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Bulls To Hire J.J. Polk As Assistant GM

April 10th, 2020 at 2:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Although the Bulls have yet to officially announce the hiring of Arturas Karnisovas, it appears that the team’s new head of basketball operations has already lined up the first new addition to his management group. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter), Chicago is hiring Pelicans executive J.J. Polk as an assistant general manager.

K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter links) first identified Polk as a candidate to join the Bulls and noted that he would likely be made an assistant GM.

Polk, known for his salary cap expertise, held the title of executive director of basketball administration in New Orleans. He has a connection to the Chicago area, having earned his law degree at the University of Illinois.

Karnisovas and the Bulls figure to continue filling out the front office in the coming days and weeks and are expected to hire at least one more assistant GM in addition to Polk, according to Johnson (Twitter link).

Bulls Battling 'Old-School' Perception

April 9th, 2020 at 4:55pm CST by Luke Adams

In an in-depth feature on the Bulls and their hiring of new head of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas, K.C. Johnson and Tom Haberstroh of NBC Sports note that the team had been battling the perception that it’s too “old-school,” looking to the past rather than the future. The front office overhaul is partly about changing that perception. “They are in the same boat as the Lakers were before LeBron (James) fell in their lap,” an Eastern Conference executive told NBC Sports. “They didn’t think they needed to upgrade the front office because ‘Hey, we’re the Bulls.'”
While it’s possible that the Bulls will retain head coach Jim Boylen for another season, Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link) identifies Kenny Atkinson as a logical target if Karnisovas does want to make a change. Chicago has a young roster and Atkinson established himself as a strong developmental coach in Brooklyn. Boylen is reportedly concerned about his job security but is confident he’ll be given the chance to remain in the role.

Bulls’ Jim Boylen Confident He’ll Be Retained?

April 9th, 2020 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

4:00pm: Despite his concern about his job security, Boylen remains confident that he’ll get to start next season as the Bulls’ head coach, a source close to the situation tells Cowley.

9:42am: As the Bulls prepare to officially hire Arturas Karnisovas and revamp their front office, head coach Jim Boylen is concerned that he won’t be given the opportunity to return to the team in 2020/21, a source told Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times on Thursday morning.

According to Cowley, Boylen is hoping he’ll get the chance to “sit down with his new bosses” and discuss the season-and-a-half he has spent as Chicago’s head coach.

Longtime Bulls executive VP of basketball operations John Paxson, COO Michael Reinsdorf, and team owner Jerry Reinsdorf have remained supporters of Boylen throughout his tenure with the team, despite the fact that the on-court results were lacking. Boylen has led the Bulls to a 39-84 record (.317) since taking over for Fred Hoiberg early in the 2018/19 season.

With Paxson expected to shift into a background role, Cowley suggests that the Reinsdorfs “won’t be throwing a life preserver” to Boylen if Karnisovas decides he wants to make a change.

Although the Bulls moved forward with their front office search during the NBA’s coronavirus-related hiatus, it’s not clear if the same level of urgency will be applied to a head coaching search, especially with the possible resumption of the 2019/20 season still up in the air.

Teams like the Nets and Knicks, who were expected to be in the market for a permanent head coach this spring, aren’t actively conducting their searches right now and may wait until the actual offseason to do so — if Chicago follows suit, that would give Karnisovas plenty of time to evaluate Boylen before making any final decisions.

More Notes, Details On Bulls’ Hiring Of Karnisovas

April 9th, 2020 at 11:17am CST by Luke Adams

Once Arturas Karnisovas formally assumes control of the Bulls‘ front office, he intends to hire a person of color to be the team’s general manager, a league source tells Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. Goodwill’s story comes on the heels of a Wednesday report which indicated that black executives around the NBA were upset that all five candidates known to have interviewed for the top Chicago job were white, including a couple who had made racially insensitive comments in the past.

According to Goodwill, the Bulls requested permission during their search process to speak to Thunder VP of basketball operations Troy Weaver, who is black, but were denied. Chicago also tried to interview Raptors GM Bobby Webster, a Japanese-American, but didn’t receive permission from Toronto.

As K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago tweets, the Bulls did hold an informal interview with former Chicago center Nazr Mohammed, who has worked in Oklahoma City’s front office. That interview wasn’t for the team’s top front office job though.

Bulls COO Michael Reinsdorf has made a series of diverse hires in the Bulls’ business operations department in recent years, per Goodwill, who hears that the younger Reinsdorf has spoken both publicly and privately about the importance of having a diverse staff.

Here’s more on the Bulls’ hiring of Karnisovas and on the Nuggets, who will lose their general manager:

A source tells Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times that longtime executive VP of basketball operations John Paxson will continue to be a “sounding board” for the Reinsdorfs going forward, but will only weigh in on basketball decisions if asked by Karnisovas.
The Bulls’ front office search had its flaws, but the team ultimately landed on a very promising candidate in Karnisovas, opines Jon Greenberg of The Athletic.
Rockets GM Daryl Morey, who previously worked with Karnisovas in Houston, praised the Bulls’ choice and told Tom Haberstroh of NBC Sports (Twitter link via K.C. Johnson) that he’s happy to see the veteran exec get a shot to run a team. “Arturas is one of the best executives in the NBA,” Morey said. “I’m so happy he is getting this opportunity. He was instrumental in our success. I’m also thrilled he’s in the East now!”
Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly and team owner Josh Kroenke were “instrumental” in helping Karnisovas land the Chicago job, a source tells Mike Singer of The Denver Post. In a separate story for The Post, Singer spoke to former NBA player Jared Jeffries, who worked with Karnisovas for four years in Denver’s front office and called the Bulls’ decision to hire him a “no-brainer.”
Karnisovas’ departure leaves the Nuggets with a hole in their basketball operations department, and Nick Kosmider of The Athletic suggests that assistant GM Calvin Booth may be a candidate for a promotion.

NBA, ESPN Announce Details Of H-O-R-S-E Competition

April 9th, 2020 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

As expected, Thunder guard Chris Paul, Hawks guard Trae Young, and Bulls guard Zach LaVine are among the players who will participate in the H-O-R-S-E competition being organized by the NBA, NBPA, and ESPN, per a press release.

According to the announcement, Jazz guard Mike Conley, former NBA stars Chauncey Billups and Paul Pierce, newly-elected Hall-of-Famer Tamika Catchings, and three-time WNBA All-Star Allie Quigley will fill out the eight-person field for the event.

The four quarterfinal matchups will air on Sunday evening (April 12), with Young facing Billups and Catchings facing Conley in group one, while LaVine goes up against Pierce and Paul squares off against Quigley in group two. The group one winners will face one another in the first semifinal next Thursday (April 16), with the group two winners competing in the second semifinal. The final will take place on the same night.

A coin toss will determine which player starts each matchup. Each player will be required to describe his or her shot attempt beforehand and dunking won’t be permitted. ESPN’s Mark Jones will serve as the event’s host, with each player attempting shots from his or her own home gym.

The event will raise more than $200K in support of coronavirus relief efforts.

Bulls Finalizing Deal To Hire Arturas Karnisovas

April 8th, 2020 at 11:43pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls are finalizing a deal with Nuggets general manager Arturas Karnisovas that will make him Chicago’s new executive VP of basketball operations, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

According to Woj (via Twitter), the Bulls offered the job to Karnisovas earlier in the evening on Wednesday and spent the night negotiating the details.

Karnisovas’ diverse background in basketball was said to appeal to the Bulls. Before working with Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly to build a contender in Denver, Karnisovas was part of the basketball operations department in the NBA’s league office and served as an international scout for the Rockets. He also had a successful EuroLeague career as a player and won a pair of bronze medals for Lithuania’s national team in the Olympics.

Karnisovas had been with the Nuggets since being hired as an assistant general manager in 2013. He was promoted to GM in 2017 and helped build a roster that won 54 games in 2018/19 and was on nearly an identical pace this year before the NBA suspended its season.

Momentum had been building toward Karnisovas landing the job throughout the week as he interviewed for the position and emerged as a frontrunner. He’ll now be tasked with hiring a new general manager and reshaping the Bulls’ front office, per Wojnarowski. With no end to the NBA’s hiatus in sight, the Bulls’ new exec should have plenty of time to evaluate the roster and weigh offseason options for the franchise.

Longtime Bulls executive VP of basketball operations John Paxson is expected to move into the background as part of the front office overhaul. While Paxson will likely assume an advisory position, he’d reportedly be willing to step down from the franchise altogether if Karnisovas and team ownership decide there’s no role for him. Meanwhile, a reassignment to the scouting department appears to be the most likely outcome for general manager Gar Forman.

Jazz GM Justin Zanik, former Hawks GM Wes Wilcox, and veteran executives Bryan Colangelo and Danny Ferry were among the other candidates to speak to the Bulls this week. Chicago was also said to have interest in Pacers GM Chad Buchanan, Raptors GM Bobby Webster, and Heat assistant GM Adam Simon, but they didn’t end up interviewing with the Bulls and will stay with their respective teams.

As for the Nuggets, it remains to be seen how Karnisovas’ impending departure will impact their front office. Assistant GM Calvin Booth could be among the candidates for a promotion as Denver looks to fill the hole created by Karnisovas’ exit.

Bulls Notes: Karnisovas, Zanik, Reinsdorf, Boylen

April 8th, 2020 at 8:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Nuggets general manager Arturas Karnisovas made a strong impression on the Bulls‘ front office during his interview today, a source tells Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Management plans to meet with Karnisovas again electronically in a few days, and he could be hired as soon as next week.

A few other prominent names emerged today from the team’s interview process and some of them may be added to the organization as well, Cowley adds, as chief operating officer Michael Reinsdorf is using the makeover to create depth in the front office. Cowley states that not all the interviews have been for the executive VP of basketball operations position, and some of them were just former executives that Reinsdorf wanted to gather information from.

The source says Jazz executive Justin Zanik also impressed Reinsdorf with his background in player relationships and salary cap knowledge. The Bulls may decide to hire several executives and have them manage separate departments.

There’s more tonight from Chicago:

NBA writer Stephen Noh examines Karnisovas’ background in a story on The Patreon. His aggressive philosophy toward trades was shaped by his first NBA job with the Rockets more than a decade ago, where he worked with general manager Daryl Morey, former Sixers GM Sam Hinkie and current Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas. “They would call every team constantly and look for ideas of how they can make their team better.” Karnisovas said. “That’s what I took and still to this day, I believe in coming up with 100 ideas. Maybe one will stick.”
Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated examines some of the challenges awaiting whoever gets hired to run the team. He believes there’s too much young talent in place for a complete overhaul, but veterans such as Thaddeus Young and Tomas Satoransky may be moved. A decision also has to be made on the fate of head coach Jim Boylen.
Black executives around the league are upset that no African American candidates have been interviewed in the Bulls’ front office search, according to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. “It’s clear there is an underlying hypocrisy telling us the NBA is diverse, but when an opportunity comes, the process isn’t,” a black assistant GM said. “All we want is a chance. As a black man, all we want is a fair opportunity to show we are just as qualified.”

Bulls Continue Talks With Top Candidate Karnisovas

April 8th, 2020 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Bulls president and COO Michael Reinsdorf completed an initial round of virtual interviews for a new executive VP of basketball operations on Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reiterates what we’ve been hearing over the last 24 hours: Nuggets general manager Arturas Karnisovas has emerged as the focus of Chicago’s search.

K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago reported this afternoon (via Twitter) that there are plans for the Bulls are Karnisovas to talk again after their initial meeting, and Wojnarowski confirms that conversations between the Nuggets GM and Bulls officials are continuing today.

According to Wojnarowski, Karnisovas’ “diverse background” in basketball appeals to the Bulls. Before working with Tim Connelly to build a contender in Denver, Karnisovas was part of the basketball operations department in the NBA’s league office and served as an international scout for the Rockets. He also had a successful EuroLeague career as a player and won a pair of bronze medals for Lithuania’s national team in the Olympics.

If the Bulls decide Karnisovas is their man, he’s expected to be given the go-ahead to make changes within the team’s front office, including hiring a new general manager, sources tell Wojnarowski. Current GM Gar Forman will likely be re-assigned to the scouting department.

Jazz GM Justin Zanik and former team executives Danny Ferry, Wes Wilcox, and Bryan Colangelo have also interviewed with the Bulls.

Paul, Young, LaVine Among Likely H-O-R-S-E Participants

April 8th, 2020 at 3:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA and ESPN have nearly finalized a plan to televise a H-O-R-S-E competition to help sate fans’ appetite for basketball, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

While it’s unclear exactly when the event will take place, Wojnarowski says Thunder guard Chris Paul, Hawks guard Trae Young, and Bulls guard Zach LaVine are among the players expected to participate. The field will also include a couple of WNBA players and recent NBA players, according to Woj.

As we relayed over the weekend, the plan would be for players to remain in isolation, likely in home gyms, while putting up shots against competitors.

H-O-R-S-E is a popular playground game in which a player attempts a shot, and if it goes in, a competitor has to make the same shot from the same spot on the court. Each failure to do so results in a letter, and the first player to spell out H-O-R-S-E is eliminated.

Bulls Interview Bryan Colangelo For Top Front Office Role

April 8th, 2020 at 1:33pm CST by Luke Adams

As the Bulls continue to conduct interviews for their top basketball operations job, Bryan Colangelo is the latest veteran executive to emerge as a candidate. Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that Colangelo has interviewed with Chicago for the open position.

As we detailed earlier this afternoon, the list of candidates to interview for the Bulls’ job now includes Nuggets GM Arturas Karnisovas, Jazz GM Justin Zanik, former Hawks GM Wes Wilcox, and former Cavs, Hawks, and Pelicans GM Danny Ferry, in addition to Colangelo.

Colangelo previous served as the head of basketball operations in Phoenix, Toronto, and Philadelphia, winning Executive of the Year awards in 2005 with the Suns and in 2007 with the Raptors.

His time with the Sixers memorably came to an end in 2018, when he resigned after just two years following allegations that he was using burner Twitter accounts to disparage 76ers players and to disclose private information about them. Subsequent reporting found that Colangelo’s wife was responsible for creating some or all of those accounts and publishing that sensitive info.

The Bulls have already interviewed five candidates and may not be done, but Karnisovas still looks like the odds-on favorite. The Nuggets GM “made a strong impression” on the Bulls during their search, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who tweets that conversations are ongoing.