(670 The Score) With sports America on idle, the Bulls acted with urgency.
While under quarantine, the team connected with its fan base as successfully as it had in years.
Hiring Nuggets general manager Arturas Karnisovas as the new head of basketball operations not only appealed to the masses because it was smart and shrewd given the respect that Karnisovas commands around the NBA. It also was unexpected amid so much uncertainty in sports and society, an acceleration of the search process with the rest of the league on pause. It underscored how serious the Bulls have been about creating massive changes to the hierarchy since reaching that inevitable conclusion months ago.
That was when outgoing Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson and team president Michael Reinsdorf began discussing ways to modernize a front office that had become as outdated as a fax machine. Paxson, as has been documented, welcomed any and every possible solution to the Bulls' problems even if that meant relinquishing his title or his place in the organization. Paxson's commitment to progress was bigger than his ego. Now, the new beefed-up structure reportedly will include Paxson remaining in the mix in a senior advisory capacity with no day-to-day presence around the team – he'll have institutional knowledge that Karnisovas should appreciate in the transition. The role of erstwhile scout and equally polarizing Gar Forman remains undetermined, according to reports, but a minor detail.
Anyone getting caught up on Paxson's continued contributions or Forman's employment status misses the point. This is a terrific hire. The future has little to do with Paxson and Forman, so let go of the past. This is a significant moment in the history of the Bulls, the first chief decision-maker hired outside the organization since Jerry Reinsdorf and a group of investors bought the Bulls in 1985.
Karnisovas learned the importance of analytics working for Daryl Morey and the Rockets in Houston. The man known as "AK" in Denver sharpened his reputation for evaluating and developing talent with the Nuggets, whose five-year plan from 2014 to 2019 saw improvements from 30 to 54 victories. When the NBA went on hiatus in March, the Nuggets sat in first place in the Northwest Division with a 43-22 record.
Alongside Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, Karnisovas shared credit for drafting young stars Nikola Jokic, Gary Harris and Jamal Murray. His background in international scouting that dates back to his playing days in Europe offers the Bulls rare expertise. His management style suggests Karnisovas will surround himself with people who will be allowed to do their jobs without being micromanaged or second-guessed. Everything you hear about AK makes this move seem more than OK, an accomplished professional with a compelling personal story.
His life already has been part of a movie script, a 2012 documentary called "The Other Dream Team" about the 1992 Lithuanian Olympic basketball team that the 6-foot-8-inch Karnisovas helped win a bronze medal. The '92 Olympics marked Lithuania's first after breaking free from the Soviet Union, and the basketball team's success symbolized freedom and captured the imagination of people across the world, including The Grateful Dead.
At the time, Karnisovas was a 20-year-old forward averaging 11.2 points per game, but he scored 1,453 career points for Team Lithuania. That national pride will accompany Karnisovas to Chicago, which should make him feel comfortable with the world's second-largest Lithuanian population outside of the country itself. Something tells me that a man who didn't speak a word of English in 1990 when he arrived at Seton Hall University as a freshman student-athlete will adapt quickly to his new environment.
The job calls for swift action. Karnisovas' first priority involves hiring a general manager, a process that must be more inclusive than finding the head of basketball operations was. The Bulls deserved the castigation they received for not interviewing a candidate of color for the top job, a "slap in the face" as one unidentified African-American executive told The Undefeated. But the organization can save face by making a more concerted to diversify the field of potential general managers among many qualified candidates and even mute the widespread criticism by hiring a minority as its No. 2 executive. Fairness says it would be wise to avoid jumping to conclusions until all the new jobs are filled.
That potentially includes the head coach. It seems inconceivable the Bulls would invest so heavily in bringing in a new set of eyes and a fresh voice only to bring back a coach as unorthodox as Jim Boylen. Karnisovas and the new general manager likely will compare lists of potential replacements – and you wonder if former Bulls assistant Adrian Griffin, a Raptors assistant and former Seton Hall teammate of Karnisovas', will be on it. Addressing the coaching situation rates as a lower priority than hiring a general manager and possibly restructuring the scouting department but must be done before assessing the roster. Who the Bulls coach is figures to affect how players fit into the team's future plans.
Regardless, Lauri Markkanen should be excited about the arrival of Karnisovas even if it results in Markkanen's third coach entering his fourth NBA season. So should Zach LaVine, the franchise's other most valuable asset along with Markkanen. So should Wendell Carter Jr. and Coby White and Otto Porter Jr. and Daniel Gafford. The Bulls roster features promising young talent when healthy. Now the Bulls front office offers renewed hope and refreshing optimism because of the legitimacy Karnisovas brings to Chicago.
Stay tuned for the return of relevance. The Bulls' wait just got shorter.
David Haugh is the co-host of the Mully & Haugh Show on 670 The Score weekdays from 5-9 a.m. Listen to the show here. You can follow him on Twitter @DavidHaugh and email him at david.haugh@entercom.com.
