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Chicago sportswriter Lacy J. Banks dies

Lacy J. Banks was an unconventional pioneer.

He was a trailblazer as the first African-American sportswriter for the Sun-Times, a job that led him to cover seven world championships involving Chicago teams.

He was a Baptist preacher for nearly 60 years, too, a side of himself he could uniquely intertwine into his career as a journalist.

And beginning in 2008 he became his own journalism subject, chronicling his health battles with prostate cancer, a brain tumor and heart disease in blogs he wrote for the Sun-Times.

He won his first two battles, but the last would conquer him. Banks, 68, died Wednesday.

Banks was the longest-serving sportswriter on the Sun-Times’ staff, joining the paper on Aug. 7,

1972, and remaining on staff until his death. For most of that time, he covered the Bulls and the NBA, ranking among the longest-tenured pro basketball writers in the country. His time on the beat spanned from the mid-1980s to last season, when he covered the Bulls into the NBA postseason.

— Reported by Toni Ginnetti of the Chicago Sun-Times

No Derrick Rose, but Bulls beat Sixers

Playing without Derrick Rose hasn’t held back the Chicago Bulls.

C.J. Watson, starting for the injured MVP, scored 20 points and Joakim Noah added 13 points and 11 rebounds to lead the resilient Bulls to an 89-80 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night.

The Bulls overcame an early 14-point deficit without Rose, who missed his third straight game with a strained groin. Rose has missed 13 games this season and the Bulls still have the best record in the NBA at 37-10. They are 9-4 without Rose.

“That was a tough team we just beat so it gives us a lot of confidence, we just need to keep it going. We are playing without our MVP so we just need to keep getting better, keep improving. It was a good bounce back game from yesterday,” Noah said…

Jrue Holiday led the 76ers with 30 points. Philadelphia dropped its third straight and has lost seven of nine on the road. Holiday got little help as Andre Iguodala was held to seven points and Elton Brand to seven.

Holiday attempted 27 shots, but he was the only offense the 76ers had going.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Derrick Rose buys condo in Trump Tower

Derrick Rose

Has about $900 bazillion dollars

Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose has found a new home to match his sky-high game: a condominium in the Trump International Hotel & Tower.

Just before signing a $95 million contract extension with the Bulls, the reigning NBA MVP paid $2.8 million for a three-bedroom unit on the upper floors of the riverside skyscraper, county records show. The Englewood native and former Simeon Career Academy standout says he is waiting for furniture to arrive at his new pad before moving from north suburban Northbrook.

“It’s definitely an unbelievable feeling just being up there,” Mr. Rose, 23, said before Saturday’s game against the Utah Jazz. “The view is nice and I don’t take it for granted. It’s a blessing.”

County records show that a private trust paid $2.8 million in December for a 3,102-square-foot unit near the top of the 92-story tower and two parking spots, financing the deal with a $1.7 million mortgage from Northern Trust Co.

— Reported by Crain’s / ChicagoRealEstateDaily

Derrick Rose OK after minor car accident

Bulls star Derrick Rose was involved in a minor car accident in Chicago.

Illinois State Police say Rose was headed south on the Kennedy Expressway at Ogden Avenue late Tuesday afternoon when his 2011 Bentley was struck from behind by a 2002 Saturn.

The Bulls say Rose was not injured. Police cited the driver of the Saturn, Charles Tratwein, for failing to reduce speed to avoid a crash.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Derrick Rose fined for public criticism of officiating

Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose has been fined $25,000 for public criticism of officiating, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President Basketball Operations.

Rose was fined for comments made to the media after the Bulls’ 104-99 win over the New York Knicks on March 12 at the United Center.

According to the AP, “Rose sounded off after a 104-99 victory over the New York Knicks on Monday, saying he’s “got to be the only superstar in the league that’s going through what I’m going through right now.”

Dwight Howard may be resisting a trade to Bulls

The Orlando Magic would like to seriously engage the Bulls in trade talks for Dwight Howard, but the All-Star center’s apparent reluctance to make a long-term commitment to Chicago has all but killed the discussions, league sources told CBSSports.com.

The feeling among rival executives remains that the Magic seem intent on rolling the dice and keeping Howard for the rest of the season, hoping a long playoff run, emotional ties to Orlando and an extra year and $29 million they could offer would persuade him to stay beyond this season. But the move would be highly risky, given that Howard has refused to publicly commit to the Magic — a stance that sources view as a strong sign that he’d leave as a free agent if he isn’t traded.

“He’s telling everyone he’s leaving,” one league source said Sunday.

Magic executives are said to be unimpressed with the assets Howard’s three preferred teams could provide in a trade, prompting them to engage in a calculated campaign to expand the field of potential suitors beyond the Nets, Mavericks and Lakers. But the team that can make the strongest case for Orlando to depart from its risky strategy of holding onto Howard are the Bulls, who could offer 7-footer Omer Asik, Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer for Howard and Hedo Turkoglu, sources said. The Bulls also could offer a valuable first-round pick from Charlotte — top-14 protected in this year’s draft but but unprotected by 2016.

— Reported by Ken Berger of CBS Sports

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Luol Deng still dealing with hurt wrist

Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said he held Luol Deng out of Saturday’s morning shootaround but that the forward is a game-time decision for Saturday night’s game against the Utah Jazz.

Deng said after Thursday’s loss to the Orlando Magic that he might sit for one or two games to rest his injured left wrist, which has a torn ligament.

“You look at it medically first,” Thibodeau said. “The one thing about Lu is he has a lot of toughness. He’s going to play through pain. Medically, if it makes more sense for him not to play, he won’t.”

— Reported by K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune

Derrick Rose dismisses talk of trade for Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard

He’s tall

If Dwight Howard is in town, that means questions about where he will be playing after the March 15 trade deadline are too.

“It definitely is getting old,” Derrick Rose said of being asked about the center before the Bulls lost to the Magic 99-94 Thursday night at United Center. “I’m sick and tired of hearing it. Chicago, marketing-wise is a great city. If someone chooses to come here, they definitely could.

“But I’m cool with the teammates I have. We have a winning record. It ain’t like we need to change anything. It’s not up to me. It’s up to the front office.”

There are zero indications Howard will add the Bulls to his list of teams with which he would sign an extension or that the Bulls are pursuing him.

“If it’s not about the Bulls, I really couldn’t care less about it,” Rose said.

— Reported by K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune

Magic end Bulls’ 8-game win streak

Dwight Howard

Jumps very high

Dwight Howard had 29 points and 18 rebounds to lead the Orlando Magic to a 99-94 win over the Bulls on Thursday, snapping Chicago’s eight-game winning streak.

Chicago twice overcame double-digit deficits and led 91-89 with 2:56 to play after Derrick Rose passed to Carlos Boozer for a jumper.

Orlando responded with an 8-1 run started by Jameer Nelson’s lob to Howard for a dunk. Ryan Anderson hit a 3 and a pair of free throws in the game-deciding rally.

The Magic bounced back from a 100-84 loss at Charlotte, beating the league-best Bulls two nights after losing to the last-place Bobcats.

Boozer led the Bulls with 26 points. Rose added 17 points and nine assists, but shot just 6 for 22 from the field.

Jason Richardson scored 18 points and hit four 3-pointers for the Magic. Orlando hit 11 3-pointers.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Charles Barkley critical of Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan’s good friend and fellow Hall of Famer Charles Barkley has a theory as to why the Chicago Bulls legend has largely failed as an NBA executive, and it has to do with the people around him, including those in the Charlotte Bobcats’ front office.

“I think the biggest problem has been I don’t know if he has hired enough people around him who he will listen to,” Barkley said Thursday on “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000. “One thing about being famous is the people around you, you pay all their bills so they very rarely disagree with you because they want you to pick up the check. They want to fly around on your private jet so they never disagree with you. I don’t think Michael has hired enough people around him who will disagree.”

Barkley, who is a TNT analyst, did not mince words when evaluating his friend’s performance in the front office.

“I love Michael, but he just has not done a good job,” Barkley said. “Even though he is one of my great friends, I can’t get on here and tell you he’s done a great job. He has not done a great job, plain and simple.”

— Reported by ESPN Chicago