So long, Arturas Karnisovas

I had heard rumors on Monday morning that Arturas Karnisovas was very close to getting fired. I didn’t totally believe them given how difficult it is to lose the Bulls job. It turns out that treating a GM position like you’re a participant in a sleep study only buys you six years before the Reinsdorfs wonder what’s going on.

Karnisovas’ signature move was doing nothing. In the rare instances that he did choose a path, it was almost always the wrong one, and after so much deliberation that every other reasonable option had crumbled to dust. I went over his list of moves over at Sporting News, outlining why he’s been the worst GM in the NBA over his tenure (and leaving a lot of details out for brevity’s sake).

I don’t have any strong insight on who the Bulls will hire next. I don’t think they have any idea either. I put forth a list of names that they should consider, but the truth is that it’s extremely hard to parse out credit to executives without being in the room. Unless you’re hiring a retread who has been the lead guy before, it’s mostly guesswork.

I’ll surely write more on the situation (and the draft!) down the line. For now, I’m feeling some unusual hope about the Bulls. They had no chance with Karnisovas at the helm. They’re not back yet, but they’re awake for the first time in years.