Still Gotta Come Through Chicago
Still Gotta Come Through Chicago
Coach Q returned to the United Center on Tuesday. The Bulls struggles are worth looking into further, so let's do it. Kris Bryant's grievance. Are the Sox going to start Madrigal at second? Let's go.
Still Gotta Come Through Chicago! Folks, it’s Friday. Let’s get you caught up on everything heading into the weekend so you can take firm stances on things you started believing 24 hours ago. Also, here’s a new home page I set up for SGCTC:
You can bookmark this page at http://sgctc.substack.com. Catch up on all the newsletters you missed, check out any and all threads, and additional content I post mid-week.
And today, when you’re done reading, go ahead and send the newsletter to someone you think would enjoy it:
Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith got into a fight at a morning skate this week. Toews had Keith pinned down on the ice in what was reportedly a serious altercation.
Now, the two were fine later, and it didn’t get too violent. The question is, however, what if you could do this in your workplace?
“Excuse me, Brent, can I chat with you? Outside, please? If you send me one more passive aggressive g-chat bro, I am going to knock you out.”
Then you put his ass in a guillotine choke and make him tap out. After, you go back to work. How different of a world would we live in if everyday work place environments were like hockey?
Anyway, let’s get to the second thread of the week. Participation was down on Monday’s thread, but that’s on me. A somber column on Bulls woes just doesn’t get the people going. But it wasn’t fruitless, because it gave me an idea for today’s.
Corey Patterson played for the Cubs for six years. Before Derrick Rose was even in high school, it was Patterson’s ACL tear that devastated me. I remember daydreaming about his triumphant return to Wrigley.
The thing is, Patterson was a career .252 hitter. His best year by far took place in the first half of 2003, which would end midway through because of the knee injury. That year, he played well: .298 average, .329 OBP, 13 homers, and 16 stolen bases. In other words, he was a good player. But if I wouldn’t have gone back to check on that, I would’ve lived my life thinking he was an all-time Cub.
Shea Serrano dubbed this phenomenon as a “memory hero” in his book “Basketball and Other Things.” I have a few of them—players I thought were unbelievable as a kid, but really were just average, or bad, when looking back.
Who is your Chicago sports memory hero?
Post it on the thread here. Let’s get this thing poppin’.
Trivia: Three different players hold these three records for the Chicago Bears:
All-time receptions?
Rookie-year receptions?
Single-season receiving yards?
Who are those three players? Answer at end of the Bears section.
Bulls:
Let’s kick things off with a Jim Boylen update. In Wednesday’s game against the Timberwolves, he called a timeout with 5 seconds left in the game and the Bulls up 7. To be clear, they weren’t having trouble in-bounding the ball or anything. He just called a timeout immediately after a Wolves bucket. Every player on the Bulls looked around like, “What the hell is this guy doing?” and so did Wolves Head Coach Ryan Saunders.
After the game, Boylen shook Saunders hand, then grabbed him by the neck to whisper to him, probably something along the lines of “I’m just trying to coach up these fellas and give them some more heart durrrrrr.” The physical contact was uncomfortable to watch, so I can imagine Saunders went into the locker room and asked his assistants what the hell is wrong with that dude. Welcome to the club, Ryan.
Now for an update on the rest of the crumbling franchise:
When I was a kid, you had to wait in the bitter cold to get into the UC no matter the opponent and no matter how early you were.
But wait, there’s more:
I forgot to mention re: Boylen that he compared Luke Kornet, the third-year pro averaging 4.2 points per game this year to Robert Horry, the 7-time NBA champion with the nickname “Big Shot Bob.” I’d usually want to throw the remote at the television after hearing something like this, but it led to an all-time reaction from the best to eva do it, Stacey King:
God damn, I love that man. Not Kornet, King. But hey, Kornet has actually been playing pretty well with Daniel Gafford and Wendell Carter Jr. sidelined with injuries. He’s averaging 11 points on just over 25 minutes per game, and been tasked with guarding behemoths like Giannis. Credit, where it’s due. It’s not his fault that his coach couldn’t find a more reasonable comparison, like, I don’t know … actually yeah I don’t know who to compare Luke Kornet to.
Anyone who has or hasn’t watched Bulls basketball this year knows it’s been a dreadful year. Not much to write home about. The sad thing is, they’re still projected to win around 32 games, which could win you crazy sons of bitches who took the win total over with me some money. I think it’s a testament to how bad the expectations have gotten, that the Bulls—in an awful year for development—still could win more games than Vegas expected them to. Alas, the win total is still alive.
Play that Still Gotta Come Through Chicago music!
Now, back to reality. I’ve gotten some push back on my Zach LaVine hate recently, mostly from people I don’t think watch the games. I understand it. Look, he’s a very flashy, athletic, and talented offensive player. He’s one of the only players on the Bulls that can create his own shot. He’s also a terrible defender and can’t create a shot for anyone else. The Bulls net rating is still technically higher with him off the court.
I would probably have no problem with Zach LaVine as a player if he didn’t:
Insist he was a #1 option, which he genuinely believes, and which he won’t ever give up, no matter who the Bulls acquire, which is the biggest problem with having him on a team full of developing players.
Didn’t insist he was an All-Star, an honor designated for the best and most impactful players in the NBA each year.
LaVine defenders will point to his 10 points in a fourth quarter. But I tend to look at the whole picture, like how he can’t pay attention for more than 3 seconds on defense or make simple passes that contribute to his team’s success.
It’s plays like this that drive me absolutely nuts:
He’s a selfish player, but no one cares, because he’s averaging 25 points per game. That’s the infuriating part.
LaVine has 177 assists and 147 turnovers on the year. That’s an abysmal ratio. For reference, another good-stats-bad team fringe All-Star shooting guard—Bradley Beal—has 227 assists and 118 turnovers.
He’s not the first of his kind in NBA history. There’s plenty of offensively talented guys who have played on horrible teams, which allowed them to do whatever they needed to average an ostensibly good stat line.
Remember Monta Ellis, the guy who thought he was so good because he put up good numbers? The guy who said “it’s me or him” to the Warriors about the now two-time MVP Steph Curry?
The delusions with these types of players run deep, both within themselves and in the fan bases supporting them. I am sympathetic to that. It’s hard to watch the Bulls, and attacking the one player who can be exciting on the court feels wrong to people. Not to me. Because I’m telling you that the more we give into this guy’s delusions about his own worth, the worse it’ll get. The Bulls are going nowhere with him as the #1 option. Bank on it. And he’ll never settle for being anything less than that.
Monta Ellis, age-24 season: 25.5 points per game; 5.3 asts; 4 rebs; Usage Rate (defined as estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while he was on the floor): 29.5%; Warriors record: 26-56
Zach LaVine, age-24 season (this season): 25.0 points per game; 3.9 asts; 4.7 rebs; Usage Rate: 31.4%; Bulls record: TBD
We’ve seen this before, and let me spoil the ending: It’s a bad one.
You may have also been wondering what happened to Lauri Markkanen. His points, rebounds, minutes, and 3P% are all down from last year, just his second in the league. That’s not good, especially for a guy that people were starting to think the Bulls could build around. Markkanen, like LaVine, is also not a #1 option. But he has the opposite problem of LaVine. He knows he’s not a #1, and when his shots aren’t going in, he stops taking them.
In my mind, Markkanen’s struggles stem from three things: his coach, his demeanor, and LaVine—in that order.
If the Bulls were a franchise that actually was capable of developing fringe All-Stars into actual All-Stars, he’d be in a better place. The fact that they can’t even do that is a cause for concern, considering the fact that they can’t get a high draft pick or draw big name free agents, either.
I appreciate his modesty, I really do. LaVine has never thought this way in his life. If you could take a little bit of LaVine’s demeanor and give it to Markkanen, the Bulls would be much better off. But you can’t, so it’s up to the Bulls staff to give Lauri some confidence and tell him that if the Bulls are going to be good, he’s going to have to be an integral part of that.
Finally, I don’t mean to beat a dead horse, but when LaVine is a primary ball handler, it’s hard to get the secondary options going. It’s as simple as that.
Injury report:
Otto Porter Jr. has been out with an injured foot since early November, and the Bulls (as they’re wont to do) haven’t given us much definitive information. He should be back by the end of February.
Wendell Carter Jr. is out with a severe ankle sprain and is still probably a month away from returning.
Daniel Gafford is out for another few weeks with a dislocated thumb. Good thing we got the second coming of Big Shot Bob to fill in for him and WCJ, though.
Bulls record: 17-29, 10th in the Eastern Conference
Blackhawks:
In the second period of Tuesday’s game against the Florida Panthers, Pat Foley spoke candidly on his feelings for Joel Quenneville. Quenneville, Foley said, showed up unannounced to his father’s funeral when he passed away last year.
The Hawks showed a tribute video during a stoppage, and NBC Chicago inexplicably went to commercial, so here it is, in case you missed it.
The Hawks had the best final stretch leading into the break you could’ve asked for. They won five in a row before losing to Quenneville’s Panthers to end the first half. Frankly, they played well in that game too, and had a chance to tie it with about two minutes left in the game after falling behind 4-1.
They were also donning these alternates, which I think are an awesome change of pace:
Kirby Dach had a goal and an assist, making him the first player (age 19 or younger) to have a multi-point game on his birthday since Wayne Gretzky did it in 1980 with two assists, according to NBC Chicago’s Christopher Kamka.
The Hawks are now off, and everyone will get a chance to take that momentum into the break and recharge, besides Patrick Kane. Kane will be the sole representative for Chicago in St. Louis at the All-Star game, his ninth appearance.
Oh, and he just hit 1,000 points, if you didn’t hear.
That puts Kane, still in the prime of his career, in the top 90 in total points in NHL history. He averages 1.049 points per game, good for 37th all-time. He’s 7th in total points for active players.
Coach Q and Kane missed each other’s big nights by a game, but it was better off that the two had their moments on separate nights in retrospect. Plus, they were able to get together after the game before Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Duncan Keith had even showered.
It was a great weekend for the Hawks we used to know, but it overlapped with a great last couple of weeks for the Hawks we now know. They were seemingly dead and gone two weeks ago, and now are just three points out of a wild card spot and four out of a division playoff spot.
The St. Louis Blues were 22-22-5 at the break last year. They won the Stanley Cup. The Hawks are 24-21-6 heading into the break.
I’m praying that they can keep the momentum going in February. This city desperately needs some meaningful springtime hockey. Can the Hawks save us from our collective misery again?
Blackhawks record: 24-21-6, 4th in Wild Card, 5th in the Central Division
Cubs:
The Cubs official win total from BetOnline is in: Over/under set at 86.5.
The Kris Bryant grievance ruling is now reportedly going to be made by the end of February. The fact that it has taken so long is straight up negligence, and has no doubt hurt the Cubs offseason plans. Remember, the ruling will dictate whether Bryant has one or two more years under club control.
Jesse Rogers said on ESPN 1000 this week that it’s “possible” that the Cubs even have pre-arranged agreements with other clubs to trade Bryant when the ruling comes down. Clubs looking to trade for Bryant obviously would be more inclined to do so if Bryant had two more years on his deal.
Pitchers and catchers report in less than a month, which is a good thing for us as fans, but a bad thing for the Cubs. If Theo and Jed really have strongly considered dealing Bryant, this wait time has killed many potential suitors. Teams simply can’t afford to wait around for a possible trade option in Bryant.
Nolan Arenado, who had been rumored as a potential trade target for the Cubs, publicly thrashed Rockies’ management this week, saying he felt disrespected. He is unhappy with the team’s lack of urgency in the offseason and his name being floated around so carelessly in trade rumors. If Arenado is sincerely dismayed and wants out, that could give the Cubs a chance at their supposed dream of putting him at third and keeping Bryant and putting him in center field.
There’s no doubt that other teams can probably beat whatever the Cubs can offer, but if Arenado forces his hand, things could get interesting. He has a full no-trade clause included in his massive 8-year deal.
In other news, it appears that Pedro Strop will no longer be a Cub. Although he probably would come back on a very team-friendly deal, he struggled mightily last year. His ERA of 4.97 was the worst of his career with the Cubs by far, and he’s entering his age-35 season. His stuff was not the same last year.
Having said that, it’s worth mentioning how incredible he’s been for the Cubs during his time in Chicago. In the previous five years, he never failed to have an ERA below 3. His WHIP (walks, hits per inning pitch) always hovered around 1, and in 2016 it was a 0.887—an insanely low number. He’s one of the best bullpen arms in Cubs history, especially when you consider how good he was in the World Series year.
And while we’re here, we’re obligated revisit the fact that the Orioles traded Strop and Jake Arrieta to the Cubs in 2013 for Scott Feldman, one of Theo’s all-time heists.
White Sox:
The Sox official win total from BetOnline is in: Over/under set at 84.5.
Ricky Renteria and Rick Hahn held a press conference before SoxFest kicks off this weekend.
“We haven’t accomplished anything yet. We haven’t won yet,” Hahn said.
Hahn said that the White Sox will still have the financial flexibility to make a big deadline deal if things go well in the first half of the season. The win total, 84.5, is notable because the Sox haven’t won 80 games in eight years. Coming close to the total alone would be a huge upgrade for White Sox fans.
Hahn touched on two players who will ideally be significant pieces in the Sox future. He said that Nick Madrigal will get a chance in Spring Training to prove that he can be the everyday second baseman in 2020 from Day 1. Madrigal has wonderful skills and hit for a slash line of .331/.398/.424 in Triple A last season. Still, I doubt the Sox will bring him up before opening day. If they wait a few weeks, they’ll keep another year of control.
On Michael Kopech, who is returning from Tommy John surgery:
“From a health standpoint, we’re going to be stubborn,” Hahn said. “We’re not going to jeopardize someone’s long-term health for short-term glory.”
Bears:
The Bears hired Bill Lazor as the offensive coordinator. He served as an analyst to the Penn State football program in 2019 after a stint as OC for the Bengals in 2017-2018. In 2017, the Bengals had ranked 26th in the NFL in offense, and in 2018 they improved to 17th in the league, despite a 6-10 record. Once Marvin Lewis was let go as the head coach, so was Lazor.
Before that, he was the quarterbacks coach of the Bengals. With Lazor at the helm, Andy Dalton compiled three pretty good statistical seasons. Over three years, he threw for 64 touchdowns against 31 interceptions, totaling 10,092 yards. In 2016, Dalton amassed over 4,200 yards. For what it’s worth, Dalton had three of his lowest interception totals under Lazor.
In Miami, where Lazor was the OC from 2014 to 2015, the team ranked 11th and 27th in offense, respectively.
The big difference between Lazor and former Bears OC Mark Helfrich? Experience, whether it’s been all sunshine and roses or not. Helfrich had never even coached in the NFL before taking the Bears job. This will be Lazor’s third offensive coordinator job, and he’s been with six NFL teams prior to Chicago.
He can hang his hat on the fact that when he was the QBs coach in Philly, Nick Foles threw 27 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in Chip Kelly’s offense.
Experience seems to have been the goal this offseason for all of the Bears coaching hires. Juan Castillo (O-Line), Clancy Barone (tight ends), and Lazor have all been in the NFL for over a decade, at least.
Ryan Pace’s idea must be this: If Matt Nagy tries to get too goofy with the play calls, this time around there will be a few NFL lifers to advise against it. They all bring some success with them, particularly Castillo, who was the run-game coordinator for a couple great rushing teams in Buffalo. The question will be whether or not Nagy will heed their advice.
Lazor’s hiring also could have something to do with the fact that two quarterbacks that he coached in Cincinnati will most likely be available in the coming year: Andy Dalton and (gasp) A. J. McCarron, who is a free agent. If all the Bears do is add McCarron to the QB room, I can’t imagine that’ll sit well in the city.
Trivia answer:
All-time receptions? Walter Payton, 492
Rookie-year receptions? Matt Forte, 63
Single-season receiving yards? Brandon Marshall, 1,508
This weekend in Chicago:
Bulls: Home vs. Sacramento, 7:00; Saturday at Cleveland, 7:00
Betting pick:
After 30 picks, the newsletter record is 19-11. It should be better—and will be better— moving forward. But over 63%? I’ll take it. The real ones remember some bad baseball losses that dragged that record down, too.
Today’s pick: Heat +2 vs. Clippers tonight. I owe you some logic after two straight losses. The Heat are 20-1 this year at home and the Clippers are on a road trip and last blew a 21-point lead to the Hawks—arguably the worst team in the league. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard did not play, and the preferential treatment to the team’s stars is reportedly causing dissension in the Clippers locker room. The Heat should be a slight favorite here. Happy betting!
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