It was not the kind of news that Bulls fans needed to hear to start the All-Star Weekend, but it shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise.
A Bulls source told the Sun-Times on Thursday that there were no plans to remove executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas from his position, and it was a solid bet that general manager Marc Eversley and head coach Billy Donovan were equally as safe.
Donovan, especially, is well-liked by both the front office and ownership, with all involved impressed with the way he flipped the offensive playing style so dramatically in just one season, as well as the relationships he has developed within the locker room.
And while front-office accountability seemingly remains nothing but a six-syllable word at 1901 W. Madison St., there is a reoccurring edict being issued by ownership to the front office: Fix it.
The Sun-Times reported last year that this has been the mentality of the Reinsdorfs to Karnisovas, and while patience might be running a bit thinner than it was over the previous two seasons, the belief is that Karnisovas is the right guy for the job.
A forest of trees that is pretty tough to see through these days by many, with the Bulls entering the break 22-33, sitting in the play-in spot at No. 10 in the Eastern Conference.
Karnisovas did finally get Zach LaVine off the books with a three-team trade almost two weeks ago, and did get back full control of a protected first-round draft pick from the Spurs that was hovering over the Bulls’ heads for both the 2025 draft and 2026.
But there’s a strong argument to be made that these were simply the sins Karnisovas committed against the roster several years ago, so he was only putting Band-Aids on his own self-inflicted wounds.
Matas Buzelis does look like a steal of what was a fairly average 2024 NBA draft class, with Karnisovas grabbing him at No. 11, while guard Ayo Dosunmu was one of the more productive players to come out of the 2021 second round, but there have been more draft misses than hits.
What all of this means, however, is this upcoming offseason — the draft and free agency — it will be imperative for Karnisovas to hit on most of his moves as he rebuilds the roster.
Until then, the work is not done.
The Bulls enter the break with 27 regular-season games left. Karnisovas said after the trade deadline that he still wanted to see the Bulls to be competitive and make a push to the play-in. The Sun-Times reported that behind the scenes the front office does covet getting the best draft odds possible but obviously couldn’t be public about it.
As it stands, the Bulls have the 15th-toughest schedule left. They have dropped from the ninth-worst record in the league to the eighth thanks to Portland’s recent hot streak, which gives them a 26.3% chance to finish in the top four of the draft lottery, and a 6% chance to hit No. 1 and the chance to draft Duke standout Cooper Flagg.
Washington, New Orleans and Utah currently have the best odds at 14%.
That’s why the focus for the Bulls should be to do everything they can to drop below Philadelphia and Brooklyn, attempting to get down to No. 6. No small task considering the Nets entered the season with tanking as a focal point, while 76ers have been a mess with injuries and load management.
Philadelphia star Joel Embiid has indicated that he could be headed for another offseason knee surgery, but if the organization sees no reason to try for the play-in game, don’t be surprised if he’s shut down for the rest of the year earlier. That’s why timing is everything for the Bulls out of the break.
And especially for Karnisovas.
