Trade deadline week is upon the Bulls, and so is losing to good teamson March 23, 2021 at 3:53 am

Nothing was imminent.

That was the feeling from Billy Donovan on Monday.

Whether the Bulls coach will be feeling that same way on Tuesday? Welcome to NBA trade deadline week, where nothing imminent on Monday, could turn into some new nameplates on lockers by Thursday, especially for a team that continues to come up short against top-level talent as the Bulls did in the 120-95 loss to the Jazz.

“There’s more and more phone calls probably taking place amongst the league, amongst all these executives, but I think the one thing that’s great is I trust [executive vice president of basketball operations] Arturas [Karnisovas] is going to make any kind of decision that’s always going to try and help our team better, and he’s included me on all those decisions and we’ve talked about all those things,” Donovan said, when asked about the communication he’s been having with his bosses lately. “Nothing has come across from Arturas to me about, ‘Hey this is a solid deal, and this is out there, we’ve got to make a decision on this. What do you think?’ That hasn’t taken place. Obviously those things could happen getting closer to the date, but I think Arturas is always going to be constantly looking at, ‘How can we improve the team?’ ”

An easy question with difficult answers.

First the Bulls have to decide what’s realistic for them this season. Considering the last week, and then the showing against Utah on Monday, limping into a play-in game and hoping to get hot for at least one playoff series might be the best-case scenario.

And a lot would have to go right for them if the roster stays as is.

Yes, beating up on the likes of a Detroit like they did on Sunday was appreciated, but also very expected. Where the Bulls (19-23) continue to fall short is against plus-.500 teams, where they are now 0-9 since Feb.10, against those caliber teams.

It doesn’t help when the home team allows Rudy Gobert to come a block short of his first-career triple-double, while Lauri Markkanen – the expected second-best scorer on the Bulls – goes 3-for-12 for just eight points.

Factor in more inconsistent defense and a poor shooting night from three-point range (6-for-26), and even 27 from Zach LaVine wasn’t going to make this one close.

“Great defensive team with [Gobert] at the rim,” Markkanen said. “We just got stagnant. A rough night, these kind of things happen. It just wasn’t going in [Monday], and that’s just the game.”

So would it make more sense to try and acquire draft assets at the expense of winning games? Another option that is out there, but also requires a dance partner.

“Any time there’s deals to be done it takes two parties to make it work,” Donovan said. “It’s got to make sense for us and probably for the other team.”

But what if the Bulls have a chance to add players that will instantly improve the starting unit? Could they be buyers that are willing to give up draft assets and depth to grab a Lonzo Ball from New Orleans and finally have a true lead guard since this rebuild started?

Definitely another option.

The problem with all those scenarios, however, is the posturing that’s currently taking place around the league.

There’s a reason deadline trades often come at the deadline. Teams want to wait for the best offer, but they also want to stay away from showing their hand too early, and letting another front office take advantage of that situation.

“Sometimes you put your cards on the table, a team can go to another team and say, ‘Listen, I’ve got this on the table,’ ” Donovan said. “So I think probably right now, it’s like a feeling out stage is the impression I get.”

Trade deadline week is upon the Bulls, and so is losing to good teamson March 23, 2021 at 3:53 am Read More »

Man killed, woman wounded in Bronzeville shooting: policeon March 23, 2021 at 4:25 am

Two people were wounded, one fatally, in a shooting Monday in Bronzeville on the South Side, police said.

About 5 p.m., a 24-year-old man was in the 4700 block of South Calumet Avenue when two males fired shots at him, striking him in the torso, back and buttocks, Chicago police said.

The man was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

A 47-year-old woman who was not the intended target was grazed in the leg by a bullet, police said. She was taken to the same hospital in good condition.

The Cook County medical examiner’s office hasn’t released details on the fatality.

Area One detectives are investigating.

Man killed, woman wounded in Bronzeville shooting: policeon March 23, 2021 at 4:25 am Read More »

3 wounded, 1 critically, in Chatham shootingon March 23, 2021 at 4:40 am

A shooting left three people wounded, one critically, Monday in Chatham on the South Side.

They were standing outside about 8:48 p.m. in the 7900 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue when someone unleashed gunfire, Chicago police said.

A 20-year-old man was shot in the head and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition, police said.

Another man, 62, was taken to the same hospital with a gunshot wound to the arm, police said. His condition was stabilized.

A third man, 18, was struck in the wrist and took himself to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was in good condition, police said.

No arrests have been reported. Area Two detectives are investigating.

Area Two detectives are investigating.

3 wounded, 1 critically, in Chatham shootingon March 23, 2021 at 4:40 am Read More »

Pritzker’s $35 million gambit: Hedge against GOP’s ‘illegitimate attacks’ or just more ‘throwing money at problems?’on March 23, 2021 at 2:42 am

Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday said the $35 million he funneled into his campaign fund doesn’t signal the start of a pricy battle to retain elected office, but rather is a “preventative measure” to protect against Republican attacks on the “Democratic agenda.”

But one Republican vying for the chance to become the next governor said it’s typical of Pritzker, whose “answer to everything is raising taxes and throwing money at problems instead of solving them.”

At an unrelated news conference Monday, Pritzker doubled down on what he’s previously told reporters asking him about his reelection plans, insisting he’s “focused on getting us past this pandemic keeping people safe and healthy in the state of Illinois” not on politics.

“Any of the support for my committee is really designed as a preventative measure in the event that Republicans continue, in any more public way, to try to attack the Democratic agenda of standing up for working people or to, frankly, lie about the Democratic agenda,” Pritzker said.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announces the opening of a mass vaccination site in Forest Park on Monday.

“We’re doing what’s right for people all across the state of Illinois, making sure that working families get what they need to stay in their homes, to get jobs and raise their wages, etc., and so, those resources will be used simply to fend off those illegitimate attacks,” Pritzker said.

The Chicago billionaire, who is an heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, gave his J.B. for Governor campaign fund $35 million on March 12 and reported it a week later, state board of election records show.

Republican state Sen. Darren Bailey launches his bid for governor in Effingham last month.

The actual drop into his campaign bucket came just days before Pritzker gave interviews to reporters around the state about the anniversary of Illinois’ first death due to COVID-19. In his sit-down with the Chicago Sun-Times, Pritzker said he is “focused on doing what’s right for the people of the state of Illinois and not on the politics.”

So far, three Republican candidates have lined up to take on Pritzker, assuming the first-term Democrat decides to launch a formal reelection bid as expected. Those Republican challengers include state Sen. Darren Bailey of downstate Xenia, former state Sen. Paul Schimpf of downstate Waterloo and businessman Gary Rabine of northwest suburban Johnsburg.

Gary and Cheryl Rabine at the Museum of Science and Industry's 33rd Annual Columbian Ball in 2014. — Gary and Cheryl Rabine at the Museum of Science and Industry’s 33rd Annual Columbian Ball in 2014.

None of the three had lined up financial firepower comparable to Pritzker as of Monday. Illinois Board of Elections data shows Rabine has loaned his campaign $110,000.

At the close of the last filing period, Schimpf had $62,529 and has reported raising $117,000 since then.

Bailey has nearly tripled the $179,214.29 he had at the close of 2020, reporting another $324,500 in contributions since he filed his quarterly campaign figures with the state.

In a statement, Bailey said Pritzker’s “answer to everything is raising taxes and throwing money at problems instead of solving them.

“He raised the gas tax, and that wasn’t enough for his failed agenda, so he spent $58 million to promote his progressive income tax, and voters overwhelmingly rejected it,” Bailey’s statement continued. “He’s worried, and he should be because working Illinoisans are tired of his failed leadership, high taxes, and lack of results, so he’s doing the only thing he knows how to do, spend money.

Former state Sen. Paul Schimpf, R-Waterloo, in early January.

“We are building a grassroots movement across the state because Illinoisans are hungry for change, and we are ready to stand with them and say enough is enough.”

Pritzker has sunk large sums of his personal fortune into his political bids, including the $58 million he dumped into his failed “Fair Tax” ballot initiative that would’ve changed the state’s flat income tax into a graduated one.

Before that Pritzker pumped $171 million into his 2018 bid to oust then Gov. Bruce Rauner, making that election a battle of the checkbook between the two investment titans that went down as one of the most expensive gubernatorial races in American history.

Pritzker’s $35 million gambit: Hedge against GOP’s ‘illegitimate attacks’ or just more ‘throwing money at problems?’on March 23, 2021 at 2:42 am Read More »

10 people killed at Colorado supermarket: policeon March 23, 2021 at 2:43 am

BOULDER, Colo. — A shooting at a Colorado supermarket killed 10 people Monday, including a police officer, and a suspect was in custody, authorities said.

Boulder police Chief Maris Herold announced the death toll at a news conference Monday night, fighting back tears.

The suspect was getting medical treatment and there was no further threat to the public, authorities said. Officers had escorted a shirtless man with blood running down his leg out of the store in handcuffs but authorities would not say if he was the suspect.

The officer who was killed was Eric Talley, 51, who had been with Boulder police since 2010, Herold said.

Victims’ families were still being notified so their names weren’t released, Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said.

“This is a tragedy and a nightmare for Boulder County, and in response, we have cooperation and assistance from local, state and federal authorities,” Dougherty said.

Yamaguchi said police were still investigating and didn’t have details on a motive for the shooting at the King Soopers store in Boulder, which is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of Denver and home to the University of Colorado.

Dean Schiller told The Associated Press that he had just left the supermarket when he heard gunshots and saw three people lying face down, two in the parking lot and one near the doorway. He said he “couldn’t tell if they were breathing.”

Video posted on YouTube showed one person on the floor inside the store and two more outside on the ground. What sounds like two gunshots are also heard at the beginning of the video.

Law enforcement vehicles and officers massed outside the store, including SWAT teams, and at least three helicopters landed on the roof. Some windows at the front of the store were broken.

At one point, authorities said over a loudspeaker that the building was surrounded and that “you need to surrender.”

Sarah Moonshadow told the Denver Post that two shots rang out just after she and her son, Nicolas Edwards, finished buying strawberries. She said she told her son to get down and then “we just ran.”

Once they got outside, she said they saw a body in the parking lot. Edwards said police were speeding into the lot and pulled up next to the body.

“I knew we couldn’t do anything for the guy,” he said. “We had to go.”

James Bentz told the Post that he was in the meat section when he heard what he thought was a misfire, then a series of pops.

“I was then at the front of a stampede,” he said.

Bentz said he jumped off a loading dock out back to escape and that younger people were helping older people off of it.

One person was taken from the shooting scene to Foothills Hospital in Boulder, said Rich Sheehan, spokesman for Boulder Community Health, which operates the hospital.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis tweeted a statement that his “heart is breaking as we watch this unspeakable event unfold in our Boulder community.”

Police had told people to shelter in place amid a report of an “armed, dangerous individual” about 3 miles (5 kilometers) away from the grocery store but said at the news conference later that it wasn’t related to the shooting.

The FBI said it’s helping in the investigation at the request of police.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki tweeted that President Joe Biden had been briefed on the shooting.

In a statement, the King Soopers chain offered “thoughts, prayers and support to our associates, customers, and the first responders who so bravely responded to this tragic situation. We will continue to cooperate with local law enforcement and our store will remain closed during the police investigation.”

Kevin Daly, owner of Under the Sun Eatery and Pizzeria Restaurant a block or so from the supermarket, said he was in his shop when he saw police cars arriving and shoppers running from the grocery store. He said he took in several people to keep them warm, and others boarded a bus provided by Boulder police and were taken away.

10 people killed at Colorado supermarket: policeon March 23, 2021 at 2:43 am Read More »

This Dance is so wild, Loyola is now a favorite. Wait, is that a good thing for the Ramblers?on March 23, 2021 at 2:50 am

Bad news, folks. It’s about your readopted favorite team, the Loyola Ramblers.

There’s no easy way to say this, but the party’s over. Maybe next year. It’s been a slice.

Well, the Ramblers aren’t technically finished yet. First, the West region’s No. 8 seeds must take their medicine from a terrifying Oregon State squad Saturday afternoon in a Sweet 16 matchup at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

What makes the 12th-seeded Beavers terrifying? It’s not what they are: a 12-loss team that got on a season-saving hot streak in the Pac-12 tournament and now has its school’s first two NCAA Tournament victories since 1982. It’s what they aren’t: expected by anyone who has ever bounced a basketball to beat Loyola.

How is the March magic of Cameron Krutwig, Lucas Williamson, Porter Moser and Sister Jean supposed to contend with that?

This has been a long-winded, perhaps confusing way of saying that nothing about this tournament has made a lick of sense. Up is down. Right is left. Good is bad. And so on.

So, yeah, the Ramblers are in trouble. Or maybe not. Look, they’re better than the Beavers. They were much better throughout the regular season. They certainly have more tournament pedigree, even if they still bear the scent of new money themselves. They dominated a No. 1 seed, Illinois — hadn’t you heard? — in the Round of 32. But this tournament has been bonkers, which I may have already mentioned.

Also: Isn’t Loyola’s whole postseason identity wrapped up in being the underdog? It could be that’s merely how those of us who tell the stories about the Ramblers present this team to the world. Moser and his players might laugh at the underdog narrative by now, and probably should. Either way, this game feels just plain different.

The Ramblers are favorites now. No, not to win the national championship, but to stay in the hunt. That’s what happens when the Big Ten, a league reputed to be the best in the land heading into the tournament, face-plants spectacularly. It’s what happens when 1s, 2s, 3s and 4s fall like dominoes. You begin to search for true quality remaining in the muck and mire of the bracket and find the Ramblers looking like one of the best teams still out there.

Monday was the least-weird day through two rounds of the tournament. West No. 1 Gonzaga performed like the best team in the country in an 87-71 win against Oklahoma. East No. 1 Michigan — the Big Ten’s saving grace — battled from behind and put away LSU 86-78.

But even Monday began with West No. 2 Iowa getting launched into the sun 95-80 by seventh-seeded Oregon. That score doesn’t do justice to how lopsided things were. Luka Garza, the star of stars in the Big Ten, scored 36 points but might as well have been twiddling his thumbs and whistling “The Song of Iowa.” The Hawkeyes were going to get blown out regardless.

The Big Ten got nine teams into this tournament. One — Michigan — survived two rounds. Illinois forgot to show up against Loyola. Iowa’s fellow No. 2 seed, Ohio State, couldn’t even handle a first-round assignment against Oral Roberts. No. 4 seed Purdue did everything but play dead in the first round against North Texas. What an overall embarrassment for the league, although it’s always helpful to remember the Big Ten still hasn’t won it all since Michigan State in 2000.

Speaking of Michigan State, nice try against UCLA in that play-in game, fellas. Why does it always just seem like the Spartans have a run in them in March? That’s the only reason I can think of why I picked them in my bracket to advance to the Elite Eight.

How’s your bracket holding up? No need to answer. Most of us have blown it big-time. I did have Iowa losing to Oregon — please, no applause necessary — but I also had Illinois in the Final Four, Ohio State in the Elite Eight and, of course, Loyola out during the first weekend.

It has been a strange year in every sense, certainly in sports. It has been a strangest-ever college basketball season. Yes, this tournament — with upsets galore, mere smatterings of fans on hand to witness them and one COVID-19 game cancellation so far — is strange, too.

And now, Loyola — clearly capable of beating anybody — has a different feel to go with it. This run isn’t like the 2018 one.

But as Moser told his team at center court after shocking the Illini: “Let’s enjoy the moment.”

Even when they take the court against terrifying Oregon State. Who knows? They might even do something really crazy and win again like they’re supposed to.

This Dance is so wild, Loyola is now a favorite. Wait, is that a good thing for the Ramblers?on March 23, 2021 at 2:50 am Read More »