The Fire announced they have exercised the 2023 contract options for Sporting Director Georg Heitz and Technical Director Sebastian Pelzer. The 2023 season will be the fourth for the pair.

“I’m pleased that Georg and Sebastian will return in 2023,” said Owner and Chairman Joe Mansueto. “Going into next season, we feel that we have established a strong foundation with a new coaching staff, led by Ezra Hendrickson, and a core group of players to build around.”

The Fire suffered through another disappointing season, finishing 10-15-9 (39 points) and 12th in the Eastern Conference and missed the postseason for the fifth consecutive year.

In another front office move, President of Business Operations Ishwara Glassman Chrein will leave the organization for personal reasons.

“Although I enjoyed my role at the Fire, it has been extremely challenging for my family and I to be away from our home, close friends, and family in New York City,” Glassman Chrein said. “With the offseason now underway, it felt like the right time to transition back home and pursue other opportunities.”

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A long break just three games into their regular-season schedule has given the Blackhawks another miniature training camp of sorts this week.

After staying an extra day in California — following their win Saturday over the Sharks — for a team golf outing, the Hawks practiced Tuesday back in Chicago and will again Wednesday and Thursday before finally hosting the Red Wings in their home opener Friday.

Coach Luke Richardson is using the opportunity to work on the Hawks’ communication and man-assignment sorting in defensive coverage and to emphasize playing faster and more aggressively in the neutral zone and on the forecheck. Those were focus areas during actual training camp, too, but the Hawks now have more film to break down and a better sense of their strengths and weaknesses.

“Our team did a really good job tracking [the puck], our ‘D’ were having good gaps and we were ending [opponent possessions] early,” Tyler Johnson said Tuesday. “But there are times where we get the puck and, instead of just moving it north right away, we try to look for that perfect play or try to look around.

“If we can get it in our heads that we know exactly where everyone’s going to be once we turn the puck over…we’re a pretty good team. In San Jose, there was a very good stretch there where we did that: we just played north-south.”

Richardson will show the team Wednesday one particular play from the third period Saturday that demonstrates what he wants to see more often.

In it, Jarred Tinordi retrieved a dump-in behind the Hawks’ net and immediately passed the puck up to Philipp Kurashev in the neutral zone, who immediately deflected it into the Sharks’ zone. Within three seconds, the puck traveled from goal line to goal line and the Hawks transitioned from retrieval to breakout to forecheck — exemplifying that aforementioned “north-south” approach.

Sharks goalie Kaapo Kahkonen stopped the puck behind the net but Patrick Kane pressured him from the weak side, forcing him to pass to defenseman Radim Simek in the strong-side corner — right in line with Kurashev’s forecheck. Kurashev hit Simek, forced a turnover and fed Kane down low, who dished the puck to MacKenzie Entwistle (the “F3” forward in this situation) cruising into the slot.

Entwistle’s shot attempt was blocked, but dozens of forechecks like that over the course of a game would eventually add up.

“It becomes very annoying for other teams,” Richardson said. “Teams start to not [exactly] be leery of you, but…[think] like, ‘Oh, we’re playing them tonight. They’re relentless. They never give up.’ That’s the presence we want to have and what we want to be known as our identity.”

Richardson isn’t exaggerating about making a heavy forecheck a central part of the Hawks’ identity. When Jason Dickinson joined the team last week, for example, forechecking was the first thing the coaching staff talked to him about.

And more time together will hopefully help the Hawks memorize teammates’ tendencies, familiarize themselves more with Richardson’s lessons and improve the forecheck further.

“Good teams don’t really make reads,” Johnson said. “They just react, and they always know where everyone is. Early on in the year, it’s tough to be like that. But as the year goes on, you should be able to get the puck and literally have your eyes closed and know where the other four guys on the ice are going to be. That’s just timing.

“Once you get that, that’s what makes teams look like they play really fast.”

Note: Jake McCabe has been medically cleared to return from cervical spine surgery and will likely make his season debut Friday. The Hawks sent Alex Vlasic to Rockford on Tuesday but still have eight defensemen on the active roster, which Richardson called a “good problem to have.”

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The NBA season tips off tonight with two marquee matchups. Gear up for the season with a few future bets to add to your slips.

If you are a massive NBA fan, whether you enjoy betting, or not, I truly believe that look-ahead conversations and future hypotheticals are almost as enjoyable as actually watching the action. This blog won’t be a full breakdown of my 2022-23 thoughts, but I figured I’d give a little snippet of some opinions that I’ve generated on a few teams ahead of tonight’s tip off. Stay tuned for daily plays on the Bulls, and also consistent thoughts and bets on the NBA as a whole throughout the entire season!

Philadelphia 76ers Over 50.5 Wins

Many people have mixed thoughts on this Philly team that finished with 51 wins one season ago, but I am a believer in this upcoming year from a handful of different standpoints.

The question marks with James Harden are certainly warranted, and while I don’t believe we will see the return of MVP-level James Harden given some of the rule changes that have happened over the past seasons, I do believe, with more repetitions and continuity with this roster following the midseason trade last year, we will see a more effective and consistent James Harden.

In Joel Embiid’s case, after falling short in MVP voting to Nikola Jokic in back-to-back years, I firmly believe that contending for that award is on his list of goals for the season, and if he is truly in that conversation this team should be a 50-plus win team.

Beyond the stars, I really love the possibility of the depth of this team improving. The leading candidate for improvement, and if achieved could be season-changing improvement, is Tyrese Maxey. Maxey finished 6th in last year’s “Most Improved Player” voting, and is currently listed as the second favorite on most sportsbooks to win the award this year, behind only Anthony Edwards. If he goes to another level, he may elevate to a household name, but could also tilt the East to Philly’s favor.

To close things out, adding PJ Tucker in the offseason, and a potential boost in production from Matisse Thybulle and the rest of the supporting cast would only make this team deeper and tougher to play on a nightly basis. Give me the over for the season, and give me this team to have a serious chance to contend for the 1-seed in the East.

Cleveland Cavaliers Under 47.5 Wins

Cleveland was the clear front-runner for most improved and most surprising team last year, and while I by no means am saying they revert back to a losing team, I am taking a bit of a stance against the public with this one.

According to DraftKings bet tracker, as of last week, 84% of the bets on this market are to the over. At 44-38 one season ago, and now having added Donovan Mitchell to the mix, you would on paper expect Cleveland to take more than a four-win jump.

I really love what they are building overall with the young talent that they have assembled, but at the end of the day, I think their could be some offensive growing pains in the early portions of this season. Defensively, their interior with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen is really stout, but on the perimeter, if they face guards that can create their own shot on the outside, their defense could face some struggles with the personnel that they have in Mitchell, Darius Garland and Ricky Rubio.

I put them in a similar position as they were in last year with 44 or 45 wins, and more than likely in the six to eight seed range when it’s all said and done, but the future is incredibly bright.

Portland Trail Blazers Over 39.5 Wins

I can understand if you are surprised to see this play on my card, as the Blazers were a total afterthought last season with Damian Lillard sidelined for 53 games due to injury.

I’ll start with Lillard and work my way down here, but I have strong thoughts on a huge bounceback season for Lillard. Last year marked the first time in his career in which he played in less than 66 games throughout the season, and with re-commitment at least for the upcoming couple of seasons in Portland, I fully expect him to be a hell-bent man on a mission to not only be a winning team, but shock everyone and give this team a shot at playing in the postseason.

That may be a tall order, but with a potentially improved, yet under the radar supporting cast, I think this team will be really fun to watch. The supporting cast includes guys that either took massive jumps recently, or new faces that don’t quite get as much respect as they should in the NBA.

The leading candidate that could continue to see improvement, is Anfernee Simons, who in his fourth year, elevated from a roughly eight point per game scorer, to 17.3 in Lillard’s absence. In addition to Simons progression, you have Josh Hart who came over midseason last year and played only 13 games with this team, but across 54 games with both Portland and New Orleans averaged 14.9 points per game.

The offseason additions include Jerami Grant, who if you haven’t been paying attention to Detroit over the past two seasons, has elevated to a 20 point per game scorer in his own right. This team will certainly have it’s flaws, and shouldn’t be looked at as a true contender, but with a highly motivated Lillard, and a multitude of other scoring options at the guard and wing positions, I think this offense can be really effective and put this team at 41 or 42 wins this season. Give me the over and give me a sprinkle on Lillard to win MVP as well while you’re at it.

Detroit Pistons Over 29.5 Wins

The Detroit Pistons head into 2022 with arguably the most buzz surrounding their team that we have seen in recent memory. While I firmly believe this team is still one year away from playoff contention, I believe we will start to see the beginning of a turn in culture over in Detroit.

The easy points for this argument lie at the top with Cade Cunningham entering year two of his career. I am buying plenty of stock in him to elevate not only his play, but the team’s play on a nightly basis. Cunningham finished the season with All-Rookie honors, averaging 17.4 points per game and over five rebounds and assists to go along with it on the side. I’m not sure how much these numbers will jump here in year two, but I do firmly believe that his “game-management” and leadership as a point guard will only improve.

Jaden Ivey’s (preseason highlights) production as a rookie remains to be seen, but I took a piece of his odds to win Rookie of the Year, and even if he falls short of those honors, the energy and athleticism that he brings can only boost the firepower of this young team. Utilizing him off-ball as a compliment to Cunningham is something that I am really excited to see, and should allow him to find his spots to execute within the offense.

To shore up the loss of the aforementioned Jerami Grant, Detroit brought in Bojan Bogdanovic from Utah, a roughly 18 point per game scorer in his own right. In addition to the key pieces on this team, I also love the possibility of a few of their young role players to take a jump as well including, Seddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart, and Killian Hayes.

Give me a Pistons team that finished eighth in the league against the spread one year ago, to translate some of those close losses into wins. I’ve got this team grabbing 35 wins, and taking a nice leap into the playoffs in 2023-24.

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The Chicago Bulls’ injury report is longer than expected heading into the season opener.

By now, everybody is aware that Chicago Bulls PG Lonzo Ball is missing the beginning of the season. How much time he will miss exactly remains unclear. Aside from Lonzo, a couple of surprising additions have popped up on the Chicago Bulls’ injury report on the eve of their first game.

KC Johnson pointed out that Zach LaVine is listed as questionable. Alex Caruso, the defensive leader of the second unit, is listed as probable. Both injury updates will surprise Bulls fans, especially since the season hasn’t even begun.

It’s hard to imagine LaVine missing the team’s very first game because of injury management. LaVine participated in a good chunk of the preseason. He and DeMar DeRozan sat out the final preseason game just to play things safe.

KC Johnson followed up this report with further reasons why this news should come as a surprise.

Perhaps this listing of ‘questionable’ is only precautionary. If so, Bulls fans might have to prepare themselves for a long season of load management and scheduled rest days. The Chicago Bulls begin their 2022-23 campaign tomorrow night against the Miami Heat. They’ll take on former Bull Jimmy Butler on the road at 6:30 pm CT.

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Bears coach Matt Eberflus knows the team needs to make changes after a 2-4 start, and he spent the last few days examining every possible adjustment he could make. His thorough review included analysis of every player and coach in the building.

“That’s going to be an ongoing process,” he said Tuesday. “And that’s not to say that’s just during a mini-bye or during a bye; that’s going through the whole, entire season. We’re always trying to do that, but this is when you get a breath and you can take a chance to really dive into it a little bit deeper.”

The coaching staff met with each player individually Tuesday to go over what they’ve done well and what needs to be corrected.

In broad strokes, Eberflus highlighted many of the Bears’ obvious issues.

He said the run defense was “one thing that we’ve been working on,” though he believed the Bears were “doing a lot of things well on that side of the ball” overall. He also. mentioned that quarterback Justin Fields needs to improve his footwork and getting the ball out faster (those issues are intertwined) and that he reassessed whether the team was hindering his development with scheme and personnel issues.

The Bears begin their practice week Thursday in advance of visiting the Patriots on Monday.

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The Chicago Bears season is pretty much done

Following the Chicago Bears’ humiliating defeat on Thursday Night Football, it’s time to put any hopes about this season to bed. Roquan Smith being pancaked by an injured Carson Wentz is the perfect synopsis of where the Bears are going this season.

The Bears head into their Week 7 matchup against the New England Patriots with a 2-4 record. The Bears are currently 7.5 point dogs to a Patriots team that will likely be starting their third-string rookie quarterback, Bailey Zappe. A quarterback who was taken in the fourth round. Unless a recovering Mac Jones can start on Monday night.

That’s where this Bears team is at. A rebuilding Patriots team that might be one of the worst AFC East teams on paper is predicted to dominate the Bears with a third-string rookie quarterback. With the rest of the schedule looking rough, the Bears need to consider making some fire sales before the trade deadline.

Roquan Smith should be up for consideration at the deadline

Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report wrote about NFL players who might benefit from being traded at the deadline. Knox wrote that Bears linebacker Roquan Smith, who demanded a trade in training camp, might be a player who would appreciate leaving Chicago to play for a contender. Knox suggested the Los Angeles Chargers as a logical trade option.

The 2-4 Bears aren’t likely to be relevant in the NFC playoff race this season, as their offense and Justin Fields have been too inconsistent for that. However, Smith is playing at an All-Pro level and could see the postseason with, say, the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Chargers rank dead last in yards per rush allowed (5.8) and could desperately use a playmaker like Smith to bolster their 30th-ranked scoring defense. L.A. has $6.3 million in cap space available and wouldn’t have to create much space to absorb the remainder of Smith’s $9.7 millionbase salary.

Los Angeles also seems to have a good working relationship with Chicago general manager Ryan Poles, who dealt Khalil Mack to L.A. in the offseason. Seeing Smith and Mack on the field together would be fun, and it would make for a great change of scenery for the Chicago linebacker.

The move would make sense for both parties. Khalil Mack and Roquan Smith could have a better chance to finish this season with the Chargers what Cody Parky couldn’t with the 2018 Bears team. It helps the Chargers team is loaded with outstanding offensive talent and a franchise quarterback. Smith would likely be happier in a place his abilities make a difference.

If there’s one thing we’re learning about this season, Smith isn’t going to be the piece that puts the Bears into the playoff chase. He’s a great linebacker, but the franchise will continue to struggle until they have better pieces in more valuable places than at weakside linebacker. Trading Smith for a second-round pick seems like a good deal. The Bears could use that value to pay a quality player a much lower price than what Smith will ask for this offseason.

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It’s championship or bust for our last team that we preview in the Central Division, the Milwaukee Bucks

Opening night is tonight which means Basketball is officially back! We save our last preview for one of the favorites to win the NBA Championship. You can read my preview for the Indiana Pacers here, Detroit Pistons here, and Cleveland Cavaliers here. For the Milwaukee Bucks, it’s business as usual with eyes on a second NBA championship in three years.

2021-22 Recap

Record: 51-31 (3rd in Eastern Conference)

Lost to the Boston Celtics in seven games in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals

vs Bulls: 4-0

Memorable moment: Jrue Holiday locking down Marcus Smart late in a Game 5 victory.

2022 Off-Season

Signed Forward Joe Ingles

Re-signed Forward-Centers Bobby Portis and Serge Ibaka, Guards Wesley Matthews, and Jevon Carter

2022 Preview

For the Milwaukee Bucks and superstar Forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, there’s a clear goal to achieve: win an NBA Championship.

Some would say that if Forward Khris Middleton doesn’t sprain his MCL in the first round vs. our Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee would have repeated and been gunning for a third straight title. Injuries and luck are a part of the game and Milwaukee finished their season with little of either. Middleton had wrist surgery in July, and he’s expected to miss at least the first part of the regular season. Luckily for basketball fans around the world, this means Giannis takes on more responsibility early on and creates a strong campaign to potentially win his third NBA MVP.

Giannis, Giannis, Giannis

The consensus best player in the world, the Milwaukee Bucks go as far as Antetokounmpo will take them. Even in defeat against the Boston Celtics in the 2022 playoffs, Giannis became the first player in NBA history to record 200 points, 100 rebounds, and 50 assists in a single playoff series. With no Middleton on the roster, Boston was just a bit too much, even for Giannis.

Now entering his 10th season and still in the heart of his prime, we see if Giannis expands his game and come back an even better version of himself. Last season, he improved to become a 72% free throw shooter. This season, the hope for Bucks fans would be getting his three-point percentage closer to 35% instead of his career average of 28.8%.

He had a lot of memorable moments playing for his native Greece in Eurobasket 2022.

Roster

The addition of Forward Joe Ingles is an added playmaker to try and make life easier for Giannis and Guard Jrue Holiday. Ingles, coming off a Torn ACL suffered in January, won’t be ready for the start of the season, but will be a welcoming presence when he is ready.

Jrue Holiday should also see a nice uptick in stats early on and his on-ball defense remains one of the best in the entire league.

Besides the addition of Ingles, Milwaukee kept their roster much of the same from last season, a clear sign that they thought they were the best team in the league a season ago. My only gripe with this roster is that Grayson Allen will still be their starting shooting guard. That’s a spot where I think they need to be active in the trade market in the coming months. A better backup point guard would be a good addition as well.

Load Management

The leaders in load management the last couple of seasons, don’t expect much to change. The Milwaukee Bucks are known for being extra cautious when it comes to Giannis Antetokounmpo (don’t blame them) and their other stars, so there will be games in the regular season that simply don’t matter to them. When you’re this good consistently, it’s a luxury you can afford.

Prediction

As loaded as the top half of the Eastern Conference is, it’s hard to go against the Milwaukee Bucks as being the favorites to be back in the NBA Finals come June. Let’s see if lady luck leans more on their side this season.

Let’s get ready for six months of fun Bulls fans!

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