SB Nation Chicago: All Posts by B. Lauvray

Bears vs. Vikings: A fast and dirty preview

2012-12-08T17:21:06Z

No Brian Urlacher and no Tim Jennings? ~~Maybe Alshon Jeffery, maybe Devin Hester?~~ From Halas Hall to Soldier Field, all week, the Bears have collectively been doing their best Alfred. E. Neuman impersonation about this weekend's game against the Vikings. And while "What, Me Worry?" as a refrain may work when it comes to soundbites for WGN, on Sunday the Bears will have some slightly less softball questions to answer. Namely, can the Bears hold Adrian Peterson at bay, and for how long? Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder has spent the second half of the season regressing back to the mean, with the Vikings receivers --save for Percy Harvin-- being dragged down with him. Meanwhile Peterson has spent the second half of the season racking up more and more yards and proving with each passing week, that indeed, Purple Jesus has risen; with "What, No passing game?" suiting Peterson as a soundbite and m.o. for this 2012 campaign. Peterson has been embracing the Vikings unique passing game as a physical challenge like he was on the set of Double Dare and not an NFL field. Two weeks ago, against an Urlacher-led Bears defense, Peterson shredded, dropping 108 yards on a mere 18 carries to the tune of 6 YPC. Yes, the Bears kept him out of the endzone, but the tension and perceivable threat of a Peterson touchdown is omnipresent when he's on the field. The man is a DEFCON 1 threat and his "rebound" season this year is more proof to his stellar game.

For the Bears offense, the issues ...audible sigh... begin with the offensive line. As the o-line goes, so go the fortunes of Jay Cutler and the Bears. In their game a few weeks ago the Bears line kept Jay's jersey clean with the Vikings recording nary a sack on the day. With a newly re-kajiggered offensive line still getting the hang of things, Gabe Carimi is now the right gurard, remember, and with Cutler's arsenal of wideouts a bit thin, expect to see lots of Cutler-Marshall connections and, fingers crossed, plenty of Matt Forte and/or Michael Bush out of the backfield to set up the play-action passing game that Jay and Brandon work so well.

It's a road game, and like it was two weeks ago, it's a must-win for the Bears and the Vikings. Unfortunately, I don't see this ending so well for Chicago this time around. Peterson is too much and the Vikings will stop their six-game skid against the Bears at home on Sunday.

Prediction: Vikings 24, Bears 17

Bear Down or Bear Clown, Bears try to recapture juju against Minnesota Vikings

2012-11-22T15:12:04Z

Thanksgiving weekend is typically the time of year to kick back with your family and friends and remember what you're thankful for --in between helping yourself to another helping of turkey, natch. For the Chicago Bears, though, this weekend brings about not the fond memories of family, but the grim reminder of pigskin mortality. Yes, two weeks removed from seeming like world beaters, the Bears now face a must-win tilt against a very game Minnesota Vikings squad. How did it come to this? You know the story: an ugly, hard-fought loss at home to Houston and an absolutely savage manhandling at the hands of San Francisco in consecutive weeks have put the Monsters of the Midway in these dire straits. And maybe we all should have seen these losses coming. Turnovers in the NFL, even for a team coached, nay, bred to be a tenacious mob of ball hawks, is a fickle prospect; and for the Bears defense, well, their number was up. Toss in a Jay Cutler concussion, some terrible line play, and yeah, the Bears probably deserved to lose to Houston and, well, the scorch marks in their white unis will hopefully be out in time for their next roadie after the debacle in Bay.

But we're looking to the future, maaaan; and we're asking: Can the Bears recover from two consecutive losses even if they may feel like their cloak of invincibility, if not their collective "self", is disintegrating? On paper, sure the Bears should win. Game's at Soldier Field. Minnesota, even for their impressive win over San Francisco, has baffling double-digit losses to the likes of Tampa Bay and Washington. Vikes defense, save for a very active and dangerous man named Jared Allen, has taken more steps backward than forward this season. But the Bears are surely licking their wounds and, gasp!, potentially seeing their confidence leak out of the locker room with each passing minute. NFLers are not the "psychological man" by any means, but surely cracks in an already lacking and fragile offensive line's psyche will emerge after being bulldozed and treated with such casual indifference by San Francisco's marauders. It's a fool's errand to wonder "Will Matt Forte hit the hole as hard after that game?" but at the same time, one would've been a fool to think the Bears would lose by 25 and gain 143 total yards against San Francisco only a week ago.

When the Bears Have the Ball:

Jay Cutler or no Jay Cutler, the offense's success will come down to how well the offensive line is pushing against Minnesota's solid defensive line. If, like the past two weeks, the Bears offense is the shoved instead of the shover, look out, Bears fans, calamity is comin' to town. But if the Bears linemen can camp out on the line of scrimmage and assert themselves, than we're talking a Thanksgiving feast for Matt Forte and probably, one hopes, more than one touchdown for the Monsters of the Midway.

Look for Jared Allen to get his no matter what. He's a disruptive presence and regardless of who is matching up with him, there will likely be some double-teams and that means one less body for Chicago to put somewhere else on the line. As a unit the Vikings defense is pretty average, but they do an OK job of stopping the run and they'll happily sack your quarterback (tied for 11th in the league in sacks); but they do have a penchant for giving up passing yards. So, hopefully, if Cutler is behind center or if it's the Ghost of Jason Campbell Past lining up, the Bears will be able to get Brandon Marshall more involved.

When the Vikings Have the Ball:

The Vikings offense, much like the Bears', starts and ends with the running game. Adrian Peterson, you're familiar with his work, trust me, is the main cog and Chicago should rightfully key in on stopping him. Christian Ponder who started the season out pretty well, fell off his game sometime around Week 5 and has never stopped falling. More importantly for the Bears defense, the Vikings offensive line is NOT the 49ers o-line. In a classic redemption narrative, the Bears, after facing the absolute best, can now watch "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" tomorrow night and then recognize that they can still push around anyone and everyone they want. This starts with the d-line getting it together, and well, we shall see. The Vikings offensive line anonymous as it may be, is not to be underrated and how the Bears respond after two weeks of being tenderized will be very telling for this game and the rest of the season.

Prediction:

The Bears face the Seahawks in Week 13, the Vikings again in Week 14, and the Green Bay Packers in Week 15. All three of those opponents are vying with each other and the Bears for NFC playoff spots. A divisional win over Minnesota on Sunday not only keeps the Bears within striking distance of Green Bay for the divisional crown, but also kicks the Vikings down another rung on the playoff ladder. It's hyperbolic but entirely realistic to call this tilt a must-win and the Bears will prevail: Bears 23, Vikings 16

Poll

Will Brandon Marshall Get Over 100 Receiving Yards Against Minnesota?

Yes.

10 votes

No.

2 votes

12 votes | Poll has closed

NBA Preview: The Orlando Magic and The Indiana Pacers

2012-10-31T21:27:20Z

Garbage dumps are always illustrated as pretty fun places in pop culture. Wandering around, probably with Heathcliff as your guide, one is likely to find hilarious junk like a set of bar stools that "just needs a 'lil elbow grease and some 409 to get back into tip-top shape," or a couch that would "look great" in your living room. In truth, garbage dumps aren't really funny, just a hotbed for tetanus. That set of bar stools? There's a huge wasp nest inside the metal tubings and the washers are all rusted out and have stained the chrome finish. That couch? A skunk that was nesting inside it just sprayed you (and the couch) and you now smell terrible and really wanna get to an ER to get this scrape looked at (is it tetanus?) but the hospital won't let you in because you smell like a skunk just sprayed you. Yeah, that second depiction? That's the Orlando Magic this season. Just a junk yard of NBA scraps and retreads.

Seriously, just look at this Magic roster and try to keep a straight face (I'll wait). Done laughing? No? Good, keep laughing. Because those clowns, plus the paradox known as Jameer Nelson eating too many pulled pork sandwiches, while trying to cross-over anyone, will be holding it down in the 407 this season. Where to begin? Umm, let's throw Jameer Nelson (dude's gonna keep his Halloween costume all season. His costume? Constantly growing ball of humanity that used to have a decent handle.) at the one. Have JJ Reddick always be running with Josh McRoberts, while Arron Afflalo and Al Harrington figure things out and jack up threes. Just kidding, Al Harrington isn't playing for a bit because he's recovering from offseason knee surgery.

We all know that Dwight Howard --Two metaphors for the price of one? It's your lucky day!-- was the punji stick, and now with the feces-smeared punji stick finally removed from the victim's leg (the Orlando Magic), this season is the sepsis and infection coursing through the victim's body, the financial woes that potentially will be crippling the franchise for seasons to come? That's the tiger pit.

The NBA's worst franchise will likely still be coming out of the Southeast Division, but it won't be the Charlotte Bobcats this season. Nope, that designation is waiting for the loser of the Washington Wizards-Orlando Magic Battle to the Bottom.

From discussing one of the NBA's worst districts, we now consider one of the elite addresses of the NBA metropolis, the Indiana Pacers. After nipping at the heels of the Chicago Bulls throughout the regular season, the Pacers finished their season a bit prematurely (dropping four straight to the Heat in the conference semis), and return largely intact. And will likely keep on keepin' on with Frank Vogel's philosophy of defense and rebounds and lots, and lots of free-throw attempts, will continue to make them a tough out.

As non-sexy as it may be, the Pacers have been forged into a mold of Frank Vogel and his ideals of basketball fundamentals and the results are promising. More promising is the development of Paul George and George Hill who, as all true students, have learned the rules under Vogel and now continually strive to break those rules and write their own. Paul George's development in particular has struck a tone somewhere between solid, all-around contributor and havoc-wreaking, wheat thresher of defenses. Another cat that has improved and improved some more? The Mobile Monolith himself, Roy Hibbert. Hibbert, who for a few seasons had dealt with "promising" and "almost there" tattooed to his reputation, emerged as THE dominant big of the Eastern Conference last year and with Dwight's departure to So. Cal, the East's contractually obligated "only one incredibly talented big per year" role is filled by Roy and his evolving offense and defense. Roy sees you, Andrew Bynum, he'll be waiting.

Meanwhile, the relatively young squad still has length for days in the front court (what up Roy Hibbert and David West and Danny Granger!), while able to simply sic any two of Paul George, George Hill, DJ Augustin, and Gerald Green on the guards of the East. With, SIGH, Derrick Rose's injury and his return still to be determined, and with the promising young core of Cleveland's still a season away from promise, the Central Division likely is Indiana's to lose and, realistically, they should be aiming for no lower than a two-seed and a date with Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals come late May.

Poll

Will the Orlando Magic Finish With The Worst Record In The League?

Yes

2 votes

No

14 votes

16 votes | Poll has closed

Kevin Love (after injury) and Kevin Durant fuel Timberwolves, Thunder [NBA preview]

2012-10-18T13:15:06Z

Thunder

In recent years, the Oklahoma City Thunder have rolled in prior to the season's start as every NBA head's second-favorite franchise. Led by the fun-loving trio of James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and ringleader, Kevin Durant, the squad's infectiously entertaining style of play and affable character is hard to beat and, particularly last season, has served as the anti-Heat/anti "Big 3" elixir that's always needed. But what can the Thunder do as an encore to a near-championship run last June? Simple. Keep on keeping on.

"Kevin Durant has range from anywhere within half court, Russell Westbrook is faster than a two-headed snake, James Harden does a little bit of everything, Skip Bayless says stupid stuff about vegan, burger patty-level beef between Westbrook and Durantula, everyone ignores Skip." The narrative may be showing some wear at this juncture, but the storyline still sticks: Sam Presti cooked up an organic, Frankenstein's monster of a roster that can hit from anywhere and penetrate even the most briar-patched of defenses. Having been ahead of schedule at every step of the way --pushing the Lake Show to six games in 2010, having the gall to advance all the way to the Western Conference Finals in 2011, and reeling off four straight against a purported monster Spurs squad before losing to the Heat in the Finals four months ago-- the Thunder now are in that late-stage adolescence and are darlings still, but by no means a "dark horse" and have at this point shed the journalistic pejorative of "too inexperienced" (as if they ever actually were).

With its steady maturation OKC finds itself (along with the LA Lakers and the "never count 'em out" San Antonio Spurs) favorites to repeat in the Western Conference and likely to face the Miami Heat in the Finals. But how will they respond as favorites, the alpha males, the nonsensical bluster from the Skip Baylesses of the world? I'm no mind-reader, that's not what I went to school for, but considering the calm and measured leadership in the locker room that Durant provides, the Thunder should handle the pressure just fine. OKC's biggest "fault" from last season, matching up with an otherworldly and angry basketball deity named LeBron? That hurdle still remains and it's up to the Thunder to prove that they can get past LeBron. Out West, the biggest obstacle is in the shape of a #12 now wearing the purple and gold of the Lakers, a move the Thunder's management countered by signing Hasheem Thabeet. Uhh. Yes? Cunning in its simplicity really, the Hack-A-Dwight method will leave the rest of the Thunder to run circles around the flagging squad of old joints and duct tape. [insert gif of Russell Westbrook laughing on sidelines of a Thunder romp in April 2013 playoff match against scowling Lakers, ed.]

Youth shall be served and the Thunder shall make the leap, winning the 2012-2013 title.

Timberwolves

Well, those dreams of playing in May were nice, Minnesota fans. Still, as if bleak, low-slung grey skies, feet of snow, and Ricky Rubio not being able to bound back into your lives until approx. December, now you're dealing with a Kevin Love-less November (and potenitally most of December) to boot, nothing to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, Timberwolves fan. Nor a "December to Remember," there little Suzy Minnesota Sports Fan. With a still recovering Ricky Rubio and now with Love's absence from the hardwood, is there anything to cheer for in the Target Center?

Kinda? Love's broken hand does afford Derrick Williams (personal favorite of the writer's) an opportunity to shine so that's one thing. Plus, Nikola Pekovic the breakout player of the year for the T-Wolves (sorry, Beas), J.J. Barea, Andrei Kirilenko, and Brandon Roy and, uhh, Luke Ridnour? Forget David Kahn's "All White Everything" ambitions, this roster is like David Kahn plotting for an unholy lineup of players from the NBA's recent past, present, and future and also Luke Ridnour. Also, Michael Beasley is no longer on the squad, so there's another thing to be happy about. Plus, with the injury bug already hitting Love there's no way that Brandon Roy's legs will fall off at the knees mid-game. Just kidding! Brandon Roy's magic legs will definitely fall off at the knees mid-game, thus setting two Guinness records: Most times a dude's legs have fallen off at the knees AND most people throwing up in a public setting. It's an ancient Roman vomitorium right in the heart of the Twin Cities! All season long!

The good news? Make like a Chicago Cubs fan and remember: "...there's always next year."

Why not golf in Turkey? Day 3: Lee Westwood, Justin Rose square off for $1.5 million

2012-10-11T22:49:41Z

The scores at the Turkish Airlines World Golf Final have been pushed lower all week, likely a symptom of 4 of the top 5 ranked golfers in the world all converging at the same course at once. But even with ridiculously low scores being the norm for the week, this morning was something altogether different, with low, low, low – just disrespectful of par – numbers sprouting up like so many 7-Series Beamers in the parking lot of Antalya Golf Club. 10-under, 9-under, 8-under, two 7-unders, all this morning as the round-robin wrapped up and the semis separated the wheat from the chaff. And after the dust settled and after the course was through being set on fire by the eight golfers, two stood: Lee Westwood and Justin Rose, both of the United Kingdom. Westwood and Rose will duke it out starting at 8:30 Friday morning (like, seriously: 12:30 a.m. for those of you on CT).

While something of a surprise final pairing – this writer had his fingers crossed for a Woods-McIlroy finale he had already dubbed the "Revenge On The Riviera: Ryder Cup 2," alas – Westwood and Rose continually elevated their game as the week progressed. Rose, in particular, stepped up to the challenge of a big match on a big stage as he went toe-to-toe with the larger than life Woods, matching Tiger stroke-for-stroke in their semi-final match before finally breaking the 12-time major winner with only four to play. As for Westwood, the man has simply been untouchable. Every round he's played this week has been lower than the previous and I'm just as nervous to say that he's peaked too soon as I am to consider him dropping a 15-under tomorrow and just stomping Justin Rose. Westwood's been a man on a mission. What mission, aside from the princely $1.5 mil. prize, I can't say, but a mission nonetheless.

The world waits until tomorrow to see if Lee Westwood completes that mission, or if Justin Rose emerges as a thorn in his side. Until then ...

Why not golf in Turkey? Photos from Turkish Airlines World Golf Final

2012-10-11T16:17:51Z

View this gallery here.

Why not golf in Turkey? Day 2: Tiger and Rory stumble, the rains arrive

2012-10-11T15:40:01Z

People often ask me, "Brian, what's the draw for you to Turkey?" Now, aside from an incredibly favorable exchange rate between the USD and Turkish Lira, gorgeous scenery, astonishingly fun night life in Istanbul, exceptional food, historic sites and landmarks, the possibility for showing up in another "Taken" sequel ... I could go on, but instead let me share this story:

Quick anecdote from the first tee on the first day: This is the first World Golf Final and tensions are understandably high. Organizers are trying to figure out what to expect, and, like all live events, "that's a dilly of a pickle, neighborino." In any case, the crowd and, shamefully, the press were a bit overzealous on the first tee jostling for position. Mind you, I had my Bill Keane "Wasn't Me" ghost with me, so it wasn't me.

But yeah, according to some press reports, the head of the Turkey Golf Association "headbutted" a local reporter who, after numerous and insistent verbal requests to move, refused to move. Not that I'm here to condone violence, but I will say that it was much more "physically accosting" rather than "headbutting" or something else so gauche; but that spontaneity and the logic of "Well, a headbutt will solve this, tout de suite?" That is an aspect of Turkey that draws me back, you just never know what will happen.

For what it's worth, the reporter was fine, save for a pair of broken sunglasses. Still, THAT happened and also the dude is likely gonna get off Scot free, which leads me to this bulleted list:

How To Get Away With Headbutting/Physically Accosting Someone

Be Irish.
Short on Irish blood? Put down those vampire fangs, Drac. You don't need to be Irish, just be in a position of power.
Be charismatic and cool as a cucumber when the press comes around asking about "the incident."
Apologize like a charismatic and cool cucumber would.

A lesson to be certain for locals, journos and tourists, Turkey is awesome and Turks be gully, so you have fun, but within reason.

Following the sturm und drang at the first tee, the rest of the opening day went fine, unless your name was Tiger Woods or Rory McIlroy, who both came up on the wrong side of match play rounds to Charl Schwartzel and Matt Kuchar, respectively. In the other bracket Lee Westwood and Justin Rose made inroads towards the semis with Round 1 wins over Webb Simpson and Hunter Mahan.

Day 2 opened with near perfect weather conditions: clear skies, beams of sunlight flitting and flirting with cypress leaves and bird wings, fish leaping out of the water hazards, idyllic golf setting. Sadly, the perfect weather didn't last as dark and foreboding thunderheads rolled in about halfway through the second round and the four pairings were lucky to finish before ...THE RAINS CAME -- a deluge that lasted for the rest of the day and, incidentally, knocked out the power at the resort I'm staying at.

I know, I know, "Awww, poor baby." But guys, the velociraptors got loose from their pen! [Ed. Wut?] In any case, I've got a four-minute video from the balcony of my room of the rain. It's very compelling.

With the second day of matches being washed out, everything was delayed, up to and including the determining matches to see who would advance to the semis. I'll keep you a spry of all developments (Tiger Woods, Matt Kuchar, and Charl Schwartzel are setting the course on fire right now. No, not literally.)

Notes/Ephemera:

Rory McIlroy's "TEH OMG SPECIAL LADY FRIEND" Caroline Wozniacki has been walking the course all week with the crowds. (She's the one on the other side of the rope, with the pass that reads "All Access" and by all measures seems an affable, funny, and awesome human.)
On the first day of play and so far the "WTF Moment" of the Turkish Airlines World Golf Final, was this guy:

Right there. THAT's the triple crown of nouveau riche golf fans crashing the gates. To wit: straw hat, aviator shades, Stone Roses (!!!) tee, and striped pants. So, technically, it's a quadruple crown of nouveau riche -- and he wasn't even an ugly American! UK STAND UP! "Bravo, sir. Bravo."

Why not golf in Turkey? Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy invade Turkish Riviera

2012-10-10T14:37:27Z

Reasonable people, when faced with a situation that takes control of their life and puts that control in the hands of someone else, well, reasonable people try to consider all known variables. Flying, for instance, is one of those "life is in whose hands now?" situations where all variables are considered, if only for an instant, variables up to and including death. I say reasonable people and I say "if only for an instant" because irrational people can have hell-bent phobias of flying. But for the reasonable, there's always that moment as a plane's wheels shed the pavement of a runway -- not fear of flight or that weird shifting and feeling of weightlessness, but an instinctual kick south of the spleen saying, "This isn't normal. We're going really fast, we're very high up, something could go wrong."

That feeling? It's been my experience that a normal traveler can quell that feeling on their own on any flight, but for airliners to be considered a cut above, they need to make you forget that feeling seamlessly and with their own powers. So good on you, Turkish Airlines, for helping me forget about the possibility of a terrible, painful, fiery death. Of course, Turkish Airlines, while eliminating one matter of concern, supplanted it with another far more trivial and less existential burden: deciding between goat cheese ravioli and boeuf bourguignon. I went with the ravioli, after the small plate of salmon tartare, and before the aperitif and cheese platter. All of which was so much fuel for a very long nap on one of those seats that convert to a comfortable bed. (Just make the check out to B. Lauvray c/o: SB Nation, Turkish Airlines #KTHXBAI)

But enough about death and comfortable airliners that have astonishingly excellent food, not just for air travel, but for earthbound restaurants as well. I'm back in Turkey once again, and for the first time, I'm visiting an area not within the immediate vicinity of Istanbul. Nope, I'm in southwest Turkey on the Mediterranean Coast checking out some historical sites, and more relevant to a sports website, I was given a press pass for a golf tournament. What golf tournament? An inaugural affair dubbed the Turkish Airlines World Golf Final, a match play tourney pitting the likes of Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Matt Kuchar, Lee Westwood, Webb Simpson, Charl Schwartzel, Justin Rose and Hunter Mahan against each other in a round-robin format, with the final four advancing to the semis.

Golf in Turkey? "Yeah, why not golf in Turkey?" Turkey with an emerging upper and upper-middle class has become the golf destination du jour for Europeans (particularly Russians, Germans and Belgians). While on a more down-low trajectory than, say, the UAE, Turkey has been pulling the "ball so hard, check us out, EU" efforts for over 15 years, making huge strides in infrastructure, technology, job development -- you name it, they're doing it -- while targeting sports as the latest sphere of influence and affluence with which to market and brand the nation.

The efforts haven't gone unnoticed. Turkey's successful hosting of the 2010 FIBA World Championships brought the country to a new level of awareness to the Western World in regards to sports and hosting therein of sports, and Turkey is lobbying the IOC hard for Istanbul to be the host of the 2020 Olympic games. Additionally, with the IOC seriously contemplating golf as a sport for the 2016 games and beyond, the dots begin to connect themselves as to why Turkish Airlines and the Turkish government would sponsor a world-class golf tournament with some of the biggest names in the sport.

The region the tourney is taking place in is called Belek, which is a district of the rapidly growing Antalya metro area. Antalya has seen exponential population growth over the past 30 years. Belek in many ways resembles the golfing communities of Hilton Head, S.C. (if Hilton Head had fewer snowbirds in conversion vans), or Florida's more tony golf resorts (if Florida had fewer alligators and was less Florida-y all around). Namely, Belek's climate is hot and muggy, and its location is squarely in the Turkish Riviera, a prime stretch of Mediterranean shoreline that's been eyeballed by all of history's great real estate entrepreneurs (Roman Emperor Hadrian had a villa and still has a gate named after him there, the Byzantine Empire had Antalya and Belek as primary trade ports. You get the idea: coast, strategic placements, etc.)

While Hadrian, the Byzantine Empire, the Ottoman Empire, et al, have all gone the way of the dodo, conquest is still a big theme in the area, and after the first day of match play, the favorites, Woods and McIlroy, are each down a match and both will have to win out if they hope earn a crack at the $1.5 million prize. (Aside: the total purse for the tourney is $5.2 million. With a purse like that, Turkish Airlines essentially bought out the club, made it rain, and proceeded to leave the club with the PGA just standing there.) Woods and McIlroy are paired together for the final round of qualifiers, and both could be eliminated by that point, but I'll be on the course covering it and will have a full report from Antalya Golf Club later today, which will be around 1 p.m. ET back in the States.