I try not to contradict colleagues in print. However, something stuck out of Rummana Hussain’s otherwise flawless column about her experience with anti-Muslim bigotry in India, and I must speak.

She expresses disappointment at the Chicago City Council for gutting its non-binding resolution decrying Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi fanning the flames of Islamophobia and scapegoating minorities to distract the country from its actual problems.

No argument there. But one sentence caught my eye like a fishhook:

“The City Council is expected next week to vote on the dramatically watered-down resolution, which will represent a failure of character.”

A failure of character for her, or me, or your average person with a functioning moral sense. But for the Chicago City Council, it isn’t a failure of their character, but an expression of it. That’s who they are.

Craven collapse when the moment calls for courage is a council specialty, their go-to move. They’ll take the teeth out of an ethics ordinance, if it applies to themselves, faster than a Skid Row dentist.

There are so many examples, space is limited and I hope you’ll forgive me for quickstepping through a few.

This is the same body that in 1971 refused to support a resolution against firebombing homes. A Black family had been burned out of its house on the Southwest Side, and Ald. William Cousins introduced a resolution disapproving the practice. It lost, 34-13. The outcry was so great, Mayor Richard J. Daley later said, in a stage whisper, “You are against firebombing,” and then it passed unanimously.

This is the body that couldn’t denounce police beating people in the street, where the Rules Committee buried a resolution condemning “brutal repression” of protesters during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Heck, in the 1930s, the council couldn’t condemn Nazi Germany, while the city banned films drawing attention to the suffering of Jews there as anti-German propaganda.

So as not to fill the column with failures to act, let’s look at a situation where the council did manage to offer its “unqualified condemnation” — of James Baldwin’s novel “Another Country,” which Wright Junior College put on a required reading list in 1965.

There’s a double-pump wrongness to the council — doing what local government shouldn’t do while simultaneously neglecting to do what it should. The Chicago Justice Project studied what came before the council’s Committee on Public Safety from 2006 through 2009, and found just 1% of it had anything to do with crime or violence, while 99% were stunts like Ald. Ed Burke’s (14th) resolution not to honor prohibition agent Eliot Ness.

Lest you think I’m focusing on rarities, remember: the central function of the Chicago City Council is to approve whatever the mayor wants approved, no matter how wrongheaded (two words: parking meters). In 1999, University of Illinois at Chicago professors Dick Simpson and Tom Carsey looked at the council over 40 years. (Simpson served two terms on the council in the 1970s, running as an independent.)

“Thus, in the 40-year period from 1955 to 1995, we find in Chicago a dominant pattern of Rubber Stamp and Weak Rubber Stamp Councils,” they concluded. “None of these meet the standard of a representative legislative body in a deliberative democracy.”

Has it gotten any better? I checked with Simpson at UIC on Tuesday. How would he characterize the council over the past quarter century?

“If the mayor is opposed to it, the council voted it down no matter what it was,” said Simpson.

Which raises the question: How does the council imagine it has the moral authority to urge anyone to do anything? How can you even talk about repairing the past when you can’t do the right thing right now?

Space dwindles, and I’ve barely scratched the surface. I should say the mistake of viewing the council as a source of significant action is a common one, and forgivable. More sensible to see it as a like one of those tourist-trap gold mine attractions, where children are set free with shovels in a sand pit, looking for shiny prizes.

Sand pit? That’s too kind. More like cat owners sieving through a well-used litter box and coming up with the expected nuggets.

Oh, I almost forgot. After endlessly debating the non-binding resolution against religious hatred in India, holding meetings for months, making changes, trying to appease the Indian consulate here, the watered-down version was rejected. The past is prologue.

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Hours after the Bulls agreed to acquire big man Mo Wagner as part of a deal with the Wizards, the team has completed a trade to send Wagner to the Celtics in exchange for center Daniel Theis, according to ESPN.

It’s the third deal of the day for President of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas, who made his big splash in the morning by acquiring two-time All-Star Nikola Vucevic from the Magic.

Theis, who turns 29 on April 4, gives the team another option for its remodeled frontcourt highlighted by Vucevic. The German big man averaged 9.5 points and 5.2 rebounds in 42 games (including 37 starts) with the Celtics this season.

Wagner, who was acquired from Washington along with Troy Brown in exchange for Chandler Hutchison and Daniel Gafford, never got a chance to suit up in Chicago. The 2018 first-round pick will try to solidify his place with the Celtics, who are now his third team in the last few hours.

WHAT THE BULLS ADDED

Nikola Vucevic, 30 – 6-11 Center — Contract: $26 million 2020-21, $24 million 2021-22, $22 million 2022-23. Key Stats: Averaging a career-best 24.5 points per game this season, and shooting a career-best 40.6% from three-point range.

Al-Farouq Aminu, 30 – 6-8 Forward — Contract: $9.7 million 2020-21, $10.1 million (player option) 2021-22. Key Stats: He’s been limited in Orlando the past two seasons (35 games), but in Portland was a nine and seven guy on most nights.

Troy Brown Jr., 21 – 6-6 Guard/Forward — Contract: On his rookie deal that paid him $3.3 million 2020-21, $5.1 million 2021-22, $7.2 million (qualifying offer) 2022-23. Key Stats: Averaged 10.4 points and 1.2 steals per game last season.

Daniel Theis, 28 – 6-8 Center/Forward — Contract: $5 million 2020-21. Key Stats: Averaging a career-high 9.5 points per game this season, and averaged 1.3 blocks per game last season.

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There’s impressing your future bosses, and then there’s what Nikola Vucevic did to the Bulls back on Feb. 5, still a member of the Orlando Magic.

The 30-year-old All-Star center overwhelmed anyone and everything Bulls coach Billy Donovan threw at him that night, finishing with 43 points, 19 rebounds, and oh by the way, hitting four three-pointers.

It obviously left an impression.

Hours before the Thursday trade deadline, the Bulls and Magic finally found common ground, as Vucevic, as well as Al-Farouq Aminu, were sent to the Bulls in a package that included former first-round pick Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr., and two first-round picks in 2021and 2023 with both being top-four protected.

The locker room clean-up didn’t end there, however, as executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas then traded center Daniel Gafford and forward Chandler Hutchison to Washington for small forward Troy Brown Jr. and stretch-five Mo Wagner. Then sent Wagner to Boston to add big man Daniel Theis.

So where did all the changing pieces leave the new regime?

Much better off than they were entering the day.

Not only do they add a true big to a lineup that was often engulfed by opposing centers, but an offensive piece that works perfectly with first-time All-Star Zach LaVine.

Vucevic works well in pick-and-roll, pick-and-pop, can stretch the floor, and in doing so opens up the paint for players like LaVine and rookie Patrick Williams to attack the rim.

But there was an even bigger picture to come out of this deal.

Yes, the center has a favorable contract that actually goes down in price. He made $26 million this season, he’ll make $24 million next season, and then $22 million in the final year. What it also continues to show, however, is the culture change the Bulls are trying to establish.

Whether the Vucevic-LaVine combo can contend as big dogs in the Eastern Conference is debatable, but what’s not is the Bulls are doing what it takes to become a destination place for possible free agents, not only the next few years in this current window, but for years to come.

That’s what aggressiveness and ridding themselves of players who would get into their own heads far too often does. Players talk, and they haven’t been talking about the Bulls for quite a long time.

A player like Vucevic, who was averaging 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and was shooting 40.6% from three-point range this season, gives the Bulls the “Big Two” they have sorely been missing.

Then factor in another versatile forward off the bench in Aminu, who was making $9.7 million this season, as well as having the player option next year at $10.1 million, and the potential of Brown, especially on the defensive end, as well as Wagner, and all of a sudden there’s a much more attractive foundation in Chicago.

WHAT THE BULLS ADDED

Nikola Vucevic, 30 – 6-11 Center — Contract: $26 million 2020-21, $24 million 2021-22, $22 million 2022-23. Key Stats: Averaging a career-best 24.5 points per game this season, and shooting a career-best 40.6% from three-point range.

Al-Farouq Aminu, 30 – 6-8 Forward — Contract: $9.7 million 2020-21, $10.1 million (player option) 2021-22. Key Stats: He’s been limited in Orlando the past two seasons (35 games), but in Portland was a nine and seven guy on most nights.

Troy Brown Jr., 21 – 6-6 Guard/Forward — Contract: On his rookie deal that paid him $3.3 million 2020-21, $5.1 million 2021-22, $7.2 million (qualifying offer) 2022-23. Key Stats: Averaged 10.4 points and 1.2 steals per game last season.

Daniel Theis, 28 – 6-8 Center/Forward — Contract: $5 million 2020-21. Key Stats: Averaging a career-high 9.5 points per game this season, and averaged 1.3 blocks per game last season.

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Chicago Bulls: Arturas Karnisovas ignites culture change at deadline by Jordan Campbell

The Chicago Bulls have traded Daniel Gafford and Chandler Hutchison for Moritz Wagner and Troy Brown from the Washington Wizards.

The Bulls have jumped on their second trade of the trade deadline frenzy, adding two bench players to the mix.

Brown and Wagner certainly add aggression off the bench as a commonality to each other’s arsenal. Both of these players work well without the ball, which benefits Donovan’s cutting offense greatly because it needs off-ball players looking to find the ball downhill.

Losing Hutchison is nothing really to cry about, considering he’s only played in seven games for the Bulls this season. Gafford is a tougher loss because his size and power in the paint have benefitted the Bulls a healthy amount this season.

Washington is trading Troy Brown and Mo Wagner to Chicago for Daniel Gafford and Chandler Hutchinson, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 25, 2021

Wagner, 23, is 6-foot-11 and 245 pounds and can move quickly and aggressively with or without the ball. He specializes in setting hard screens and rolling quickly to the basket, where he can post up and get to the basket with force. Wagner can also shoot the three, which is something Gafford couldn’t do.

Wagner averages 7.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game this season with an average of 15 minutes per game. He has started in 13 of the 25 games he has played this season. In those, he shoots 50.8 percent from the field, 31 percent from three, and 78.8 percent from the line.

Brown, the 21-year old out of Oregon, is a 6-foot-6 small forward weighing 215 pounds. Brown is excellent at running in transition and can handle the ball quite well for a forward. His aggression, like Wagner’s, will help spark the offense for the Bulls.

Last season, Brown had an excellent sophomore year in the league, averaging 10.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game on 43.9 percent shooting from the field, 34.1 percent shooting from distance, and 78.4 percent from the charity stripe.

This season, he’s fallen off a bit, averaging just 4.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game on 13.7 minutes and 37.1 percent shooting from the field. However, his youth brings optimism to his ceiling as a 21-year old in the NBA. The Bulls bought the small forward at a low price.

To Washington

Chandler Hutchison- $2.4M and $4M (extension eligible)

Daniel Gafford- $1.5M, $1.8M (non-guaranteed) and $1.9M (team)
$2.1M TE created

To Chicago

Troy Brown- $3.8M and $5.2M (extension eligible)

Mo Wagner- $2.2M

— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) March 25, 2021

As I mentioned before, Hutchison was hardly a loss, but Gafford stings a little bit. He struggled while replacing Wendell Carter Jr. as the starting center while he was hurt earlier this season, but he is a solid bench player.

Gafford played in 31 games and started in 11 of them. His numbers per 36 minutes better show his value, averaging 13.8 points and 9.7 rebounds in that sample size and shooting 69 percent from the field. His size in the paint is valuable and his defensive skills are applicable too.

Related Story: The Chicago Bulls make a shocking trade deadline deal

Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley hit the nail on the head again. By the looks of this trade, it seems they have made an upgrade to the bench with two versatile young players. They need development, but they could become solid role players off the bench for the future. Mark this as another successful trade for the Bulls in the final hours of the NBA trade deadline.

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Chicago Bulls add two young, aggressive bench players to the team by Ryan Taylor

During the Chicago White Sox spring training game against the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday, starting left fielder Eloy Jimenez suffered an apparent arm injury when attempting to a rob a home run off Sean Murphy.

Jimenez was pulled from the game immediately and the White Sox only update on Wednesday was that the the left fielder was suffering from left shoulder discomfort.

Being that shoulder discomfort was a symptom and not diagnosis, the fear was that Jimenez suffered a significant injury. The fear heightened on Wednesday night when the White Sox did not provide any further update on Jimenez’s status.

Reports were starting to trickle out on Thursday morning that the injury to Jimenez was indeed severe. Jim Duquetee of MLB Network Radio reported that Jimenez is likely to miss most of the season for the White Sox.

Hearing the news on CWS outfielder Eloy Jimenez is not good. Could be out most of the summer (5-6 months) with a torn pectoral @MLBNetworkRadio

— Jim Duquette (@Jim_Duquette) March 25, 2021

White Sox general manager Rick Hahn confirmed the injury on Thursday afternoon while meeting with reporters. Hahn confirmed that surgery is needed to repair Jimenez’s torn pectoral muscle and that the recovery time is indeed projected to be between 5-6 months. Hahn did not discuss external candidates to replace Jimenez but indicated that Andrew Vaughn would be heavily considered as an internal candidate.

With the likes of Tim Anderson, Jose Abreu, Luis Robert, and Yasmani Grandal in the lineup, the White Sox still have an offensive lineup that is filled with offensive potential. However, their power may take a hit considering Jimenez is a projected 40-home run hitter.

While Hahn did not dive into what the future holds for Jimenez, one thing is clear. The White Sox can not realistically pencil in Jimenez as their starting left fielder. Jimenez’s future with the White Sox is as a designated hitter. Jimenez’s value to the White Sox is on offense. The White Sox can no longer jeopardize that value by having Jimenez continue to play left field.

Next: Chicago White Sox bullpen taking shape

In regards to Jimenez’s immediate future, Hahn did not rule out the possibility that the left fielder could return this season. Hahn indicated that an optimistic view would place his return closer to the end of the August, and a realistic return may be more towards the end of the season. If it is at the end of the season, Jimenez would certainly be a nice addition for the Chicago White Sox as they enter a potential post-season appearance.

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The Chicago Bulls have made a big splash at the NBA trade deadline acquiring All-Star center Nikola Vucevic from the Orlando Magic in a blockbuster deal according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The post REPORT: Bulls Acquire All-Star Center Nikola Vucevic from Orlando first appeared on CHI CITY SPORTS l Chicago Sports Blog – News – Forum – Fans – Rumors.Read More

Join Draft Dr. Phil and Shayne “The Smartest Man” for Keepin’ It 100! The guys are joined by Former Bears WR Rashied Davis to look back on his career and get his thoughts on the Bears today, and Kenneth Davis from the Under Center podcast to talk off-season moves and more!

The post Keepin’ It 100 – Two Davises and No Secondary with Special Guests Rashied Davis and Kenneth Davis first appeared on CHI CITY SPORTS l Chicago Sports Blog – News – Forum – Fans – Rumors.Read More

Chicago Bulls point guard Coby White and San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle have joined a new initiative to help fight bullying.

The post Coby White, George Kittle team up with Zenni to Join No Hate Tour in Fight Against Bullying first appeared on CHI CITY SPORTS l Chicago Sports Blog – News – Forum – Fans – Rumors.Read More

Chicago White Sox outfielder Eloy Jimenez will miss 5-6 months after suffering a pec injury during a Spring Training game this week.

The post Chicago White Sox outfielder Eloy Jimenez to miss 5-6 months first appeared on CHI CITY SPORTS l Chicago Sports Blog – News – Forum – Fans – Rumors.Read More

The state also announced 118,000 more COVID-19 vaccinations had been given in Illinois as coronavirus cases in Chicago jumped more than 20% in the past week.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday authorized bars, restaurants and outdoor performance venues to increase outdoor capacity even as she sounded the alarm about a troubling surge in coronavirus cases among young people.

The news arrived as Chicago’s coronavirus testing positivity rate took another troubling step up.

What Lightfoot calls an “alarming trend and uptick” reminiscent of the surge Chicago saw in October is concentrated among 18-to-39-year-olds living in North Side neighborhoods including Lincoln Park, Old Town, Old Irving, Dunning and Portage Park.

“This is a cohort that we’ve had varied challenges throughout the pandemic reaching. Young people. We were all young once. We all think we’re invincible. We never think something bad is going to happen to us. And the reality is that young people have gotten sick. Very sick. And young people have died from COVID,” Lightfoot said.

“We can’t do bar crawls. We can’t do mass events. And I’m concerned with spring break happening — both for colleges and schools — that this is a concerning trend,” the mayor said.

Tough as it is to break through, the city needs to “reach them where they are”—through “a tremendous amount of messaging through texting and social media.”

“We’re gonna continue to push to reach this group and say, `COVID is real. It has not gone away from our city. It’s still very much part of our present….The vaccines are obviously giving us a ray of light at the end of a very dark tunnel,” but it’s not time to let down your guard.

Even as she sounded the alarm about the surge in coronavirus cases among young people chomping at the bit to return to freedom, the city is loosening the reins on outdoor events in several ways:

• Bars and restaurants can now serve up to 10 people at outdoor tables spaced six feet apart.

• Outdoor weddings and other social gatherings can now serve 100 people or 50% capacity, whichever is less.

• Outdoor theaters, performance venues and other “seated spectator events” with capacity “greater than or equal to 200” can operate at 25% capacity.

• Outdoor recreation can serve multiple groups, each with a 50 maximum while health and fitness centers can increase the size of outdoor classes to 100 people.

• Churches, synagogues and other religious organization can hold outdoor services and events with no capacity limit, provided six feet of social distance is maintained.

Lightfoot denied that she was sending mixed messages by warning young people while relaxing restrictions on outdoor events.

“The issue that we face really isn’t around outdoor events and we’re still being prudent there. The issue that we’re seeing is people not following the public health guidance around masking, social distancing, particularly indoor activities. That’s where we’re seeing the largest growth in new cases and outbreaks,” she said.

“A year ago, we didn’t know a lot about this virus. All we really knew was that it was spreading quickly and that it was deadly. We now have a year’s worth of data…to really understand how this virus spreads and who are the people that are most at risk. So, we can be a lot more targeted in our interventions. And that’s what we plan to do.”

Throughout the pandemic, Lightfoot has not hesitated to play the heavy.

She shut down the lakefront because Chicagoans couldn’t be trusted to maintain their social distance. She drove around the city breaking up large groups of young people.

On Thursday, the mayor said she’s not eager to play the tough-guy role again, but she will if the city’s targeted messaging falls on deaf ears.

“We’ll see if those numbers turn in another direction…If they don’t, we know what we need to do,” she said, pointing to a 23% surge in daily cases and an 18% rise in Chicago’s test positivity rate, all in the last week.

“The last thing in the world that we want to do is shut everything back down like we’re seeing for example in Europe, but we’re concerned.”

Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

Also on Thursday, state officials reported 2,190 new COVID-19 cases, diagnosed among 90,101 tests. That lowered the average statewide positivity rate a tenth of a percent, down to 2.7%, according to the state Department of Public Health.

But Chicago’s regional infection rate rose for an eighth straight day up to 3.4%, according to Chicago Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady.

That figure, which indicates how rapidly the virus is spreading, was at 2.7% less than two weeks ago, marking a net increase of 26% — all while the number of tests performed has stayed flat, Arwady said during an online Q&A.

Graph not displaying properly? Click here.

Part of that rise is “probably” due to St. Patrick’s Day parties, Arwady said, while a more relaxed attitude among younger people drives the city’s latest COVID-19 spike.

“We’ve seen some outbreaks and some major clusters in younger people in some university socializing settings, and some of those are bars,” Arwady said. “We’re talking 20-something people in some cases where we’re seeing clustering. It’s just one person with COVID initially, but then there are people getting together, not wearing a mask and not keeping their guard up.”

Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday raised concerns about increases in the statewide infection rate, saying that while the state is still “on course” to loosen more business restrictions next month, that plan could be put on hold if metrics deteriorate.

The state reported 118,544 more people received COVID-19 vaccine doses, with a total of more than 5.1 million shots doled out since December and 1.9 million residents fully immunized — just over 15% of the population. Illinois is now averaging 101,175 doses administered per day.

Graph not displaying properly? Click here.

Coronavirus hospital admissions have increased slightly over the past week but are still close to all-time low levels, with 1,251 beds occupied Wednesday night.

But the virus claimed 35 more lives, including those of 10 Cook County residents. The state’s average daily death rate has fallen by almost half compared to late February.

Since last March, more than 1.2 million residents have tested positive for the virus, and 21,171 of them have died.

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