NEWSLETTER
After a 5-13 start that has seen the Chicago Bulls tumble to 13th in the Eastern Conference, Arturas Karnisovas decided to say some words.
To be sure, those words were not plentiful nor particularly meaningful, but they did represent the front office’s first public comments since the beginning of a disastrous season.
*sarcastic drum roll, please*
“We see what everyone is seeing and are just as frustrated,” Karnisovas told traveling beat reporters on Tuesday (h/t K.C. Johnson and Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune). We’re disappointed, but I’m not running from it. It’s my responsibility.”
The optimist in me wants to be encouraged by this comment. Karnisovas didn’t shy away from taking responsibility and acknowledging this group’s unacceptable play. Conversely, the pessimist – and perhaps realist – in me is entirely unphased.
Karnisovas has expressed the right thing before. Among the most recent examples came when asked about a disappointed fanbase after the 2023 NBA Draft. Karnisovas toyed with those same fans and advised them to “wait until free agency,” suggesting that major changes could be on the horizon. Instead, the Chicago Bulls went on to use half their mid-level exception to sign Jevon Carter and a veteran minimum to sign Torrey Craig.
Of course, there are then the times Karnisovas has said the wrong thing. This offseason he harped on the team’s 14-9 record post-All-Star break and claimed that the team actually “improved” despite going 40-42 with a Play-In Tournament exit. More on that here, if you don’t believe me.
So not only is it hard to trust that Karnisovas will attack this situation head-on, but it’s even harder to know if Karnisovas is legitimately seeing what we’re seeing. All he’s shown is immense stubbornness when it comes to keeping this core together and maintaining a win-now mindset. With that being the case, I’ll only accept that Karnisovas is not “running from” the real issue when he takes a stick of dynamite to this current core.
The only reason I will cut the executive any semblance of slack right now is that we’re still months away from the trade deadline. We’re also still weeks away from December 15, when a large chunk of the league becomes tradeable. Bulls fans shouldn’t want the front office to make any big moves at this precise moment. Waiting until at least Dec. 15 and likely longer is part of getting the best possible value for your assets.
Still, Karnisovas’ wheels should have started turning weeks ago. If he’s truthfully seeing what everyone else is seeing, he knows that “continuity” has crashed and burned. So let’s hope these words prove to be our first indication that the organization is finally prepared to head in a new direction.
More on the wait for trades …
