Karnisovas Wants Continuity, Dosunmu’s Big Night, Face of the Franchise, and Other Bulls Bullets

The Chicago Bulls have 35 days to make up their mind.

If this isn’t the exact roster with which Arturas Karnisovas and Co. plan to tackle a competitive Eastern Conference playoff picture, then they have only a little over one month to make any changes. Sure, the buyout market can always present some possibly intriguing veteran, but the February 10th deadline will be the Chicago Bulls’ last opportunity to make any kind of truly impactful change. Again, that is, if that’s what they want.

As things currently stand, I’m not so sure an all-in push for a name like Jerami Grant or Harrison Barnes is on the table for this front office. Karnisovas spoke with 670 The Score’s Mully & Haugh on Thursday morning, and he seems cautious about rocking the first-place boat. But, at the same time, I’m convinced that AK has won every poker game he’s ever played, so who’s really to say what happens next?

•   Considering the Bulls are waving back to the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks as we speak, it came as no surprise that Karnisovas sounded very pleased with his existing roster. He also pointed out that – despite all the success – the team still has yet to see any sort of continuity thanks to injuries and COVID issues. With that in mind, it may be even easier to understand why Chicago could stay away from any big splash at the deadline, as there is real potential for them to see the most substantial improvement internally.

“The guys we probably didn’t think would be in the rotation are in the rotation. I think what DeMar and Zach are doing is incredible. And obviously Nikola. Just what the new signings like Lonzo and Alex have done in terms of adding a defensive component to this group.

And what I’m just waiting is to just get AC and Javonte back and see if we can get some kind of continuity with the same guys for an extended period of time.”

•   Seriously, it’s crazy to think about how much disruption this first-place team has already gone through. The four-primary starters – Lonzo Ball, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic – have played together in just 18 of the team’s 35 games. Look at arguably the Bulls’ best lineup, which adds in Alex Caruso, and that five-man combination has only appeared in 16 games this season. When we consider how good this Bulls team has been in the wake of all that, it’s reasonable to believe we haven’t even come close to seeing the peak of their powers. *29 other teams tremble in fear.*

•   HAPPY DOSUNMU DAY! The Chicago Bulls rookie is back in Champaign to watch his jersey rise into the rafters at the State Farm Center. The ceremony will happen during tonight’s battle between the Illini and Maryland Terrapins. You can watch live on ESPN 2 at 6:00 p.m. CT.

•   The Chicago Bulls assigned 10-day contract player Mac McClung to the G-League earlier this week, setting him up to play in the Windy City Bulls’ contest against the Moto City Cruise last night. The rookie dropped a solid 19 points with 9 assists, falling just behind two-way player Devon Dotson (20) for the team-high.

•   The decision to have McClung clock some extra work was interesting, especially when we consider Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley stopped by to watch. I find it hard to believe the Bulls would hand the rookie a roster spot as they did with veteran Alfonzo McKinnie, who also first joined the team on a 10-day contract, but perhaps this implies some kind of long-term interest. The fact the front office handed him a second 10-day deal in the first place told us they liked what they saw.

•   I know it may sound kind of dumb, but I do believe Zach LaVine showing up to last night’s Windy City Bulls game is a big deal. The guy didn’t have to drive to Hoffman Estates on a cold Wednesday night just to watch his organization’s G-League squad get beat. If that doesn’t tell you he (1) loves being a Bull and (2) is the face of this franchise, I don’t know what will.

•   Speaking of LaVine … KEEP VOTING!

•   Congrats to Nikola Vucevic’s idol on getting his number retired!

•   Every night the NBA has something crazy to offer …

•   … and some nights it has two …

•   Let trade season begin!

written by

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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