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Bulls’ Karnisovas, Eversley Leaning Toward Coaching Change?

May 8th, 2020 at 1:58pm CST by Luke Adams

While the Bulls aren’t saying much publicly about Jim Boylen‘s future, new executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley have received a “mixed bag of feedback” on Boylen and are believed to be leaning toward making a coaching change later this year, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.

As Cowley details, the Bulls’ owners and advisor John Paxson, who made Boylen the head coach in the first place, are in favor of retaining him and have told him as much. Karnisovas doesn’t want to “rock the boat” early in his tenure with the team, but he was promised full autonomy and is expected to be given the go-ahead if he wants to make a change.

According to Cowley, Boylen has spoken to both Karnisovas and Eversley on a regular basis since they were hired. However, the new Bulls execs have also been in frequent contact with players and others in the organization, and Cowley says that “several key players” have been critical of the head coach, who has a 39-84 (.317) record since taking the reins.

A source tells The Sun-Times that, with the evaluation period ongoing, both Boylen and Bulls players have been advised to avoid interviews about the coach’s standing with the team.

Although Boylen remains under contract beyond this season, his salary is believed to be modest, so financial considerations wouldn’t stand in the way of a change. It’s fairly common for new heads of basketball operations to bring in their own head coach within a year or two, so even if Boylen holds the job for now, that wouldn’t mean the franchise is committed to him long-term.

Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin and Sixers assistant Ime Udoka have been cited as head coaching candidates the Bulls may look at if they do replace Boylen.

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Draft Notes: McClung, Henry, Big Boards

May 6th, 2020 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite a claim from Georgetown coach Patrick Ewing that he’ll be back with the program this season, Mac McClung continues to test the draft waters and hasn’t informed the school of any official decision yet, agent Daniel Hazan tells Ben Standig of The Athletic.

As Standig details, McClung’s energy and athleticism make him an intriguing prospect worth monitoring, but he’s not considered likely to be drafted if he goes pro this year. One general manager said he’s still not clear on what position or role McClung would play at the NBA level.

Still, NBA teams are doing their homework on the sophomore guard. Hazan said on Tuesday that McClung has had virtual meetings with 11 teams, with more to come — a source informs Standig that the Rockets, Bulls, and Nets are among those 11 clubs.

Here are a few more draft-related items:

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Bulls Officially Hire Pat Connelly, J.J. Polk

May 6th, 2020 at 3:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls have officially finalized two long-awaited hires, announcing today in a press release that Pat Connelly has come aboard as the team’s vice president of player personnel, while J.J. Polk will hold the title of assistant general manager.

The additions of both Connelly and Polk were reported last month even before the club had officially announced the hiring of new executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas or decided on Marc Eversley as its new general manager. The Bulls continue to revamp their front office after parting ways with longtime GM Gar Forman and reassigning executive VP of basketball operations John Paxson to an advisory role.

Connelly, like Karnisovas, is joining the Bulls after spending time in Denver, where he was the Nuggets’ director of pro personnel. The brother of Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, Pat will oversee the structure and processes of Chicago’s scouting department, according to today’s announcement.

As for Polk, he arrives in Chicago after serving as the Pelicans’ executive director of basketball administration. The Bulls announced today that he’ll primarily be responsible for “strategic planning and salary cap management,” in addition to providing input on player personnel decisions.

“Pat and J.J. both bring valuable experience that will enhance our basketball operations department,” Karnisovas said in a statement. “I know that the skills these two possess will be an asset in building out our program. J.J.’s expertise with cap management and negotiations will help us be creative in our deals and contracts, while Pat’s great eye for talent, global contacts and networking capabilities will organize our scouting department in a productive way. Combined, these two basketball minds will help increase functionality and implement our vision of moving this program forward.”

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Central Notes: McMillan, Bulls, Buford

May 5th, 2020 at 7:41pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Pacers coach Nate McMillan has been preparing his team to play basketball again as best as he can, as Akeem Glaspie of the Indianapolis Star relays.

Not all players on the Pacers have been on equal footing during the hiatus, however. Victor Oladipo and Malcolm Brogdon are among those who have basketball courts at their homes or an established nearby place. Others, like Goga Bitadze, are living in apartments without access to gyms.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

  • How will the Bulls‘ new front office operate? K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports envisions a collaborative approach, similar to Arturas Karnisovas’ stints with Denver and Houston.
  • Jon Greenberg of The Athletic takes a look at the Bulls‘ past and wonders whether the new leadership is going to bring more success to Chicago. The scribe believes the new regime can be successful, though he notes that having a “players first” mentality would suit the newcomers well.
  • The Bucks have locked in Chase Buford to coach their G League squad for another season, the team announced on its website. “Chase has done a tremendous job in his first season at the helm,” said Milwaukee Bucks VP of basketball operations and Wisconsin Herd GM Dave Dean. “As an organization, we’re thrilled to have Chase return for a second season, and we look forward to his leadership and continued development as we build off the current campaign.”
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Eversley Wants To Get More From Markkanen

May 2nd, 2020 at 11:35am CST by Dana Gauruder
  • New Bulls GM Marc Eversley is intrigued by the youth dotting the team’s roster but wants to figure why some of those players didn’t develop as expected this season, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago reports. In particular, he wants to see if the team can get more out of power forward Lauri Markkanen. “Lauri is a modern-day stretch four,” he said. “I think he’s got a great stroke. He’s got a wonderful shooting touch. He regressed a little bit last year. I’d love to learn more about that.”
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Bulls Notes: Eversley, Boylen, Griffin, Udoka

May 1st, 2020 at 2:57pm CST by Luke Adams

News that Marc Eversley would be the Bulls‘ next general manager broke very late on Sunday, at a time when the NBA news wire is typically quiet. Speaking today to reporters, including ESPN’s Eric Woodyard, executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas provided an explanation, saying he felt compelled to call Eversley on Sunday night after watching the third and fourth episodes of The Last Dance.

“I was so emotional watching it that I was thinking, ‘Why do I have to wait until Monday? Let me check if he’s up,'” Karnisovas said.

In explaining why he chose Eversley for the job, Karnisovas pointed to the veteran executive’s relationships with players and coaches, as Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Although Eversley has spent the last 14 years in NBA front offices, he began building those relationships during his decade at Nike before that, a fact he acknowledged during today’s call.

“Simply put, (the Nike background) was critical,” Eversley said, per Cowley. “Relationships move the needle in this business, and it really starts at the grassroots. I was fortunate enough to work at Nike at a time when LeBron James and players like that were coming up through the system. It really taught me the value of relationships. It taught me the value of a brand, really.

“It’s my hope that I can take some of the lessons that I’ve learned at Nike and implement them here with Chicago as a goal to get the Chicago Bulls back to relevancy and get that brand back to where it’s cool again and kids want to be part of it.”

Here’s more on the Bulls:

  • One of the first major decisions Eversley and Karnisovas will make will involve the head coaching position, but it doesn’t sound like they’re in a rush to make a call on Jim Boylen. Eversley, who said Boylen called him to congratulate him earlier in the week, told reporters today that he and Karnisovas would assess the head coach and other staffers together, per Woodyard. “We owe it to everybody on staff to get to Chicago and meet them face-to-face,” Eversley said. “I think we owe it to our players to hopefully get to evaluate them in practice settings, in playing settings and we owe it to our staff to see them in those types of setting as well. I just think it’s far too early to make any of those types of decisions with respect to anybody on the staff until we get to Chicago.”
  • Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times stressed again this week that sources close to Boylen “paint the picture of someone who fully expects to be back next season.” However, Cowley also reiterated that there has been plenty of speculation linking the Bulls to Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin, who played college ball with Karnisovas at Seton Hall. A source told The Sun-Times that Everseley, a Canadian and former Toronto executive, remains on good terms with the Raptors.
  • In his own look at the coaching situation in Chicago, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic reports that “minor changes” are underway with the current staff, though Boylen continues to operate as if he’ll be back. Griffin and Sixers assistant Ime Udoka could be candidates for the head coaching job if the Bulls do make a change, according to Mayberry.
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Bulls Officially Announce Marc Eversley As GM

May 1st, 2020 at 8:46am CST by Luke Adams

As expected, the Bulls have officially hired former Sixers senior VP of player personnel Marc Eversley as their new general manager, announcing the news in a press release. Eversley’s agreement with Chicago was reported at the start of the week.

“I set out to find a general manager who complemented my vision and values, and who could help implement them at the Bulls in a fresh way. Marc’s background and skills do exactly that,” new executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said in a statement.

“(Eversley) has a history of building strong relationships across the board, identifying talent at organizations that have had success during his time there, and the necessary insight for building a network that will be an asset to our program,” Karnisovas continued. “He’s ready for this next step in his career, and I’m looking forward to working with him to build the Bulls back into a perennial contender.”

Eversley worked in the 76ers’ front office since 2016 and previously held positions in the Wizards’ and Raptors’ front offices, dating back to 2006. Prior to his 14 years as a team executive, he spent a decade working at Nike — first at Nike Canada and then at the company’s world headquarters in Oregon, where he was the NBA player relationship manager.

Eversley’s experience working and building relationships with NBA players is one important reason why the Bulls hired him. As we detailed on Tuesday, Eversley is expected to add instant credibility to a front office that hasn’t had a great reputation among players and agents in recent years.

With Karnisovas and Eversley installed in key roles and J.J. Polk and Pat Connelly also joining the Bulls’ new-look front office, the team may not feel a sense of urgency to continue making immediate changes. However, further tweaks to the front office are expected, with Nazr Mohammed among those who has interviewed for an unspecified role. The Bulls’ new top execs will also evaluate head coach Jim Boylen, who is reportedly confident he’ll be retained for the time being.

Chicago’s former general manager, Gar Forman, was let go by the team when Karnisovas came aboard.

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Bulls Notes: LaVine, Eversley, Boylen

April 28th, 2020 at 9:31am CST by Luke Adams

In a Q&A with Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype, Bulls guard Zach LaVine said he he already spoken to newly-hired head of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and GM Marc Eversley, and is “extremely excited to get to working with them.”

While Karnisovas has held his new position for a couple weeks, Eversley’s hiring was reported less than 36 hours ago and hasn’t yet been formally announced, so the fact that he has already touched base with LaVine suggests it was a top priority.

Asked about what he wants to see from the Bulls this offseason, LaVine – who has spoken since the suspension of the NBA season about how disappointed he was with the team’s on-court results – said he hopes that everyone is “willing and prepared to sacrifice” and is focused on getting better.

“I thought we approached this year like we were going to be good and we weren’t,” LaVine told Kennedy. “We didn’t have the chemistry, we didn’t have the right mindset. We got a little bit shocked; we thought we were going to do really well and we didn’t do well. We have to come back and prove people wrong.”

Here’s more on the Bulls:

  • The hiring of Eversley adds instant credibility to the Bulls’ front office, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, who suggests that Eversley should help the franchise improve its reputation with players and agents around the NBA. One source who spoke to Cowley pointed to Eversley’s 10 years at Nike as a time when he gained experience building relationships with players across the league.
  • K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago makes a similar point in his own look at the hiring of Eversley, writing that the former Raptors and Sixers executive built strong relationships with DeMar DeRozan in Toronto and Joel Embiid in Philadelphia. Eversley’s investment in making those connections should benefit the Bulls, particularly in free agency, Johnson writes.
  • Within that story, Johnson also suggests that the hiring of Eversley “could take some responsibilities off (head coach Jim) Boylen‘s plate.” As Johnson explains, Boylen felt compelled to handle certain matters when former GM Gar Forman began to focus mainly on scouting prior to his dismissal. Of course, it remains to be seen whether Karnisovas will retain Boylen beyond this season, but there’s no indication that a coaching change is imminent.
  • Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic takes a more in-depth look at Eversley’s background, exploring why he emerged as the Bulls’ top choice during the GM interview process.
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Bulls To Hire Sixers’ Marc Eversley As GM

April 27th, 2020 at 7:34am CST by Luke Adams

Two weeks after formally hiring Arturas Karnisovas as their new executive VP of basketball operations, the Bulls have chosen a general manager who will work with Karnisovas in their new-look front office. The club is hiring Sixers senior VP of player personnel Marc Eversley to fill that GM role, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Eversley was one of several candidates to interview for the general manager position following Chicago’s hiring of Karnisovas and the team’s dismissal of longtime GM Gar Forman. Matt Lloyd (Magic), Mark Hughes (Clippers), and Michael Finley (Mavericks) were among the other executives known to have spoken to the Bulls about the job.

Before reaching a deal late on Sunday night to join the Bulls, Eversley worked in the 76ers’ front office since 2016, when he was hired by the club’s former head of basketball operations, Bryan Colangelo. Eversley, a Canadian, also previous worked under Colangelo in the Raptors’ front office, with a stint as a Wizards exec in between. Prior to his time in NBA team front offices, he spent a decade working at Nike, per Wojnarowski.

This was at least the second time Eversley had interviewed for a GM job, having lost out to Mitch Kupchak on the Hornets’ position in 2018. He was also believed to be a candidate to replace Colangelo as Philadelphia’s head of basketball operations that year, but Elton Brand ultimately took over GM duties.

As Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer details, Eversley was largely responsible for the Sixers zeroing in on Matisse Thybulle in last year’s draft and was also the first to recognize DeMar DeRozan‘s talent during his time in Toronto’s scouting department.

After the Bulls faced some criticism for a lack of diversity in their search for a head of basketball operations, Eversley will become the first black GM in team history, as Wojnarowski notes.

While Karnisovas and Eversley figure to run the show in Chicago’s revamped front office, the team is making additional changes. As previously reported, J.J. Polk and Pat Connelly are coming aboard in key roles — Woj suggests they’ll hold the titles of assistant GM and VP of player personnel, respectively. Meanwhile, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago says that more hires are likely coming, singling out Nazr Mohammed as one executive who interviewed for an “unspecified role.”

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Bulls Notes: GM Search, Finley, Boylen

April 24th, 2020 at 4:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls remain on the hunt for a new general manager, and Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times writes that the interview process may carry through next week.

A since-deleted report on Thursday suggested that CAA agent Austin Brown was in serious talks to become Chicago’s next GM, but a source tells Cowley there’s no frontrunner at this point. Brown’s name is in the mix, per Cowley. Still, there has been no confirmation that he has even interviewed for the job yet.

Although no one has emerged yet as an obvious favorite – as new executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas did during his own interview process with the Bulls – Cowley’s source says that Mavericks VP of basketball ops Michael Finley “made a great impression” on Karnisovas. Finley reportedly interviewed for the GM position last week.

Here’s more out of Chicago from Cowley:

  • Since being hired by the Bulls, Karnisovas has spent plenty of time reaching out to as many of the club’s current players as possible, as well as meeting with “what’s left” of the scouting departments, says Cowley. Karnisovas is collecting information and opinions on what he has to work with in the front office and on the roster, a source tells The Sun-Times.
  • While many Bulls fans are impatient to learn the fate of head coach Jim Boylen, a decision on Boylen’s future is further down on Karnisovas’ list of priorities, Cowley writes. As Cowley has previously reported, Boylen remains optimistic that he’ll retain the job. He has been staying in touch with his players for updates and to have them study film clips and has “regularly” met with Karnisovas this month.
  • While letting go of Boylen and letting one of his assistants finish the season – if it resumes – could be one path Karnisovas considers, Cowley suggests it’s not likely. A source tells The Sun-Times there’s no obvious candidate to replace Boylen on an interim basis, since the assistants are “all viewed to have equal footing from an experience standpoint.”
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