Sam is gone . . . Chicago sports fans had, for over 25 years, one of the top NBA columnists in the country. . . Given the cutbacks in the newspaper business (certainly not just in Chicago) it is unlikely the Tribune will bring in someone new and experienced. . . So, KC will be our Bulls' guy for the forseeable future?

Implications: The Monday column Sam wrote was full of gossip he heard from his longtime sources around the league . . . We can assume KC will not have access to that depth of info. . . Sam had years of perspective about life in the NBA  including issues involving race, community service, team ownership and local politics which KC will need years to develop. . . Upside for KC is that he is young and can relate to the young players and, as younger coaches and GM's take over, KC could adjust to a changing league faster than the "older" Sam Smith (I'm older than Sam, gulp.)

So, we fans should be aware that change can be a good thing and fan patience is a virtue (not just for coaches & players but also for sportwriters.)We also need to step up ourselves and offer creative trades for the Bulls to make . . .  Perhaps, the best proposal of the season could be
called the "Sam's Trade Award" - as long as it too was ignored by the Bulls - as Sam's were!