North: Random thoughts on Bears, Bulls and DePaul
Time for some random thoughts.
• The New York Knicks are still pathetic … Now let's move on.
• The perpetually injured Derrick Rose says he should be back playing soon. Yeah, and I'm the next pope!
• It's very difficult to win in the National Football League, and character counts. The Bears' signing of defensive end Ray McDonald, who is under investigation in a sexual assault case, closes the book on their season. They have no shot this year.
• I picked the Utah Utes as one of my Final Four teams. Yes, even a blind dog finds a bone. Utah has gone further in the NCAA Tournament than most people expected, but Duke, led by Chicago's Coach K, Mike Krzyzewski, stands in their way.
• Former Blue Devils star Bobby Hurley, currently the head coach with Buffalo University (42-20 in two seasons), would be a huge hire for the DePaul Blue Demons.
Hurley reportedly has agreed to an extension in principal with Buffalo, but still plans to interview with DePaul - which appears to be a longshot.
Hey Bobby listen up - DePaul is a heck of a job. You'd be in the Big East, and as a name coach and playing legend, you are just the type of guy who could get Illinois kids to consider staying home.
I believe Hurley could fill the seats and get the team on track, so keep your fingers crossed.
Valparaiso's Bryce Drew (94-42 in four seasons) and former Blue Demons standout Tyrone Corbin, who has been a head coach in the NBA for the Utah Jazz and the Sacramento Kings, are also in the mix.
• How is it that players with their own shoe lines on the market, like Derrick Rose and Oklahoma Thunder star Kevin Durant, have so many issues with their feet and legs?
• And there's Joakim Noah, who has sued his former shoe sponsor, Le Coq Sportif, claiming their shoes contributed to his plantar fasciitis.
• The NCAA should keep the 35-second clock. If it's reduced to 24-30 seconds, it will take away the ability of teams that play more deliberately. Not every team can play fast.
• The Blackhawks have been waiting for the playoffs. The defense has struggled early, at times, in games against average teams.
Here's the stat of the day: the Hawks, who lost to the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday on the road, haven't beaten them in Philly during the regular season since 1996.
• The Atlanta Hawks (54-17) still have very few believers. … I think we better start believing because they sure do.
• Jimmy Butler is back and the Bulls have won four in a row - and rookie-of-the-year candidate Nikola Mirotic is hot.
• With all the injuries the Bulls have sustained this year and still own a 44-29 record, shouldn't Pau Gasol be mentioned in the Top 5 in MVP voting? I think so.
Enjoy the tourney this weekend.
Program notes:
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