NEWSLETTER
Today is a good day!
We first caught word that former 76ers Senior VP of Player Personnel Marc Eversley would be our next general manager on April 27th, but the Chicago Bulls waited until today to finally make it official.
That’s right, the formal announcement means Jerry Reinsdorf wasn’t playing the cruelest April Fools joke on us in the history of … ever. Instead, the franchise’s basketball operations department will actually be run by outside-hires for the first time in the Reinsdorf era (which began in 1985).
*opens arms incredibly wide to welcome Eversley*
Welcome our new General Manager, Marc Eversley!
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) May 1, 2020
In case you’re still unfamiliar with Eversley’s background, I recommend you give one of our previous posts a peek. In short, he’s an experienced mind who has held high-ranking positions with the Raptors, Wizards, and 76ers. The guy also worked at Nike for 10 years and reportedly has quite the stash of relationships in his back pocket.
Here’s the statement he released this morning:
“Becoming a General Manger in the NBA and joining the Chicago Bulls family is a dream come true. I’m grateful to be working with someone like Arturas who shares my level of passion and commitment to winning basketball, and having both come from successful programs, we will put in the work and all it entails to become a sustainable and winning team. I want to thank Arturas, as well as Jerry and Michael Reinsdorf, for trusting in my leadership abilities to move this iconic franchise forward.”
Simple, clean, and confident. I like it.
Now, here’s a look at what our boy AK (that’s the cool way to say Arturas Karnisovas, by the way) had to say:
“I set out to find a General Manager who complemented my vision and values, and who could help implement them at the Bulls in a fresh way. Marc’s background and skills do exactly that. He has a history of building strong relationships across the board, identifying talent at organizations that have had success during his time there, and the necessary insight for building a network that will be an asset to our program. He’s ready for this next step in his career, and I’m looking forward to working with him to build the Bulls back into a perennial contender.”
Considering the Chicago Bulls have a bigger image problem than Spotted Dick (it’s a British pudding, calm down), the Eversley hire makes perfect sense. As Karnisovas alludes to in his released statement, Eversley greatest skillset is his ability to build and sustain connections. He will immediately offer a level of comfort and camaraderie for players and agents across the NBA, something the Bulls have lacked for years on end.
Also, I know few organizations would straight-up trash an executive upon their departure, but I always like to read their message nonetheless. It’s clear that Eversley has been a valued member in each of his past organizations, and 76ers GM Elton Brand drives that point home with what he said earlier today:
"Evs will be a great fit for the Bulls’ front office. We’ve known each other over 20 years, and I admired his rise through the ranks from afar, before having the pleasure of working closely with him in Philadelphia."
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) May 1, 2020
I’m not quite sure when we’ll first hear from Eversley in a press-conference-type format, but he did a great extended interview with ESPN’s Marc J. Spears that should hold us over until then.
Anyone who can work their way up from managing a Nike store to an NBA franchise is cool with me, especially when they’re always looking at the bigger picture:
“I’ve got a responsibility to a lot of kids, to a city, to a championship city, to a city that is burning for the days of The Last Dance. You look at Chicago as a city and some of the socioeconomic challenges they’ve had over the last few years, what can I do, or potentially do, to help alleviate some of that pain? Perhaps, you can do it through basketball. That provides an unbelievable opportunity for myself, everyone in the front office and in the organization to help make change.”
Yup, I’m sold on this guy.
With Eversley finally official, the Bulls revamped front office is truly beginning to take shape. Karnisovas has also hired cap specialist J.J. Polk who will act as an assistant GM and expert scout Pat Connelly who will be the vice president of player personnel. Neither has gotten the “official” announcement treatment from the Bulls yet, but both are already listed in the staff directory.
Let’s keep this thing moving. Who’s next!
