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Bulls Eyeing Iowa State Point Guard Monte Morris For 2017 NBA Draft

By
Matt Peck
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bulls iowa state monte morris 2017 nba draft

The Chicago Bulls’ positioning in the 2017 NBA Draft is completely unpredictable right now. Just past the halfway point of the season, Fred Hoiberg’s crew holds the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference at 23-23. Making the playoffs is still a very real possibility. Missing out on the playoffs for a second straight season is just as likely. That’s how it is for a mediocre team in a weak conference. Even if the Bulls miss the playoffs, their record won’t be bad enough to have a decent shot at winning a high draft position in the lottery. Assuming the Bulls don’t plummet or surge to finish well above .500, they’re looking at another pick in the mid to late teens.

Then there’s the pick Sacramento owes Chicago. That first round pick, which was part of the Luol Deng trade, is protected inside the top 10. The Kings (17-27) are currently in position to finish with the 9th worst record in the league. Assuming they don’t turn things around in the second half of the season and the lottery unfolds with no major upsets, the Kings will keep that pick. That means unless the Bulls acquire another 2017 first round pick in a pre-deadline trade, they will have a tough time trading up to get a high lottery pick.

Point Guard Wanted

So why are we talking about this? Because the Bulls need a point guard, and the incoming draft class is loaded with talent at that position. Unfortunately, Gar Forman and John Paxson’s insistence to “remain competitive” this season killed any hope of getting a potential franchise-changer like UCLA’s Lonzo Ball or Washington’s Markelle Fultz. Those two, along with NC State’s Dennis Smith and Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox, are almost guaranteed to go in the top ten.

The Bulls might be fine with that. In a recent column, ESPN Insiders Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton shed light on another point guard option for Chicago in the 2017 draft class. He’s not projected as a top ten guy. Some even have him going outside the entire first round, so there’s a great chance he’ll be available if the Bulls are picking in the mid or late teens.

Oh, and one other thing. He’s a former pupil of “The Mayor”, aka ex-Cyclones coach Fred Hoiberg.

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Javier Baez Visiting A Hospital Will Be The Best Thing You See Today

By
Gus
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PHOTO: Ciudad De Bayamon

Cubs super utility player Javier Baez made a quick stop to a local hospital in his home country of Puerto Rico yesterday morning. Baez has spent much of his off season in his native country and like the rest of the Cubs, is preparing to make the trip to Mesa, Arizona for Spring Training in less than a month.

Before Baez boards the plane to embark on the 2017 season, he visited a handful of patients in the oncology and intensive care unit at the San Jorge Hospital.

Just a warning:

Get a box of tissue ready.

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Chicago Bears’ Best 2017 QB Option Is Amazingly One Nobody Wants

By
Erik Lambert
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bears draft target

The Chicago Bears need a quarterback. Fact. There is no debating this point. In truth they’ve needed a quarterback for seven-plus decades. To those saying they had one in Jim McMahon, he was good but he was also never reliable. A true franchise quarterback is somebody who carries the football team to victories. McMahon was often carried to victory by Walter Payton and a historic defense. Or to the hospital on a stretcher.

So the only quarterback this franchise has had who fits that description was Sid Luckman who retired in 1951. Since then it’s been one, continuous parade of sadness. This is the quagmire GM Ryan Pace has stepped into and now must try to fix. He’s patiently waited on making any significant moves at the position, trying to build up the rest of the roster.

He may be out of time now though. After watching Jay Cutler, Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley take turns coughing up winnable games it’s clear they need a different answer in 2017. There will be plenty of interesting options to consider. Yet the one that gives them the highest probability of success is somehow the most detested by almost every fan.

VIDEO: Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather In Punch-Out! Doesn’t Get Better

By
Erik Lambert
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Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather is something fight fans have wanted to see for the past year. This ever since the two champions started throwing shade at each other across every form of media that they could easily whip the other. It really started when Mayweather made it known that he did not care for people saying that McGregor was the MMA equivalent to him. Something he vehemently criticized when TMZ brought it up.

He went on to say that it’s disrespectful and racist for people to embrace the Irish-born champion for his cocky, trash-talking ways while he’s often vilified for doing the exact same thing. This in turn led to McGregor firing back on Instagram. He in turn felt it was disrespectful of Mayweather to bring race into the issue when his own people have known oppression for centuries.

“Floyd Mayweather, don’t ever bring race into my success again. I am an Irishman. My people have been oppressed our entire existence. And still very much are. I understand the feeling of prejudice. It is a feeling that is deep in my blood. “In my family’s long history of warfare there was a time where just having the name ‘McGregor’ was punishable by death. Do not ever put me in a bracket like this again.”

Needless to say the animosity has only grown since then, with the two stating on a number of occasions they’d be more than willing to fight the other. Hypes has steadily continued to build. UFC owner Dana White attempted to push things forward recently by offering each of them $25 million to stage such an event. Mayweather laughed the number off. So it seems fans will have to wait and wonder if it ever happens.

Dabo Sweeney Has Officially Lost It, Compares Watson To Jordan

By
Matt Eastman
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COLLEGE PARK, MD - OCTOBER 15: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers watches the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Byrd Stadium on October 15, 2011 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images)

Just watch this and try not to laugh.

Dabo, we get it, you’re a big fan of Deshaun Watson and rightfully so, especially when you consider he was the leading factor which helped Sweeney secure a six-year $30 million contract last year; however, let’s at least tone it down a notch or two on the Watson train bro.

This comes after he suggested the Chicago Bears should trade up to No. 1 overall and draft Watson….because, you know, that wouldn’t set their franchise back another 10 years or anything.

Bread Man Has Cooled Off Since Getting His Dough

By
Marc-Louis Paprzyca
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Signing Artemi Panarin was a concern for the Chicago Blackhawks organization and fans since this summer. To the surprise of many people, the team was able to come to terms with the 25 year old right before the new year, while he was on his highs. He was averaging 1 point per game, but since then the young star’s production has dropped off severely.

In the 37 games preceding his extension, he had 15 goals and 22 assists for a 1 PPG average. Since December 29th he has only 2 goals and 4 assists in 12 games which comes out to only .50 PPG for that period.

He is also only getting 2 SOG every game which is down from 2.5. The number doesn’t seem drastic but it’s getting worse as he has only taken 5 SOG in the last 5 games.

He and his linemates, Patrick Kane and Artem Anisimov, have been the targets of better defensive match-ups but they haven’t even been producing on the power play. The team has only scored on 16% of power plays in the last 12 games and are only 15th in the NHL all season.

I don’t think there’s room to panic about his re-signing but the Blackhawks need all the production they can from the young winger. The team has been strapped for scoring all season while playing in 30 one goal games (18-7-5). Every point is crucial as the Blackhawks will be in a race for the Western Conference with the Minnesota Wild the rest of the season.

 

 

 

 

The Undisputed Best Cubs Free Agent Ever

By
Aldo Soto
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Chicago Cubs' Jon Lester holds the Commissioners Trophy as he celebrates with teammates during a celebration honoring the World Series champions at Grant Park in Chicago, Friday, Nov. 4, 2016. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Right now baseball fans, more specifically Chicago Cubs fans, are stuck between the joy of finally seeing a World Series championship and the start of a new season. So, that means it’s time for some rankings that don’t really mean anything, but for some reason irrationally bother me. Today, it’s the best Cubs free agent ever, picked by Carrie Muskat, as part of the MLB.com series that lists the best free agent signings for all 30 teams.

Again, this list is for best free agents ever not this offseason. Here are the guidelines for naming the best free agent signings ever for each team.

Via MLB.com:

Before bidding adieu to the Hot Stove season, we asked our 30 beat reporters to look back at their club’s past and answer the following question: Who is the best free-agent signing in the team’s history?

We narrowed the choices with the following parameters: The signings had to be multiyear contracts, to exclude fluky one-year deals and to focus on players who got real commitments. And contract extensions don’t count. Only instances when every team in the league had a chance to bid on the player were allowed, including international free agents who received Major League contracts.

Cool.

If the multi-year parameter wasn’t included, there’s no question what free agent player was the best in Cubs history. All Andre Dawson did in 1987 was win the National League MVP Award after signing a one-year deal worth only $500, 000. However, this list requires a multi-year deal so, it has to be one of the guys who, you know, just won the World Series, right?

Not according to this list.

Ugh, what?

Alou’s 2002 season didn’t start well as he opened the year on the disabled list, but he did finish with a .275 average, hitting 15 home runs, 23 doubles and driving in 61 runs. It wasn’t enough as the Cubs lost 95 games that season and finished fifth. The next year, a healthy Alou helped propel the Cubs to the NL Central title, hitting .280 with 22 homers, 35 doubles and 91 RBIs.

He contributed in the ’03 postseason, going 10-for-20 in the NL Division Series against the Braves, and 9-for-29 with two homers in the seven-game NL Championship Series against the Marlins.

In the final year of his contract with the Cubs in 2004, Alou belted a career-high 39 home runs, and batted .293 with 36 doubles and 106 RBIs. He finished 14th in NL MVP voting. Over three seasons with the Cubs, Alou posted a slash line of .283/.353/.484. Alou then departed via free agency, and played two seasons with the Giants and two with the Mets before retiring.

(Carrie Muskat)

I’m not gonna lie. When I first saw Alou’s name I tried to think of other free agents and it took more time than I’d like to admit before the light bulb went off and then, oh yeah Jon Lester!

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Lester is only on year three of his six-year contract, but he’s already accomplished more in two seasons with the Cubs than what Alou did over his three-year stint on the North Side.

We can go through the stats for both players, but only one thing matters…

Chicago Cubs’ Jon Lester holds the Commissioners Trophy as he celebrates with teammates during a celebration honoring the World Series champions at Grant Park in Chicago, Friday, Nov. 4, 2016. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

It doesn’t matter that Lester’s contract is worth $155 million and Alou’s was only for $27 million over three years. The Cubs won the World Series. Jon Lester was a huge part of the Cubs winning the World Series. Oh yeah, Lester also finished second in Cy Young voting in 2016.

Case closed. Best free agent signing ever for the Cubs = Jon Lester.

Hell, I’d even put Ben Zobrist ahead of Alou. All Zobrist did was win the World Series MVP.

Let’s not complicate this. The 2016 Cubs are legends. Every single one of them. Even, Chris Coghlan.

Also, let’s not forget that Alou was part of the biggest meltdown in sports history and escalated the entire Steve Bartman fiasco by throwing a tantrum on the field during Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS. But you know what, none of that matters anymore because the Cubs won the World Series in 2016 and Jon Lester played a big role after signing a free agent deal with Chicago before the 2015 season. See, simple.

Why Paul Konerko To The Hall Of Fame Isn’t As Crazy As You Think

By
Emmet McClain
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Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox

Paul Konerko will go down as one of the all-time Chicago White Sox greats. He spent 16 years out of an 18-year career on the South Side, and was the best player on the best team in baseball in 2005. However, while he had a very solid career, voters might not think he has done enough to be worthy of a Hall of Fame induction.

Konerko, who becomes eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2020, may find his path somewhat difficult, but to say he has no chance at all would be a bit harsh. Let’s dive into his statistics and intangibles that made him such a beloved player by all White Sox fans.

Statistics 

The White Sox have seen their fair share of legends play for the organization: Frank Thomas, Luke Appling, Minnie Minoso, Eddie Collins, and Shoeless Joe Jackson are just a few.

Paul Konerko is another one of those White Sox legends, and he has the stats to back it up. Konerko is in the franchise’s top 5 in games played, runs scored, hits, home runs, walks, RBI’s, and doubles. A pretty incredible feat. His career batting average of .279 does not jump off the page, but he was always a consistent threat in the middle of Chicago’s lineup.

Character 

Konerko will always be remembered as one of the good guys in baseball. He was never in the news about PED’s, team or league fines, suspensions, or dirty play. Instead, he just went out on the diamond every day and competed to the best of his ability. Konerko led by example, which is why he was the captain of the team for years. With all the controversy going on today about letting players in who have doped, Konerko will have a slight edge in that department.

Humility

In one of the more memorable moments of the parade, No. 14 gave owner Jerry Reinsdorf the memory of a lifetime when he handed over the ball that he caught from Juan Uribe to clinch the World Series back in ’05. That gesture by Konerko truly showed just how humble and kind he really was.

When Konerko called it a career, Reinsforf had this to say about Konerko:

“Paul Konerko is one of the greatest players in White Sox history, not only for his strength and performance on the field, but also for his heart and leadership off the field.”

Konerko was also the recipient of the 2014 Roberto Clemente Award, which is given to the player that best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement, and the individual’s contribution to the team. His exceptional character and talent was rightfully recognized throughout the league.

Success 

The 2005 White Sox will go down as one of the better teams to ever win a World Series. Finishing with 99 wins, they swept the defending champion Boston Red Sox in the ALDS, won in five games over the Los Angeles Angels in the next round, and swept the N.L. Champion Houston Astros, completing an 11-1 postseason and a World Series run for the ages.

‘Paulie’ won the ALCS MVP, and arguably could have won the World Series MVP for his Grand Slam in Game 2 that gave them the momentum for the remainder of the series. Not everyone in the Hall has won a World Series, but it should certainly help Konerko’s case.

Loyalty 

Something that might go overlooked is Konerko’s loyalty to the White Sox. After the World Series run in 2005, Konerko was a free agent and got numerous offers from other teams; however, Konerko turned down more money, and returned to Chicago for less. This truly showed how much he cared about the White Sox organization, the fans, and the city itself.

The White Sox would end up retiring Konerko’s number 14, ensuring no player will ever wear it again. 

Recap 

Looking back at everything, Paul Konerko was one hell of a baseball player. Although he was never truly unbelievable at one thing, Konerko was very good in almost every aspect of the game. Konerko never won an MVP, a battling title, or a Gold Glove. However, he was a six-time all-star, World Series Champion, a true professional and lover of the game.

Will voters think he has done enough to get voted into the Hall of Fame? Only time will tell. No matter the outcome,  he is still a legend to all White Sox fans. Knowing Konerko’s humble mentality, that is probably enough for him.

Fred Hoiberg’s Latest Lineup Change Likely Means The End For Rajon Rondo

By
Matt Peck
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Fred Hoiberg is trying everything as the Bulls sputter along in another underwhelming season. At this morning’s shootaround, he announced that Jerian Grant will start at point guard over Michael Carter-Williams for tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic. Carter-Williams, whom Chicago received in a trade with Milwaukee last October, supplanted free agent acquisition Rajon Rondo as the team’s starting point guard in late December. The former champion with the Boston Celtics has handled his demotion with class and professionalism. However, Rondo also made it know that he doesn’t want to stick around if he remains an afterthought in Hoiberg’s rotation.

Anyone But You

This latest lineup change from the Bulls head coach is a pretty clear sign that the Rondo experiment is nearing an end. Rondo lost his job to Carter-Williams because the team’s first unit was dragging and getting off to slow starts. Hoiberg told Rajon he looked slow. Not only that, the crafty guard works best when he can handle the ball and find shots for his teammates. But Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade need the ball to create their own shots. The spacing was a mess. Unfortunately, MCW isn’t any better shooting the ball than Rondo, and the same spacing problem remains.

Enter Grant, who will make his 6th start of the season. The previous starts came out of necessity, due to injuries or a resting Wade. This time, Hoiberg made a calculated decision to bench MCW and start Grant. That difference is important. It means that Fred is convinced Rondo doesn’t fit with the first unit, and he would rather start a second year player who also has 8 DNP-Coach’s Decisions in his box score this season. Three of those eight DNPs have come in the last five games, and Grant played a combined 13 minutes in the other two. That’s the guy Hoiberg is starting over Rondo.

You think Rondo is okay with that? Nope.

Now What?

Chicago is reportedly shopping the veteran point guard, but they aren’t having much success finding possible suitors. Agreeing on terms of a buyout is another option, and perhaps the best of the few options on the table. Or Gar Forman and John Paxson could try convincing Rondo to finish the season in Chicago as a backup point guard, leading the Bulls’ second unit of young guys in need of guidance on the floor. That, of course, begs the question: if Rondo stays and plays backup minutes in the backcourt, won’t that just take minutes away from young guys like Grant, MCW and rookie Denzel Valentine? Yes. Yes it will.

To that end, it will be interesting to see where Rondo stacks up in Hoiberg’s ever-changing rotation tonight in Orlando. After averaging about 22 minutes per game off the bench since coming back from his stretch of DNP-CDs, Rajon only saw 6 minutes on the floor in the Bulls’ win over Sacramento on Saturday. Will he get leapfrogged by Carter-Williams now that Hoiberg is giving Grant a start? When will the Bulls finalize the necessary divorce from Rondo?

To quote another point guard who played for Hoiberg last season: “Who knows?”

In 2016, The Cubs Finished Dead Last In This Statistic

By
Gus
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When you look at the statistics of the 2016 Chicago Cubs from a team standpoint, they dominated most of the major categories. They were third in runs scored, third in RBIs, second in OBP, and tenth in slugging.

Pitching wise they ranked first in wins, ERA, quality starts, BAA and even though statistically they didn’t rank as the top defense in baseball, every baseball fan will tell you the Cubs were the best team defensively as well.

Nobody can argue that the Cubs weren’t the best team in baseball last year but even with their dominance in all different aspects of the game, there was one very interesting category that the team finished dead last in this past season.

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