After officially announcing Arturas Karnisovas as the next executive vice president of basketball operations on Monday, the Chicago Bulls held a conference call to speak with the media.
If you got some free time, you can check out the whole thing here:
Otherwise …
My instant reaction: Karnisovas is one chill dude, and the smartest person in the room.
Longer reaction: Well, let’s get into that.
Karnisovas started off his portion in arguably the best way possible – making sure everyone knows he’s here to fix this mess: “I’m excited for this opportunity, this is my dream. Our ultimate goal clearly is to bring an NBA Championship to the city of Chicago. That is what every team in the NBA strives for. All we can control is our approach and the process behind every decision. A firm foundation is absolutely vital. I’ll build that here in Chicago. No skipping steps, there is a systematic approach to success that will be the product of focus and intention hard work and diligence. We will strive for constant improvement.” Ugh, I know to other NBA fans out there, this might sound like a normal quote, but to us, this is heaven. For the first time in quite some time, a press conference opened not with excuses, but instead, talk of solutions. Karnisovas sounds confident and competent, two things Bulls fans have learned to live without during the GarPax regime.
And, Karnisovas immediately continued to show us he’s one smart cookie by beautifully praising the city of Chicago: “Chicago is a great sports town with a long, robust sports history. This city is made up of very passionate fans, earning the enthusiasm and excitement back from the fans of the Chicago Bulls is both a challenge and something I very much look forward to. These fans deserve a team they can be proud of, and my objective is to get us back to relevancy.”
No, you’re crying! When’s the last time a Bulls front office member made the fans feel like a priority? By far the best part of this quote is the use of the word “back.” Karnisovas recognizes that over the past X-or-so years, the Bulls have pushed their fans away. The only way I was going to feel truly optimistic about a front office overhaul was if the new hire understood the fan’s emotions. A mere change of face in the front office wasn’t going to get people back in the building, a better product and proof of smart leadership, however, will. Honestly, this is why it was so important for the Bulls to finally hire someone out of market. Many of those within the organization have grown content, and if they haven’t, they’ve been around mediocre basketball long enough that they wouldn’t know how to change it. Karnisovas is an “uncorrupted” mind who can come in and see eye-to-eye with the sensible fan.
As the press conference went on, we got a better idea of exactly what Karnisovas will try to implement in his new front office: “My professional philosophy is knowing players, constant communication, roster balance, and deal-making creativity. As a leader, I have to understand individual roles and commit to execution of those responsibilities … I’m going to evaluate the current structure and where are the blind spots. I already hired two guys, JJ Polk and Pat Connelly, who will join the organization, so I already started that process. And my next step is to hire a GM. This process is going to be extensive and diverse.”
“Knowing players” and “deal-making creativity” really stand out to me here. For the Bulls to eventually establish themselves as a free agent destination, they need to prove to be collaborative and savvy. As we know, in today’s league, connecting with the players themselves is more important than ever before. While Karnisovas may be focusing on his FO rebuild right now, the time will come for him to establish a relationship with each player on this Bulls roster. Karnisovas has spoken with some players on the team already and has plans to speak with the remaining folks. Players talk, and the better reputation you can have from the beginning, the better chance you have for sustained success.
Also, important: Karnisovas said hiring a GM is next on the to-do list. When talking about what this entailed, he not only said he has a clear advantage over Michael Reinsdorf when it comes to hiring the right person (yes, he spoke those words and it was awesome), but he also commented that he wants someone who doesn’t have the same skill set as him. Smart man.
All right, you ready for his best quote of the day?
Arturas: "Regarding Gar, after some consideration and conversation, it was apparent that we have different philosophies that will prevent us from moving forward. Those decisions are never easy. I was hired to affect change."
The full quote: “After some consideration and conversation, it was apparent that we have different philosophies that would prevent us from moving forward. I’m sure Gar gave his best to the Bulls organization but those decisions are never easy. I was hired to effect change on the current situation, so that was the decision behind that.” SAVAGE. I might as well just buy a Karnisovas jersey right now. I’m all in.
As for Jim Boylen and the coaching staff though, the verdict is still out (but I wouldn’t worry too much): “No, for now, we’re [coaching staff] going to be evaluating and communicating and seeing how I can help them. At the same time, there is no timeline for hiring a GM, I’m going to take my time as well because it’s a very important decision for me.”
The Bulls announced John Paxson would move into a senior advisory role, and while this isn’t the outcome a lot of us wanted to hear, it was always the most realistic one.
Arturas on using Paxson: "I think right from the start during this hiring process, they were hiring No. 1 decision maker. John has a great reputation around the league and can be an asset. I appreciate his candor. he could be a huge help while I'm making this transition."
To be fair, no one has ever said Paxson is a bad guy. Bad at his job? Sure. I believe that Karnisovas probably doesn’t mind Paxson staying on in some kind of small/token role, but I also believe he’s smart enough to not ask him for any help. During the conference call, he made sure to remind everyone he is the No. 1. Nobody is going to change that.
Hey look, someone who cares about player development! “One of my primary goals is to establish player development. We are the second-youngest team in the league. Great young core. The Bulls drafted well. Players want to play, but at the end of the day, they want to win. My job is going to be to facilitate that. It was a huge thing for us in Denver, and it’s going to be huge here in Chicago because we’re going to have to improve our players.”
I look forward to more from the man with a plan tomorrow!
Arturas Karnisovas will join Mully and Haugh for his first radio interview in Chicago tomorrow morning at 8:30am. @670TheScore@chicagobulls
Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.
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