Chicago Tribune - 24.02.2020

Down 10, 30 seconds to go ...

and a timeout? It’s Boylen’s

thing, and he won’t back down

even if it’s frustrating LaVine.

B

ulls coach Jim Boylen understands why some

might view his timeouts late in blowout losses

as unnecessary.

Boylen has started to become known for that

tactic in his first full season as an NBA head coach, the

latest instance coming at the end of the Bulls’ 112-104

loss to the Suns on Saturday night. Boylen called a

timeout with the Bulls down 10 and 30.3 seconds

remaining in the fourth quarter.

The stoppage visibly bothered guard Zach LaVine,

who shook his head and mouthed, “Why we calling a

timeout down 10?” with an added expletive. That

prompted a meeting in Boylen’s office during which

they aired their frustrations after the Bulls lost their

season-high eighth consecutive game.

Before the Bulls hosted the Wizards on Sunday,

Boylen maintained that he and LaVine have a healthy

relationship and defended his timeout usage.

“We’re trying to establish that we’re going to play till

the end and we’re going to compete,” Boylen said.

“We’ve had some tremendous comeback wins this

year where we’ve kept playing, so I think the guys get

that.

“What we can’t do is not expect people to be

frustrated with a losing streak or a home loss. That’s a

healthy thing that there’s frustration.”

The Bulls are one of the youngest and most

inexperienced teams in the league, and Boylen has

preached almost ad nauseam about trying to establish a

culture and focus on development.

He pointed to their furious comeback win against the

Hornets in November, after being down eight with 40

seconds remaining, as validation of his methods. It’s why

Boylen has remained unapologetic about calling time-

outs late in games that appear to be decided, even if the

list of people taking issue with it continues to grow.

“I coach to the end of games,” he said. “You guys know

that. Could some people look at that timeout as

unnecessary? Of course they can. You can judge it any

Bulls coach Jim Boylen huddles with guard Zach LaVine

going into a last-minute timeout earlier this season.

CHRIS SWEDA/CHICAGO TRIBUNE

BULLS

Late TO

is his MO

By Jamal Collier

BULLS 126, WIZARDS 117

For a second consecutive game, Coby White scores 33

points as Bulls overcome Bradley Beal’s career-high 53.

Page 5

CHICAGO SPORTS

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eNEWSPAPER EXCLUSIVE

TWO EXTRA PAGES

OF COVERAGE INSIDE

Monday, February 24, 2020|Section 3

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Michael
Kopech has thrown bullpen ses-
sions. He has faced teammates in
live batting practice. And some-
time down the line, he’ll pitch in a
Cactus League game.
It’s all part of the process for
the White Sox right-hander, who
missed all of 2019 while recover-
ing from Tommy John elbow
surgery.
“This is a big spring for me,”
Kopech said Sunday, “coming off
of an injury, giving me a chance to
kind of prove myself again and

really get into the middle of

things and show some of the joy

that I still have for the game.

“I have really tried to fine-tune

my game in the past year and I’ve

continued to do that this spring.

And hopefully here in a week or

so, when I do get into games, then

I’ll be able to showcase that.”

The Sox haven’t finalized a

timetable for Kopech’s first ap-

pearance in an exhibition game.

Meanwhile, he’s getting all he

can out of live batting practice.

“You get good feedback be-

cause it’s your own teammates,”

Kopech said. “They want you to

get better and they want to get

better themselves. You get real-

time feedback from great hitters.

WHITE SOX

Kopech can’t wait

to prove he’s ready

Cactus League debut

isn’t set but righty likes

how he’s progressing

By LaMond Pope

ARMANDO L. SANCHEZ/TRIBUNE

“I’m confident in

what I’m doing and

I feel I’m pretty

close to being where

I need to be.”

Turn toWhite Sox, Page 4 — Michael Kopech

5 storylines at the NFL scouting combine, starting with whom they could bring in at QBBack Page

BEARS

GLENDALE, Ariz. —

When it comes to dish-

ing out politically incor-

rect abuse with no

apologies, a baseball

clubhouse has no limits.

So you can imagine

what David Ross has in

store for him when he

returns to Cubs camp

after missing his first

two spring training

games as manager with flu-like

symptoms.

During spring training in 2016,

his final season as a Cubs player,

Ross’ teammates gave him a mo-

torized scooter with the person-

alized license plate “GDPA,” an

abbreviation of “Grandpa.” Now

that he’s their boss, could a

wheelchair be delivered to his

office at Sloan Park?

How much grief can one man

take?

We’re about to find

out.

“You know, we

haven’t given him any

yet, but when he shows

up ...” pitching coach

Tommy Hottovy said

before Sunday’s game at

Camelback Ranch

against the Dodgers.

One of Ross’ friends

asked me to check on

how many times in his playing

career he didn’t show up at the

ballpark for a game.

“I’m guessing the answer is

zero,” he said with a laugh.

While everyone feels for Ross

as he gets over the flu, no one

feels so badly they won’t be able

to make fun of him when he gets

back. When your friend becomes

your boss, he doesn’t get a free

Boo-hoo-flu: MIA Ross

sure to catch some grief

Pau l

Sullivan

In the Wake

of the News

Turn toSullivan, Page 4

Turn toBulls, Page 5