Bulls Prefer Loyalty to Winning

April 16, 2019

It seems as if Chicago teams owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, prioritize loyalty over winning. How else can you explain that Kenny Williams is still employed by the White Sox? Since the World Series in 2005 the Sox have only appeared in the post season once. Williams’ bad decisions in trades and free agency crippled this team. He is now the Executive Vice-President. I have a hunch he was in some way involved in the Manny Machado fiasco. Rick Hahn replaced him and was saddled with the worst manager in Sox history, Robin Ventura. After posting a won-loss record of 375-435, Ventura resigned at the end of the 2016 season. The only thing that kept him around for 4 years was loyalty. Instead of conducting a managerial search in the off-season, loyalty reigned as they hired Bench Coach Ricky Renteria the next day.

Reinsdorf’s other team, the Chicago Bulls, have an eerily similar situation. In 2003, they named John Paxon General Manager. Six years later he hired Gar Forman to be his GM while he became Executive Vice President. Most of these years the Bulls have been terrible. The best year they had was when Derrick Rose had his MVP season and they went to the conference finals. Jerry’s son, President Michael Reinsdorf, held a press conference pledging his alliance to Paxon and Forman. He didn’t understand why fans weren’t pleased. Maybe because they haven’t won a goddam thing. I guess it doesn’t matter because the fans keep filling the United Center.

As I’ve stated before, I don’t like firing a coach during the season. The management wonks lost faith and let their golden boy coach Fred Hoiberg go as the Bulls started out 5-19. In a you have to be kidding me move, the Bulls hired Assistant Coach Jim Boylen. This would not be so bad if they had made him an interim coach and conducted a candidate search in the off-season. Instead they extended his contract covering next season and it seems that they want to add 3 more years to this contract. Unbelievable! So Bulls fans, how do you feel about Boylen and his spiffy won-loss record of 17-41?

Boylen is the antithesis of a modern NBA coach. He hasn’t picked up on the fact that the NBA is all about spacing the floor and shooting three point shots, not points in the paint. If you look at the top teams, they all have players who can hit threes. The Bulls were last in the league in three point shot attempts. Boylen also is always pacing the court, yelling at his players.  He called for a practice after back to back losses and almost had a revolution on his hand. You think potential free agents don’t hear about this? Granted, the Bulls have been beset by injuries. But in February, Lauri Markkanen was averaging over 20 points and 10 rebounds a game and Zach LaVine was playing like an all-star. The Bulls were still getting blown out. If a game was close, he couldn’t find ways for them not to choke. Otto Porter Jr. came aboard and they almost played 500 when he was healthy. However, he is not a player who will turn your franchise around.

  Most players come to the NBA with good offensive skills The Bulls coaching staff has to teach them the importance of and how to play defense. The Bulls defense ranks near the bottom of the NBA. They are especially bad defending three point shooters, who continually get wide open looks. This problem is a direct result of bad coaching.  One of the most infuriating things about Boylen is he can’t seem to concentrate on both offense and defense at the same time. When he first came in, he slowed the tempo down and stressed defense. The results were huge losses only with lower point totals. He then promised the offense would get better. The results were losses with higher point totals.

 Boylen may be passionate and caring, though last time I checked these are not synonyms for winning. However, if the Bulls get lucky in the draft lottery, coaching may not matter. On my wish list is Ja Morant. Zion Williamson will be a great player but Morant is the perfect point guard who can make his teammates better. If Markkanen and LaVine get better with Morant, the Bulls have three stars that can win championships. Sounds good, but most likely they will be gone before the Bulls pick.

Hawks Mantra: Wait Until Next Year

April 9, 2019

For the second consecutive year the Chicago Blackhawks failed to reach the playoffs. This is quite the dubious feat when you consider eight of sixteen teams make it to the post season. Things have to get better.

I’m not in favor of firing a coach in mid-season. However, I will give Hawks management the benefit of the doubt in replacing 3 time Stanley Cup winning coach, Joel Quenneville, with minor league coach Jeremy Colliton. While Colliton got to know his players and vice versa, the Hawks went 3-14-3 in his first 20 games. They sunk to the bottom of the standings. Although they managed to get back into the playoff race, in the end they just couldn’t overcome the hole they dug for themselves.

Colliton made some keen moves during the stretch run that almost got them over the hump. The Hawks had one of the poorest power plays in the league. By inserting offensive minded defenseman Erik Gustafson on the point, the power play became one of the league’s best. For years the Hawks have been looking for wingers to pick up Jonathan Toews. Colliton paired him with the Hawks best player, Patrick Kane and both had career years. Second year forward Alex Debrincat was scoring goals in bunches (he would end up with 41). Paired with 21 year old Dylan Strome (acquired for Nick Schmaltz) gave them a second scoring line. They were right on the cusp of taking the final spot when the wings fell off. Back to back home losses to two teams they were chasing, the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars, stunted their push.

Following a road trip that included a 6-3 loss to the last place Los Angeles Kings, the Hawks were running on fumes. However, they got hot and started winning games. With 12 games left they still had an outside chance of grabbing the eighth and final playoff spot. After winning the first two, the Hawks ran out of gas scoring less than three goals in five straight games. After being shut out by Arizona, the season was over.

The major problem for the Hawks was they were second to last in goals allowed. Gustafson may turn out to be a great scorer but his defense is atrocious and the penalty killing units are awful. Aging veterans Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook would possibly be more effective with less minutes. Connor Murphy is their only top notch defenseman. The other young defensemen should improve with more experience.  General Manager Stan Bowman stood pat over last summer. He has ample salary cap and needs to sign defensive minded defensemen.

The Hawks are not far off from being a contending team. They went 18-9-3   in their last thirty games.  If they could have won 5 games during Colliton’s first twenty, they would have made the playoffs this past season. I’m excited about the 2019-20 season with Colliton at the helm. The offense looks solid and Corey Crawford looked great once the rust wore off from his concussion. The defense has to step up.

April 2, 2019 

How many people out there have the final four teams left in your brackets? Although I have no real rooting interest and there is no Cinderella team, I have been glued to my TV. These games have had drama and excitement galore.

The lowest seed left is Auburn. In their opening-round game, the Tigers were ahead of the New Mexico State Aggies by two points. The Tigers committed a three-shot foul with seconds remaining. The Aggies shooter missed two out of three and Auburn escaped with a one point victory. Auburn went on to beat perennial power Kansas and pulled the upset of the tournament by annihilating the No. 1-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels by 17 points. The next big win was over the No. 2 seed, Kentucky. Auburn prevailed, thoroughly outplaying the Wildcats in overtime.

I had not seen or heard of No. 3 seed Texas Tech Red Raiders until this tourney. They remind me of the Chicago Bears. The offense is nothing special but the defense is outstanding. They cruised through the first three rounds. In the Sweet Sixteen, their opponent, No. 2 seed Michigan, was limited to 44 points.  The Red Raiders then upset high-scoring No. 1 seed Gonzaga, holding the Zags to 69 points.

The Virginia Cavaliers, the only top seed left, had an easy time reaching the round of 16. They ran into trouble against a streaking 12-seed Oregon.  After many lead changes and ties, the Cavs eked out a 53-49 victory. The next game against Purdue was special. Both teams were running on all cylinders. Purdue thought it had won the game. With 5.8 seconds left, the Boilermakers were ahead by 3 points with Virginia at the foul line shooting two free throws. Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome, made the first and purposely missed the second. The Cavs, got the rebound in their backcourt and passed the ball up-court to a wide open Mamadi Diakite. He hit the short jump shot forcing overtime. Both teams deserved to win. Virginia was a little better in OT, winning 80-75.

I thought the best team in the tournament was the top-seeded Duke Blue Devils. The Michigan State Spartans, a No. 2 seed, crushed their competition on their way to the Elite Eight. Meanwhile, Duke twice was almost upset early. They beat the ninth-seeded UCF Knights and the fourth-seeded Virginia Tech Hokies by only two points. Both UCF and Virginia Tech had a chance to win but missed last-second shots. This set up an epic battle between two powerhouse programs. This game was tight, with each making clutch shots. With 5.8 seconds left, the Blue Devils were at the foul line trailing by two points. The problem for Duke was that the player fouled, R.J. Barrett was only averaging 66 percent on free throws. After missing his first free throw, he tried to miss the next hoping Duke would get the rebound. Unlike Virginia, the second shot went in. The Spartans won, 68-67.

I have no clue as to who is going to be crowned National Champion. I am just hoping it will turn out to as exciting as it has been up until now.

What I took away from this tournament is that if the Bulls get lucky and add either Duke’s Zion Williamson or Ja Morant of Murray State, they will be instant contenders. However, chances are those two won’t be available when it comes to the Bulls’ turn in the draft.  

Playoffs for the Cubs and welcome to Chicago Eloy

March 22, 2019

Opening day is right around the corner, so it’s time to make some observations about the upcoming season for Chicago’s boys of summer.

PECOTA, sometimes referred to as the Baseball Prospectus, predicts the win totals of each team. They pegged the Chicago Cubs to win only 81 games. If I were a betting man, I would take the over. After all, this was a team that won 95 games las year despite injuries. All-star third baseman Kris Bryant’s injury caused him to miss 60 games. Closer Brandon Morrow had 22 first -half saves but missed the whole second half of the season. His replacement Pedro Strop, was also injured, missing the last 2 weeks of the season. Without the injuries, the Cubs would have added a few more wins and wouldn’t have been caught by the Milwaukee Brewers in the last weekend of the season.

If the Cubs avoid injuries, chances are they will make the post season. Other teams in the division supposedly got better with trades and free agents. The Cubs didn’t make any major moves but are better off than last year. The starting pitching staff will have a rejuvenated Cole Hamels to start the season. Yu Darvish seems to be ready to go. No other team in the National League has a better 1-5 rotation. Morrow will be out until May. Last year, Strop filled and did excellent job in the closer role. The Cubs play great defense, which greatly helps out the pitchers. The outfield is led by Gold Glove recipient Jason Heyward, who makes difficult plays look easy. The corner infielders Bryant and Anthony Rizzo are very good and whether at shortstop or second base Javier Baez is spectacular. Wilson Contreras is probably the best defensive catcher in baseball

Last year, the Cubs Achilles heel was the offensive inconsistency. They would score nine runs and the next game score one or no runs. This seemed to occur more often after Bryant’s injury, Healthy, Bryant looks ready to return to form. Batting behind him is the steady Rizzo, followed by MVP runner-up .Baez. Center fielder, Albert Almora is great defensively and should be more consistent as a lead-off hitter.

NL Centrai                       East                       West

CUBS                         Washington            Los Angeles

Milwaukee               New York                Colorado

St. Louis                   Philadelphia             Arizona

Cincinnati                Atlanta                      San Diego

Pittsburgh               Miami                        San Francisco

The buzz surrounding the White Sox is the contract agreement with  top prospect Eloy Jimenez Most observers thought he would start the season at AAA and the Sox would call him up at the end of April to add a seventh year of contract control. Instead they signed him to a six year contract for $43 million, with team options for two more years. This is one of the best moves they have made in ages. If he is as  good as projected this will turn out to be a bargain. Not since Hall of Famer Frank Thomas have I have been this excited about a rookie. He will play left field, unseating Nicky Delmonico. Delmonico came up from AAA as a third baseman, converted to left field. The Sox should put him back at third base and move Yoan Moncada back to second base to replace the woeful Yolmer Sanchez.

I thought I was seeing improvement when last August the Sox had a won -lost record of 17-11. They were the only team that had a winning record against the Boston Red Sox (4-2). They followed that up going 8-20 in September, losing their last 5 games to reach 100 losses.,

After winning only 62 games, the rebuild has to show signs of life. I am not saying they will be competitive, they just have to better- something of a balance between the last two months of 2018. Fans should hope the three young starting pitchers Carlos Rodon, Reynaldo Lopez and Lucas Giolito show improvement.  With the addition of Dylan Cease and next year Michael Kopech, this could make up a nice five- man rotation.  Here are some other reasons to watch this year:

 -To see if Jimenez is as good as advertised

 -Yoan Moncada showed flashes of skills befitting a number one prospect I am expecting big things       from him this year.

- It would be nice to see Jose Abreu stay healthy and return to the dangerous hitter he was prior to        last year

- Daniel Palka , with really good exit velocity, led all rookies with 27 home runs and should improve.

-Shortstop Tim Anderson improved his fielding toward the end of last year and hit 20 home runs and    stole 20 bases I expect him to increase each total to 25

 -The bullpen, the source of many woes last year, should be much better with the additions of Alex         Colome and Kelvin Herrera

- It should be only a matter of time before manager Ricky Renteria stops using Nate Jones

- The Sox did not get Manny Machado but got his brother-in-law Yonder Alonso a 20- home run           hitter who can rotate with Abreu between first base and designated hitter.

Trying to be as positive I can, I am hoping the Sox can win 76 games, I think by September you’ll have more clues as to the future of this team. In the category of some things never change…

Al Central                        East                      West

Cleveland                  Boston                   Houston

Minnesota                 New York               Oakland

WHITE SOX            Tampa Bay            Seattle

Kansas City               Toronto                   Anaheim/Los Angeles

Detroit                       Baltimore                Texas

Opening Day is Not Far Away

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March 2, 2019

With the dismal seasons the Chicago Blackhawks and Bulls are having I’m glad baseball is back. This is the time of year when hope springs eternal. I have positive vibes for both the Cubs and White Sox. I can’t wait for spring training exhibitions games to end. Then I’ll be able to see if my optimism is well-founded.

I have been telling people that if the White Sox signed Manny Machado I would fall off my chair. However, they once again operated like a small-market team. It was well known that Machado wanted $300 million for 10 years. The Sox cockamamie offer was $250 million for eight years with bonuses, which if achieved would net the difference.

Machado wanted the guaranteed money. If the Sox really wanted Machado, they should have offered the contract that he was looking for. Instead they thought the signing of his brother-in-law Yonder Alonso and good friend Jon Jay would entice him to sign.

However, one thing you can bet on in professional sports is that it’s all about the money. So when the San Diego Padres offered what he was looking for, Machado signed on the dotted line. It would have been nice to see Machado in hitter-friendly Sox Park (I hate the name Guaranteed Rate Field) and he’ll probably adjust to the spacious Petco Park.

Although there are a couple of decent pitchers who are free agents, the White Sox should stay
the course of the rebuild. This year the three starters should develop and make this team better. Next year you add Michael Kopech and Dylan Cease, who are probably better then free agent pitchers still not signed. In 2020 the White Sox should be contenders for the World Series.

The big news surrounding the Cubs is next year’s launch of their own network. Is anybody bothered by the fact that they are working with ultra-right Sinclair Broadcast Network to help with distribution? I’m really not sure how this works. No matter the cost, most Cub fans in my community would gladly fork over the money to watch their beloved Cubbies. Will it be sold to cable companies increasing the cost to cable subscribers? They also need to come up with winter programming. Will it be replays of Cub games or highlights of the 2016 season ad 
nauseam?

Addison Russell was booed in his first appearance in a Cub uniform. This will probably occur when he returns from a 40-game suspension. Why do the Cubs insist on keeping a wife abuser on the roster? He’s not better at shortstop than Javier Baez. If Russell does return, Baez moves to second base. The previous second baseman is probably better offensively than Russell.

Kris Bryant has stop carping about slow free agency. He should concentrate on returning to form. If he does, then in 3 years when is a free agent he will become one the highest paid players.

Extra Innings – Baseball is trying implement rules to speed up the games. One of the beauties of baseball,  it’s the only sport with no clock. Therefore, the 20 second clock for pitchers to throw is ridiculous. This will never come to pass based on initial player reaction. Managers don’t like the proposal of relievers pitching to a minimum of three batters. This causes them to think more about match-ups, not strictly based on the carbon copy righty-lefty strategy, so this will never happen.

Most games last approx. 3 hours and change. This will not change with the proliferation of strikeouts. The replay system has to be revamped so it doesn’t take forever to make a call. For me the way baseball is currently being played is fine by me. The only change I like is the designated hitter in both leagues

Two Division Loses Make Playoffs Unlikely for the Blackhawks

February 22, 2019 

Following the NHL all-star break, I thought Jonathan Toews was off his rocker when in an interview he talked about making the playoffs. There are still many games left on the schedule. The Blackhawks had sunk to the NHL abyss and showed no signs that they could make a run. Lo and behold, with a mixture of young and experienced players they have been one of the league’s hottest teams. The hot streak has positioned them to compete for the eighth and final playoff spot.

New coach Jeremy Colliton started out looking to be a bad choice. After getting to know his team, he has made some extremely good moves. For the past couple of years the Hawks have been searching for someone to energize Toews. By putting MVP candidate Patrick Kane on his wing, Toews has 28 goals, one short of his career high. With the acquisition of 24-year-old Drake Caggiula as the third winger, this could be one of the most dynamic lines in hockey. 

Winger Alex Debrincat is blossoming into a star. As a first-year player he had 28 goals.With 21 games games remaining, he already has 33 goals. Nick Schmaltz was a talented player but not a goal scorer. General Manager Stan Bowman traded him for two players. Dylan Strome is young and is playing exceptionally well and unlike Schmaltz, scores goals. Brandon Saad is playing like they thought he would and has started to get going with 21 goals.

Colliton’s replacing Duncan Keith with Erik Gustafsson has turned the worst power play to the number one unit since 2019. Plus/minus is a good barometer of player evaluation. So although Gustafsson has sparked the power play,he has to work on his defense as he is a -9. Brent Seabrook is washed up. He can no longer push people from the crease and is frequently out of position; he is -7. His longtime partner Keith has improved as of late. Playing a little less the monster minutes he used to in the past, he now has a + 5 rating. I have been really critical of General Manager Bowman for his trades, especially the trading of Niklas Hjalmarsson for Connor Murphy. I was wrong, as in his second year he leads the team with a +11 rating. The Hawks have stockpiled young defensemen (too many to mention) who get better with every game. Rookie Collin Delia and veteran Cam Ward for the most part have been solid in goal. 

I wrote this all on Thursday, being extremely optimistic going into the weekend. However, two excruciating losses on home ice have diminished my enthusiasm. Against the Colorado Avalanche, the Hawks overcame three one-goal leads, eventually succumbing 5-3. Sunday they erased a 3-goal lead. I thought the momentum had swung their way but a stupid too many men on the ice penalty, compounded by a tripping penalty 28 seconds later, gave the Dallas Stars a five-on-three  they scored the go-ahead goal. What made matters worse, with a little more than four minutes left to play, Dallas gave the Hawks a four-minute power play. Having converting earlier I thought they could at least one maybe two goals. Even when they pulled the goalie to give them six-on-four they didn’t score. 

So as is stands, the Hawks are five points back of the eighth spot fighting multiple teams to make the playoffs. The two goalies have done an admirable job but you don’t win many games giving up four or more goals which has been the case as of late. Maybe it’s time to see if Corey Crawford can put a spark into this team. Making the playoffs will be a tough go. They will have to get back to playing the way they were before last weekend. I’m not real confident they will do so. 

Bulls Rebuild Will Take Time & Patience

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Barry

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February 5, 2019

 I have finally found the energy to talk about the moribund Chicago Bulls. There are reasons why this one-time proud team is one of the worst in the NBA.

In 2015, the Bulls front office wonks, John Paxon and Gar Forman, couldn’t wait to fire Tom Thibodeau and hire golden boy Fred Hoiberg to coach the 2016 Bulls.  Hoiberg’s vision was a fast-paced offensive team. You never heard a word about defense, where Thibodeau excelled. The biggest problem for Hoiberg was he didn’t have the right players for his system. His best player was Jimmy Butler, who slowed things down going one-on-one against defenders. The wonks further impeded Hoiberg inserting his offense by acquiring aging veterans Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo. Instead of installing an offense that suited his players, he tried to fit square pegs into round holes. Problems arose after a game in which the Bulls blew a late 10-point lead against the Atlanta Hawks  Butler took on the role of prima donna and attached himself to Wade and publicly criticized the young players, never mentioning Wade not getting back to defend anyone. Rondo responded objecting to their throwing players under the bus. All three were fined for their comments. The rest of the year Hoiberg debated about playing Rondo. Finally realizing they were better with him in the lineup, miraculously they made the playoffs. Playing against the heavily favored Boston Celtics, Rondo led the Bulls to two straight road wins. However, he got hurt and without him the team lost four straight, three on their home court.

Changes were in order and the Bulls promised a rebuild, letting Rondo and Wade go and trading Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves. In return the Bulls got former coveted first-round pick Kris Dunn, who had a disappointing season. An injured Zach LaVine was supposed to be the key to the trade. I hadn’t seen him play, although I knew he won the slam dunk competition. What turned out best was seventh overall pick forward Lauri Markkanen. The wonks told Hoiberg they would not be concerned with wins. They just asked them to compete with the young core. What they did, despite trying to lose, was wind up seventh in the draft, not a real game-changer.

This year, maybe winning mattered more as they dismissed Hoiberg early in the season. Due to injuries he never had the chance to coach the players they traded Butler for. By not waiting until the end of the season or having someone in mind, the Bulls quickly replaced him with Neanderthal military man Jim Boylen. He rants and raves up off the bench and has grueling practices mid-season despite injuries to many players. He’s more like a college coach who failed when he was. The crux of the problem is they named their coach for the rest of this year and next. Making him an interim would have given the Bulls a better idea if he is the right fit. His team continues to lose, most often getting blown out.

This team is in desperate need of help. First-round draft pick Wendell Carter Jr. is only 19 years old and looked good until his injury. No matter how good he is, big post men are not as important as they once were. Kris Dunn was playing well until last year’s injury. He is good at penetrating and passing but can’t shoot 3-pointers. In the current NBA, you need a point guard who can shoot 3-pointers, the best being Golden State’s Steph Curry. There are other point guards who have this ability. Some people think LaVine shoots too much, but the only other person on the floor who can score is Markkanen.

The players may turn out to be very good, but not the stars needed to win. One star makes you competitive, two win championships. The Bulls had this in Pippen and Jordan. Recently, it has been the Golden State Warriors’ Curry and Kevin Durant, Miami’s LeBron James and Dywane Wade, San Antonio’s Tim Duncan and David Robinson, the list goes on and on. Even In my earlier years following basketball it was the L.A. Lakers Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain winning championships. The franchise player in in this year’s draft will be Zion Williamson of Duke. Believe it or not, there are teams with worse records than the Bulls who have a better chance of getting the first pick. Maybe there is a point guard out there who can shoot 3-pointers. Derrick Rose?