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Sports

Dalen Terry’s selection continues the Chicago Bulls’ focus on perimeter defense and transition play

The Chicago Bulls took a swing on a wing Thursday, drafting Dalen Terry out of Arizona to add to their increasingly versatile guard unit.Bulls general manager Marc Eversley said the decision to select Terry was a matter of picking “the best player on the board” when the team went on the clock. Although they debated trading up or down throughout the night, the Bulls stayed at the No. 18 pick.Advertisement“We took a lot of calls for both scenarios and nothing stood out to us,” Eversley said. “When Dalen was on the board and we saw that we were going to be able to select him, we were excited about it.”Terry was a glue player in two seasons at Arizona, defending at a frenetic pace around the perimeter, evidenced by his 1.2 steals per game last season. His athleticism allowed the Wildcats to explode through scattered defenses on the break.AdvertisementAlthough Terry wasn’t a pick predicted to land in Chicago, his length and defensive acumen will bolster the Bulls as they continue to build a philosophy around disrupting offenses and running the floor.“He’s going to bring versatility on both ends of the floor,” Eversley said. “Last year early on, we had a lot of success when we created turnovers defensively and got out and ran. I think he’s somebody who’s going to be able to do that for us.”Arizona’s Dalen Terry celebrates while cutting a piece of the net after defeating UCLA in the Pac-12 Tournament championship, March 12, 2022, in Las Vegas. (John Locher/AP)Both Eversley and Terry emphasized a key point on draft night — patience. At 19, Terry is a young, raw product with only two seasons of NCAA play under his belt.Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.Terry brought up his shooting flaws during his draft night media availability. He averaged only eight points per game as a sophomore at Arizona, attempting only 2.1 3-pointers and making it to the free throw line less than two times per game.Although Terry spent the offseason working on his pull-up shooting — which he believes has already improved drastically since the end of the college season in March — Eversley said Summer League and training camp will be important learning steps for the young wing.“He’s a capable 3-point shooter, (but) I wouldn’t call him a 3-point shooter,” Eversley said. “He’s a pretty good shooter, but he probably needs to work on his shooting.”Eversley said the Bulls plan to ease Terry into NBA play, which could mean he’ll spend a decent chunk of his rookie season developing in practice with the first team while picking up minutes with the Windy City Bulls.But last season proved that a front office can only plan a rookie’s introduction to the league so much after guard Ayo Dosunmu was thrust into starting 40 games.AdvertisementRegardless of how many minutes Terry spends on the United Center court, Eversley said the Bulls feel confident in the energy the young wing will bring.“We’re not worried about whether he’s going to do the work or not,” Eversley said. “He’s got the perfect makeup in terms of a kid who’s going to come in and do the things every single day to try to get better. We’re excited about that.”

Sports

Chicago Bears linebacker Matt Adams arrested on a misdemeanor weapons charge

Bears linebacker Matt Adams was arrested Thursday night in Chicago on a misdemeanor charge of unlawful firearm possession, according to police. He also was cited for having high-capacity magazines and metal-piercing bullets, a violation of city code.Police said Adams was arrested at approximately 6:46 p.m. in the 200 block of North Garland Court in the Loop. The magazines were found during a search of his car, and the weapon also was recovered, according to police.AdvertisementHe has a court date set for Aug. 24.The Bears acknowledged the arrest in a statement.Advertisement“Earlier this morning, we were made aware of an incident involving the arrest of Bears linebacker Matthew Adams,” the team said. “We are in the process of gathering more information. We will refrain from making any further comment at this time.”The Bears signed Adams, 26, to a one-year contract in April. He’s a four-year NFL veteran who previously played under coach Matt Eberflus with the Indianapolis Colts.Adams is the second new Bears player to be arrested this offseason. Wide receiver Byron Pringle was arrested for reckless driving for suspicion of doing a doughnut on a road and driving on a suspended license. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and is awaiting a pretrial hearing.The Bears are on a six-week summer break after wrapping up veteran minicamp last week. In a message to the team before they broke camp, Eberflus said he told his players to be prepared mentally and physically for training camp — and also to be safe during the time off.“Be careful who you hang around and be mindful of that and where you are and to be safe during the vacation,” he said.

Sports

Luke Richardson is set to be named the Chicago Blackhawks coach, kickstarting a new era for the team

The Chicago Blackhawks are expected to name Montreal Canadiens assistant Luke Richardson as their new head coach, sources confirmed to the Tribune on Friday.The Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli first reported the news.AdvertisementRichardson, 53, becomes the 40th head coach in Hawks history and replaces interim coach Derek King. Richardson is tasked with kickstarting a new era for the franchise.The Hawks confirmed that they interviewed four candidates, including Richardson, King, Vancouver Canucks associate coach Brad Shaw and Pittsburgh Penguins assistant Todd Reirden.AdvertisementRichardson has more than 25 years of experience in the NHL and was a head coach of the Binghamton Senators, the Ottawa Senators’ AHL affiliate. He was assistant coach with the New York Islanders before joining the Habs as an assistant coach in July 2018.The former Toronto Maple Leafs first-round pick was a defenseman for 21 years, playing 1,417 games with the Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets and Senators.Montreal Canadiens acting coach Luke Richardson stands behind the team bench during the first period of Game 3 of a playoff semifinal series against the Vegas Golden Knights, June 18, 2021, in Montreal. (Paul Chiasson/AP)He replaces King, who assumed the helm Nov. 6 after the Hawks fired Jeremy Colliton after a 1-9-2 start. King presided over a 27-33-10 finish.Then-interim general manager Kyle Davidson promoted King from the minor-league Rockford IceHogs with the hope King would be a more effective communicator than Colliton.And Davidson made that quality a prerequisite for the permanent bench boss.Said Davidson on May 3: “We want the coaches that are able to communicate, able to drive a message and create a positive culture and get players to want to come to the rink and compete every single night. And that’s based on track record and that’s also based on how they deliver a message.”Richardson ticks off a lot of boxes Davidson wanted in a coach, including experience as a player and coach on different levels.Davidson also wanted a strong communicator, a trait Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis vouched for in comments he made earlier this season.Advertisement“Luke is just a calm and calculated and very confident coach,” St. Louis said, according to the Montreal Gazette. “The calmness of his approach allows the guys to grow and Luke’s approach allows the guys to feel confident on the ice … receptive to constructive criticism because (of) the way he does it. It’s very important they don’t feel suffocated if there’s correction. They don’t feel handcuffed if there’s correction and I think that’s important in their growth.”Messaging or not, Richardson has a heavy lift ahead of him.Davidson has made it clear that he is taking the long view on getting back to competitiveness by reshaping the roster, taking his time with younger players and being frugal with free agents.Translation: Reinforcements may not be on the way anytime soon.Of the top seven point producers from last season, two (Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews) are approaching their mid-30s and will be playing out the final year of their contracts, another (Brandon Hagel) was traded, and two (Dominik Kubalík and Dylan Strome) are restricted free agents and no sure bets to return.Montreal Canadiens acting head coach Luke Richardson, center, watches from behind his players during the first period of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup against the Tampa Bay Lightning, June 30, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP)But if management is true to its word, the Hawks are going to exercise patience.Advertisement“I think reasonably you have to look at where you’re at,” Davidson said in May. “Right now we’re not in win-now mode, we’re in win mode, but when that is probably a little further than next year, just having a realistic assessment of where we’re at.”The Hawks also showed patience with the coaching search.Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.The offseason started with five NHL vacancies before the New York Islanders quickly elevated former assistant coach Lane Lambert to replace Barry Trotz.Some teams have or had interim coaches like the Hawks had with King, including the Canadiens, who signed St. Louis to a three-year deal June 1.But the Hawks said they felt no pressure to rush their search despite the competition for candidates.“I don’t think we’re concerned with the number of openings or teams moving fast,” Davidson said in mid-May. “We’re going to run through the process and we’ll find the best candidate for us, and I don’t think we’ll fast-track anything based on what’s going on elsewhere.”AdvertisementIt remains unclear what becomes of King, who had been promised an interview. Though King didn’t land the top job, Davidson called him a “positive influence” and didn’t rule out a role of some kind.“That’s something we might cross once we get to our head coaching decision,” Davidson said in May.“I think the world of Derek. He’s got a great hockey mind, he’s got a great way with the players, he’s endeared himself to a lot of people this year, and so you want those types of people in your organization.”