What’s next for Arturas Karnisovas’ Chicago Bulls?
2. Rounding out the Chicago Bulls’ new front office staff
The Chicago Bulls have notoriously had a small front office for decades. That’s all now changing. For Arturas Karnisovas, he gets to design his front office the way he wants it, having the authority to build it fit the modern NBA. It hasn’t taken long for the new boss to get to work building a new staff.
Karnisovas has already snagged J.J. Polk to serve as an assistant general manager from the New Orleans Pelicans, where he’s worked for the past 10 seasons. Polk, who earned a law degree from the University of Illinois, brings his salary cap expertise to the Windy City.
One name to watch for role on Arturas Karnisovas' staff is J.J. Polk, per sources. The cap specialist, who has worked for the Pelicans for close to a decade, owns a law degree from University of Illinois.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) April 10, 2020
Pat Connelly, who worked with Karnisovas in Denver as director of player personnel with the Nuggets is expected to join Chicago’s front office as an assistant general manager. Connelly previously was an assistant general manager with the Phoenix Suns from 2013-2018.
While Paxson and Forman’s futures with the Chicago Bulls are uncertain at this point, one holdover may outlast the front office restructuring. Steve Weinman, a current assistant general manager and the Bulls “analytics guy” is highly regarded and is expected to stay on. As the team continues to (finally) embrace NBA modernization, Weinman could head up a revamped analytics department.
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There will be more hires, as it’s expected that Karnisovas will employ multiple assistant general managers and expand the scouting department. Most importantly, he needs to fill the general manager vacancy. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has reported that the team will start interviews soon.
Sources: Arturas Karnisovas is planning to start discussing Chicago’s GM job with candidates soon, a pool that’s expected to include several assistant GM’s: Calvin Booth (Denver), Marc Eversley (Sixers), Mark Hughes (Clippers) and Matt Lloyd (Magic) — among others.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 10, 2020
The Chicago Bulls appear to be in good hands with Arturas Karnisovas. After years of fans chanting – and tweeting – #firegarpax, the new front office looks to bring excitement back to the United Center.