NEWSLETTER
Thursday morning got real interesting real quick.
In the midst of what has suddenly become a quiet GM search for the Chicago Bulls, a report surfaced that Arturas Karnisovas was on the brink of hiring a current big-time agent as the organization’s next general manager.
Emiliano Carchia with Sportando, a global basketball publication with a focus on European hoops, tweeted out this morning that renowned agent Austin Brown was in “advanced discussions” to become the Bulls next GM.
Here’s a look at the recently *deleted* tweet:
https://twitter.com/AE_Hutchinson/status/1253337336382799881?s=20
Indeed, that’s what makes this whole situation confusing.
Did Carchia receive entirely false information? Did he share something he wasn’t supposed to (yet)? Is it somewhere in between? It’s impossible to rule out Brown as a candidate, especially in today’s NBA landscape where agent-turned-executive is the hot new fad. And, of note, Brown is black, which I mention only because of prior reports revealing Karnisovas’ plan to hire a person of color to the open position. All in all, he is certainly a plausible candidate.
Fortunately, a source a little closer to home weighed in on the situation. Joe Cowley of the Sun-Times didn’t rule out the possibility that Brown is currently in the mix, but seems to believe the hiring process, in general, isn’t necessarily near a conclusion.
Saw the @Sportando tweet on A.Brown. Looks like it has now been deleted. Heard this morning the process was still on-going for a GM. That's all I can go on.
— Joe Cowley (@JCowleyHoops) April 23, 2020
I think Austin Brown is in the mix, but I also know Karnisovas wasn't done interviewing candidates, let alone finalizing someone today. https://t.co/BUBp6vSfQr
— Joe Cowley (@JCowleyHoops) April 23, 2020
Interesting. VERY … interesting.
Cowley also reiterated this morning (before this blew up) that Karnisovas was taking his time, and we “could have something by next week.” I don’t think it’s crazy to think in the middle of this brief Brown madness that Cowley hit up a source of his own, and maybe that’s why his most recent tweet does say he thinks the high profile agent is in play?
It’s probably wrong to put too much weight on any of this right now, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have my ears perked way up. Brown would an be incredibly intriguing hire for a lot of reasons. The guy is the co-head of CAA’s basketball division, has roots in Chicago (went to Evanston High School), and represents some of the NBA’s best talent.
Take a look at some of his clients: Zion Williamson, Dwyane Wade, Jaren Jackson Jr., Donovan Mitchell, D’Angelo Russell, Collin Sexton, Gary Harris, Kyle Kuzma, Kris Dunn, and Denzel Valentine. *massive eye-ball emoji*
Those two Bulls connections in there shouldn’t be overlooked. Not only does this mean he has a prior relationship with the organization of some kind, but if he took the job, it would be right before a restricted free agency period for both players.
All things considered, hiring someone with a boatload of player connections and negotiation experience would make a lot of sense for Karnisovas. He knows how to build relationships around the league, while Brown knows how to build them with players. I like that recipe.
Again, we have to keep things in perspective though. The truth of the matter is that the initial tweet was deleted and from a source that, while connected, isn’t typically breaking the biggest NBA news. Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s wrong – especially with the EuroLeague ties of both the source and Karnisovas – it just means we have to proceed with caution.
