Chicago Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas’ season-ending press conference contained many of the same elements as his previous speaking appearances.
He reiterated that he wants to bring back DeMar DeRozan and Patrick Williams.
Karnisovas lamented how the season ended and expressed confidence in Head Coach Billy Donovan. He also noted ownership’s confidence in him to do his job.
But it was Karnisovas’ comments about the larger group as a whole that stood out the most. Especially after the Bulls’ lost to the Miami Heat in the second round of the Play-In Tournament for the second year in a row.
“Going into free agency, I think we’re going to be pretty aggressive the way that we showed before going into draft and free agency,” Karnisovas told reporters on April 20. “We, obviously, cannot roll with the same team again and expect different results. So we definitely understand that even with some of the positivity – the clutch wins and overtime wins – we’re still at 39, and we’re Play-In. And we somehow have to generate additional 10 wins.
“Even with injuries that we suffered this year, I think we need to change things.
“This group, something doesn’t work. I’ve got to find ways to find a group that’s going to make improvements. Because we’ve done that for a couple of years now and it hasn’t worked. So everything is on the table.”
End 1: Heat 34, Bulls 17
Really tough shooting quarter for the Bulls who shot 26 FG%, 3/13 on threes. Heat shot 52/50/100 and had 7 FTAs to Bulls 2 FTAs
Need to do a better job being decisive attacking the gaps in the zone. They’re hesitating and it’s costing them looks.
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He did say they looked into making deals at the deadline in February but didn’t find anything to their liking. He said they will remain aggressive in trying to improve the roster.
Karnisovas preached continuity as the path to success and practiced that ideology for two years.
Arturas Karnisovas’ Vow of Aggression Not Backed by Recent Trends
Karnisovas has not traded for an established player since August of 2021. This is despite trade rumors ensnaring several Bulls players in that time since.
He has also staunchly pushed against calls to go a different direction with this group.
“That’s been thrown around all this season, ‘blow it up’, ‘rebuild’. It’s not on our minds,” Karnisovas said in this same situation last year on April 15. “The moment we changed our minds in 2021 season to focus on winning and try to build a sustainable program here, I think that’s where we’re focused now.”
Now, faced with many of the same questions – including plans for Zach LaVine after failing to trade him this year, Lonzo Ball’s health after two years away from the court, and Donovan’s job security – Karnisovas is left to face the music of his creation.
It took a lot of assets to put this group together, something Karnisovas has pointed out before when faced with the idea of blowing it up.
And there have been some encouraging developments along the way
But they are often overshadowed by the negatives, such as Karnisova’s call to improve their three-point shooting. The Bulls improved their volume (28.9 3PA to 32.1) but their efficiency from deep took a step back (36.1% to 35.8%).
With Karnisovas indicating few if any changes to the executive staff, there is little reason to expect a significant shift in how the Bulls operate.
Karnisovas even put a top-four in the conference qualifier on diving into the luxury tax.
Bulls Can Hang Hats on Ayo Dosunmu, Alex Caruso, Coby White, and DeMar DeRozan
Karnisovas has four clear “wins” in terms of decisions through four years in the driver’s seat for the franchise.
His first was landing DeRozan and Alex Caruso. Both players have brought the kind of work ethic the organization hoped would rub off on the younger players, and they have proven their contracts – once thought to be overpays – to be bargains in retrospect.
Karnisovas also did well to draft Dosunmu and retain White through his overhaul of the roster.
Conversely, signing LaVine to a max contract – especially when viewed in the context of their attempts to trade him – re-signing Nikola Vucevic, and drafting Williams look bad.
Nikola Vucevic protecting the rim
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Vucevic’s three-year, $60 million contract was poorly received coming into the season. His floor spacing hit a nadir during the campaign. Now locked into him, the Bulls are also set to lose his backup Andre Drummond to free agency.
They backed out of their opportunity to trade Drummond at this year’s deadline.
Drummond has often been as effective if not more so than Vucevic despite an inconsistent role under Donovan. He also almost opted out of his contract last offseason.
LaVine’s injury history bogged down his already questionable trade value. Williams’ failure to launch as a former No. 4 overall pick leaves his outlook cloudy. Both players were supposed to be integral parts of the franchise’s success.
Ball’s story has been the cherry on top.
