Read More »

Barkley not thinking about ACL in Chicago returnon December 29, 2021 at 9:45 pm


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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — This Sunday will be Saquon Barkley‘s first game back at Soldier Field in Chicago, where he tore the ACL in his right knee just over 15 months ago. Not that he’s trying to think about the moment that everything changed.

Closure returning to the spot that may have altered the trajectory of his career? Nope. Barkley is not looking at it that way either. He’s trying, at all costs, to not contemplate the ‘what ifs’ of the situation anymore.

“I try not to think about it,” Barkley said ahead of his struggling New York Giants facing the Chicago Bears on Sunday. “But it happened. I really don’t try to think about it, I guess, probably more so last year [I did], but this is a whole different season.”

There really wasn’t much to the injury that occurred in Week 2 of the 2020 season and costs Barkley the final 14 games. He was running to the right sideline when his right knee gave out while he was trying to plant during a tackle by safety Eddie Jackson.

20hJordan Raanan

3dJordan Raanan

2hESPN staff

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Barkley has not been the same player since. He has rushed for 461 yards and two touchdowns on 130 carries this season.

“No, I’m not thinking like, ‘I hate the field,'” Barkley said on Wednesday. “I’m excited that I’m healthy enough to be able to go out there and be able to play another game. Like I said, you never know when these opportunities are going to be taken away from you. That’s my whole mindset is cherish these last two games that we have and go out there and try to finish on a high note.”

It hasn’t been a great season for Barkley and the Giants (4-11). He started slowly coming off the serious injury and, just when he appeared to be regaining some of the explosion that made him Offensive Rookie of the Year, he stepped on one of the feet of Dallas Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis in Week 5. An ankle injury sidelined him the next four games.

That injury is admittedly still lingering. Barkley, who is tied for last in the NFL among qualifying running backs at 3.5 yards per carry, didn’t practice Wednesday. It has become a weekly maintenance issue to keep him out of the opening practice.

But Barkley said afterward there is no thought of shutting things down. The Giants don’t see any reason for that either.

“I know Saquon has been battling through a number of things this year,” coach Joe Judge said earlier this week. “Came off a traumatic injury last year — that’s a tough recovery. He’s dealt with a number of other things, as well. The ankle in the Dallas game, that’s really been lingering throughout the year. … He’s dinged up in a lot of ways, as most of the players in the NFL are this time of year. No one’s really 100 percent, but he’s battling through a lot of things for us.

“In terms of the long-term question for the rest of the year, no one on our medical staff has talked to me about anything related to that at this point.”

Barkley still believes he has something to play for. After Chicago, the Giants close with an NFC East matchup with the Washington Football Team.

“You’ve just got to have heart. That’s what we have to have,” Barkley said. “That’s what we’ve got to hang our hat on. It’s heart. It’s the name on the back of your jersey. I think [offensive assistant] Jody [Wright] said it last week to me and [running back Devontae Booker] and a couple of guys, like, there’s going to be some little kid in that stands that has never seen you play before, so you’ve got to take all those things into account too.

“Obviously, the season hasn’t gone the way we would like by any means, but we’ve just got to go out there and fight for each other, too. That’s another thing — heart, pride, your last name, those little kids that are still watching, and for each other.”

It has been a rough year for the No. 2 overall pick in 2018, and the frustration seems to be building. Barkley was terse at times during the Zoom news conference on Wednesday. He was unavailable Sunday after the game and Monday during a conference call despite repeated requests following an embarrassing offensive performance in a 34-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Barkley said Wednesday it was a “timing” thing, though his face and body language seemed to indicate differently.

But Barkley reiterated that he hopes to remain with the Giants for the long term — that these final two games of the season won’t be his last in New York. He is set to play on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract next season.

Barkley, 24, said he isn’t even thinking about the possibility of this being the end of the first chapter of his professional career.

“No, I don’t. I can’t control those things. I can’t control those. I can’t have that thought process,” he said. “My thought process is come in every single day and try to be a leader I can for the team and try to get better physically, mentally and all the above.

“Like I said, with these last two games, especially coming up with Chicago, try to finish on a high note and play for each other.”

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Barkley not thinking about ACL in Chicago returnon December 29, 2021 at 9:45 pm Read More »