Feel like the world is spinning?
That’s certainly a reasonable reaction for any Chicago Bulls fan attempting to process the last few days (or weeks or months) of this strange season.
The Reinsdorf family finally ousted executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas and general manager Marc Eversley, then immediately doubled down on their commitment to coach Billy Donovan. The next few weeks could define another era of Bulls basketball.
So what should fans expect? Let’s get into your biggest questions.
What does ownership see as the biggest mistakes of the AKME era? — Bradley B.
This was actually one of the most illuminating aspects of Tuesday’s news conference with President and CEO Michael Reinsdorf, who was frank about his perspective on the failings of Karnišovas and Eversley.
Chicago Bulls CEO Michael Reinsdorf commits to change in 4th-ever search for a new top executive
Reinsdorf made one crucial statement — he did not believe the 2021-22 roster was built to compete sustainably at the top of the Eastern Conference. This is an incredibly important departure from the previous party line, which was that the Bulls lost their way after misfortune struck down that season’s roster.
In addition to roster construction, Reinsdorf criticized the prior administration’s inability to make decisions quickly and poor communication habits. Although Reinsdorf did not specifically criticize any acquisitions or trades, ownership wants to prioritize talent identification and development in this new era.
How is Billy viewed around the league? Is his presence meaningfully lessening potential front-office candidates? To what degree do you think the talent pool for the front office is affected by Michael’s comments about keeping Billy as the head coach no matter what? Does it affect pool size or quality in any way? If Sam Presti or RC Buford wanted to come to the Bulls but required that they could pick their own coach, would the Bulls hire them? — Tanner Thurman and D. Hodgman on Bluesky
Donovan is widely liked and respected in the NBA, both for his character and his qualities as a coach. He might not reach the elite caliber of coaches like Eric Spoelstra or Rick Carlisle, but Donovan is considered to be a solid tactician and indispensable locker-room leader who aids greatly in the development of young talent.
A great statistic that backs up this reputation: The Bulls averaged the third-most points off ATO (after timeout) plays this season, ranking only behind the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers. This is a small subset of playcalling in the scope of a full NBA game, but it reflects how well Donovan can construct options that benefit his players.
But that doesn’t mean the Bulls are correct to prioritize Donovan in this process — or that they actually will do so once he makes his decision. Donovan, for his part, said Thursday that he believed Reinsdorf’s comments mostly reflected the mutual respect shared between the coach and ownership. He did not expect the team to prioritize his perspective in the final decision making regarding a new executive hire.
The Chicago Bulls are fully committed to Billy Donovan. What does that mean for the future?
Still, the main issue with centering Donovan at all is what it means for the process. Reinsdorf himself said it’s important to be process oriented in this next step for the franchise. Executives need to be empowered to make decisions from the top down, including the hiring (and eventual firing) of their coaching staff.
That said, Donovan is well-respected enough that most candidates likely won’t balk at the prospect of working alongside him at the start of their tenure in Chicago. The issue that might arise down the line would be the balance of power between the front office and the coaching staff, but most qualified candidates understand that similar dynamics exist in every organization.
Donovan does hold certain strong convictions, most notably his stance against tanking. If Reinsdorf truly wants to find a top executive who aligns with his preferred coach, that could mean the franchise is naturally narrowing its own scope to match this belief. (This could end up being a nonissue if the league ultimately passes new rule changes that flatten lottery odds.)
If Presti or Buford threw his hat in the ring — well, sadly, those are hypotheticals too lofty to worry about deeply. Should either situation arise, Bulls ownership would be more than likely to make themselves amenable to the offer.
Would love to know if the money will be there for player development and scouting. With AK gone now, will the Bulls invest in development coaches to help with their shooting since Patton was let go? — Suraj B. and High Motor Guy on Bluesky
This should be a priority for the Bulls. It’s hard to parse whether staff has been an ownership or front-office issue — realistically, blame probably should fall on both sides.
Karnišovas was lacking notably in his willingness to fill out staffing in key departments and allowed personal issues to dictate his personnel management. For instance, shooting specialist coach Peter Patton was fired not for his job performance, but for his willingness to speak out against front-office leadership. After his dismissal, Karnišovas did little to backfill this aspect of his staff.
But the Reinsdorfs also seemed perfectly content to run a bare-bones operation over the years. The Bulls also ranked as one of the lowest-staffed teams in the league in their analytics department, which has become one of the most necessary areas of spending to maintain competitiveness. If ownership hopes to make a change with this hire, it needs to make sure the new front office feels both empowered and encouraged to spend heavily on player development and analytics.
Is Josh Giddey in the long-term plan? Has Giddey improved from last season, or at least provide commensurate value to his current contract? — Brian Fox
Yes, Giddey is still a central piece of the Bulls’ plans — at least for now. He has driven the bulk of the offense while making enough (marginal) improvements on defense for the Bulls to feel decent about his prospects over the rest of his contract. But a future executive could carry with him the skepticism shared around the league about the guard’s long-term prospects. Given the relative flexibility of his contract (big win: no player option), a shift in perspective regarding Giddey ultimately might benefit both the guard and the team as a whole.
What can we do about Patrick Williams and his regression/lack of production? — Curious Georgio on Bluesky
Nothing. At this point, Williams probably needs a change of scenery to address the significant issues ailing his approach to the game. A new coaching staff and executive leadership could produce enough of a shake-up to dislodge the forward from the stupor of his recent seasons. But for Williams, the lack of productivity — on the boards, on defense, even from the 3-point line — is an unassailable issue that seems only marginally fixable in Chicago.
Of the players currently on the roster but not under contract for next year, who if any do you think will be here in the fall? — @crb1079 on Bluesky
Matas Buzelis, Noa Essengue and Giddey are young building blocks. To a lesser extent, Tre Jones, Isaac Okoro and Jalen Smith fit the same bill. Williams will not be movable, so he’ll be back. Leonard Miller and Rob Dillingham are affordable returning pieces but could be traded if the new executive wants to get into the mix. Collin Sexton could be back off the unrestricted free-agency market.
The same people (Reinsdorfs) who picked Gar Forman and AKME get to pick another VP. What could be different this time? Does ownership actually care enough to become relevant again? How many years until Bulls fans should expect a team that can compete for an NBA championship? — Cody Brandt, Dennis the Menace and Paper Boy on Bluesky
This is objectively the most pressing concern of this entire project. The Reinsdorfs hired the last two administrations, neither of which achieved sustainable success. A few things will be different this time. The Bulls are hiring a search firm. Reinsdorf made a commitment to ensure more candidates are considered. The team can actually meet prospective hires in person rather than doing everything over the phone, as it did in March 2020.
But this doesn’t guarantee a wholly different outcome if the Bulls can’t do two things better: Hire a better decision-maker and invest more heavily in support staff to bring the rest of the franchise up to speed.
The Bulls aren’t anywhere close to a championship. Not in the next five years, not in the next decade. Success requires strong, sustained decision-making. This franchise has not been capable of stringing together cohesive decisions over the course of weeks and months and years. Until the Bulls achieve that level of consistency, a deep playoff run is still out of reach.
