Still Gotta Come Through Chicago
Bumbling, Mumbling and Stumbling: The Ryan Pace Story
Good morning Chicago!
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Indoor establishments are now allowing up to 50% capacity in Chicago. Liquor stores can sell all the way up until 11 p.m., and bars are able to stay open until 1 a.m.
The positivity rate is at an all-time low and things we’re turning the corner in Chicago. The mere thought of summer gets me a little drunk and every time I smell that season-changing aroma in the air I half-consider blowing off my responsibilities and becoming a regular at one of the neighborhood pubs.
March is here, but before I go too far on the hunky-dory stuff, the next person that makes the painfully unfunny, not-so-observant observation that ‘It feels like we were just in March!’ I may put them in a stranglehold until they fall asleep and deal with the consequences later.
Pandemic-related humor is at an all-time high and its comedic relief is at an all-time low. I imagine that talking about the months blending into each other is what you do when you don’t have far bigger things to worry about, like Wendell Carter Jr.’s defense on Nikola Jokic, a standard Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace press conference and meaningless baseball games being played in Arizona.
The real reason I’m happy that February is over is that Chicagoans can stop talking about the snow like they’re college students complaining about how hard final exams are. Everyone’s got to deal with it, it happens every year, and is it really that big of a deal, all things considered?
I promise you your psychology exam that’s 50 questions — multiple choice — is not worth voicing discontent about, and I promise you that the snow will melt and your four days of shoveling snow will come to an end.
This is not the goddamn Cuban Missile Crisis. All of those answers to your test are immediately available to you on the super computer you have at your disposal, in front of you, and all that cumulative precipitation on your ground will be gone forever in a week.
Anyway, let’s get to it.
The best part about Nagy and Pace eventually being fired — whenever that will be — is that I won’t have to gear up for their dumbfounding press conferences anymore.
These guys guard “secrets” like they’re fraternity bros who actually think anyone gives a shit what their ritual is. Pace won’t tell us his contract details. Nagy won’t tell us who he interviewed for the defensive coordinator job.
Fellas, you’re hiding a bunch of unanswered outgoing calls to other teams on your phone and probably a stack of trick plays that Matt Nagy will use on a two-point conversion in the first game of the season. It’s not the nuclear codes.
I’ve never felt like writing this newsletter was a job. Until now. Listening to Pace, Nagy, and Sean Desai’s press conferences was genuinely less interesting than anything I had to listen to for my actual job this week.
(Shout out to my boss who reads this, he knows that nothing in the world is more important to me than my 6 am to 6 pm grind every day. Nothing!)
Ryan Pace has it all. He’s got a sweet job, awesome hair, a great build (I’ve been swooning over Chicago sports figures too often, haven’t I?), and nice clothes in his wardrobe.
But the only way I can describe this guy is like this: he’s the fella who you assume will get the girl and then she reports back to you that he was actually so uninteresting that he couldn’t even make up for it with his dashing good looks and physique.
The guy has the charisma of a wooden shelf and handles press conferences like he’s an intern being interrogated for taking too long of a lunch break.
You can actually see the tension leaving his shoulders when a reporter asks a relatively easy question about COVID protocols or something non-football related.
He said “everything is on the table” no less than a dozen times. He told us nothing but showed us everything. The guy is as uncertain about the Bears future as the rest of us are.
As for the QB position, you guessed it, he said everything was on the table. That included a Mitch Trubisky reunion, a Nick Foles run-back, a draft choice, a free agent pick up, or a trade.
We learned nothing new there, and if you thought he was going to directly address the unrest with Deshaun Watson and Russell Wilson and their respective teams, you haven’t had to watch one of these eye-bleed-inducing press conferences before.
On Mitch, he specifically said, yes again, “We’re not going to lay all that out right now, but everything is on the table.”
He had the nerve to say after that, “You know this, we’re going to explore every avenue and do our due diligence.”
This is the leader of the franchise that is most recently famous for doing little to no diligence on one of the quarterbacks they’re dying to get this offseason.
Even on very simple questions, like whether or not Eddie Goldman — who is under contract but opted out of the 2020 season — would be back, Pace struggled to answer. He said, more or less, that he’d be back, but it took a strikingly long amount of time to do so.
As for Allen Robinson, Pace again said “we consider everything” but also said “that tool is there for a reason” when referring to the franchise tag. This is one of the only other discernible observations I gained from watching this, I believe that the Bears will franchise tag Robinson in the next week (they have until March 9th to do so).
This is despite the fact that Robinson has made it abundantly clear that he does not want to be franchise tagged. Unfortunately for him, that’s not necessarily his choice.
I don’t know what that means for his future with the Bears after this, or what it means for his mindset heading into 2021, but it seems inevitable for this year.
Personally, I think that without an above-average option at the quarterback position, extending Robinson to a long-term deal would be idiotic. The Bears do not need to extend a receiver through his age-30 season when they don’t even know who will throw the ball to him or if they’ll be in a position to contend by the time he’s in his second year of the deal.
Pace likes to go off on semi-tangents about how there’s a lot that the outside world doesn’t know about what goes on in each building in the NFL. That’s fine, Ryan.
But what we do know is that you don’t have a quarterback and that the Bears have had a single winning season since you arrived in Chicago six years ago. Frankly, that’s all we do need to know.
He really didn’t answer a single question, and used the words or phrases “operating,” “maximize,” “conditions,” “process,” “working through that,” “going through that,” “everything is on the table,” and “I can’t get into that” more often than your friend who uses like, legitimately, or literally every other word in simple sentences.
He’s like a teenager with a limited vocabulary, but the unsuccessful football GM version of that.
“We’ve proven we have a playoff-ready roster,” he said.
At the outset of 2020, I was encouraged by the extra playoff spot that was added, thinking that it would give a competitive but 9-7 Bears team a chance to sneak into the playoffs.
Well, they snuck in alright. And it’s my biggest regret over something I have absolutely no control over.
This idea that the Bears “made the playoffs,” despite losing six straight games, losing immediately, and being one of the two worst offensive teams in the NFL, is the most crippling thing that could have happened to the Bears’ outlook.
I said then, and I still believe this, that I would get excited for playoff games no matter what. This is still true. But that silly human nature element is completely independent from the reality of the Bears future situation.
When asked to name strengths of the Bears right now, he began with the coaching staff.
Hoo boy, if that is your biggest strength, we’re in for a tough year. We have a brand new defensive coordinator in Desai — who I like — but he has proved nothing. We have a head coach who would have been fired by virtually every other team in the NFL, an “offensive guru” who has led one of the league’s worst offenses in two straight years.
Beyond that, the Bears have added Mike Pettine as a defensive advisor, a man who the Packers drove to the airport themselves after his pitiful coaching performance in the NFC championship game.
They also added former Texas coach Tom Herman, who’s only two redeeming traits are that he is such an unlikable ass hole that Matt Nagy may seem likable next to him and that he once put this chart up in the Texas locker room, which refers to hydration levels and how they related to pee color and character.
YOU ARE A BAD GUY!!!
Herman may improve hydration, and he’s actually — to his credit — a good enough offensive mind that he may be able to help out on some level, but that would only be if he worked for a coach that allowed him to give any input.
… and he works for Matt Nagy now. So we’re back to square one.
The last thing of interest that Pace said was during an answer to the Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson speculation. He said that there “may be some things we’re looking at” that the media doesn’t know about right now.
That could mean a few things:
He was just saying something else vague to take up time.
The Bears have something in mind that would shock us all and maybe come at less of a price than Wilson or Watson.
We should all be terrified and the Bears are about to give up two first round picks for Sam Darnold.
So if you were worried that you missed something during yesterday’s media availability, fear not. The Bears are still the Bears, and looking forward to a potentially COVID-free summer is a much more meaningful cause than looking forward to the 2021 NFL season.
The Bulls have had a pair of tough losses since we last spoke and I was on Cloud Nine. Both were, in some ways, expected. They played two of the best teams in the Western Conference, the Suns on Friday and then the Nuggets on Monday.
If they were run-of-mill losses, both would’ve been easy to swallow. But the Bulls are so goddamn competitive that sometimes their losses sting more than they would otherwise.
They looked like the 90s Bulls through three quarters against the Suns and then looked like the Boylen Bulls in the fourth.
Their first two and a half quarters were so exciting that I got unexpectedly and excitedly drunk. This was not good because they proceeded to play their statistically worst quarter of the entire year to close the game out.
I’ve been working on myself, and trying not to let the Bulls losing ruin my entire night. This is especially important because the surprisingly good Bulls are now a whopping 1-6 on Friday nights. Just a bad start to the weekend, man.
On Monday, they fell victim to who I think should be the MVP front runner in Nikola Jokic. When you’re dealing with a 7-foot, 250 pound player who regularly goes for 30-point triple-doubles and can dribble, shoot, and post-up, things can get tough.
And this brings me to my first point: to blame Wendell Carter Jr. for Jokic’s outburst against the Bulls is idiotic. First and foremost, he’s 21 years old. I think people forget about that when they evaluate his defensive performances against the likes of Joel Embiid and Jokic. Secondly, he battled. There was not one point in the game where I said ‘What is Wendell doing?’ It was fine D, and better O.
It didn’t help that Jokic was playing extremely physical and yet only being rewarded for that with defensive fouls called on Carter.
As for why Billy Donovan didn’t send a double more often, it’s hard to do that with a player that’s as good of a passer as Jokic. He’s 6th in the entire league in assists per game, despite being a center.
It’s not an easy situation to manage, especially considering the Bulls current roster. Outside of WCJ, the Bulls only have Thad Young as someone who could reasonably guard Jokic, and he’s four inches shorter and 30 pounds lighter than him.
I don’t blame anyone for Jokic’s performance, really. It happens. As the roster improves, it’ll be easier to mitigate these types of performances, but sometimes, you just have to tip your hat.
Zach LaVine has been great this year, but my no. 1 gripe with him remains: His end of game play is still unsatisfactory. He forces shots and completely transforms a free flowing offense into an iso-based one.
The Bulls have lost a lot of high-leverage games this year, and they’re 22nd in record when it comes to “clutch games.” If you’ve watched the Bulls this year, you know there’s a handful of games they could have won with a better last five minutes.
That starts with LaVine. He’s a primary reason they’re in a lot of these games in the first place, but he needs to continue playing within his means late in games.
As for where this team stands, Arturas Karnisovas had media availability ahead of the Nuggets game Monday. He said that he does not view his players as “commodities” and that he’d like for the Bulls to make the playoffs.
That doesn’t mean trades are off the table. Thaddeus Young is arguably the no. 1 reasonable trade target for contenders right now, maybe outside of Nikola Vucevic.
But he’s been more important to this team than almost anybody. If the Bulls do move him — which I hope they do not — they should have to be blown away by a package.
That’s how I assume the Bulls’ front office is operating. If a team is willing to give them a likely top-10 pick, plus another good young player, they’d have to consider it for obvious reasons.
Besides that sort of package, there’s no reason to mess with something that’s finally working, especially because you have him under contract for next year as well.
LaVine himself called Young the MVP of the team this year, and it’s clear he’s developed meaningful relationships with the younger guys off the court.
Young has 124 assists off the bench this year. That’s good enough for third overall in the league, and he’s the only non-guard in the top-10 for that statistic. The Bulls defense is two points better per 100 possessions when he’s on the court, and they’re a whopping 11 points better on offense when he’s on the court.
The Bulls are -6.5 per 100 possessions as a team without Young. They’re +6.7 with him on the floor. To put that in perspective, the second best team in the league in net rating is the Bucks, who are +6.6 per 100 possessions.
With Young on the court, the Bulls can play with any team in the league. Without him, they can’t. And that’s just the pure basketball aspect.
The only thing I’d want Donovan to consider moving forward is his lineups. The Bulls, for obvious reasons, give their young guys as much playing time as possible — especially early in the game.
But it often leads to bad starts, and bad first halves overall. If the Bulls are dedicated to making a run at the playoffs, they should start optimizing lineups as the schedule gets tough. The young guys can keep getting their tick, but toying around with who they play with could lead to better outcomes.
The Bulls are -0.9 on average in the first quarter and -1.0 in the second quarter. Those both rank 20th in the league. To Donovan’s credit, they’re fourth overall in the 3rd quarter at +3.5 after the half, and they’re -0.6 — middle of the pack — in the fourth.
Putting some of the vets in to start, and keeping them in to finish, could unlock some unrealized potential in this team.
The Bulls play the red-hot Pelicans tonight, and then they’ll head to the All-Star break. They’ll be heavy underdogs, but a win here would be massive.
— Luke Kornet (Luke KOR Nothing But NET) is an oddly shaped, 7’2 NBA player. He’s not great, but if he can continue hitting threes it will be beneficial to the Bulls offense for a variety of reasons, and it will also completely eliminate the chance of Cristiano Felicio getting on the court. He started off the season at a staggering 1-14 from three. He’s 6-11 since.
— College basketball fans know Devon Dotson as one of the best players in the NCAA last year. The Bulls nabbed him in free agency after the draft, and sent him to the G-League bubble to get some reps. He’s since returned from his stint, where he averaged 13 and 6 and showed some promising flashes. He could be a good playmaking guard option for the Bulls down the stretch.
— Lauri Markkanen and Otto Porter are both likely to return immediately after the break.
LETS GO BULLS
The Blackhawks split with the Red Wings, an undesirable outcome considering the run they’ve been on, but one that came with good moments nonetheless.
After losing Saturday, the Hawks rebounded on Sunday by outscoring Detroit 5-1 in the third period alone. Patrick Kane scored his 400th goal in the NHL as he nears his 1,000th game with the Blackhawks.
He’s now one of four players in Hawks history to reach that mark, and he’s just the 10th American to ever reach that mark. He’s arguably the greatest American hockey player of all time.
Kane is now tied for second in points in the NHL with 34, only trailing Conor McDavid.
The Hawks are still in playoff position, but they’ll be facing the Stanley Cup Champion Lightning over the next two games.
God dammit, I even wrote it in last week’s newsletter. Spring Training gets you jacked up for no reason. Then the Sox are trotting out some dude I’ve never heard of on the mound, he’s getting rocked, and they end up tying both of their first two games.
Timmy Anderson led off with a single, which was the most exciting part of the first day unless you’re into Adam Engel homers in spring training.
The best part was hearing Jason Benetti and Stone back together, and Stone immediately basically predicted a Engel homer before it happened. When you can foresee Adam Engel homers before they happen, you may as well be God himself.
The Sox prospect Andrew Vaughn demolished a homer on Day 2, and it seems as though he’s going to get some significant playing time at the DH slot this year.
The Cubs first game of Spring Training was great, though. Ah, nevermind, we didn’t even get to watch it, despite the fact that they launched an exclusive television channel to broadcast all things Cubs last year!
The Cubs have messed up virtually everything they could when it comes to the Marquee Network (besides hiring Boog Sciambi). COVID protocols (whatever their excuse was) or not, the idea that a channel that costs more for your fans, and is supposed to be dedicated to broadcasting everything the team does, was not showing the first spring training game is absolutely insane.
What is the point of having your own channel if not to show things like Spring Training. If I’m paying extra dollars every month for the Cubs own TV channel, I want access to Anthony Rizzo taking a shit if I please.
— The Cubs are reportedly interested in Yoenis Cespedes, who had a personal showcase the other day. Cespedes has struggled with serious injuries the last few years and has barely played baseball. But, he’d come cheap! And the Cubs are looking for any production at a low dollar value.
Thanks for reading, as always… Hop down to the comments and enjoy the rest of your week.
STILL GOTTA COME THROUGH CHICAGO!
I want to be hopeful but the bears make it incredibly difficult. I really can’t believe nagy and pace are still here it’s frustrating. There are so many unknowns that I refuse to think about them. Thank god for the bulls and mlb season coming up.
Two tough losses against good teams. Zach this year has been great about delegating the offense and getting everyone involved. Unless he gets hot and drops 20 in a quarter. But as soon as the fourth rolls around he feels the need to takeover. Sometimes it has worked but more often than not (especially against good teams) he is doing too much. Way too much iso ball late in games. I would say this pelicans game is a must win heading into the break but they have been playing incredibly well.
Little taken aback with the ritual shot. Guard well bro.
I had no idea how to describe the Bulls' 4th quarter on Friday night until you mentioned Jim Boylen's name. It was just weird to see a total 180 from the team after a very strong first 3 quarters. LaVine seems like he is looking for an "all star moment" every time it comes down to the last possession and I'm not sure anyone can change that mentality for him. It feels like he is telling himself he has to be fading away and at least 4 steps behind the 3 pt line in order for him to take the shot. We're turning around Bulls' Fridays in the second half, too many positive vibes on Fridays to have the Bulls losing basketball games!