How to fix the Chicago Bulls

The Bulls are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in 8 years and yet the upper management of the team believes that the Bulls have a good enough roster to compete in the playoffs. However, I do not share that sentiment and feel that it is time to fix the team going into next season.

The Vertical’s Chris Mannix reported Wednesday that “chemistry issues continue to plague the Bulls’ locker room” and explained “grumblings range from Hoiberg’s inability to hold players accountable—a complaint registered publicly by Butler last December and one that lingers in the locker room today, a source said—to Butler’s shoddy shot selection to the disconnect within the team offensively.”

Comcast Sportsnet Chicago’s Mark Schanowski mentions some ways to fix the team going into the summer. The first thing he mentions is that the team needs to part ways with Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah. Furthermore, he mentions that Gasol is past his prime years and that Noah has been hampered with injuries and that those injuries could affect his game in a negative way going forward. Signing either one or both would slow down the process of remaking the team roster which the team desperately needs.

He suggests that the team should trade off the contracts of a Mike Dunleavy Jr. and/or Tony Snell. With Snell, Schanowski believes that it was a mistake for the team to draft Snell when they could have drafted big man Mason Plumlee and Gorgui Dieng and see whether there is a team willing to take Snell. The previous suggestions mentioned above lead to something bigger and that is to ‘clear space.’ Making some of the moves with Gasol, Noah and Snell would likely save the team more than $20 million if the team would have to take back a contract of any potential moves involving Snell and Dunleavy.

I remember listening to an interview with Gar Forman on a local radio station just hours after the trade deadline passed and he was in a state of denial in my mind. I contend that Forman and John Paxson need to be gone after the end of the season. To me, neither understand the needs in front of the team. Furthermore, if Forman waivered even a tad during that interview, there would have been a sense that his loyalty to the team would start to crack even at the slightest bit.

I said this back in June 2015 when Fred Hoiberg was hired that the team searched for the convenient candidate rather than truly assess their most important needs and take some time. To me, this was a sign that this organization either is not serious about winning or will not acknowledge that the current roster is simply not good enough to compete in the playoffs. While I have not been there, I feel as if the team does not respond to Hoiberg and there isn’t that emotion among key players during times of the season in which the team goes through adversity.

Some of the suggested changes should make the team better at least one would think. I remember a game between the Warriors and Thunder when Draymond Green unleashed a profanity based tirade during halftime. Now you may think with the Warriors chasing history and winning every night that if that team had a bad half that players would blow that off and move on. However, while being on top of the NBA world, one of their spiritual leaders did not feel that way. Green is a true team leader and I feel that if the Bulls are going to win, they will need to have a leader who is not afraid to take on his teammates during times of negative adversity.

The NFL’s biggest issue

Shortly after the New York Times released an article on Thursday that examined deep flaws in the N.F.L.’s early concussion research in part, the NFL pushed back. The league’s statement said the article was “contradicted by clear facts” and that The Times “published pages of innuendo and speculation.” Considering that the NFL has looked the other way on this issue, I feel as if a day may come that would likely disappoint many loyal followers.

Data obtained by The Times says that there were more than 100 diagnosed concussions not included in studies that formed the backbone of the league’s position early in the process.

Recently the league took a step in the right direction when Jeff Miller, the league’s senior vice president for health and safety admitted during a congressional testimony that there is a link between CTE and concussions, in which scientists have believed for a long time. Then with the Times report, the committee omitted more than 100 diagnosed concussion injuries between 1996 and 2001 including quarterback Troy Aikman.

”If somebody made a human error or somebody assumed the data was absolutely correct and didn’t question it, well, we screwed up,” Dr. Joseph Waeckerle told the Times.

The report also said that there was a link to big tobacco and some have compared the league’s health crisis to that of the tobacco industry. Between the 2014 season and the most recent season, concussions were up nearly 60%.

Christopher Nowinski, who is the co-founder and executive director of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, said “What this report says to me is that the NFL has not been trying hard enough,” Nowinski told the Daily News in late January. “When you think of salary loss that happens when players like Wes Welker are taken out of the game with concussions, you know that players are actively avoiding getting diagnosed.”

While many folks believe that bringing awareness to this issue is a step in the right direction, I feel as if there hasn’t been as much discussion of whether different types of helmets would make a positive difference.

The NFL concussion committee began publishing its findings in the medical journal neurosurgery in 2003. In an introduction to the committee’s first papers, then commissioner Paul Tagliabue said there was a need for “independent scientific research” to better understand the risks associated with concussions. “As we looked more deeply into the specific area of concussions, we realized that there were many more questions than answers,” Tagliabue wrote.

Time will only tell whether the NFL and its players will get on board with the new type of helmet. At least, there are alternative type of helmets out there and I hope that current NFL players are at least looking into these helmets. At the same time, its vital that the players know the pros and cons of this helmet.

While it is expected that the NFL would respond to The Times report that what they are doing to prevent concussions is transparent and thorough, I am extremely disappointed that the league chose to attack the messenger. I feel as if the league shouldn’t just give lip service to this issue but actually do more to make the game safe and limit the amount of concussions that are happening. If concussions continue to happen at this pace every season, it may come time to playing flag football or banning the game altogether.

The most interesting aspect to me is that the NFL has cracked down on helmet to helmet hits in recent years. Yet, cracking down on helmet to helmet hits are not preventing players from suffering from concussions. Besides the science associated with suffering from concussions, I am glad that someone has come out with new headgear, better late than never. The next question is will the league adopt such a recommendation if it were to be presented to them? I will have to see it before I believe it.

Really, this long?

Whether it is the Cactus League or the Grapefruit League, the MLB’s spring training goes on longer than needed. After teams leave training camp, the rest of the season is not a sprint but a marathon. Now the question that people would bring up is that, what is the ideal length of spring training?

Cubs manager Joe Maddon has given an observation a few times to reporters in Arizona over the last month plus, “Players have made spring training longer. They report sooner, they want to be here sooner, and you don’t blame guys for getting here sooner,” Maddon said. His final verdict is, the duration of spring training does not need to be shortened.

To me this debate affects hitters more than anyone. When a hitter goes out for a rehab assignment during the middle of the season to get his groove back, he would usually need about 2-3 weeks at most. Eno Sarris of ESPN.com describes this issue among hitters as good as I could by saying “As such, you’d think most hitters would feel six weeks was way too long for spring training, but it’s not that cut and dried.”

Giants an example: Spring training too long. Here's why: https://t.co/YdKwlp7FcV via @sfchronicle #sfgiants

— John Shea (@JohnSheaHey) March 9, 2016

Shea writes in the San Francisco Chronicle, “Slow-playing” is a commonly used term used in Giants camp. When the Cactus League is over for the Giants, they will have played 35 games in 32 days. The Oakland Athletics play 32 games in 31 days and Shea says that that is a fifth of the regular season schedule. One of the more interesting points he mentions is that spring training is known more for starting pitchers as the Cactus and Grapefruit League give them 5-6 starts to prepare for the first week of April.

“You could definitely shorten it,” said Buster Posey. “It really doesn’t make sense. We’re trying to be in the best shape possible for Opening Day. Boch does a good job of taking care of us. But it’s been going on for years,” he went on to say. The MLB collective bargaining agreement expires at the end of the year and shortening spring training could be on the agenda next winter. To me the biggest problem is that while it is paramount to get ready for the season, at the same time, more games increase the chance of injuries.

I would make all spring training game 6 innings at most and I feel MLB can cut the amount of games from slightly over 30 to between 20 and 25, without underpreparing the players for a marathon season. “I think 50-60 at-bats are what you really need to get locked in and ready for the season,” Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas said. “Three weeks would probably be enough. A week to kind of ease into things by taking batting practice then two weeks of games.” Even with the new CBA up for renewal, I do not believe that the preseason will be shortened and at most, spring training would be cut for one week. The biggest sticking point is the accommodations pitchers need. At least we are having this discussion and time will only tell whether shortening spring training will gain any traction in the near future.

The debacle

The White Sox are in a precarious situation as one of their infielders abruptly called it quits earlier this week. Adam LaRoche said earlier today that his decision to retire was ‘easy’ amid the controversy and I personally believe that team executive vice president Kenny Williams should be fired. In addition to the belief that Williams should be fired, I feel as if this story will cost Williams his job. There should be rules for the clubhouse, but I think the players, manager and coaches can police themselves without the need from upper management to come in and determine what is acceptable and what is not.

Given the suddenness of my departure and the stir it has caused in both the media and the clubhouse, I feel (cont) https://t.co/xldpeJb1Ay

— Adam LaRoche (@e3laroche) March 18, 2016

Team ace Chris Sale claimed on Friday that Williams lied to players when discussing LaRoche’s son Drake’s presence in the clubhouse for the 2016 season. Furthermore, A report Thursday claimed players considered boycotting Wednesday’s spring training game in support of LaRoche. He is walking away from the team when he was to make $13 million paycheck by putting his family before baseball and if what LaRoche is saying is true, I don’t necessarily blame him for the decision.

However, when Williams met with the club, he claimed the controversy was not his undoing. He apparently blamed owner Jerry Reinsdorf. Reinsdorf made a statement shortly thereafter and said the team will not comment any further. On top of everything that has been mentioned, LaRoche will file a grievance with the players association over the handling of this debacle. Per White Sox centerfielder Adam Eaton, and the team’s current union representative, LaRoche had language in his contract allowing Drake to be around. What I am surprised about is that manager Robin Ventura has kept his opinions out of the public and I feel that he will eventually have to comment on this issue because if he doesn’t, more people will question why he would remain silent, with people pondering whether Ventura condones this. On a side note, I am very surprised that Ventura is still managing the south siders.

Jeremy Gordon of the Wall Street Journal calls this controversy, “The Chicago White Sox’s Teenage Wasteland” and mentions a quote from a Deadspin writer, “Maybe a player, or several, actually got sick of Drake walking around without picking up his feet or committing some other teen behavior; maybe not,” writes Deadspin’s Samer Kalaf. “Either way, by issuing an edict about how teens shouldn’t be in the clubhouse more than 50 percent of the time, Williams covers for employees who may or may not be fed up while allowing all the players to look like they care about family over baseball, even if they don’t.”

To me the most disappointing thing about this controversy is that it is taking away from the offseason improvements the team has made. You would think the Sox would score more runs after acquiring the Todd Father from the Cincinnati Reds and Brett Lawrie from the Oakland Athletics. After three straight subpar seasons, the last thing this team needs is a distraction and if the team gets off to a solid start, you’d think this story would fade away from the news. However, if 2016 is a microcosm of the last three seasons, this story will not fade from the news and the discussion would not revolve around how the team can improve from 2013, 2014 and 2015.

Before the season starts, every facet of the team from the top management down to the players will need to find a way to resolve this. Furthermore, I feel as if this story is lingering when the first week of April comes around, the bigger the chance that this story can negatively impact the team’s performance especially in divisional games vs. Kansas City, Minnesota, Detroit and Cleveland.

The NWHL season 1

This weekend, the inaugural National Women’s Hockey League season ended with the Boston Pride winning the first Isobel Cup after defeating the Buffalo Beauts with a 3-1 and 2-0 series win on Saturday March 12.

We love you @TheBostonPride fans!! Happy to bring back #IsobelCup to #Boston Thank YOU for a memorable season!!! pic.twitter.com/IpCydJUd3F

— Hilary Knight (@HilaryKnight) March 13, 2016

NWHL commissioner and New York Riveters General Manager Dani Rylan is the person who led the effort. She grew up in Tampa Bay and her hero was Manon Rhéaume, who is the only women to have played in an NHL exhibition game. “What Dani created is amazing,” said Rhéaume via email. “This will now give young girls other role models to look up to.”

In December, she landed a multiyear corporate sponsorship with Dunkin Donuts which further solidified the stability of the league as a whole. Furthermore, the brand has agreed to coordinate youth clinics in each of the league’s 4 markets, Boston, New York, Connecticut and Buffalo which have helped generate grassroots support.

“Sports run off of sports broadcasts and sponsorships so to land a deal with such an iconic brand in our first year really just goes to show how far that we’ve come in the work that we have done,” said Rylan.

In January, the pride and the CWHL’s Les Canadiennes were the first female teams to play in the NHL Winter Classic and the game took a scary turn when Boston’s Denna Laing suffered a paralyzing spinal injury. Even with that injury, fans hope this is the beginning of a new rivalry. The attendance for the first event was significant with around 1,000 fans filling the seats per game and thousands watching on the internet.

“This has not only affected the women who are getting paid to play hockey, but also that next generation who get to dream as big as their brothers,” Rylan said.

Even after the end of the first season, there has been a ‘tease’ about the possibility of expansion to north of the border.

!!!HUGE NEWS teased on the @NWHL broadcast: Looks like the league has plans for expansion. 2 Canadian teams. #NWHL pic.twitter.com/yUkCO1YJat

— Mike Murphy (@DigDeepBSB) March 13, 2016

However, Rylan said “I did not see the broadcast,” she went on to say, “180 women graduated NCAA DI colleges this year and it only makes sense that there’s a place for them to play when they’re done and get paid for being the best at what they do.”

Earlier on Saturday, Rylan confirmed that next season will be longer and this means the season will be spread over a longer period of time but no further detailed were revealed.

To find out more about the NWHL, please visit their website at http://nwhl.co/

I first heard about the NWHL on Garbage Time with Katie Nolan on Fox Sports 1 and I remember when Nolan said that “these girls are tough” and it is so great to see women competing in male dominated sports. When 2016 comes to an end, one of the highlights of the year in sports will be from the NWHL’s inaugural season and I have always believed that stories like these make the respective sport better. There is a saying in life, “be proud but never satisfied” and I feel this perfectly describes Rylan and her effort to bring a women’s professional hockey league to the world of sports. If the 2015-16 season was an indication for what the NWHL will look like going forward, the sport of hockey and the sports world in general is in for something spectacular and I think that may be an understatement.

Why they are not elite

While the Oklahoma City Thunder are in the NO. 3 seed in the Western conference, I do not believe they are what you would call elite for a number of reasons.

This past week, the Thunder lost a game in Staples Center in which they had a 22 point lead in the 4th quarter. ”I’m not taking anything away from L.A.,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. “Obviously, they had to make the plays to get back in it. But did we beat ourselves, or did they beat us?”

Some will say the question quote from Donovan was a rhetorical one. “The biggest decision that we have to make collectively, from an accountability standpoint, is that there’s got to be a whole level of sacrifice by everybody,” Donovan said.

As Ken Berger notes on CBS Sports.com, the Thunder are as close to being in 7th place as they are to catching the NO.2 seed San Antonio Spurs. Since the All-Star game the Thunder have lost 6 of their last 9 games.

While the Thunder average well over 100 points per game, the bigger problem facing the team is on the other end of the court. According to Hollinger’s Defensive efficiency stats on ESPN.com the Thunder are in the middle of the crowd at 102.9 which is 14th in the NBA.

The Thunder are a perfect example of how talent on paper doesn’t always equate to a championship. What is truly disturbing to Thunder fans is that when the team makes major mistakes, they are made by their top players. If this trend continues to happen, we will never have the discussion of how great the Thunder could have been but how they faltered at the most in-opportune times.

There is little room for error in an extremely competitive western conference. One of the stats that pops out to me is the Thunder home record. Yes, 25-8 is a solid mark but the two teams that are above them, the Warriors and Spurs have yet to lose a game at home this season. At the same time, I think some of their recent struggles have not had to do with the competitiveness of the western conference but a lack of knowing how to win games and to put opponents down when they are down. Simply put the way the Thunder have lost games in recent days, the Warriors and Spurs do not lose games in that fashion and I think that is a big reason why the Thunder are not in the elite status of NBA teams.

“If we want to be a great team, we’re fooling ourselves with the way we’re playing,” Kevin Durant told reporters after the Clippers debacle. “We’re fooling ourselves. If we want to win a bunch of games in the regular season, then that’s cool, but we’re fooling ourselves the way we’re playing. … There’s just no discipline. We’re playing too loose. We’ve got to be better.”

The 82 game regular season schedule can be a measuring stick in route to the journey season that matters the most but the Thunder will have to snap out of this funk or else they will be fooling themselves. The likes of Durant and Westbrook will need to not just show their talent but exercise smart judgment especially in close game situations because that is what would get them to not just elite status but hopefully for their sake being a serious championship contender.

Will he bring them to the promised land?

Since LeBron James made his return to his home state, I have become convinced that while they will always be in the hunt with his presence but I do not believe James will lead his team to the ultimate prize.

Even with that a sizable amount of sports fans still believe that LeBron will win a championship in Cleveland. Josh Vardon wrote in The Cleveland Plain Dealer that more than half of the leagues general managers predict that the Cavaliers will win a championship in 2016. Some will also argue that without injuries that hurt the Cavs in the finals, they would have at least had a better chance.

In late January after the Cavaliers lost badly at home against the defending world champions, editorial writer Peter Krouse of The Plain Dealer offered a particularly drastic solution: Trade LeBron James. No I am not kidding.

One of the reasons that some believe that James will not be able to get his team over the hump is because after him, the team is not real deep in talent. With Kyrie Irving missing 5 of the 6 games in the finals, the Cavaliers had Matthew Dellavedova was an unlikely hero as he had big shoes to fill. However, even with the scrappiness he showed on the court with the courage to take contact as he drove to the rim, the Cavaliers were no match for a high octane offensive team that was clearly better. Also, having to rely on James, Irving and Kevin Love to play 40 minutes on a constant basis against the best in the NBA was going to take its toll the longer it continued. As the regular season comes to its conclusion, Tyron Lue will have to cut down on James’ minutes depending on if there are games in which the outcome is there for the taking.

LeBron James Guarantees Cleveland Will Win Numerous Regular Season Games http://t.co/VgDJM6S2ZI pic.twitter.com/TUAEffPmTf

— The Onion (@TheOnion) July 11, 2014

In the current NBA season, he is averaging the least amount of points (25) of his career since his rookie season. The opponents defense has crowded the paint daring him to take bad shots and that has taken its toll on his effectiveness especially in late game situations. For example, in a game vs. Toronto in the final seconds, Cleveland was down by 2 and James took a fade away three-point shot to win the game and the shot failed to hit the rim and Cleveland lost. I can’t stress enough, many of the minutes he has played in during his 12 year career have been stressful and some underestimate the impact those minutes have had on his body.

To me the biggest reason why James will not win a ring in Cleveland is because of the competition coming from the West. We know about the Warriors and you add the fact that San Antonio Spurs are not too bad either even with Tim Duncan and Tony Parker out of their prime. The best players in the west are just entering their prime, which give them an advantage not that they need it. I am not discounting the ability that the Cavaliers led by James have to defeat the odds against them but any eastern conference team against a Golden State or San Antonio will need to have everyone show up for 48 minutes or more.

The west simply has too much talent for one player on an eastern conference team to single handedly win a series against the likes of Golden State and San Antonio and if what happened with #23 making the series a competitive one at most, the result will be no different. To an extent, this is not all the fault of the Cavaliers and James but where the team went wrong is failing to build a team where more than two players are always a threat to make shots. That is how you win an NBA title in today’s NBA and it has never been more evident in my view.