Tag: Arturas Karnisovas

What are the best and worst moves made by Chicago Bulls general manager Arturas Karnisovas?

We swear the man moves once.

What are the best and worst moves made by Chicago Bulls general manager Arturas Karnisovas to make the team better? Before you start laughing at this question based on what we have seen from the Bulls exec over the last few seasons, we promise you that the man did use to make moves to judge his tenure in Chicago by.

For whatever reason, his lack of such moves have caught up with him, but he did put together the roster he has not done much with in recent years. So which of these were his best? And, of course, we need to talk about his worst.

The hosts of the “CHGO Bulls” podcast came to a similar conclusion not too long ago, and put together a video breaking down the best and worst of the Karnisovas era.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say about both.

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Who deserves most blame for Chicago Bulls’ 2023-24 season?

Who deserves the most blame for the 2023-24 Chicago Bulls season?

The Chicago Bulls’ 2023-24 season was brutal. For the second season in a row, they finished the year with a below-.500 record, and just like in the 2022-23 season, they lost to the Miami Heat in the Play-In Tournament. Two seasons in a row, two years without a playoff appearance for the Bulls.

When the Bulls put together this roster in 2021, they had very high hopes. They ended Chicago’s rebuild and pivoted the team toward competing, yet since then, they’ve only made the playoffs once, and they only won one postseason game that year, getting bounced by the Milwaukee Bucks in Round 1.

The Chicago Bulls Central YouTube channel recently discussed who is most to blame for the Bulls’ failure of a 2023-24 season.

Arturas Karnisovas and the front office deserve some blame, the coaching staff deserves some blame, and the players deserve some blame, too. But it all starts from the top. The roster the front office put together simple isn’t good enough.

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Goalposts of copmetitiveness have shifted in wrong direction for Bulls

The Chicago Bulls used to compete for championships, but now they’re okay with just pushing for the playoffs.

For years, the Chicago Bulls were one of the best teams in the NBA. The Michael Jordan-era Bulls won six championships throughout the 1990s. The Derrick Rose-led Bulls made a run to the Eastern Conference finals. Now, the Bulls are fighting for the Play-In Tournament – and they’re okay with that level of play.

Chicago made no moves at the deadline this year, accepting the fact that they’ll be a mid-tier team this year. But they didn’t just accept it – they embraced it. Arturas Karnisovas is fine with where the Bulls are at. He believes they are in a good spot as a “competitive” team in the East.

According to KC Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, Karnisovas’ definition of competitiveness is just making the playoffs, which is a huge shift from where the Bulls once were as an organization. (H/t Elias Schuster of Bleacher Nation)

“He didn’t say it in the press conference, but he said it another time to me, his definition of being competitive is making the playoffs,” Johnson said. “I will say, there has been some goalpost moving here because when he got here, talk was of championships. Then, it’s now shifted to playoffs. A couple of years ago it was making the second round. Now, it’s just getting in. But that’s what he means by competitive.”

Chicago is firmly stuck in the middle, and they’re fine with that.

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Arturas Karnisovas calls Bulls ‘very competitive’ after trade deadline

After the Chicago Bulls’ empty trade deadline, Arturas Karnisovas said he believes the Bulls are “very competitive.”

Another year, another empty trade deadline for the Chicago Bulls. Despite constant calls from the fanbase for the Bulls to sell their assets and reset the roster, Chicago stood pat. They kept DeMar DeRozan, they kept Andre Drummond, they kept Alex Caruso – they kept everybody. Nobody came in and nobody went out.

At the beginning of the year, it looked like the Bulls were headed for a top lottery pick – a trend that likely would have included them resetting their roster at the deadline. But since their 5-14 start, they’ve turned things around a bit, which could end up being a bad thing for the future of the franchise.

Because of their recent play, Arturas Karnisovas is satisfied with where the Bulls are at. That’s not an assumption. That’s what he said. (H/t Elias Schuster of Bleacher Nation)

“Last time, with a few of you, I spoke when we were [5-14]. I was not very happy,” Karnisovas told reporters after the trade deadline on Thursday. “I’m much happier now. I’d like to smile more. But, again, this team is very competitive in every game and we have aspirations to compete for the playoffs. Such a conference with parity, and each team is trying to get an edge. So I’m looking forward to [watching] these players compete with 30 games to go.”

Karnisovas made it clear that the Bulls are content with just being a playoff team. For an organization as historically significant as the Bulls, that almost certainly won’t sit well with the fanbase. While Karnisovas is smiling, fans are getting more and more fed up.

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Arturas Karnisovas speaks out on lack of Bulls trade deadline moves

Arturas Karnisovas discussed the Chicago Bulls’ lack of trade deadline moves.

DeMar DeRozan is in the final year of his contract. Alex Caruso has been playing the best basketball of his career. Andre Drummond has given the Chicago Bulls some quality minutes, especially when Nikola Vucevic has been out. Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig are solid 3-and-D pieces. All of them could have netted the Bulls decent returns at the trade deadline. But Chicago did nothing.

The Bulls are stuck firmly in the middle of the East, clearly lacking the talent to compete with the top teams in the conference, yet the front office seems content with where they are at.

Bulls Vice President of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas spoke out after the Bulls’ lack of deadline dealings, revealing that Chicago didn’t have any offers on the table that would have helped them improve.

“We didn’t see anything that would make us better,” Karnisovas said via KC Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “We would take a step back, which we didn’t want. We want to compete for the playoffs.”

There were a bunch of teams around the league who reportedly showed interest in a potential Caruso deal, and multiple squads called the Bulls about Drummond. Chicago even took some calls about DeRozan, who still doesn’t have an extension in hand yet.

But rather than planning for the future, the Bulls committed to being mediocre. Again.

They risk losing DeRozan this summer, and the same can be said for Drummond. And with Zach LaVine out for the season, any hope of any sort of playoff run this year is likely out the window, too.

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Can Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley find success in the NBA draft for the Chicago Bulls?

Can AKME and company find the right players for the Bulls’ future plans?

Chicago Bulls front office execs Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley have done a solid job finding talent within their organization. One such example is their most recent move to elevate reserve floor general Coby White to the team’s starting gig in the wake of an extended injury absence to star Bulls point guard Zach LaVine — and then sticking with White as a major part of the team’s rotation on his return to the fold.

But even so, AKME (as Karnisovas and Eversley are sometimes called) have yet to find success in the draft, forward Patrick Williams having been drafted by the duo’s predecessors. Can AKME and company find the right players for the Bulls’ future plans in the next several drafts?

This is the question explored by Haize, the host of the “Chicago Bulls Central” podcast on a recent episode.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear his thoughts on Chicago’s draft future under Eversley and Karnisovas.

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Arturas Karnisovas depending on parity to help Bulls compete next year

Arturas Karnisovas is seemingly depending on league parity to help the Chicago Bulls compete next season.

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Two years ago, the Chicago Bulls ended their rebuild in favor of constructing a new core of Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, and DeMar DeRozan. Obviously, Lonzo Ball was a part of that, but his injury has kept him sidelined for the majority of the past two seasons. But regardless of Ball’s absence, the fact that the Bulls have won just one playoff game in the past two seasons is a major disappointment.

Despite that, Arturas Karnisovas has no intention of rebuilding the roster. He wants to run it back with the current core in hopes of making a playoff appearance next season. Unfortunately, his mindset might not be one Bulls fans agree with.

During Chicago’s Summer League game against the Sacramento Kings, Karnisovas joined the broadcast and spoke about the state of the team. He said that he hopes the parity in the NBA will help the Bulls compete. (H/t Bleacher Nation Bulls)

“I think the parity in the league is obvious,” said Karnisovas. “We lost a lot of close games last year. So we added a couple of guys and, hopefully, the parity in the league will help us compete in every game … We just need to be more consistent.”

What Karnisovas said is true – there is a lot of parity in the league. But if his plan is to bank on that parity as the reason for Chicago’s success, that’s a rough look.

The Bulls should want to be a playoff team regardless of the rest of the league, not depend on the parity around the NBA as a measure of their success.

And if they aren’t good enough to compete for a postseason spot in general, they should seriously consider rebuilding the roster.

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Bulls called out for massive failures and signings that came too late

Arturas Karnisovas got torn to shreds for his failures with the Chicago Bulls.

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The Chicago Bulls have made a flurry of moves to begin the offseason. They brought back Nikola Vucevic on a three-year deal, and they followed that  by doing the same for Coby White. Then, they signed two key free agents, Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig, solidifying their rotation.

That being said, two veteran pieces don’t change the entire outlook of the franchise. This is still a team that got bounced in the play-in tournament this past year and is far from being a title contender. In fact, Will Gottlieb of CHGO pointed out that these additions came a year too late.

He ripped into Arturas Karnisovas, noting these are moves that should have been made last season, not after a year of failure.

“The Bulls now have the caliber of role player they need to avoid a complete bottoming out,” Gottlieb wrote. “There is more shooting, more depth, more veteranship and more IQ. But to be clear, these signings were the bare minimum, because the plan is to continue on the course to the upper end of mediocre.

“This is the offseason the Bulls should have had last summer. That was the make or break moment.

“A year older. At risk to lose more games to injury. Facing a potential decline in their top-five defense. They’ve re-invested in Vucevic and are facing the same situation with DeRozan next summer.

“The ceiling of this group remains unchanged in the present and the medium-term plan is still a giant question mark.”

If Chicago had pushed forward last year, they would have been capitalizing on their success. Now, it feels like they are desperately trying to stay relevant.

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Arturas Karnisovas has green light from Bulls owners on everything

Chicago Bulls ownership has given Arturas Karnisovas complete control over the direction of the franchise.

For the past two years, the Chicago Bulls have been rolling with the core of Zach LaVine, Demar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic. Arturas Karnisovas decided it was time to end the rebuild and pushed all his chips on the table in 2021, creating that core group. Unfortunately, it has produced only one playoff win.

This summer will be a crucial offseason for the Bulls as they ponder which direction to go. By all accounts, it seems they plan to run back the same core, regardless of whether that’s the best decision. It’s up to Karnisovas.

According to Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic, Bulls ownership has given Karnisovas the green light to make any decision he sees fit for the future of the team. Everything is completely in his hands. He has free reign.

“According to team sources, Karnišovas has the green light from ownership to steer the franchise how he sees fit,” Mayberry wrote. “Whichever direction he chooses is said to be his call, free of interference or influence from his bosses.”

Mayberry doesn’t necessarily agree with that choice.

“It’s been a long time since Karnišovas demonstrated he’s deserving.

“Since arriving in Chicago three years ago, Karnišovas has said his favorite occasions on the NBA calendar are the draft, the trade deadline and free agency.

“Here’s another chance for him to remind us why,” Mayberry wrote.

The fate of the Bulls is in Karnisovas’ hands, for better or for wose.

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Arturas Karnisovas teases major changes to Bulls in free agency

During his post-NBA Draft press conference, Arturas Karnisovas teased major free agency changes for the Chicago Bulls.

The Chicago Bulls are in a very tough spot, and this summer will be crucial if they hope to get out of it. The core of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic is solid, but it’s not a championship-caliber group. The past two seasons have revealed that much. Yet Bulls leadership seems intent on keeping the core together.

Rather than rebuild the roster and get a haul of draft picks for LaVine and DeRozan, the Bulls want to run it back and push for the playoffs next year. Chicagoans haven’t been to happy about that decision, but Arturas Karnisovas has a message for them.

During his post-NBA draft press conference, Karnisovas was asked about Bulls fans’ complaints about the team. He told them to wait until after free agency, teasing some potential changes.

“When asked about Bulls fans being disappointed about the team, Chicago Bulls Basketball Chief Arturas Karnisovas responded by saying that fans should wait and see how the team looks like after free agency,” tweeted Daniel Greenberg.

As things stand, the Bulls have to re-sign Vucevic, Coby White, and Ayo Dosunmu this summer, and once that’s done, they won’t have a ton of cap space to make significant changes.

They will have the chance to use the MLE, but outside of that, they’ll be looking at bringing in minimum-contract players.

Maybe Karnisovas has some trades up his sleeve that could get done throughout the free agency period, but the likelihood that he significantly improves Chicago’s roster through signings seems low.

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