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5 injured in I-290 shootingSun-Times Wireon April 12, 2021 at 8:13 am

Five people were injured in a shooting April 12, 2021 on I-290.
Five people were injured in a shooting April 12, 2021 on I-290. | Sun-Times file photo

Four people were shot Monday on Interstate 290 near Damen Avenue.

Five people were injured in a shooting early Monday on the Eisenhower Expressway.

Just after midnight, a car was shot at on I-290 near the exit ramp to Damen Avenue, Illinois State Police said.

Four people were shot and were taken to a hospital for treatment, Chicago Fire officials said.

Another person was not shot but sustained injuries and was taken to Stroget Hospital for treatment, fire officials said.

Illinois State police did not immeduately have details on the shooting.

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5 injured in I-290 shootingSun-Times Wireon April 12, 2021 at 8:13 am Read More »

Real talk from Bulls coach Billy Donovan after a real embarrassing lossJoe Cowleyon April 12, 2021 at 3:15 am


Facing a Minnesota team that sported the worst record in the league, the Bulls had maybe one of their worst losses of the season. Plenty of reasons why starting with the usual suspects.

Billy Donovan is well-versed in coachspeak.

The Bulls coach can drive in that lane if need be, using phrases like “be the best version of ourselves’’ or “still think there’s room for us to grow.’’

But what his players and front office have truly liked about Donovan is he knows when it’s time to be real in what he’s saying.

“Obviously you’re always going to look at results, and I totally understand that,’’ Donovan said. “That’s why they keep score.’’

As far as Sunday was concerned, it would have been better for the Bulls if they didn’t.

In what could have been a low point in a season in which some low points were already thought to be hit, the Bulls (22-30) fell to the worst team in the league, losing at Minnesota 121-117.

Someone, anyone explain.

“I would say the biggest thing is communication right now,’’ guard Troy Brown Jr. said of the loss. “I definitely think we’re capable of it [improving].

“It’s one of those [losses] where we can’t hold anyone but ourselves accountable. You can’t blame anyone else.’’

Especially when the Bulls were down as many as 13 in the first half, and seemed poised for a bounce back in the second half.

The comeback did not come quickly, but it came.

After outscoring the home team 32-25 in the third quarter, it was still a slow grind for the Bulls to get back into the game.

Daniel Theis actually brought the Bulls to within a point with 7:40 left in the contest, splitting a pair of free throws, but that lead quickly went back to six thanks to five-straight points from Karl-Anthony Towns.

The back and forth continued, until Nikola Vucevic brought the Bulls to within three with a tip-in at the 3:47 mark.

But it was the usual suspects for the Bulls. Breakdowns on defense, too many costly turnovers, and just an inability to stay away from following the opposition.

“Habits get exposed,’’ Donovan said. “To me you’ll always shrink back to the level of your habits, and I think that’s the biggest thing for me right now. We don’t have the habits we need to have, but it’s not necessarily a lot of these guys’ fault. I don’t blame them at all. When you’ve got a new team, I think even terminology for Daniel, for ‘Vuch’ [Vucevic] and even for Troy when they’re out there … You know pick-and-roll coverage is being called and I’m expecting them in basically a week-to-10-day period to know everything that we’re doing and that’s probably unrealistic.’’

Still, there was a chance late, after Coby White cut his team’s deficit back to three with 57 seconds left, but Towns again had an answer, hitting a huge three-pointer.

Zach LaVine tried to play hero, hitting a layup with 38.7 seconds left and then another layup with 11.3 seconds left, also drawing the foul. The All-Star missed the and-one, however, keeping the deficit at two.

Towns did what LaVine couldn’t, making both free throws with 9.3 seconds left, and after a LaVine three-point attempt with 4.9 seconds left, the embarrassment of the season was in the books.

A loss in which the Bulls went 8-for-13 from the free throw line, and the Timberwolves (14-40) were 25-for-25.

“I just think the fouling really, really hurt us,’’ Donovan said. “We’ve got a lot of work [defensively] ahead of us, I’ll tell you that. There’s times we made progress and strides, but the challenge for us is when there’s multiple [ball]-handlers.

“We have a hard time physically a lot of times controlling the ball. Both the guards and the bigs, we just do. There’s no way around it.’’

Real talk.

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Real talk from Bulls coach Billy Donovan after a real embarrassing lossJoe Cowleyon April 12, 2021 at 3:15 am Read More »

Bulls rookie Patrick Williams talks ROY and All-Rookie honorson April 12, 2021 at 1:13 am

Patrick Williams wasn’t promoting himself after the draft, he wasn’t promoting himself at the halfway mark of the NBA season, and he wasn’t going to start promoting himself now.

That’s just not how the Bulls rookie forward was wired.

“Not really,” Williams said on Sunday, when asked if grabbing All-Rookie honors would mean something to him. “I don’t really play basketball for the accolades and things like that. I just play because I love to play it. I’ve always been that way. It wouldn’t even really matter to me.”

That might be a good attitude to have, because there’s a chance it won’t have to matter for the No. 4 overall pick.

Williams has some moments since the Bulls had a roster facelift at the trade deadline, but five new players in the mix has seemingly limited the amount of moments he’s now having.

The Florida State product entered the Timberwolves game 10th in scoring (9.7 points per game) for the rookie class, seventh in rebounds (4.7 per) and 10th in steals (0.8 per).

“Like I said, coming in when I was drafted, I just wanted to get better every day,” Williams said, at least admitting that he felt he’s had a good rookie season. “I think I have done that. Just being able to grow, get experience. And just learn from guys like Zach [LaVine] and the rest of the guys on the team. Thad [Young], the vets on the team but also young guys, learned from Coby [White]. Learned from Troy [Brown].

“As long as I’m learning, as long as I’m getting better every day, I feel like that’s a good season from me.”

The one ability that Williams has displayed, however? Availability.

Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball was the runaway Rookie of the Year leader until a season-ending injury put his campaign of hold, making Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards the leader now.

As far as All-Rookie honors, Tyrese Haliburton has been very solid, Immanuel Quickley is still performing, James Wiseman had some great moments before his season was put in jeopardy by a knee injury, as well as the likes of Cole Anthony, Saddiq Bey and a surging Jae’Sean Tate.

The player that hasn’t surprised Williams? Edwards.

While Edwards caught a lot of attention by posterizing Toronto’s Yuta Watanabe with possibly the dunk of the season, Williams has had a good idea of Edwards’ game for quite some time.

“I’ve known him since high school so it was no surprise to me,” Williams said of the dunk. “But of course it was a great play. I’ve seen him do that and more, so it was no surprise to me.

“I know him pretty well. I actually tried to recruit him to Florida State his senior year of high school. I know him pretty well just from playing with him and against him from different camps throughout high school. Of course I watch some of the games they’ve been playing. But I don’t really focus too much on rookies but just watching everybody.”

Center impressions

Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic has always appreciated LaVine’s game from afar, but now that he’s had the opportunity to see it up close and personal, it’s even better than advertised.

“Everything he does just looks so effortless,” Vucevic said. “Even the way he runs, the way he moves, the way he jumps, everything just looks so effortless.

“One thing that really impresses me with him is, he’ll drive at full speed and then like slow down to go to one-two, and then just like bounce off like if he’s bouncing off a trampoline.”

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Bulls rookie Patrick Williams talks ROY and All-Rookie honorson April 12, 2021 at 1:13 am Read More »

“Loneliness, Anxiety and Loss: the Covid Pandemic’s Terrible Toll on Kids”on April 11, 2021 at 5:05 pm

The Barbershop: Dennis Byrne, Proprietor

“Loneliness, Anxiety and Loss: the Covid Pandemic’s Terrible Toll on Kids”

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“Loneliness, Anxiety and Loss: the Covid Pandemic’s Terrible Toll on Kids”on April 11, 2021 at 5:05 pm Read More »

My favorites for National Poetry Monthon April 11, 2021 at 6:24 pm

Margaret Serious

My favorites for National Poetry Month

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My favorites for National Poetry Monthon April 11, 2021 at 6:24 pm Read More »

Waco Brothers Live in Berwyn, IL on April 10, 2021on April 11, 2021 at 7:06 pm

Eye Tunes

Waco Brothers Live in Berwyn, IL on April 10, 2021

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Waco Brothers Live in Berwyn, IL on April 10, 2021on April 11, 2021 at 7:06 pm Read More »

Guns in America/Guns in Israel/ In America, they are a right/In Israel, they are a Necessity/ More Gun Laws to ignore/ A better wayon April 11, 2021 at 8:38 pm

JUST SAYIN

Guns in America/Guns in Israel/ In America, they are a right/In Israel, they are a Necessity/ More Gun Laws to ignore/ A better way

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Guns in America/Guns in Israel/ In America, they are a right/In Israel, they are a Necessity/ More Gun Laws to ignore/ A better wayon April 11, 2021 at 8:38 pm Read More »

Take Care of Your Hairon April 12, 2021 at 12:27 am

Spiritual and Physical Wellness

Take Care of Your Hair

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Take Care of Your Hairon April 12, 2021 at 12:27 am Read More »

NHL trade deadline will show Blackhawks the value of salary cap space in a flat-cap worldon April 11, 2021 at 10:40 pm

After more than a decade of almost constantly pressing up against the salary cap, the Blackhawks now find themselves the envy of the NHL in terms of cap space.

Even better for the Hawks, this newfound flexibility comes at a time where cap space is more valuable than ever before.

The moves around the league ahead of Monday’s 2 p.m. CT trade deadline should reflect that changing dynamic and make clearer cap space’s true value in this new reality.

The flattened cap, which reportedly might remain flat for several more seasons beyond this one, took many general managers — who planned for the future assuming the cap would continue rising by at least $3 million annually — by surprise.

As a result, 15 teams had less than $5 million cap space — even including long-term injured reserve savings — as of Sunday afternoon, per CapFriendly. Conversely, only four teams (the lowly Devils, Kings, Red Wings and Senators) had more cap space than the Hawks’ roughly $20.2 million.

That imbalanced financial dynamic has significantly changed trades this year.

Talented but overpriced players, like the Sabres’ Taylor Hall and his $8 million cap hit or the Blues’ Mike Hoffman and his $4 million cap hit, have been more difficult than usual to move.

Even moderately-priced depth players have fetched much lower-than-usual returns. For example, the Red Wings received only a fourth-round pick from the Avalanche for Patrik Nemeth, even after retaining 50% of his $3 million cap hit.

For the Hawks, that means someone like Calvin de Haan — who will likely be exposed in the expansion draft and who probably isn’t part of the Hawks’ long-term plans, but would normally interest a contender hoping to add a reliable second- or third-pairing defenseman rental — isn’t worth moving. His slightly excessive $4.5 million cap hit negates almost all of his value.

On the other hand, taking on a cap hit to free up cap space for another team has become a lucrative business.

The Hawks on Thursday got Henrik Borgstrom almost solely by taking Brett Connolly’s $3.5 million cap hit off the Panthers’ hands. Arguably the three best players in the five-player deal all went the same direction — to Chicago — in the exchange.

And two three-way trades over the weekend provided intriguingly specific demonstrations of the cap space-to-asset translation.

To help the Lightning fit in ex-Blue Jackets defenseman David Savard, the Wings received a fourth-round draft pick solely by absorbing 25% (about $1.1 million) of Savard’s cap hit. To help the Maple Leafs fit in ex-Jackets forward Nick Foligno, the Sharks also received a fourth-round pick for absorbing 25% (about $1.4 million) of Foligno’s cap hit.

Monday’s possible frenzy of trades will create a larger sample size with which to assess how much each million, each draft pick and each tier of NHL player is worth in the confusing flat-cap world.

But that new Wings/Sharks precedent seems to be great news for the Hawks.

Even after taking on Connolly, Hawks GM Stan Bowman still has plenty of space to absorb another bad contract or two. Considering how killing just $1-$1.5 million of cap space seems to now equate to a mid-round pick, Bowman might be able to demand a first-round pick or acclaimed prospect if he assumes a legitimately awful contract like the Canucks’ Loui Eriksson ($6 million cap hit) or Islanders’ Andrew Ladd ($5.5 million) on Monday or this summer.

“For where we are right now, it’s exciting to be on this side,” Bowman said last week. “If we have another couple assets to add to [our current] mix, then we’d be a team in the coming years that would have more things at our disposal to help us, whether it’s help us on the ice or help us [trade for new players].”

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NHL trade deadline will show Blackhawks the value of salary cap space in a flat-cap worldon April 11, 2021 at 10:40 pm Read More »

‘Wrigley North’? Please. These days, Cubs fans have little to taunt Brewers fans abouton April 11, 2021 at 10:59 pm

About that whole “Wrigley North” thing?

It’s time to put a sock in it.

Cubs fans like to razz Brewers fans with this nickname for American Family Field, formerly Miller Park. It used to be pretty perfect not only because of all the Cubs jerseys in the stands, but also because the visitors routinely lit up the scoreboard.

In 2015 — when they really took off — the Cubs were 8-2 in Milwaukee, including a pair of series sweeps. In 2017, they were 7-3 in Milwaukee. In 2018, they won four of their first five games there — but the tables were about to turn.

The Cubs won the opener of a June series at Miller Park, giving them a 4-1 season record there and an utterly dominant 8-1 season record against the Brewers. But the Cubs were shut out in the last two games of the series and went 2-8 head-to-head the rest of the way, a final, embarrassing, offensively fruitless 3-1 loss coming in the Game 163 division tiebreaker at the actual Wrigley Field.

The Cubs were 3-7 in Milwaukee in 2019 and have lost 12 of their last 18 games there. Wrigley North? More like the House of Horrors. And that’s where the Cubs and their sleepy bats will be for three games beginning Monday.

This “American Family Field” thing is going to take some getting used to, but the name is the name. The nickname is another story. These days, it just plain misses the mark.

Here’s what’s happening:

MON 12

Blackhawks at Blue Jackets (6 p.m., NBCSCH, NHLN)

The Hawks are 3-0 in Columbus this season, with Patrick Kane piling up six points in those games. He’ll have a great chance to add to that total now that the Jackets are focusing their entire defensive game plan on stopping Wyatt Kalynuk.

Brooklyn Nets v Chicago Bulls
This Vucevic guy looks like a keeper.
Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Bulls at Grizzlies (8 p.m., NBCSCH+)

OK, so it’s not quite Kareem vs. Wilt, but Nikola Vucevic vs. Jonas Valanciunas is a sneaky-good center matchup. Don’t be afraid to pronounce those names correctly, folks.

TUE 13

Cubs at Brewers (6:40 p.m., Marquee)

The Cubs can’t hit, but Kyle Hendricks sure can pitch. So can the Brewers’ Brandon Woodruff. When these two squared off last week at Wrigley Field, they combined to throw 13 scoreless innings. Who cracks first?

Indians at White Sox (7:10 p.m., NBCSCH)

Whoa — talk about a pitching matchup. Cleveland’s Shane Bieber is coming off a Cy Young season. All Lucas Giolito has allowed these division rivals the last two seasons is four earned runs in 33 2/3 innings. As a wise man once asked: Who cracks first?

WED 14

Cubs at Brewers (12:40 p.m., Marquee)

Question: Who, in his first two outings of the season, became the first pitcher in modern history to make consecutive starts of six-plus innings with no walks and no more than one hit allowed? Answer: Corbin Burnes, son. He takes the bump for the hosts today.

Magic at Bulls (7 p.m., NBCSCH)

It won’t be easy, but we’re going to have to take a look at Wendell Carter Jr. and Otto Porter in Magic uniforms, shed a few tears over what might have been and then just try to move on with our lives.

Kansas City Royals v Chicago White Sox
Who’s having more fun than Mercedes?
Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

THU 15

Indians at White Sox (1:10 p.m., NBCSCH)

We don’t know what’s better about Yermin Mercedes, his hit-machine ways or the fact he looks like he should be on a 16-inch softball field at Calumet Park. Actually, we do and it’s the latter.

WNBA Draft (6 p.m., ESPN)

All the mock drafts say the Sky need a point guard. Louisville’s Dana Evans? Stanford’s Kiana Williams? Whoever it is will own the headlines until the next time Candace Parker sneezes.

Red Stars vs. Portland (6:30 p.m., Paramount+)

The Red Stars outshot Houston 11-3 in their Challenge Cup opener, yet all it added up to was a scoreless tie. Can somebody find the back of the net, please?

FRI 16

White Sox at Red Sox (6:10 p.m., NBCSCH)

It’s still hard to believe sometimes that the Red Sox — the only team with four World Series titles this century — are doing the rebuilding thing. Who do they think they are, the White Sox and Cubs?

SAT 17

Braves at Cubs (1:20 p.m., Marquee)

Ronald Acuna Jr. is hitting everything that moves, but reigning MVP Freddie Freeman is below the Mendoza Line. See? It can happen to anybody.

Blackhawks at Red Wings (6 p.m., NBCSCH, NHLN)

The Hawks have beaten the daylights out of the Wings this season, outscoring them 25-12. Not to tell Jeremy Colliton how to do his job, but he might want to stick with the game plan.

Cavaliers at Bulls (7 p.m., NBCSCH)

In their first and only meeting of the season, Collin Sexton didn’t play and the Cavs made the Bulls look pretty pathetic anyway. So there’s nowhere to go but up.

New England at Fire (7:30 p.m., Ch. 9)

Well, well, a season opener at Soldier Field. Not to get completely sidetracked, but Andy Dalton really does have soccer hair, doesn’t he?

SUN 18

White Sox at Red Sox (12:10 p.m., NBCSCH)

The White Sox have had only two winning decades at Fenway Park, the 1980s (31-29) and the 2010s (18-17). Might as well get a jump on the 2020s if they can.

Jazz at Lakers (3:30 p.m., ESPN)

Utah has the best record in the league, but is it the best team? Sandbaggers LaBron James and Anthony Davis surely have their doubts.

Braves at Cubs (6:08 p.m., ESPN)

We know what you’re thinking and, no, It’s never too early to begin griping about Alex Rodriguez’s shoddy analysis.

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‘Wrigley North’? Please. These days, Cubs fans have little to taunt Brewers fans abouton April 11, 2021 at 10:59 pm Read More »