NEWSLETTER
Fans and media may not hear a lot from Arturas Karnisovas, but Bulls players can’t say the same.
On Monday afternoon, Wendell Carter Jr. pulled back the curtain just a smidgen, telling reporters that Karnisovas has surely made his presence felt inside the Advocate Center. In fact, the big man said that the vice president of basketball operations is at team practices almost every day and that the two sometimes even sit down to review film.
Wendell Carter Jr. says he sometimes reviews film with Arturas Karnivosas, whom Carter called "very, very hands on."
Bulls players chat him up almost every day about basketball and life, Carter says.
— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) March 1, 2021
Karnisovas has built a reputation for himself as living in the gym, so it isn’t all that shocking to hear that he has been a familiar face inside practices. However, I wouldn’t necessarily label it as common for a team’s highest-ranking executive to be mingling with the players daily – let alone, watching film. We even learned earlier this season that both Karnisovas and GM Marc Eversley would oftentimes get swole with the team in the weight room.
I’m sure being this hands-on comes with its own emotional disadvantages, especially when it’s time to make the tough decisions, but there is also no question it helps ensure that the Bulls’ new culture is established. Karnisovas took the job with plans to re-invent the organization’s image on and off the court, saying he wanted to build a player-first mantra. I have to imagine having the lead decision-maker offer a helping hand consistently is a pretty good way to make players feel more involved/wanted.
In the grand scheme of things, head coach Billy Donovan and his coaching staff will be the ones to have the most impact on each player’s on-court success and personal development. But from a broader perspective, the presence and reliability of the front office can do wonders in building a new foundation as a whole. The impact of little things like this can go a long way toward attracting free agents and keeping breakout talent happy.
And, hey, I’m sure having the boss man around during an evaluative season at least increases the incentive to immediately perform well a tiny bit. A little pressure never hurt.
Anyway, the Bulls will play the Nuggets for the first time since Karnisovas left Denver for Chicago on Monday night, and Chicago’s leader also wasn’t shy about telling his team what he wanted.
Wendell Carter Jr. on what Arturas Karnisovas told the #Bulls ahead of their matchup against the Nuggets, AK's old team: "I need y'all to win this next game for me."
— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) March 1, 2021
Let’s get this W for AK, boy … or your fired!
