Arturas Karnisovas and Billy Donovan said a lot during their pre-Media-Day appearance on 670 The Score’s Mully & Haugh. They also said nothing at all.
Training Camp is less than a week away for the Chicago Bulls’ new-look roster. Attempting to set the stage for what this upcoming season will hold, Karnisovas and Donovan teed up a wait-and-see approach. While they emphasized the importance of player development, they simultaneously stressed the need for young players to earn on-court minutes. Neither uttered the word postseason or playoffs, but both made their winning mentality clear.
On the one hand, it was the kind of preseason fodder you’d expect from many retooling organizations. On the other hand, it was a reminder of the Bulls’ frustrating lack of direction. They have six days to clear some things up before addressing reporters at Media Day.
- The “Smoothing Things Over with Zach LaVine” tour made another stop on Wednesday morning. Of course, Mully & Haugh couldn’t help but ask Billy Donovan and Arturas Karnisovas about the drama surrounding the two-time All-Star. Both head coach and executive dodged any remarks regarding trade rumors – to no surprise – and focused largely on LaVine’s health and transparency.
“He looks in really really good shape,” Donovan said. “I think itโs the first time in the last year or so that heโs actually come back to training camp. Remember he came off knee surgery, so he looks a lot better. And itโs more about how weโre trying got play, how he fits in, those kinds of things. The big thing is we got a lot of younger players, so are we going to go younger, are we going to go older, how is all of this going to work? And we have open honest communication about it.โ
- Donovan confirmed that he spent time in Los Angeles with LaVine this offseason. He called the 29-year-old open-minded and seemed optimistic about his ability to fit into the Chicago Bulls’ new gameplan. Similar remarks were made by Arturas Karnisovas, who sounded eager to see the explosive scorer back on the floor.
โPeople forget that two years ago he was an All-Star, and heโs an ultimate pro. Heโs a great guy, great person. He likes his teammates,” Karnisovas said. “So, again, Iโm looking forward to seeing him in training camp. You know, we have a vision of how we want to play. Weโve obviously spent this summer talking about it with Billy that we want to play more uptempo, and he fits into that. Weโll see how that works.โ
- These words come only a couple of days after a report by The Athletic that mentioned LaVine’s somewhat surprising buy-in to this season. Now, will this last once the ball is actually tipped? That’s a very fair question. I also think this public damage control is precisely what any organization would do when trying to rebuild someone’s trade value. The rosier picture the Chicago Bulls can paint, the easier it might be to convince a front office to finally take the bait. And this goes both ways! If LaVine is also still interested in finding a better situation, playing it cool is a must.
- Better late than never? Donovan admitted what we have all known for years on Monday regarding the Chicago Bulls’ pre-historic play style.
โWeโve lost the analytical battle. We were just not a high-volume 3-point shooting team,” Donovan said. “There were games we walked into with teams taking an enormous amount of 3-point shots, and weโre not able to keep up at that rate. And itโs not necessarily about bombing up 3-point shots, but you donโt want to be up against it on a continuous basis.โ
- Do I think Donovan was actually blind to this over the last couple of seasons? No. He knew his best player was a mid-range maestro. The head coach also knew he simply didn’t have the supporting cast to play a more modern style of basketball. The Chicago Bulls ranked dead last in 3-point attempts in 2021-22 and 2022-23 before finishing just 26th last season. There is no question the roster is now more well-equipped to keep up behind the arc, but this still doesn’t mean they’re in great shape. Josh Giddey is far from a reliable downtown threat, while Matas Buzelis’ jumper is still more theoretical than consistent. Young players Dalen Terry and Julian Phillips have also shown little to nothing from long-range. Building a lineup that can keep up from behind the arc isn’t going to be easy.
- Arturas Karnisovas couldn’t get through one interview without a comment that made me want to rip my hair out …
โWeโre going to put an emphasis on bringing the home court advantage back โฆ We have to make this place a hard place to play,” Karnisovas said. “Thatโs why we tried to stick to our principles and the players act have good work ethic, physical, culture movers. We just recruit certain players that fit what weโre trying to build with.โ
- Does the executive know he isn’t the Athletic Director or a Big Ten team? As far as I’m concerned, no fan cares about this stuff, especially now. All Bulls fans want to see is player development and a path to sustained success. Build a winning product on the floor, and the United Center will be one of the toughest places to play in the league. Simple as that.
- Is that a challenge!?
- The Chicago Bulls shared a behind-the-scenes look at Dalen Terry’s offseason workouts. The team desperately needs another young player to take a step forward this season, and I’d love for it to be the former No. 18 overall pick. Even if the jump shot never comes around, there is a world where his defensive versatility and slashing ability can help him become a serviceable role player.
- A little Angel Reese update …
- It’s come to this …
- Blackhawks training camp is already underway!