The decisions of Artūras Karnišovas could determine what happens to the Chicago Bulls for the next few seasons.
The Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations, Artūras Karnišovas, made a brief and mysterious statement about the team's slow start when they were nine games below .500 and on a five-game losing streak.
“We see the same things as everyone else and feel just as frustrated,” Karnišovas told Bulls reporters in Boston. “We’re disappointed, but I’m not avoiding it. It’s my responsibility.”
Coming from someone who rarely speaks to the media, this counted as a long speech.
But since then, the Bulls boss has been staying in the same place, hoping for a trade market for Zach LaVine to form and watching his team slowly improve in the Eastern Conference competition.
With the upcoming trade deadline on Feb. 8, LaVine is out again with a sprained right ankle, and the Bulls are likely to face another battle for a play-in spot. Karnišovas’ options seem limited.
- Sticking with the core group and hoping they can keep playing better since learning how to succeed without LaVine (10-7) and then with LaVine playing a supporting role (5-2).
- Hoping that LaVine’s return in one to two weeks match up with a newly created market for his services, allowing Karnišovas to finally end this drawn-out situation.
- Or forgetting about waiting for a trade market for LaVine that might never develop and instead focusing on trading one of his two most valuable assets, DeMar DeRozan or Alex Caruso.
Keep doing the same or start over?
In 19 days we’ll have the answer.
After Saturday’s 125-96 win against the Memphis Grizzlies at the United Center, the Bulls begin a three-game West Coast trip that starts Monday in Phoenix, moves to Los Angeles for a Thursday game against the Lakers, and ends on Jan. 28 in Portland, Ore.
It’s not the same as the circus trips from early in the season, which were necessary due to the arrival of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus at the old Chicago Stadium or the United Center — during those trips, coach Phil Jackson would give his players books they would pretend to read.
However, by the time the Bulls return to the West Side on Jan. 30 against the Toronto Raptors, Karnišovas should have a better idea of whether it’s time to move on from this core group and begin a new phase.
LaVine, as has been mentioned many times, is challenging to trade with nearly $140 million remaining on his five-year, $215 million contract in addition to two previous knee surgeries before his recent foot and ankle injuries. If he returns after the trip, he will have four games to prove he is healthy and back to his normal form before the trade deadline.
DeRozan, who will be a free agent at the end of the season, seems to be the most likely player to be traded due to his contract status and ability to fit in with any contender. At 34, he is still an effective scorer and has had a positive impact on the younger players, particularly Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu.
DeRozan has expressed his desire to finish his career in Chicago, where he quickly became one of the city’s most popular athletes. But considering how far the Bulls are from contending for a title, Karnišovas may be doing DeRozan a favor by giving him the opportunity to pursue a championship.
Caruso, who got his first NBA All-Defensive First Team selection last season and might have been considered for Defensive Player of the Year if he could stay healthy, is likely to attract more attention from teams than DeRozan because he still has one year left on his four-year, $37 million deal. His 3-point shooting percentage is .418, ranking 21st as of Saturday, and he is second in deflections with 3.4. Once known for his hustle, he’s now a well-rounded player.
The Suns and the Lakers, Caruso’s former team, are likely to be interested if the Bulls decide to actively shop him. Can you imagine Caruso teaming up with Suns guard Grayson Allen, whose flagrant foul in Milwaukee two years ago fractured Caruso’s right wrist? Or back in Los Angeles with old friend LeBron James, where he started his career and became a fan favorite to Lakers fans?
Of course Bulls fans would be extremely upset if Caruso were dealt, a factor that could give Karnišovas pause before making a decision. Who wants to be booed during a future Ring of Honor ceremony?
Perhaps Karnišovas will make a less dramatic move, like selling high on center Andre Drummond, whose 19 rebounds per 36 minutes is by far the best in the league. Drummond’s work ethic and consistent performance in a backup role to Nikola Vučević has made him one of Karnišovas’s most underappreciated signings.
The emergence of White since LaVine first was sidelined Dec. 6 with inflammation on the exterior of his right foot makes Karnišovas’s deadline decisions even more difficult. Perhaps for the first time since January 2022, before Lonzo Ball’s injury ended their chance at contending and started the Bulls on the treadmill of mediocrity, they’re once again enjoyable to watch.
Although still inconsistent, White has become a proven star. He has averaged career highs in scoring (18.6 points), assists (4.9), 3-point shooting percentage (.397) and field-goal percentage (.454) while coming up in the clutch when given the opportunity by DeRozan. White has already recorded 19 games of 20 or more points, a career high with almost a half-season remaining.
Give LaVine some credit. His willingness to change his game since he returned — taking fewer shots, distributing the ball and supporting White on and off the court — shows he’s not a sulking star just waiting to leave town.
But as much as the Bulls appreciate his unselfishness, LaVine probably needs to become more aggressive offensively when he returns for the Bulls to succeed. He’s still a star and has been one of the team leaders for six seasons, through thick and thin, setting an example for the kids.
Still, in the three seasons of the LaVine-DeRozan-Vučević era, the Bulls have been consistently inconsistent. Through it all, Karnišovas has kept the faith, and the latest stretch suggests he still might be right in the long run.
But the clock is ticking on this team — and maybe on this era.
Nothing lasts forever.
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