NEWSLETTER
I want wins during the 2020-21 season, but I’d settle for some respect. The Bulls franchise has turned into an afterthought around the league, and rightfully so with their recent play and management. I think it’s damn time we get back into the national conversation. As one of the biggest NBA markets with one of the leagues most world-renowned names, the Bulls should never be pushed aside like a bowl of brussels sprouts on Thanksgiving. I’m not saying we need to be the Turkey or even the cranberries. I’d happily settle for the green bean casserole. It may not be the best, but it’s always on the plate.
Now, I’m hungry.
• Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley might be on every Chicago Bulls fans’ radar, but we can’t say the same for many folks who work in league circles. The Athletic spoke with 20 NBA agents about a handful of offseason topics, a couple of which had to do with team executives. For example, these agents were asked to name which front-office leaders they trust the most, in addition to who is the smartest and the best talent evaluator. Unfortunately, Karnisovas’ name didn’t come up in any category. Not even one. And the same can be said for Bulls GM Marc Eversley. To be fair, both names didn’t come up in any negative category either, which is certainly a good thing, but … come on.
• Alas, perhaps this provides us with a spoonful of reality. Neither Karnisovas nor Eversley have proven anything yet in their new positions, and many aren’t ready to give them a tip of the hat. Not to mention, this tells us that the front office might have a ways to go when it comes to building relationships. A strong reputation among agents can only help when it comes to free agency and player negotiations. Both Karnisovas and Eversley are said to be strong relationship-builders with a knack for face-to-face interaction, so let’s hope both skills can be put to good use over their first offseason/regular season.
• I don’t think we need to be concerned about the lack of recognition (at least, not right now), but I’ll admit it’s a tad frustrating that none of the Bulls new brass were thrown into the conversation. I mean, Nuggets executives Calvin Booth and Tim Connelly each had their name brought up in some positive way or another. Karnisovas helped build that successful team as the second in command before leaving to take the Bulls gig, so it feels like he should at least get a mention. At the same time, no longer with the franchise, people were likely quick to disassociate him. Whatever. Maybe the Bulls crew will show up in Part 2 of the agents’ conversation, which should drop soon.
• Oh, one agent also used this as an opportunity to hate on former-Bulls general manager Gar Forman. When answering a question about which executives should be trusted the least, one agent said the following: “(With Forman), if I can’t get you on the phone, I don’t trust you.” If that doesn’t tell you how bad he was at his job, I don’t know what will. I mean, just picking up the phone is arguably the easiest part of being a general manager, having the actual discussions is the hard part. Yeesh. I’m so happy the Bulls have moved on.
• Our friends over at NBC Sports Chicago did an interesting ranking for y’all:
NBA offseason: We ranked the Bulls’ roster from 1-15 in terms of likelihood of staying or going for 2020-21. https://t.co/xGusxNL36O
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) October 21, 2020
• I’d say the most important takeaway that they believe Zach LaVine is the most likely of the “core members” to be on the move. To be clear, it’s not as though they said it was probable, but I do find it interesting that they would put him ahead of Lauri Markkanen or Wendell Carter Jr. Would you? He would net the biggest return, which could very much be of interest to a front office looking to shake things up. However, we’ve also got wind that this team is looking to “retool” and maintain a competitive nature, LaVine is probably still the player that helps them win the most games next season.
• Want to live where Toni Kukoc did? Kind of weird, … but go for it! According to the Chicago Tribune, Kukoc is selling his Chicagoland home for $920,000.
• *shivers*
So what’s your first thought when you see this photo? pic.twitter.com/OExkRIrrY8
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) October 20, 2020
• The battle you didn’t know you needed.
https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1318684331259383819?s=20
