Nba

Michael O'Connor is a glass half-full kind of guy. His new sports bar, The Ogden, is set to open in a few weeks, just blocks east of United Center. The address will make it one of the closest bars to the arena, a prime stop for Bulls fans - that is, if there's a season. O'Connor, general manager at the bar and restaurant, and owner Joseph Panfil had thought their food-driven sports spot would be opening as the Bulls 2011-2012 season was picking up steam. Instead they're busy crossing their fingers that it will happen at all. "It's interesting, because this could potentially be...

When the NBA locked out players in 2011, 26-year-old Jason Gallagher was living in Chicago, stuck in the middle of trying to write a comedy musical about basketball. Though he missed his favorite sport, the lockout gave him the story engine he'd been missing for his musical, which became "The Lockout: A Musical. " "I reached out to Henry Abbott (founder of ESPN's TrueHoop blog network) to see if I could get any writers from Chicago to come to [a reading of the musical]," said Gallagher, who lives in Old Iriving Park.

Whether you're fighting off an Easter candy coma or just wish you didn't have to wear a winter coat in April, this should cheer you up: It's playoff season! The Blackhawks begin their chase for the Stanley Cup on Thursday, and the Bulls begin their quest for the NBA title in a few weeks. So which is more exciting: the NBA playoffs or the Stanley Cup playoffs?   NBA The NBA playoffs mean the Bulls, Derrick Rose and the forces of Good vs. the Heat, LeBron James and the forces of Evil.

He'll never be mistaken for a Hall of Famer on the court, but NBA journeyman Jason Collins just became one off it, generating the kind of shockwave he's never been able to create in over a decade in the NBA. "I'm black," the former Washington Wizards center-turned-current NBA free agent's watershed essay begins innocuously enough on Sports Illustrated's website, "And I'm gay. " That it took us over a century to reach the point where a professional...

The setup: The non-prescription glasses craze has reached a fever pitch throughout the NBA playoffs. Even LeBron James, who's jumped headfirst into the trend, says it's gotten "out of control. " We tapped RedEye's fashion conscience to see if this fad still has legs. This round: Fashion-only eyeglasses: Cool or lame?   LAME This fashion faux pas needs to end. Who wears glasses just to wear frames other than to role-play, really? Some people who need eyeglasses to see don't like wearing them and opt for contacts or Lasik.

After very much enjoying this year's National Championship game in which Louisville defeated Michigan, I figured out exactly why: it looked like an NBA playoff game. This goes to an argument that drives me absolutely crazy: no, college basketball is not better than professional. People who say this may enjoy college basketball more, but they typically base their reasoning on highly fallacious talking points. Allow me to debunk some myths. Myth: College basketball has better basketball This is the most demonstrably stupid thing anyone can ever say about anything ever.

The Bulls completed the first "half" of their lockout-shortened 66-game season Wednesday night with a 110-91 win over the injury-plagued Milwaukee Bucks. Yes, they're even more injury-plagued than the Bulls. And while it's true that the Bulls technically have played more than half their games already - 35 of 66-- the All-Star break is the symbolic halftime of the NBA season. It's also the time when sports publications all over the country hand out their awards for first-half awards.

The NBA season is chugging along and for casual fans, there's not much going on to drive any interest toward anything. The Lakers are choking, the Bulls are Rose-less and the Nets are the best team in New York. One of the most interesting things out of this humdrum season is the news that the New Orleans Hornets will change their name to the Pelicans, after the state bird of Louisiana. Rather than pooh-pooh the decision, we should take this time to re-evaluate every NBA team name. The following teams can keep their names: Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston,...

This shortened yet busier-than-ever NBA season has been grueling - and the Bulls have had the injuries to prove it. But the scheduling gods seem to have smiled on the Bulls in the final two weeks of the season. Starting with Sunday's game in Detroit, the Bulls face some of the worst squads the NBA has to offer. With the Bulls' projected starting five's limited games together - Sunday was their 13th--these cupcake matchups just might be what the team needs. The soft season-ending schedule does include another meeting with...

Leave your answer in the comments box, and you might find yourself in a future issue of RedEye. Follow @redeyesportsguy for daily details about Five on Five openings. 1. Scoring five power-play goals in one game is like … 2. What's your substitute for watching NBA games? 3. The Bears are to “Monday Night Football” as … 4. Give Carlos Zambrano some advice for pitching in the Winter League. 5. Whom is this quote about: “He's a special dude”?

When handicapping the NBA playoffs, it is important to go beyond the stats and take a hard look at each team's identity as indicated by the real-life representation of its name. In other words, what if their mascots fought it out? Let's start in the East with the Miami-Milwaukee series. Devastating heat can cause exhaustion, starvation and death. Meanwhile a male deer is relatively docile. If you've ever driven the dark, winding roads of the Great North Woods, you've probably felt your heart stop when spotting a deer in your headlights, though believe me, the deer was much more frightened.

After very much enjoying this year's National Championship game in which Louisville defeated Michigan, I figured out exactly why: it looked like an NBA playoff game. This goes to an argument that drives me absolutely crazy: no, college basketball is not better than professional. People who say this may enjoy college basketball more, but they typically base their reasoning on highly fallacious talking points. Allow me to debunk some myths. Myth: College basketball has better basketball This is the most demonstrably stupid thing anyone can...

If you're a fan of college basketball, then this your favorite time of the year: March Madness! You fill out your brackets, then they turn into worthless pieces of paper as the tournament advances your picks get taken out one by one. Well, hopefully not. Regardless, it's fun to see how well you and your friends know college hoops. Bulls players are no different; all the guys keep up with their alma maters. The team also has an NCAA tourney pool, and most players participate. RedEye talked to the Bulls to get their takes on how their favorite teams will fare and what their bracket strategies are. ...

Nice all-star break for the Bulls. I need it, too. I need a break from the silliness that is the NBA. If I were an NBA coach and someone asked me what I did for a living, I'd just say, "I work with children. " The latest: Jay Williams, throwing allegations around that the Bulls smoked pot during the 2002-03 season. OK, look at that team, he's probably right. Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler, Donyell Marshall, Jamal Crawford, Jalen Rose. Coached by Bill Cartwright. My god, people may have needed a puff or two just looking at that lineup!

If you've been around NBA players, you quickly notice that despite differences in skill level and ability, they all have a few things in common. Go in any arena, in any NBA locker room and you'll virtually see every player has three things: Beats by Dre headphones, a Louis Vuitton or Gucci toiletry bag, and shoes made by either of those high-end designers. Of course, when you live the lifestyle of the rich and famous, you've got to play the part. Consider the retail value on these items.

The other day I was thinking with my brain, as I sometimes do, and I came up with a fool-proof idea to revolutionize the entire National Basketball Association. It's all about the structure of the season, and if you have any clout - with some sports blog, with ESPN, with Mike Wilbon, and especially with the league brass and incoming commissioner Adam Silver, go ahead and explain the ever-loving-shit out of this idea to them. Attention, Bill Simmons: this idea is so not half-baked; it's so fully, completely baked, it should be in a muffin shop (or wherever it is baked...

Enough is enough. Enough of the hand-wringing over Luol Deng's wrist injury. Enough of the worrying about what's wrong with Joakim Noah. Enough complaining about Carlos Boozer's defense. Enough fretting about Derrick Rose's big toe. Bulls fans have done a lot of focusing on the negative recently - and with all those doom-and-gloom headlines, they can't be blamed. But, looking at the big picture, there's a lot to be extremely happy about in Bulls nation. Take Monday night's huge 110-95 win over the New Jersey Nets, for example.

Nice all-star break for the Bulls. I need it, too. I need a break from the silliness that is the NBA. If I were an NBA coach and someone asked me what I did for a living, I'd just say, "I work with children. " The latest: Jay Williams, throwing allegations around that the Bulls smoked pot during the 2002-03 season. OK, look at that team, he's probably right. Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler, Donyell Marshall, Jamal Crawford, Jalen Rose. Coached by Bill Cartwright. My god, people may have needed a puff or two just looking at that lineup!

The NBA season is chugging along and for casual fans, there's not much going on to drive any interest toward anything. The Lakers are choking, the Bulls are Rose-less and the Nets are the best team in New York. One of the most interesting things out of this humdrum season is the news that the New Orleans Hornets will change their name to the Pelicans, after the state bird of Louisiana. Rather than pooh-pooh the decision, we should take this time to re-evaluate every NBA team name. The following teams can keep their names: Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, Detroit, New...

Anthony Davis' basketball story is about as unlikely as they come. Two years ago, playing in the NBA was just a dream for the Englewood native who outgrew his clothes and his bed nearly as fast as he rose to hoops superstardom. A 6-foot-2 guard who sprouts into an athletic, 6-10 shot blocker is the equivalent of hitting the genetic lottery in basketball. Especially when you consider the way Davis parlayed it into becoming the top player in his high school class, a McDonald's All-American, a national championship winner at Kentucky, the No. 1 pick in the 2012...