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It would have really helped the Bulls out a few weeks ago, but the NBA and Players Association agreed on Monday to change the number of days vaccinated asymptomatic players, coaches, and referees have to stay away, going from 10 to six. That could benefit Donovan, as well as Lonzo Ball, Tony Bradley and Alfonzo McKinnie.

It was news that would have likely benefited the Bulls a bit more two weeks ago, but considering everything the organization has been through, they’ll take it.

There were multiple reports on Monday that the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association agreed to changes in the length of time vaccinated asymptomatic players, coaches, and referees will have to stay away and in quarantine, dropping from 10 days to six days.

Individuals can still test out of the protocols with two negative test results 24 hours apart, but knocking four days off the quarantine time was big for a Bulls organization that has seen 15 players go into the coronavirus health and safety protocols since last month, and then lost coach Billy Donovan on Friday when he popped a positive.

Acting Bulls head coach Chris Fleming called the decision “impactful,’’ not only for Donovan, but for the remaining Bulls players still on the shelf.

Lonzo Ball, Tony Bradley and Alfonzo McKinnie were the three latest players still in quarantine, after all three tested positive over the weekend. Even if they don’t test out this week, they could be back by the time the Bulls play Washington on Jan. 1.

Not that the league’s decision comes as a surprise, considering the numbers that have hit the Association the past few days.

As of Monday afternoon, 205 players have entered the protocols since the start of the season, and on Sunday alone 27 went in.

That was to be expected when the league started increasing daily testing a few weeks back, anticipating that the holidays would lead to more family and outside interaction with players.

As far as Donovan, he remained in contact with the entire coaching staff through Zoom on Monday, and according to Fleming, was getting closer to a return to the sidelines.

“Thankfully, he’s feeling pretty good,’’ Fleming said. “He had some mild symptoms at the beginning, but I think he sounds like himself now and he’s ready to come back and get back to work.

“I think in general he was excited [about Sunday’s win over Indiana], and also somewhat relieved that we were able to do the job and guys answered the call. He was really supportive to myself and the rest of the staff.’’

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When Derrick Jones Jr. tweaked his hamstring last week, the feeling was it was mild and he would be in for a quick return.

Fleming reiterated that before the game with the Hawks, as Jones stayed back in Chicago so that he could get extra work in.

“Exact timetables I can’t tell you, but I do think he’ll be back in the near future,’’ Fleming said. “I do think he’s progressing in a good way. An exact date, I wouldn’t want to put that down.’’

Needing more time

It would be easy to pick on the inconsistencies of Coby White’s game, especially after a Sunday start in which he played the point guard spot for Ball, going 3-for-10 from the field and finishing with eight points, but what’s being overlooked is his improving defense.

Fleming defended White, pointing out that the offense will come with repetition and minutes, especially in the wake of offseason shoulder surgery delaying the start to his 2021-22 campaign, and then going into the protocol earlier this month. His defense, however, is hopefully here to stay.

“I think Coby throughout his career and throughout his past has been able to adjust,’’ Fleming said. “He’s gotten a lot better defensively, more consistent in guarding the pick-and-roll, and I’m really proud of his progress there. He’s been a little bit up and down in terms of his offense. I think his offense is going to come.’’

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Hawks All-Star guard Trae Young was cleared from the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols Monday and returned to the starting lineup as Atlanta hosted the Bulls.Read More

Deandre Ayton has joined Jae Crowder and Monty Williams in the NBA’s health and safety protocols.Read More

Byrd’s catch for the two-point conversion gave the Bears a 25-24 win over the Seahawks. | Getty

A bizarre and ugly sequence in the first quarter showed why the Bears have been so bad in the red zone. And the two-point call at the end showed what could’ve been.

There have been countless missed opportunities for the Bears under coach Matt Nagy, and those have cost them dearly.

They’ve cost the Bears their season, sitting 5-10. They’ve also almost certainly cost Nagy his job, sitting with two games left before what seems like an inevitable firing.

All of that faded Sunday when Nagy called the perfect play for a game-winning two-point conversion with a minute left to top the Seahawks 25-24.

Somehow, with one shot from the 2-yard line, he got it right. Whereas early in the game, in a scoring opportunity that was just as valuable, he couldn’t steer the Bears into the end zone from first-and-goal at the Seahawks’ 4-yard line.

That sequence, which ended in a turnover on downs, was emblematic of many of the Bears’ repeat miscues under Nagy. They scored two touchdowns on four trips to the red zone Sunday and rank 30th in the NFL with touchdowns on just 48.8% of their red-zone appearances.

If there’s anything good about the offense at this point, it’s the power running game led by David Montgomery. Even that is unreliable, but it’s the closest thing they have to an identity. So when the Bears arrived at the 4-yard line, the plan should’ve been clear.

Instead, like Nagy’s offense and his perpetually confounding explanations, it was anything but.

It started well, with Montgomery finding a hole between right tackle Germain Ifedi and right guard James Daniels for two yards. Then, as it often does, the Bears’ offense got too clever. Whether it’s offensive coordinator Bill Lazor still calling plays or Nagy interjecting in a key situation, they won’t give up the bells and whistles even though they haven’t been working.

On second-and-goal from the 2, the Bears tried Montgomery out of the wildcat on second down with quarterback Nick Foles split wide left — there was no chance whatsoever they’d throw to him given that recently signed practice-squad quarterback Ryan Willis was his backup — and everyone at Lumen Field knew what was coming.

The Seahawks didn’t bother playing the pass whatsoever and swarmed Montgomery for a loss of two.

How often during Bears games is everyone begging them to just do what a normal team would do?

If Nagy was set in a touchdown-or-nothing mentality, he still could’ve run the ball on third down. But whenever it gets dicey, he relies on the pass. The pocket collapsed quickly on Foles, so he stepped up and started running. The refs actually missed that he crossed the line of scrimmage before he threw, which should’ve been a five-yard penalty and loss of down. Seahawks linebacker Jordyn Brooks leapt and deflected the ball for an incomplete pass.

If this game meant something in the standings, the Bears should’ve kicked a field goal on fourth-and-goal from the 4, but since they were already eliminated, they might as well take the risk.

But the play never had a chance. Foles checked down to Montgomery two yards short of the goal line, and Brooks wrapped him up the instant he caught the ball. Even if Montgomery had been able to shake Brooks, Seahawks cornerback Sidney Jones was right behind him to make the stop.

Every part of that series was a mess. But to Nagy and Foles’ credit, they did much better in short yardage on the two-point conversion at the end.

Nagy called “QH Swivel,” from the 2-yard line with Darnell Mooney running to the right sideline to create a target for Foles as he rolled right. Seahawks safety Ugo Amadi stayed with Mooney long enough to take him out of the play, but Jones lost track of Byrd and allowed him to sit in the back of the end zone and yell for the ball.

Imagine that: Nagy called a play so brilliantly crafted that a secondary read was wide open to win the game. Then his quarterback came through for him with a tough throw across his body.

Credit Byrd, too, because that catch was much more difficult to make and finish by staying in bounds than it looked in real time or than Byrd portrayed it. Brooks and Jones tried to force him out of the back of the end zone after he caught it, but Byrd clearly got his right foot and right knee down in bounds while clinging to the ball with one hand on his way to the turf.

“It was just one of those times where everything kind of set into place,” Byrd said. “They actually helped me by picking me up that way. I was able to kind of scoop my foot underneath to be able to get it back down.”

Bears wide receivers coach Mike Furrey called it “probably one of the most remarkable catches I’ve ever seen.”

Everything about it was remarkable. And if the Bears had executed more plays like that, especially in scoring chances, this season would’ve gone much differently.

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Former Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich allegedly sexually assaulted a Michigan high school student in 2013. | Sun-Times file photo

Both lawsuits that pushed the Hawks’ sexual assault scandal into the public eye earlier this year have now been settled or dismissed.

One week after the Blackhawks reached a settlement with Kyle Beach, a second lawsuit related to the team’s sexual assault scandal was also dismissed.

The negligence lawsuit had been filed by “John Doe 2,” a man whom former Hawks video coach Brad Aldrich allegedly sexually assaulted in Michigan in 2013.

Alongside the more prominent lawsuit filed by Beach, the former Hawks player who alleged that Aldrich assaulted him during the 2010 playoffs and that team executives at the time covered up the incident, the Doe 2 lawsuit was an integral part of the legal battle against the Hawks over the course of 2021 that brought the scandal into the public eye.

But the lawsuit was dismissed Dec. 22 by Doe 2’s lawyer, Susan Loggans, per court records.

It is unclear if the lawsuit was dismissed as a result of a settlement. Although settlement talks had been reportedly scheduled between Loggans and Hawks lawyers for Dec. 20, both sides declined comment to the Sun-Times regarding the matter Monday. That response differed greatly to the paragraph-long statement the two sides jointly released after settling Beach’s lawsuit Dec. 15.

The Hawks had fiercely battled Doe 2’s lawsuit in motions to dismiss throughout the summer, pushing back against a never-substantiated claim they’d written a reference letter to Houghton (Michigan) High School that helped Aldrich get hired as a volunteer coach there.

Doe 2 was a 16-year-old student and hockey player for the school at the time. Aldrich was found guilty of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct for the incident and sentenced in 2014 to nine months in jail.

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Marc-Andre Fleury was placed in COVID protocols Monday. | Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

The Blackhawks-Jets game scheduled for Wednesday was postponed, leaving the Hawks idle until at least Saturday.

The Blackhawks returned to practice Monday for a roughly hour-long session at Fifth Third Arena.

Nine days removed from their last game, six days removed from their last practice and with an ever-increasing five days left to wait until their next game, the practice felt somewhat like the start of a new season.

“[We’re] a little bit out of rhythm of playing, but it should be fine,” Alex DeBrincat said. “The rest is very nice. It’s almost like the start of a new season. You feel rejuvenated and have some energy back. It’s just good to get practicing again. Through our [normal] schedule, we don’t have too much time to practice, so today was nice to get back to basics.”

The Hawks’ road game previously scheduled for Wednesday against the Jets was postponed by the NHL on Monday, one day after the league also postponed the Hawks’ scheduled home game Tuesday against the Blue Jackets.

The Hawks have now endured five postponements this December — including four in a row, spanning both sides of the holiday break that itself was extended — and now aren’t scheduled to play again until Saturday at the Predators.

On one hand, the postponements are somewhat fortunate considering Marc-Andre Fleury entered COVID-19 protocols Monday. Collin Delia was recalled from the AHL to temporarily back up Kevin Lankinen, and interim coach Derek King said Fleury wouldn’t have been available Wednesday even if that game happened. The fewer games the Hawks’ star goalie misses, the better.

But on the other hand, the Hawks are growing tired of losing chances to play despite being relatively healthy themselves. Calvin de Haan exited protocols as Fleury entered them Monday, keeping the Hawks’ total number of players with COVID at just one.

“It’s probably a higher frustration level [than the past two seasons],” Connor Murphy said measuredly. “Last year, we knew what we were getting into for a longer period of time. As much as it was hard to deal with some of the different protocols and the no fans in the bubbles, we [knew] that was the way it was going to be.

“Getting to play over 30 games pretty normally [this year], it is frustrating to go back. It’s something that’s out of your control, how the COVID outbreaks have hit lately. … We’re just trying to stick with that process and hope it clears and goes back to normal.”

The Hawks assigned just one player — Brett Connolly — to their newly reinstated taxi squad Monday, but King and interim general manager Kyle Davidson will talk soon about who else they could add.

Complicating that decision is the Rockford IceHogs’ new COVID outbreak, which has sidelined their interim coach, Anders Sorenson, as well as NHL prospects Mike Hardman, Ian Mitchell and Nicolas Beaudin and four other players.

The “majority” of Hawks players have received vaccination booster shots, King said, which might be contributing to their general healthiness.

“We’ve been talking through it like, ‘If this happens, or this happens, [what’s the] worst case?’” King said. “We’re just preparing ourselves as if we’re playing the next game.”

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Larry Yando stars as Ebenezer Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol” at the Goodman Theatre. | Liz Lauren

Performances resumed Sunday after a brief cancelation last week due to COVID exposure within the company ranks.

After resuming performances on Sunday of its beloved holiday production of “A Christmas Carol” following a three-day hiatus due to COVID-19 exposure among the company ranks last week, the Goodman Theatre on Monday announced it was cancelling all remaining performances of the show.

On its website, the Goodman posted a statement that read: “After learning of a COVID-19 exposure in our production company, it was necessary to suspend performances to allow time for testing/isolation protocols. The safety of our audiences, artists and staff remains our top priority, and we appreciate your patience and understanding that we must proceed with an abundance of caution.”

The theater last week was forced to cancel performances Dec. 21-24 due to COVID, but announced the production would resume performances on Sunday, when both the matinee and evening performances went on as scheduled.

Ticketholders to the affected performances (through Dec. 31) will be notified via email and are being given the option to view the production at home via stream. Refunds are also available by calling (312) 443- 3800 or by email at [email protected].

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Justin Fields runs to the sideline against the Packers. | Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

The Bears aren’t ready to shut Justin Fields down for the season, hoping that he can recover from his ankle injury to start one of the Bears’ final two games. 

The Bears aren’t ready to shut Justin Fields down for the season, hoping that he can recover from his ankle injury to start one of their final two games.

The injury was significant enough to force him to miss practice Thursday and Friday and to sit out Sunday’s win in Seattle. He wore a walking boot last week, quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo said.

“Justin wants to play,” head coach Matt Nagy said Monday. “He’s a competitor. He wants to be there for his teammates. I think that’s what matters. And I think that’s what all of us understand. We have to be smart. We’re not going to put him at risk. And he knows that.

“We’re going to make sure we listen to him with what he says and where he’s at.”

When Fields returns — if he returns — the Bears need to listen to him about more than just his ankle. Minutes after losing to the Vikings last week, the rookie quarterback was asked what part of his performance prompted confidence. He turned the answer into a statement about which plays he wants to run.

“When we, like, do no-huddle plays, I think our offense is very efficient doing that just because we know those plays,” he said. “It’s literally no thinking. We line up and run those plays, and I know where all the answers are to whatever coverage they give us to those hurry-up offense. I think that kind of gets our offense in a rhythm.”

The Bears should run more of those plays, then. Nothing is more important than putting Fields in a position to succeed, no matter how many games he has left to play this season. It’s crucial before the Bears set out next month to find a head coach with a vision of what Fields could be.

Hearing a quarterback wanting to go faster is as common as listening to basketball players say they want to run fast breaks. Still, it’s Nagy’s job to separate the natural predispositions of all quarterbacks from Fields’ preferences.

“You can’t necessarily live in it every play for certain reasons,” Nagy said last week. “But we can definitely do more of it. I think our players would agree with that. I think our coaches would.”

The Bears went no-huddle on consecutive plays only once until the fourth quarter against the Vikings. On the first drive of the fourth quarter, they ran five plays in a row without huddling. Fields went 4-for-4 for 51 yards and ran once for five yards. On the final drive of the game — admittedly, garbage time — the Bears ran three consecutive plays without a huddle. Fields went 2-for-3 for 20 yards.

On those seven plays, Fields had a passer rating of 108.93. On all others, it was 92.45.

The week before in Green Bay, four of the Bears’ 10-longest plays — and two of Fields’ three longest runs — came without no-huddle, albeit late in the fourth quarter when the game was in hand.

That’s a way-too-small sample size — but it’s still significant, especially when combined with Fields stating his own preferences.

“With no motions, you don’t see the defense moving,” Fields said. The defense is in one defense. You kind of know what kind of look you’re going to get. And we practice those hurry-up plays a lot. Everybody knows what to do on those certain plays, so it just allows us to play fast and play without thinking.”

Offensive coordinator Bill Lazor cautioned against any narrative that implied Fields was better-served thinking less. Nagy suspects that his comfort in a no-huddle scheme comes from the way Fields — and other young quarterbacks — have operated an offense since they were kids.

“When you get in a two-minute setting, I think anybody would say that as you’re completing passes and progressing down the field, you get in a good rhythm,” tight end Cole Kmet said. “I think that benefits everybody on the field.”

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