The Bulls keep offering us a healthy helping of different, the idea being that different has to be better than a steady diet of the same. It’s hard to argue with the concept of change, though the franchise hasn’t finished with a record above .500 since the 2015-16 season. Different can make the observer feel like things are getting done.

So the dominant thought after the Bulls’ most recent roster additions isn’t, “Who knows if it will work?” It’s, “Hey, look, they’re doing something!” Change = good.

Right?

RIGHT?

In a matter of days, the Bulls acquired Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso. It looked and sounded good. Ball can play, even if he still can’t shoot as well as you’d like. DeRozan has always been able to score, and he doesn’t miss many games. Caruso gives the team a three-point threat it has been missing.

Will this latest version of the new-look Bulls work? Will different really be different this time?

I’d settle for interesting. I haven’t found the Bulls interesting since Tom Thibodeau was the coach, which, although not forever ago, was three coaches ago. I know I’m supposed to find Zach LaVine interesting because he can get his shot whenever the spirit moves him. It moves him a lot. Now the question is how he’ll be able to coexist with Ball and DeRozan. It’s a much more interesting question than last season’s big question, which was whether LaVine would be selected for the All-Star Game. He was, so, you know, hooray.

The other storyline last season was how the Bulls would fare after landing four-time All-Star Nikola Vucevic. Answer: not well, with the team going 12-17 after he arrived in a March trade from Orlando. As part of the deal, the Magic received Wendell Carter Jr. and Otto Porter. I don’t want to say that’s a cautionary tale for Bulls fans, but I would like to remind them how excited they were three years ago, when Carter looked like he would become a double-double machine for the franchise one day. Or when Porter arrived in a trade from Washington three years ago and averaged 17.5 points and shot 48.8% on three-pointers in 15 games. Remember how good different felt then? Until it wasn’t so different after all.

I liked the trade that sent Jimmy Butler to Minnesota in 2017 and gave the Bulls LaVine, Lauri Markkanen and Kris Dunn. That certainly was different. It’s about the nicest thing you can say about that deal. Butler has gone on to superstardom in Miami. Remember how, season after season, Markkanen was finally going to figure things out? He’s still in the deciphering phase. He and his phase could end up on another team very soon.

If you feel you’ve been watching a hamster on a wheel, it’s because that’s exactly what you’ve been watching. New management regime, old management regime — the skeptical among you might wonder what difference it makes who calls the shots. The names change on the backs of the uniforms. The results don’t.

Maybe vice president Arturas Karnisovas, who was tasked with transforming the roster when he was hired in 2020, knows what he’s doing. Maybe this transformation sticks, unlike all the others that came before him.

Coby White is a reminder of how quickly we move on around here. White, the seventh overall pick in the 2019 draft, averaged 15.1 points a game for the Bulls last season. But you hardly heard a word about him in all the talk that accompanied the arrival of Ball, DeRozan and Caruso. Is he destined for the scrap heap of remember-them Bulls — Nikola Mirotic, Omer Asik, Thaddeus Young, Mike Dunleavy, et al? Players you think of and say, “Oh, yeah! I’d forgotten about him!” Or are we ignoring White’s contributions because we’re caught up in the energy of Karnisovas’ wheeling and dealing?

Different is interesting. And so we try to get our minds around what the Bulls will look like in 2021-22. How is the trio of LaVine, Ball and DeRozan going to work? Will contract-extension talks between LaVine and the team be a drag on performance? Can a franchise truly build around LaVine if winning a championship is the goal?

There are a lot of unknowns. That happens when a franchise’s immediate goal is to be different than what it was even a few weeks ago.

Different is good. I think.

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Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a 5-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.

This afternoon will be mostly sunny with a chance of sprinkles and a high near 85 degrees. Tonight will be mostly clear with a low around 65. Tomorrow will be mostly sunny with a high near 85.

Top story

Pritzker announces mask mandate for Illinois schools

Gov. J.B. Pritzker today issued a vaccine requirement for some state workers and a mask mandate for students in preschool through 12th grade.

Pritzker’s announcement brings Illinois in line with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which last week recommended that all teachers, students and staff in schools wear masks indoors regardless of their vaccination status.

The mandate applies to both public and private school students.

The state has seen a surge in cases in recent weeks, in part due to the highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus. Health officials reported last week a roughly 35% increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations and a 46% increase in state case numbers.

The Delta variant already accounts for more than 20% of new COVID-19 cases across the United States and “is likely to be our dominant strain here in the next couple of months,” according to Chicago Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady.

Rachel Hinton has more on the new rules here.

More news you need

1. Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office declined to file criminal charges against a Des Plaines cop who shot a budding teen musician in 2019 while pursuing a bank robber. Foxx’s office says the officer was “justified in using deadly force” against the robber.
2. Cook County, as of yesterday, has recorded 11,000 deaths attributed to COVID-19, a grim milestone that prompted officials to again urge residents to get vaccinated. COVID-19 cases have increased by 30% since June 26 in the county.
3. Barack Obama is scratching his Saturday outdoor birthday party for “hundreds” on Martha’s Vineyard, having decided to scale back the gala because of Delta variant concerns. The former president turns 60 today.
4. A Chicago man earlier charged with threatening police officers’ wives and children during the 2018 trial of then-Chicago cop Jason Van Dyke pleaded guilty today to attempting to obstruct the free exercise of religious beliefs. The charge stems from a Sept. 2018 comment he wrote on Facebook, court records show.
5. Activists today called on Mayor Lightfoot to deny a long-delayed permit for a recycling company that wants to open a controversial metal-shredding plant on the Southeast Side. The company failed to report the partial collapse of a building on the proposed site for the facility, activists said.
6. James “Jim” Stricklin, who was one of WMAQ’s first Black news photographers and had a 40-year career, has died of COVID-19, according to his wife. The Hyde Park resident, who was 88, became ill despite having been vaccinated, she said.
7. The 2021 Hyde Park Summer Fest was canceled by festival organizers who pointed to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases. The festival, rebranded from the popular annual Hyde Park Beer Fest, was initially scheduled for Sept. 11-12 at the Midway Plaisance.

A bright one

Bridget Bodo finds second wind in sailboat racing

Before Bridget Bodo found sailing — or rather it found her — Bodo was in a dark place. She sunk into a deep depression after she lost her leg and suffered a brain injury in a motorcycle accident in Lake View in 2003.

“My life was totally, totally turned around,” Bodo, 45, said. “I went from being a very active, single, working person to a disabled, very isolated, very sad person who just sat at home all day not being able to do anything. I couldn’t even walk.”

Bodo was on a ride in the summer of 2003 when a car turned left into her bike near Belmont and Campbell avenues.

The collision caused her to slide across the pavement. Her lower left leg was torn from her body and found nearly 50 feet away from the accident, she said. Bodo suffered facial trauma and a brain injury, too.

The transition into Bodo’s new reality was arduous. She struggled knowing she would need a prosthetic leg. Her sister moved in to help with rent, her dog and wound care.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

One day, while Bodo was waiting in a lobby for her ride after a physical therapy appointment in the spring of 2004, a man staffing a booth nearby asked her if she had any interest in sailing. He was with the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Foundation, an organization with programs that teach people with physical disabilities as well as at-risk youths in Chicago how to sail.

Bodo was skeptical.

The first time on the water with the program was a refreshing experience. She said it was great to be out of the house and in the fresh air. Bodo couldn’t help but to return to the harbor at every opportunity. And each time she sailed, she felt more empowered.

Eventually, she found her second wind in sailboat racing, which has taken her all over the United States over the past 17 years. She’s won many races, including two regattas. Recently, her team finished fourth out of five vessels, despite some good showings across the four days.

When she’s sailing, she says, “I’m not thinking about being disabled at all. I feel like I can do everything that I need to do on the boat.”

Bodo now helps to recruit other people with disabilities to join the program.

“The nicest thing about all of this is, again, is community. . . There’s so many people out there in the world that are really, really wanting to help people out.”

Madeline Kenney has more on Bodo’s story here.

From the press box

• A week of big moves doesn’t answer the question of whether the Bulls can build a championship team around Zach LaVine, but they’re going to be interesting — and that’s an upgrade, Rick Morrissey writes.
• The Bulls kept adding today by signing center Tony Bradley.
• The White Sox announced their full 2022 regular season schedule today, a bit earlier than usual. The slate opens March 31 at home against the Twins.
• One week into Bears’ training camp, our beat reporters break down what they’ve seen so far. Patrick Finley calls Justin Fields’ talent “tantalizing,” while Mark Potash notes that Andy Dalton looks like an upgrade under center, too.
• The Bears have inked veteran linebacker Alec Ogletree for more depth on defense. Ogletree, 29, played two games for the Jets last season.

Your daily question ?

What’s the best summer job you’ve ever had? Tell us why.

Yesterday we asked you: NYC announced today it will require vaccination proof for indoor dining and gyms. Should Chicago do the same? Tell us why or why not. Here’s some of what you said…

“Yes. We have more to protect than people’s feelings. Not being vaccinated is a choice rooted in feelings, certainly not facts or reality. I think it would afford a greater sense of security for a lot of people knowing that everyone around them was less likely to be a virus carrier or spreader. Nowadays I think most people appreciate that peace of mind.” — Chris Vaughn

“Absolutely not! I’m vaccinated and that is my business — no one else’s.” — Madeline Muscia Squiller

“Yes. People may not like it, but the longer they stay unvaccinated, the greater likelihood more variants arise and prolong the pandemic.” – Davin Loh

“Yes. People can make the choice to not get vaccinated, but choices come with consequences.” — Lori McAllester Schultz

“How do you expect businesses to enforce this mandate? Everyone is aware of what happened when stores asked people to wear masks. This is a good idea, but is not realistic.” — Maureen Murphy

Sign up here to get the Afternoon Edition in your inbox every day.

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Chicago Bulls: Why they can win the division next season by John-Mark Mallory

The Chicago Bulls have accomplished quite a bit over the first couple days of NBA free agency. Vice President Arturas Karnisovas has had his aggressiveness on full display, as has general manager Marc Eversley.

There may have been no more aggressive move than the one Eversley pulled off to help land DeMar DeRozan in Chicago on Tuesday, when the Bulls’ general manager flew all the way to Los Angeles to meet with the free agent. DeRozan was amidst meeting with the Clippers at that time, too, and Eversley made it all the way out to convince him to come to the Bulls.

Now, while that seems like a big move, there is another huge deal that could be brewing at the moment. Sign-and-trades have been happening left and right since the opening of this period, but we’re just getting started.

According to a Washington Wizards insider, Quinton Mayo, there is an enormous trade being discussed at the moment. The big return in this deal for Washington is what would ultimately land Spencer Dinwiddie with the Wizards, which has already been agreed upon.

Chicago & Oklahoma City are two names that I’ve heard connected to trade. BKN most recently requested Deni Avdija + future 1st/2nd round picks from WAS — WAS rebuffed the offer. Hearing Dinwiddie WILL be a Wizard, the avenue is just complicated.

— Quinton Mayo (@RealQuintonMayo) August 4, 2021

A deal of this magnitude would certainly take time to iron out. To complete what may be the biggest trade in NBA history, these teams will be dedicating a lot of hours to the nitty gritty details.

Speaking of the largest trade in league history, the current record belongs to a deal that was pulled off back in 2005 by the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Memphis Grizzlies, Utah Jazz and New Orleans Hornets. That five-team trade saw a whopping 13 players get dealt.

So, who are the other teams involved? For now, it looks like the Bulls and Oklahoma City Thunder are two of them. But, another 2-4 franchises could be on the way soon. Even if only two more teams join in on the fun, this will go down as the largest trade in league history. However, if it spans all the way to eight teams, this becomes borderline hysterical. We could be in for absolute madness if and when this gets announced.

The big question, here, is how the Bulls fit into all of this. Chicago has parted with quite a lot of draft capital over the last few days and even going back to the Nikola Vucevic trade during the season. Most would guess that the Bulls send Lauri Markkanen away in this deal, but to whom and for what seems yet to be determined.

If Karnisovas and Eversley could deal Markkanen for either draft capital or a notable piece to the roster, this offseason will go down as one of the most exciting in Bulls history. Already, the team has brought in point guard Lonzo Ball to go with DeRozan, amongst a couple other moves like signing Alex Caruso and center Tony Bradley.

Trending

Bulls: Honest grades for free agency moves thus far

Read now >>

Anything from here on out is icing on the cake, but the Bulls front office has done a masterful job with their moves this week. Stay tuned, Bulls fans. Things could get wild.

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No one knows yet what the Cubs will look like in 2022, but their first opponents will be quite familiar.

The Cubs’ first four series next season will be against National League Central rivals.

They will open the season on Friday March 31 in a three-game series against the Reds in Cincinnati. The home opener is Monday April 4 against the Cardinals. The Cubs then have series against the Brewers at Wrigley Field and the Pirates in Pittsburgh.

The annual crosstown series against the White Sox will be May 3-4 at Wrigley Field and May 28-29 at Guaranteed Rate Field.

The Cubs will face the AL East in interleague play:

• Tampa Bay comes to Wrigley April 18-20;
• The Cubs will play at Yankee Stadium June 10-12;
• The Red Sox will visit the North Side July 1-3;
• And the Blue Jays will host the Cubs Aug. 29-31.

The regular season will end with another three-game series in Cincinnati Sept. 30-Oct. 2.

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The Bears have packed quite a bit of turbulence into the first week of training camp.

The offense has had terrible days and solid days. There’s been zero clarity on key position battles. Some important players have yet to practice. They’ve already had a coronavirus scare.

After one wild week of camp, here’s a snapshot of how it’s going:

Justin Fields has looked…

Right on schedule. The Bears are taking it painfully and unnecessarily slowly with a quarterback who just got done dominating college football at the highest level. If Andy Dalton wasn’t here and the Bears faced the urgency of getting Fields ready for the season opener, he’d probably handle that pace just fine. He has shown glimpses already of everything the team hoped it was getting when it drafted him. Think about this: When was the last time the Bears had a young quarterback with either phenomenal running or pinpoint precision on deep balls? Right now, they have one with both.

But he’s not ready yet because…

Dalton is here. If the Bears had a meaningful game right now, Dalton would be the correct choice over Fields because he has a mastery of every nuance of the offense, total competency reading a defense and 8,000-plus snaps of NFL experience. Fields will exceed him eventually, but not yet.

What is the best development for the Bears so far?

Wide receiver Marquise Goodwin looks more than ready for his return to the NFL after opting out last season. It is undisputed that he’s the fastest player on the team and he has been consistently problematic for the Bears’ secondary in practice. For $1.2 million, this looks like a really smart signing.

What’s the worst?

Oh, nothing big, just that they don’t have a left tackle. Is that bad? Second-round pick Teven Jenkins has yet to practice because of a back injury he suffered in rookie minicamp. Matt Nagy says it’s not a big deal, but coaches say that a lot. Elijah Wilkinson is on the reserve/COVID-19 list. They practiced with fifth-round rookie Larry Borom at left tackle and Lachavious Simmons, a seventh-round pick last year who has yet to make his NFL debut, on the right side Tuesday. You ready to stick Dalton or Fields behind those guys?

Which under-the-radar player has caught your eye?

Sixth-year safety Deon Bush. He played just 6% of the defensive snaps last season and is still a long shot to beat out Tashaun Gipson for a starting job, but he has made some eye-catching plays while filling in for Eddie Jackson on the first team.

What’s the shakiest part of the Bears’ plan for this season?

Banking on outside linebacker Robert Quinn is a dicey proposition. He has had some great years. He also gave the Bears just two sacks last season. Nagy said he has looked amazing so far, but he’s already dealing with a back injury. It’s hard to tell if he’s off to a good start.

Which newcomer has been the most impressive?

Dalton. The word that keeps coming to mind is competent, which is far from thrilling but quite a step forward from where Bears quarterbacks have been for the last few decades.

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It’s never too soon to look ahead. The White Sox released their 2022 schedule on Wednesday, a slate the opens the season with the Minnesota Twins visiting Guaranteed Rate Field on March 31, four crosstown games against the Cubs and additional interleague games against teams from the National League West.

The annual crosstown series against the Cubs consists of four games, on May 3-4 at Wrigley Field and May 28-29 at Guaranteed Rate Field.

The interleague schedule includes the Dodgers (June 7-9 at Guaranteed Rate Field), Giants (July 1-3 at Oracle Park), Rockies (July 26-27 at Coors Field; September 13-14 at Guaranteed Rate Field), Diamondbacks (weekend of Aug. 26-28 at Guaranteed Rate Field) and San Diego (Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at Petco Park).

The Padres series marks the first time the Sox will end the regular season in a NL ballpark.

At first glance, the May portion of the schedule looks particularly challenging, with seven games against the Yankees, six against the Red Sox and three against the Indians, as well as the Cubs series.

Here is the regular season schedule. Times are TBA. Schedule is subject to change.

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The Mexican government is suing United States gun manufacturers and distributors in U.S. federal court, arguing that their negligent and illegal commercial practices have unleashed tremendous bloodshed in Mexico.

The unusual lawsuit, filed in federal court in Boston, targets some of the biggest names in the gun industry. Among those being sued are Smith & Wesson Brands, Barret Firearms Manufacturing, Beretta U.S.A. Corp., Colt’s Manufacturing Company and Glock Inc.

Another defendant is Interstate Arms, a Boston-area wholesaler that sells guns from all but one of the named manufacturers to dealers around the United States

The lawsuit says the companies know their practices contribute to the trafficking of guns to Mexico and facilitate it. It’s seeking compensation for the havoc the guns have wrought in Mexico.

The Mexican government “brings this action to put an end to the massive damage that the defendants cause by actively facilitating the unlawful trafficking of their guns to drug cartels and other criminals in Mexico,” the lawsuit says, noting that the vast majority of guns recovered at crime scenes in Mexico were trafficked from the United States.

“We are going to win the trial, and we are going to drastically reduce illicit arms trafficking to Mexico,” Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard told reporters.

The sale of firearms is severely restricted in Mexico and controlled by the Defense Department. But thousands of guns are smuggled in to Mexico by drug cartels.

The Mexican government says recent rulings in U.S. courts contributed to its decision to file the lawsuit. It cited a decision in California allowing a lawsuit against Smith & Wesson to move forward, a recent lawsuit filed against Century Arms related to a 2019 shooting in Gilroy, California, and a $33 million settlement reached by Remington with some of the families whose children were killed in the Newtown, Connecticut, mass school shooting.

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It’s sad but true that we’re never so much appreciated as when we’re newly dead. Especially if the death is sudden and unexpected.

Three months ago, as preservationists were sounding alarms over Governor J.B. Pritzker’s decision to empty out Helmut Jahn’s iconic Thompson Center and offer it up to the highest bidder for possible demolition (neither Chicago’s status as an architectural center nor Jahn’s international reputation giving him pause), Jahn, 81, was killed in a traffic accident.

As that news spread through the city’s architectural community, there was quick agreement on the need for some sort of public tribute. An exhibit team gelled in two days, and Helmut Jahn: Life + Architecture opened July 23 at the Chicago Architecture Center.

The exhibit is an overview, not specifically focused on the Thompson Center. But, as Aaron Betsky, director of the School of Architecture and Design at Virginia Tech, notes in a lyrical introductory tribute, “We better save the Thompson Center, which is not only one of [Jahn’s] greatest designs, but one of the few true celebrations of government as a public good.”

“With a burst of shattering, curving, and bulging glass in a rainbow of colors Helmut Jahn danced onto the international architecture scene in the 1980s, translating the discipline of Chicago Modernism into new programs and forms while melting and fragmenting its grids into a post-disco delight of shaped buildings . . . More than the designs of almost any other architect . . . Helmut expressed structure, space, and publicity as an interwoven whole that said: come here, be here, be part of this,” Betsky wrote.

Housed in CAC’s second-floor Drake Family Skyscraper Gallery, the exhibit features 15 tabletop models, a loop of short videos, some of Jahn’s drawings, and three large walls of photos and text, bookended by two timelines–one for significant personal events and professional honors, the other listing major projects. It’s a life/work history, fleshed out with testimonials and abundant, generously enlarged photos, including snapshots plucked from family albums and billboard-size, mythmaking portraits. Jahn, athletic and elegant, was notably photogenic: we see him running, sailing (a model of his boat, the Flash Gordon, is also here), and gracing the cover of GQ in trademark fedora.

The models are a mix of international projects and local buildings, including two still under construction: the 73-story 1000M on South Michigan Avenue, and the Pritzker Military Archives, in Somers (near Kenosha), Wisconsin. You’ll also find models for University of Chicago projects and Illinois Institute of Technology’s State Street Village (now Rowe Village), but the two standouts among these Lilliputian displays are gleaming, glassy sculptural renditions of the landmark Sony Center, opened in Berlin in 2000, and the 1985 building that inspired it, Chicago’s Thompson Center (never mind the ungainly potential tower grafted to its southwest corner).

The show, developed in a necessary hurry, could use a couple of tweaks. It would be good to have a few signs making it clear that the large white models of skyscrapers that dominate this gallery are a permanent exhibit and not part of the Jahn show. (“I don’t think Jahn did Petronas Towers,” I heard one visitor tell another.) Also, it could use a separate, quiet space with seating for the excellent short videos (where, for example, you can catch Jahn explaining that “I can only think when I draw,” and “I haven’t done the perfect building yet; that’s what keeps me going.”).

“This is not a retrospective,” CAC senior curator Michael Wood told me. “This is a celebration of Helmut’s work. It was put together very quickly, without the time to do the deep research a retrospective would require. We did that because we think it’s important that the public understand the place Helmut holds in the lineage of Chicago architecture history. He’s one of the last great designers going back to that iconic era of Chicago building in the International style of Mies. He starts his career there and he is incredibly productive in every decade up until his death. He worked all over the world, he represented us globally.”

Jahn, who was born in Germany and came here in 1966 to study at IIT, “chose us as his adopted hometown,” Wood added. “He immigrated to Chicago, we embraced him, and we’re the better for it.”

CAC does not have an official position on the Thompson Center “at the moment,” Wood said, “other than we think there should be more public discussion.” But in June, CAC partnered with the Chicago Architectural Club to launch a design competition for the future of the Center. The jury for this 2021 edition of the club’s annual Chicago Prize Competition will meet this week to select winners.

The competition had been in the works for a while, Wood said: “With Helmut’s death it seemed more urgent to get the ideas out now, while there would be a moment of appreciation.” Winners will be displayed in a pop-up exhibit in the CAC lobby.

The state’s deadline for proposals to purchase the Thompson Center is August 30. v

“Helmut Jahn: Life + Architecture” at the Chicago Architecture Center, 111 E. Wacker, open daily through October, 10 AM-5 PM, $15 general admission to CAC (free for members).

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SAITAMA, Japan — Wake up. Take a coronavirus test. Go to an empty arena. Practice or play a game. Return to the hotel. FaceTime family and friends who they’ve been separated from for weeks. Watch other games on television. Sleep.

Such is the typical itinerary for basketball players at the Tokyo Olympics.

For those who were in the NBA and WNBA bubbles in Florida last summer, it seems familiar. That has no doubt played a role in both U.S. basketball teams reaching the Olympic semifinals.

There are clear similarities between what basketball players are having to endure at these Tokyo Olympics and what went on last summer for NBA players in Lake Buena Vista, Florida and WNBA players in Bradenton, Florida. The days have seemed a bit monotonous, there’s separation from loved ones and there’s hardly anyone in the buildings to cheer for them.

“The bubble was brutal,” said France guard Evan Fournier, who played in the NBA’s bubble with the Orlando Magic. “It was, it really was.”

The Olympics, in Fournier’s estimation, aren’t quite as difficult as the bubble was. The rules in Tokyo designed to keep everyone safe are restrictive, yes. But Fournier said there are at least some opportunities to see other athletes, whether it was through taking part in the opening ceremony and then going to the Olympic village or simply by being able to get away from basketball by tuning into something else on television.

U.S. women’s player Breanna Stewart said the flashbacks to last summer are only natural to have.

“This is even more because we are in a foreign country,” Stewart said. “We go to the hotel, the practice gym, the arena and we’ve gone to the village a couple of times. We’re not getting out and we don’t have areas to just chill outside. That’s one thing that is unique to the Olympics, spending time inside cooped up.”

Stewart and the U.S. women have had familiar faces at some of their games at the Olympics. Those faces belong to the U.S. men, who have sent contingents to the arena to watch their fellow Americans on off days.

Typically at an Olympics, the NBA stars pop into some of the other big events — like swimming, track and field, gymnastics — whenever possible. It creates a stir, a buzz in the crowd and even the athletes in those sports have said it’s a big deal to have some of the best-known players in the world in attendance.

In Tokyo, that’s just not an option.

“The restrictions don’t allow us to do that,” Durant said. “That was the fun part about the last few Olympics, is that we could go out and support other athletes, watch other sports that we probably never get a chance to watch, take in the whole Olympic experience. But again, it’s somewhat of a bubble and we can’t do that.”

Even without a bubble, at least not the same sort that the NBA and WNBA players had last summer, the restrictions in place this summer likely deterred some from coming to the Olympics. There are undoubtedly other factors on that front: the NBA, for example, saw its 2019-20 season resume in July 2020, go through October, resume in December and some players haven’t gotten much of a break since — which will be a talking point when NBA training camps start up again next month.

“If you put it frankly, it kind of sucks,” Australia guard Joe Ingles said.

Put simply, nothing has been easy. And sometimes, it doesn’t seem fun. It can appear to be light-hearted at times — U.S. men’s coach Gregg Popovich is a well-known wine connoisseur, and getting wine into the famous staff dinners has been more of a challenge than usual, for example — but it’s a clear grind.

“A lot of them called me and wanted to play and then later, for whatever reason, said, ‘Hmm, I’m not so sure,'” USA Basketball men’s national team managing director Jerry Colangelo said. “I can understand it. I mean, there’s a lot of things going on. We’ve had to adjust, I mean, how would you like to get a group of guys coming to Japan and tell them they’re going to be in another bubble, basically, because that’s the way it is. That’s really challenging.”

Yet when the winners get their gold medals this coming weekend, it’ll all seem worth the trouble.

“We still get to do what we’re here for,” Ingles said.

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American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco vehemently denied that his league has ever “plotted” with ESPN to undermine another conference by poaching its schools.

Aresco addressed conference realignment Wednesday during the AAC’s virtual football media day, saying the league is not actively looking to add schools.

“Our conference has never strategically aligned or plotted with ESPN to influence conference structures,” Aresco said. “We wouldn’t do that. ESPN has never done that and would not do it. We do consult with our television and business partners on issues related to our conference. Everyone does, of course. But any suggestions or statements that we colluded with ESPN with regard to the structure of any other conference is a completely unfounded and grossly irresponsible accusation.”

Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby sent a cease-and-desist letter to ESPN last week, accusing the network of encouraging at least one other conference to raid that league as it tries to find a way forward with Texas and Oklahoma on their way to the Southeastern Conference.

The AAC was reported to be the conference ESPN was incentivizing to woo Big 12 teams. ESPN denied any wrongdoing. Bowslby said earlier this week the parties have agreed not to escalate the dispute publicly.

Aresco said he has not been in contact with any Big 12 schools, but did say the conference will always act in its best interest.

“If there are schools interested in us and they enhance our brand, why wouldn’t we consider them?” Aresco said.

He added: “We never talk about whether anybody reaches out to us.”

Aresco has experience rebuilding a crumbling conference.

The American was birthed from the demise of the Big East in the last round of sweeping conference realignment in the early 2010s.

After losing several of its marquee major-college football schools, and having the traditional Big East schools break away to re-form a basketball-centric conference, the league added schools such as UCF, SMU, Tulane, Houston and Memphis and rebranded as the American in 2013.

The conference has become the best and most lucrative of the non-Power Five in football, sending a team to New Year’s Six bowls five times in the seven-year history of the College Football Playoff.

The American has pushed its “Power Six” slogan and Aresco has become a vocal advocate for College Football Playoff expansion. But even with its new 13-year, $1 billion television contract with ESPN, the AAC lags far behind the Power Five in annual revenue.

The Big 12 distributed $34.5 million to each of its 10 members this years, though that number would likely drop as much as 50% in the future without Oklahoma and Texas.

Under the new ESPN deal, the AAC expects distribution to reach about $8 million per team per year.

Five years ago, when the Big 12 explored expansion, AAC schools were among those that applied. If the eight Big 12 schools being left behind by Texas and Oklahoma were to look to for replacements, it would make sense that AAC schools would be candidates.

Still, Aresco said the American is stable and no one is panicking about the next potential wave of realignment.

“Anytime you talk about stability, you never know what can happen down the road. So you don’t want to overdo it,” Aresco said. “We think we’ve got a group of great schools. And who, by the way, early on may not have had as much in common as they do now. Having played together for a number of years, having developed that kind of camaraderie that comes with not only getting to know each other, but having great success and having great collective success, I think that’s really helped our conference brand and helped our cohesion.”

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