The Chicago Bulls chared my brain. Already simmering from the countless articles we wrote about trade season here on Bleacher Nation, a third-straight inactive deadline engulfed it in flames. By the time Arturas Karnisovas was done with his all-too-familiar feeling press conference – and I was done rage-typing my thoughts – my brain was practically ashes.
Both the writer and Bulls obsessor in me feel exhausted and defeated. But, hey, at least the Bulls played a competitive game last night!
In case you logged off to see your therapist at 2:00 p.m. CT, let me remind you of what Arturas Karnisovas had to say during his post-deadline presser. The front office leader responded to tough question after tough question (seriously, shoutout to the media for pressing him) by insisting that the organization was fielding a “competitive” team. He praised their play since December and repeatedly mentioned that there was nothing the team could have done at the deadline to make them better. Instead, despite sitting 9th in the Eastern Conference with and below .500 for the second consecutive year, Karnisovas stressed that this team as currently constructed gives the franchise the best chance to win.
“I just think there are so many positive stories around this team,” Karnisovas said. “And the biggest thing for me is that you look at every option that’s out there to improve your team, and we didn’t see anything that was going to make us better. We would take a step back, which we don’t want. We want to stay competitive. We have obligations to this organization and this fan base and this city to stay competitive. And compete for playoffs.
That’s right, the executive vice president of basketball operations attempted to spin Thursday’s decision as an obligation to the fan base and city. And, sadly, this was merely one of many tone-deaf comments made throughout his 22-minute press conference. For more, you can read our article here …
We’ve now heard Karnisovas say that there was nothing he could do to make the Bulls better after multiple deadlines, which is flat-out wrong. Sure, I don’t know what offers were on the table, but I do know that bettering the Bulls doesn’t have to solely mean adding win-now pieces. The team’s long-term future is among the darkest in the NBA right now, and he could’ve used these past few deadlines to change that.
Heck, even if we strictly look at things from the standpoint of immediately improving this iteration of the team, I refuse to believe there was nothing Karnisovas could do. While I wouldn’t agree with buying at the deadline, it would have at least represented some level of effort! In other words, you’re telling me you couldn’t have traded picks or young players to create a better version of this team? The roster we see today – which is 25-27 – is the best possible one you could form? The idea that there was nothing he could do – for the third straight year – to better the franchise in any way shape or form is incomprehensible.
via Chicago Bulls YouTube (All-Access: Training Camp)
The outlook for Karnisovas is extremely short-sighted. When asked about his vision for the franchise, he turned to his favorite word again (emphasis mine):
“The vision this year is making a push for the playoffs and then it depends on the result, evaluating individual players, you’re going to go through draft, you’re going to go through free agency. Every season we want to be competitive, especially now with the parity in the East. We’re going to compete and then we’re going to make adjustments.”
I must know AK’s definitions for “competitive” and “adjustments.” Living in the Play-In Tournament is competitive … it’s a death sentence. Making zero in-season trades since 2021 isn’t making adjustments … it’s quite literally doing nothing.
Karnisovas also stated during his meeting with reporters that the Bulls have been competitive against the league’s best teams. My work colleague Rick Camp over at 4for4 went ahead to fact-check this – the Chicago Bulls are 4-11 against teams with a top 10 net rating this season:
AK said the #Bulls are competitive against the best teams. In games against the top 10 net rating teams per @cleantheglass, the Bulls are…
4-11 -10.5 net rating (23rd) 24th in offense, 17 in defense— Rick Camp (@RickCCamp) February 8, 2024
The Celtics, Knicks, Pacers, 76ers, and Bucks all found a way to make their team better on Thursday – and each had less of a reason to do so than the Bulls. Again, I’m not saying I wanted the Bulls to add win-now talent. But if this is the tier Karnisovas feels his team is closest to, it’s still an indefensible decision to do nothing.
You know what surely didn’t make me feel better about things? Struggling to beat the Memphis Grizzlies. The Bulls were down the majority of the game to a squad relying on multiple rookies and two-way contract players. They may have been able to use their veteran experience to pull the game out in the end, but it was in no way the kind of convincing win a playoff-ready team should have over a banged-up opponent.
Anyway, you can watch Karnisovas’ full press conference below. He also shared at the beginning that Zach LaVine underwent a successful surgery and reiterated that he has a strong relationship with the two-time All-Star. So, yeah, take that as you will.
I’m still super intrigued about the upside for Julian Phillips. Wish he could be getting more developmental playing time to finish out the year!
Noticeable improvement in Julian Phillips’ 3-point shot from where it was at the start of the season. pic.twitter.com/xGh4MHxki2
Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.
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