The Chicago Bulls are in a weird spot as a franchise. Arturas Karnisovas seems determined to run back the same core and push for the playoffs, but do they have the firepower needed to make that an effective strategy? Probably not. They would need to make serious additions to the roster this summer.
However, during their post-draft media conference, Karnisovas and Marc Eversley spoke about ownership’s willingness to spend on talent. They made it clear they are authorized to spend the money they need to in order to put a winning product on the floor. Elias Schuster of Bleacher Nation doesn’t buy it.
“I’ll believe it when I see it, folks,” Schuster wrote. “These are very similar words to the ones we heard Michael Reinsdorf speak to NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson two seasons ago. He said if the team was competing for championships, the organization would “absolutely” dip into the tax. I can’t just help but think this is expert wordplay from both parties.”
On top of that, Schuster spoke about how backward Chicago’s logic has been when it’s come to their financial decision-making.
“You can’t be a truly competitive team without entering the tax in today’s NBA,” Schuster wrote. “And the Bulls say they will not enter the tax without being a truly competitive team. Make it make sense! At some point, if the goal is to win basketball games, the Bulls have to rip off the Band-Aid and jump into the water. I want to believe Karnisovas’ words that the organization is prepared to do that, but I simply can not when we consider the Bulls’ track record.”
Chicago needs to make big changes if it wants to be competitive, and that involves spending money. It has talked the talk. Now, it’s time to walk the walk (and spend some money).
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