NEWSLETTER
Every ounce of frustration regarding the Chicago Bulls’ third-straight quiet deadline has been justified. The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry shared a remarkably discouraging interaction with a “high-ranking Chicago Bulls executive” on Wednesday, and you’ll just have to read it to believe it.
Take a look:
‘“My point of contention was the front office punted on a pass offered happily by the team’s fans — a rebuild….
‘Your fans,’ the executive countered
….
The Bulls fans the executive was referencing are paying customers. My ‘fans,’ by and large, aren’t the segment that fills United Center on cold Chicago winter nights.
That exchange, albeit brief, provided tremendous insight into the minds that make up the Bulls’ management.”’
I want to encourage you to go read Mayberry’s full intro and mailbag over at The Athletic here. Not only does he answer many important questions about the direction of the organization, but he does so in a tone that reflects the confusion many Bulls fans feel.
I’m honestly stunned by this brief discussion. Perhaps that’s naive of me, considering everything we’ve seen from this front office in recent years. But I thought the franchise would at least have enough common sense to not say the quiet part out loud. We all knew that by choosing to sit on their hands with a 9th-place team, they were ignoring the obvious. We all knew that by not making an in-season trade since March of 2021, they were accepting mediocrity.
Still, I never quite thought they’d actually acknowledge that the on-court product wasn’t the priority. I expected Arturas Karnisovas to keep spewing his comments about remaining competitive while other members of the brain trust simply preached optimism. I thought they would at least fake it.
Mayberry is absolutely right, this exchange tells us that the Bulls are only going to see what they want to see. A full United Center means a fanbase that is content with a Play-In Tournament berth. Forget all the other people from around the country – and the league – that continue to question the product and motives. All that matters is that the out-of-towners and families looking to put a smile on their kids’ faces are paying for a ticket.
For what it’s worth, I understand that this is the majority of what matters to the business side. But that’s the problem. Arturas Karnisovas is the executive of basketball operations. His job is to put this organization in a position to compete at the highest level. However, with little pressure from upstairs due to the packed house, he doesn’t feel the need to do that job.
Indeed, as always, this just goes back to the message being sent from ownership. Most inside the front office are currently getting a big fat thumbs up because butts are in seats. And, well, as long as their bosses are giving them that, why should it matter what any “fans” have to say?
