Kenny Williams has something to say about the White Sox’s disappointing performance

To say the very least, this has been an extremely disappointing season for the White Sox. At the beginning of the season, the White Sox were poised to be in the conversation for the American League champion. But at the season’s halfway mark, they are not even over .500 and sit third place in the AL Central Divison. Nobody was expecting the White Sox to be here, and their performance has raised a lot of questions. In his weekly column with USA Today, Bob Nightengale had a lot to say about the state of the White Sox:

“There have been a lot of whispers of unrest, cliques, and the lack of player leadership inside the clubhouse tearing apart this talented team. Everybody is asking themselves, ‘What’s wrong with the White Sox?’ The most disappointing, underachieving team in baseball. The answer I get just inside the clubhouse, I mean, guys are complaining about Tony La Russa, guys complain about the front office and things like that. But when it comes down to it, everybody is saying there’s really no leadership in that clubhouse.”

“It seems like a relaxed atmosphere, like, ‘It’s early, it’s early.’ And there’s nobody to really jump on guys and say, ‘What are you guys doing here? You’re embarrassing yourselves by wasting this kind of talent in a very mediocre division.’ So, players and teams have been talking about this a lot the last few weeks. They’re all saying the same thing. It’s inside that clubhouse.”

With so much conversation around the White Sox and leadership, it was only a matter of time before Kenny Williams, Vice President of the White Sox, made some kind of comment. And because Nightengale’s column on USA Today got so much heat, it was only natural to direct his remarks on the Sox’s performance towards him. Nightingale shared that Kenny Williams said, “no one was absolved for the team’s woes.”

But that’s all we got. When Kenny Williams was pressed for further information on what went exactly went down in the conversation, the conversation all of the sudden became private. One can only hope that the talk has an impact on the White Sox’s performance. It cannot be clearer that morale is down, with the team barely acknowledging Tim Anderson being selected as an All-Star starter, the snub to Dylan Cease, and their extreme underperformance. Hopefully, Kenny Williams has said the magic words.

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The Blackhawks entered the first day of NHL free agency Wednesday needing a few forwards to fill out their roster.

They did just that by signing Max Domi and Andreas Athanasiou to matching one-year contracts with $3 million salary-cap hits, per numerous reports.

Domi and Athanasiou promptly become the fourth- and fifth-highest paid forwards on the Hawks’ books, but they likely won’t be in Chicago for long. It wouldn’t be surprising to see general manager Kyle Davidson try to flip them to a contender for assets at the trade deadline as the Hawks long-term rebuild continues.

Domi, 27, recorded 39 points in 72 games for the Blue Jackets and Hurricanes last season. The son of former NHL enforcer Tie Domi, he has never quite lived up to his draft position (12th overall in 2013) or his 2018-19 breakout season in Montreal (72 points), but he remains a solid middle-six winger.

His fiery competitiveness is his most well-known trait, although he does have some playmaking skill. It’ll be interesting to see him on the same team as Connor Murphy, whom he attacked in a bizarre 2021 in-game incident in Columbus.

Athanasiou, also 27, recorded 40 points in 75 games for the Kings over the last two seasons, missing a large chunk of 2021-22 with an injury. He, too, enjoyed his best career season in 2018-19, when he hit the 30-goal milestone with the Red Wings.

His burning speed is his most well-known trait, checking off the other box — in addition to competitiveness –that Davidson has frequently mentioned as priorities in player evaluation.

The Hawks also signed depth goaltender Alex Stalock to a one-year contract with $750,000 cap hit on Wednesday, The Athletic’s Scott Powers reported.

Stalock struggled mightily last season, posting an .869 save percentage in 17 AHL appearances and .786 save percentage in one NHL game for the Sharks, after missing the 2021 season with a heart condition. He’d previously been a solid backup, going 36-29-11 with a .908 save percentage for the Wild from 2017 to 2020.

This story will be updated.

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The 2021-22 Chicago Bulls revisited

The Chicago Bulls were one of the success stories during the 2022 regular season, only to fall short in the first round of the playoffs, losing in five games to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Chicago’s star-studded starting lineup, comprised of resurgent five-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan, late-rising, high-flying guard and two-time All-Star Zach LaVine, and fellow two-time all-star and one of the more skilled centers in the league, Nikola Vucevic, practically guaranteed a trip to the playoffs, yet in the playoffs, their bench provided little-to-no help.

However, with the impending return of a healthy Lonzo Ball, as well as a few key additions to the bench, Chicago now seems to have one of the premier squads in the Eastern Conference, and this coming season could quietly provide their best chance at winning a title since Michael Jordan’s team capped off its second three-peat.

The band is back together… with new faces

One of the most important additions to Chicago’s rotation is actually a player who was on their roster last season: Alex Caruso. 

A fan-favorite willing to do anything for the betterment of the team, including starting at power forward despite being a natural point guard, Caruso will be able to go back to the bench when Ball returns, putting him back in his preferred place. “A.C.” was a key contributor in the second unit during the Los Angeles Lakers’ run to the 2020 title, even earning himself a start in the closeout Game Six, and with him back in his regular spot, he will be able to spend more time creating for his teammates while also playing stifling defense on opposing guards.

Goran Dragic may be haunted by memories of his most infamous encounter with Chicago when Derrick Rose baptized him on a transition jam in 2010, but his insertion into the Bulls’ rotation should also prove extremely valuable. The 36-year-old veteran still has gas in the tank and played important minutes for the Brooklyn Nets in the recent playoffs, averaging 10.5 points on 56.3% shooting in 19.8 minutes per night. “The Dragon” can work off or on the ball and will fit seamlessly with Caruso as an excellent penetrator and catch-and-shoot guy.

On the complete other hand, the Chicago Bulls also rebuffed its center position by signing another form Net, Andre Drummond; the longtime Detroit Piston-turned-journeyman is one of the true brutes in the league and finished last season ranked first in total rebound percentage and 10th in contested rebound win percentage amongst players who participated in at least 50 games. 

There is also a glaring disparity looking at Drummond’s per 40-minute stats compared to 2021 backup big man Tristan Thompson— whereas Thompson’s line consists of 13.8 points and 11.6 rebounds, Drummond posted a far more impressive 21.1 points and 18.5 rebounds.

Legendary women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt once said “offense sells tickets, defense wins games, and rebounding wins championships,” and the Bulls just added a four-time rebounding champ to their roster. Not bad.

Increased expectations for Chicago Bulls

As much as the Bulls were a fun group to watch last season, the short-lived affection for the overachiever will have worn off, and teams will view them as a viable threat and treat them as such. This means that they will not be sneaking up on anyone, and the basketball world will expect results.

The front office took a plunge in early July by extending LaVine on a five-year, $215m deal, so his seat is also increasingly hot. The sharp-shooting athlete has thrived since coming to Chicago, but he now needs to take another step and become the second-best player on a championship-contending team.

His counterpart and team star, DeRozan, will also be demanded to perform after making an early MVP case but only finishing on the All-NBA third team due to a poor close to the regular season. His style of mid-range dominance has been called outdated, but it was working for a while. If he can sustain his excellence throughout the campaign, it will go a long way towards getting the Bulls firmly in the mix for the Larry O’Brien trophy.

The season is still a few months away, but there is a growing buzz in Chicago— hopefully they back up their bull.

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The 2021-22 Chicago Bulls revisited

The Chicago Bulls were one of the success stories during the 2022 regular season, only to fall short in the first round of the playoffs, losing in five games to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Chicago’s star-studded starting lineup, comprised of resurgent five-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan, late-rising, high-flying guard and two-time All-Star Zach LaVine, and fellow two-time all-star and one of the more skilled centers in the league, Nikola Vucevic, practically guaranteed a trip to the playoffs, yet in the playoffs, their bench provided little-to-no help.

However, with the impending return of a healthy Lonzo Ball, as well as a few key additions to the bench, Chicago now seems to have one of the premier squads in the Eastern Conference, and this coming season could quietly provide their best chance at winning a title since Michael Jordan’s team capped off its second three-peat.

The band is back together… with new faces

One of the most important additions to Chicago’s rotation is actually a player who was on their roster last season: Alex Caruso. 

A fan-favorite willing to do anything for the betterment of the team, including starting at power forward despite being a natural point guard, Caruso will be able to go back to the bench when Ball returns, putting him back in his preferred place. “A.C.” was a key contributor in the second unit during the Los Angeles Lakers’ run to the 2020 title, even earning himself a start in the closeout Game Six, and with him back in his regular spot, he will be able to spend more time creating for his teammates while also playing stifling defense on opposing guards.

Goran Dragic may be haunted by memories of his most infamous encounter with Chicago when Derrick Rose baptized him on a transition jam in 2010, but his insertion into the Bulls’ rotation should also prove extremely valuable. The 36-year-old veteran still has gas in the tank and played important minutes for the Brooklyn Nets in the recent playoffs, averaging 10.5 points on 56.3% shooting in 19.8 minutes per night. “The Dragon” can work off or on the ball and will fit seamlessly with Caruso as an excellent penetrator and catch-and-shoot guy.

On the complete other hand, the Chicago Bulls also rebuffed its center position by signing another form Net, Andre Drummond; the longtime Detroit Piston-turned-journeyman is one of the true brutes in the league and finished last season ranked first in total rebound percentage and 10th in contested rebound win percentage amongst players who participated in at least 50 games. 

There is also a glaring disparity looking at Drummond’s per 40-minute stats compared to 2021 backup big man Tristan Thompson— whereas Thompson’s line consists of 13.8 points and 11.6 rebounds, Drummond posted a far more impressive 21.1 points and 18.5 rebounds.

Legendary women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt once said “offense sells tickets, defense wins games, and rebounding wins championships,” and the Bulls just added a four-time rebounding champ to their roster. Not bad.

Increased expectations for Chicago Bulls

As much as the Bulls were a fun group to watch last season, the short-lived affection for the overachiever will have worn off, and teams will view them as a viable threat and treat them as such. This means that they will not be sneaking up on anyone, and the basketball world will expect results.

The front office took a plunge in early July by extending LaVine on a five-year, $215m deal, so his seat is also increasingly hot. The sharp-shooting athlete has thrived since coming to Chicago, but he now needs to take another step and become the second-best player on a championship-contending team.

His counterpart and team star, DeRozan, will also be demanded to perform after making an early MVP case but only finishing on the All-NBA third team due to a poor close to the regular season. His style of mid-range dominance has been called outdated, but it was working for a while. If he can sustain his excellence throughout the campaign, it will go a long way towards getting the Bulls firmly in the mix for the Larry O’Brien trophy.

The season is still a few months away, but there is a growing buzz in Chicago— hopefully they back up their bull.

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