Bulls Lose 6th Straight Game Before All-Star Break

GOOD MORNING, CHICAGO FANS

What do you love more: the Olympics, Spring Training, or Valentine’s Day?

The sports world always feels strange after football season ends. It doesn’t help when the Bulls and Blackhawks are playing insignificant games as the calendar gets closer to spring. Whatever, I’m excited for baseball:

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

OLYMPICS BREAK

• Teuvo Teravainen finally snuck his way onto the score sheet with 1 assist in Finland’s 2nd win (11-0 vs. Italy) in group play

• Nick Lardis (3 points), Kevin Korchinski, and Brett Seney (3 points) participated in the AHL All-Star Challenge. They helped the Central team make it to the championship game.

BONUS PLAY OF THE WEEK 🎥 Nick Lardis AHL All-Star shootout goal

SCHEDULE 📅 OLYMPICS BREAK until 2/26

CHICAGO BULLS

L - NETS 123 BULLS 115

THE CLAXT ATTACK

• Bulls were bullied at the rim, posterized twice, and their centers combined for only 15 points and 8 rebounds

• Nic Claxton shot 12/15 from the field for a 28p/10r double-double

• New Bulls guards struggled from 3PT but showed off their athleticism. Collin Sexton scored 12 points in the 1st quarter and finished with 21.

L - CELTICS 124 BULLS 105

VOOCH’S VENGEANCE

• Nikola Vucevic (19p/11r) had an efficient double-double in his first game against the Bulls since the trade

• Rob Dillingham (16p/7a) was the Bulls’ leading scorer in a poor offensive effort

• Bulls were down 72-44 at halftime after an ugly 17-point 2nd quarter

STAR OF THE WEEK ⭐ Collin Sexton

18.0p/4.0r per game

PLAY OF THE WEEK 🎥 Nick Richards block

Matas Buzelis was on the winning Rising Stars team at All-Star Weekend! He scored 6 points and 4 points in the 2 games, and VJ Edgecombe led the charge to give them the trophy. This won’t be the last trophy Buzelis raises in his career!

At the All-Star Break, the Bulls are 11th in the Eastern Conference (just out of the Play-In) and 10th in the draft order. Something has to give…my guess? The new guys find some chemistry and win enough games to make it to the tournament. Again. There’s enough talent on the roster, and the organization’s goal at the trade deadline was not to lose as many games as possible.

SCHEDULE 📅 TH/SAT/SUN

CHICAGO BEARS

OFFSEASON

Caleb Williams got last place (4 points) in the NBA Celebrity 3-Point Contest!

NFL Combine ➡️ February 23rd

Free Agency ➡️ March 9th

CHICAGO CUBS

OFFSEASON

SPRING TRAINING

• 18 non-roster invitees are listed here and include Jaxon Wiggins, Jefferson Rojas, Dylan Carlson, and Chas McCormick

• Craig Counsell named Daniel Palencia as the team’s closer. It’s not necessarily a surprise because of his success in the role last year, but this is early for a declaration from a manager who emphasizes “out-getters”. Palencia was also utilized as the early inning shutdown reliever for the most important outs in the playoffs, so there was a chance that would continue.

• PECOTA projections give the NL Central crown to the Cubs with 10 more wins than the Brewers! (90-72 & 80-82)

• Most players leaving Spring Training for the World Baseball Classic will leave on February 28th

Signed RHP Shelby Miller to a 2-year contract

• Will likely miss all of 2026 while he recovers from Tommy John surgery

• Made a very brief (2.0 IP) appearance with the Cubs in 2021

• Excelled as a reliever in 2023 (1.71 ERA, 0.905 WHIP) and 2025 (2.74 ERA, 1.043 WHIP)

Signed RHP Kyle Wright to a minor league contract

• Former 20-game winner (21 wins for the Braves in 2022)

• Hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2023

• Only thrown 101.0 innings in the majors outside of his amazing 2022 season (180.1 IP)

Free agent target Zac Gallen re-signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks for 1 year, $22M

Brainstorming potential lineups for this season…

Vs. RHP:

1) Michael Busch 1B

2) Alex Bregman 3B

3) Pete Crow-Armstrong CF

4) Seiya Suzuki RF

5) Moises Ballesteros DH

6) Nico Hoerner 2B

7) Ian Happ LF

8) Miguel Amaya / Carson Kelly C

9) Dansby Swanson SS

Spring Training ➡️ 1st game on Friday

SAY WHAT?

A CITYWIDE SALUTE

Ian Happ

Happ took a moment on The Compound Podcast to honor former teammate Terrance Gore who passed away recently at the age of 34. Gore was a member of the 2018 Cubs as they headed towards the playoffs, and he was clearly respected and admired in just a short stint with the team. Here is what Happ shared about Gore:

MILD TAKE

Defensive back is definitely an option for the Bears in the 1st round of the NFL Draft.

Everyone will be clamoring for a defensive lineman when draft day arrives. Edge, edge, edge. And I get it. The pass rush needs serious work, and the push up front has been negligible in too many games.

You could also make an argument for left tackle. Ozzy Trapilo will miss most of 2026, and who knows how he will perform after recovering from such a serious injury. Drafting a left tackle could solidify all 5 spots on the line and make it one of the best groups in the entire league.

A forgotten positional target may be defensive back.

Just recently, cornerback was viewed as the Bears’ deepest and potentially best positional group. With Terell Smith and Zah Frazier missing last season, Jaylon Johnson not being 100%, and Tyrique Stevenson continuing to underperform after a promising rookie season, the cornerback room is in trouble. Nahshon Wright was brilliant as a surprise story and ended up in the Pro Bowl, but I don’t think he can be counted on moving forward opposite of Johnson.

At safety, they have nobody left. Both starters and both primary backups are no longer under contract with the team. I’d love to see Kevin Byard return after a Pro Bowl season where he led the NFL in interceptions, but I doubt they will re-sign both starting safeties. If Byard returns, pairing a rookie with him may be a smart roster decision. At #25 in the 1st round, there’s a chance to get a Top 3 safety in the entire draft. It might just be the sweet spot.

We know Ryan Poles will select the best player available in the draft. Defensive back will definitely be on his board.

HITTING THE LINKS

Ken Rosenthal - Cubs camp is barely underway – and Alex Bregman is already making his new teammates better (The Athletic)

Joel Lorenzi - Nikola Vučević, from Bulls to Celtics, adjusting to new roles and new environment (The Athletic)

Chicago Blackhawks - Every Shift Season 4 Episode 3: Work, Compete, Effort (YouTube)

TWO MINUTE WARNING

Thanks for reading! Have a great week! Spring Training games starting means baseball is BACK.