Time for the architects of this Bulls mess to step forward and talk

MINNEAPOLIS – It starts with the foundation being built on uneven ground.

Then there was the questionable financial decision to spend max money on a three-season porch in a four-season city.

And the underwater treadmill in the exercise room? Necessary, but was it really supposed to get this much use?

So while it was admirable for the foreman to calmly sit there and get peppered with questions about this sudden dumpster fire of a structure, the person that should have been front and center Friday night was the architect.

That’s Accountability 101.

That’s also what Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas all but promised when he was hired.

“My professional philosophy is knowing players, constant communication, roster balance, and deal-making creativity,” Karnisovas said back in 2020 in his first meeting with the media.

“Constant” may have been a stretch, considering he’s communicated with the media maybe a handful of times since then, but the expectation has to be that he’ll talk soon, as this season continued to spiral downward after an embarrassing showing in the Friday loss to the Knicks.

Doesn’t he?

After all, it was Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley that doubled down on what was seemingly a flawed project, opting to take the road of “continuity” and bring back this core roster.

Entering this four-game road trip, the Bulls are one of the more disappointing teams in the NBA right now. One of them has to address the 11-17 start.

“Everything starts and ends with winning,” Eversley said in his opening presser with the media. “For Bulls fans, hear me when I say it: Our ultimate goal is to bring an NBA Championship back to the city of Chicago.”

Cool. Goosebumps.

One problem: Since that day almost two-and-a-half years ago, Eversley has spoken to the media even less than Karnisovas, and that NBA Championship parade that was thrown out there? Let’s just say there’s plenty of good seats still available at Grant Park.

But there was coach Billy Donovan after a third-straight loss, answering questions about the roster build and future trade possibilities as best he could. Questions that were above his pay grade. But someone had to answer them.

“I don’t personally feel that way,” Donovan responded, when asked if running back this same core group was a mistake by the front office. “I think the character in that locker room is really, really good. I just think that with the adversity that happens in the game, we have to collectively have more resolve.”

Then again, what’s the coach supposed to say? Donovan should be applauded for being a stand-up guy and taking the heat, but he’s also not going to take the flamethrower to the only bridge that gets him back home.

He’s publicly warned everyone about this 2022-23 campaign being much harder than last season’s short-lived playoff run, but for some reason those warnings were ignored by far too many.

Starting with his own boss.

It was Karnisovas who back in September, set the bar for a successful season at reaching at least the second round of the playoffs.

If the Bulls keep playing like this, however, they might not even reach a play-in game.

The good news?

There is a lot of time to make repairs. The regular season is not even a third in the books. That means plenty of basketball still to be played.

And if it does continue to crack and break? One of the architects will surely address it soon. They have to, don’t they?

Read More